New Roach Feeder - The Blaberus atropos

I was SO excited to receive these guys in the mail. You've probably read me complain about how difficult it is for us Floridian keepers to find and purchase Florida-legal roach species in bulk, as we are limited essentially to just B. discoidalis (aka Discoids) and those who sell them seem to be incapable of supplying the demand, as it seems everyone is perpetually out of stock. And those who sell them sometimes ask astronomical prices! So I was thrilled when I contacted Kevin from Roach Crossing about buying 500 discoids and he offered me an alternative species since he was out of discoids. 

Curiously enough, this species was apparently collected in the Wynwood Art District area here in Miami, not 20 minutes from my house. And here I had to order them from Michigan! This species is extremely similar to it's cousin species, B. dubia, B. discoidalis, and  B. craniifer, but it is, in fact, it's own separate species although it shares a lot of the same traits. It is non-climbing, about the same size as a discoid or dubia, and breeds easily. 

So I have high hopes that these guys will breed well and free me up from ordering crickets in bulk every month! I have two other Blaberus species currently but I suffered significant losses last year and they just haven't been able to recover yet. So I hope these guys do well and that between them and my other roaches I can have multiple self-sustaining food sources for my chameleons. Which frees me up to put more money towards more exciting feeders than crickets, like silkworms, hornworms, stick insects, katydids, etc. 

Here is my new colony in all its current (messy) glory: 

I put their tub together in a hurry the other night, so it's not as neat as I usually keep my bins. Kevin sent them with this bark substrate and I decided to keep it. First, because I can't imagine removing the roaches from it, and second, because it will help me distinguish between my roach tubs so I don't confuse this new species with my discoids. 

They really are SO similar to my discoids, I'm not sure I could tell them apart if they ended up in the same container. The nymphs are essentially identical but the adults are extremely close as well. 

If you haven't looked into feeder roaches as an affordable and easy to breed feeder I highly encourage you to do so! They are so easy to care for, eat nearly anything, and breed very well at warm temperatures. And since they don't climb any smooth plastic container will keep them safely contained. And that annoying chirping and stench that eminates from cricket bins? Not present with roaches! Just the pitter-patter of little roach feet on their egg crates, which is much more livable.