Argentine cockroach: unpretentious pet or healthy food?

Cockroaches populated the Earth before dinosaurs and have not changed much since then. They live everywhere - in the mountains, deserts, lemmas, in the neighborhood with man. Most people mention insects cause fear and dislike, but not everyone shares this opinion. Exotic Argentinean cockroach can be an interesting pet. Its content does not require efforts and special investments. For reptile breeders, the species Blaptica dubia is a useful animal feed.

Morphological description

The Argentine cockroach blaptica dubia is of medium size and pronounced sexual dimorphism. Body length 40-45 mm. The male is thinner, he has long dark wings with orange spots at the base. The female is more rounded, painted dark brown with orange spots at the base of the abdominal segments. The wings are atrophied, only small rudiments remain. Their length is about 1 cm. The limbs are reddish, densely covered with thorns. Males are capable of short flight from an elevation; they cannot take off from a flat surface.

Interesting fact. The coloration of insects from different colonies is different. Its intensity depends on the environment and diet.

Habitat

Representatives of the species Blaptica dubia live in Central and South America. Insect colonies are found in Costa Rica, French Guiana, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.

Lifestyle

Insects in large numbers inhabit the forest litter, can move to people's dwellings. They feed on rotten leaves and wood. The delicacy is fruits and animal remains. Cockroaches Blaptica dubia are nocturnal; during the day they prefer to bury themselves in the soil or hide under the roots of trees.

Breeding

Before mating, males organize peculiar tournaments. They actively run after each other, trying to drive away an opponent. For the female, a special dance is performed with the raising of wings. Wingspan not only looks spectacular, they are necessary for the distribution of pheromones. Females are viviparous, the number of offspring reaches 20-30 pieces. The incubation period lasts about 1 month. In adverse climatic conditions or because of hunger, the female throws the ooteca prematurely. Underdeveloped larvae do not hatch from eggs and die.

The offspring are lighter than adults, they are beige with a marble pattern. They are born 2 mm long. Young growth spends time buried in the ground. Before reaching the state of imago, they will need 4-7 months.

The content of Argentine cockroaches

Argentine cockroaches are not pretentious, they are equally comfortable in a plastic container and a glass terrarium. The choice of content depends on the goals. Exotic pets are housed in a spacious cage with bulk bedding. Coconut substrate, hardwood sawdust, oak litter are used. Layer of soil 4-6 cm. Pieces of bark, dry branches are laid out from above. A 50x40x50cm terrarium is recommended for 30 individuals. The cage looks attractive, this option is good for observers of insect life.

When growing them as feed, the approach is different. The number of insects can be in the hundreds, so there are difficulties with replacing the substrate.The larvae bury together in it; The main litter is replaced by egg cells. Using cardboard egg trays instead of substrate has several advantages:

• It’s easier to care for the terrarium, to maintain cleanliness.
• Between the cells there is excellent ventilation, which prevents the growth of the fungus.

Some breeders contain nymphs and adults separately. In cages, optimal conditions are maintained for a certain age. Humidity of 50% is suitable for adults, while young growth needs 65%. Under such conditions, molting is easier. To maintain a microclimate and ventilation, small holes are made in the lid of the terrarium. Humidity is maintained by spraying the substrate with warm water.

Tip. Complete substrate replacement every 2-4 months. Thoroughly wash the plastic container with soap at the same time.

The optimum temperature range is 25-33 °. When the temperature drops to 20 ° insects stop breeding. They heat the container with a 7 W lamp or lay a thermal mat under it. Adults do not crawl along the walls of the cage, do not make attempts to escape during cleaning. Larvae are more mobile, but prefer to hide in a substrate or other shelter.

Food

The development of insects depends on nutrition. The diet should be varied. Daily main food - oatmeal, bran, porridge. Juicy vegetables (carrots, pumpkin) and fruits are regularly given. Argentine cockroaches love bananas, apples, strawberries, tangerines and oranges. With a sufficient amount of juicy food, they do not need a drinker. Products are given in small quantities, residues are removed.

Protein foods are given to insects to prevent cannibalism. There are many options: dry food for fish or cats, boiled meat, egg. Calcium deficiency make up for cottage cheese, chalk. Feeding pets is better in the evening, they are active at night.

Even a beginner can engage in breeding Argentinean cockroaches. The main purpose of insects is a feed object. They are popular for their high nutritional value and relative softness of the cover. Protein makes up 22% of the body of a cockroach, there is a low content of fat and water. The adult longevity is 1-2 years; during this period, the female gives 5 generations of larvae. They are food for amphibians, reptiles, large spiders.

Information. One cockroach Blaptica dubia is 6-7 crickets in nutritional value.

With proper organization of breeding in several cages, larvae of different ages and sizes are simultaneously obtained. It is convenient for feeding adults and young reptiles.