Megaloblatta blaberoides

Güten tag, alle!

 A few days ago, I started my very first big project. I obtained the unique opportunity to culture a new species of roach in the U.S hobby, and it isn't just any roach. Thanks to Kyle from Roach Crossing, I'll be attempting to introduce Megaloblatta blaberoides, the world's second largest roach species (by wing span and body length). He owns a captive female that was pregnant and produced two ooths. I received the second one, and I'll be attempting to hatch it. The U.S hobby has not seen any Megaloblatta yet. This is hopefully the first day of change for that!

 img source: Orthoptera Fam. Blattidae Subfam. Nyctiborinae, Genera Insectorum 109 by Philogène Wytsman

 The challenge for me is experience. Though I do have a couple of intermediate-level species that I've hadn't had an issue with, I still haven't fully grasped proper humidity. Most of my keeping experience is with dry-tolerant species. I believe what I'm doing so far is correct. Having a thermostat that reads temperature and humidity helps me remain confident that things are going well. It also helps that RC sent the ooth with already-damp substrate that I could just transfer over to the ooth's new enclosure.

 I don't want to disturb the ooth after I already buried it, so here is a snapshot of RC's female holding it before she laid it

 

 

The laid ooth is much darker, as it hardens after being laid. If you'd like to see the actual ooth itself, visit my instagram to see the unboxing and setup video!

 

 So what's next?

Well, the only thing to do now is keep the humidity and temperature parameters consistent (that being 80% humidity and 77-86 degrees Fahrenheit (25-30 Celsius)) and wait for it to hatch. I'll check on it once a week to make sure it isn't rotting. Which is another thing I don't have much experience with... the only other species I've worked with that are oviparous and lay ootheca are N. rhombifolia, who only recently laid their ooths. They all look fine, but I've never seen/personally experienced a "dead" ootheca (dried out or rotted). With the help of the community, though, I'm confident it'll be fine. :) Speaking of, Roach Crossing and InvertebrateDude are due credit for getting this project started for me. InvertebrateDude supplied the husbandry information, and RC provided the ooth and resources, so I'd not have been able to do this without them. As an amateur roach-keeper, I'll be updating them regularly on the ooth's status.

 

This venture will take approximately a year. I know that sounds so long! But what can you expect from a super-sized cockroach? Even after it hatches, the nymphs will take approximately a little over a year to reach adulthood, then of course comes the challenge of breeding them, getting them to lay their ootheca, and waiting for those to hatch. So altogether, introducing this species is going to take a long time, but with plenty of patience and support from the community, we'll make it happen!

 

I'll of course keep you updated on here, but for faster and more accessible updates, be sure to follow my instagram. 😊I also plan on starting to stream on the Off The Fent Roaches Youtube channel for live husbandry and other things involving my roaches, so be sure to subscribe over there! I really appreciate your support.😊

 

As always, any feedback you want to give me or if you need to contact me feel free to do so by emailing me at offthefentroaches@gmail.com.

 

Auf weidersehen! 

The First Post

 Firstly, thank you so much for visiting my sight. I'd like you to get to know me!

My name is Dianna. I'm currently 28 years old and I'm a native southern New Jerseyan. I attended Stockton University for my bachelor of arts in Sports Management. I wanted to study biology, as my dream is to be a wildlife conservationist, however due to mental illness I wasn't able to perform to the best of my ability and had to settle for something that could just get me by. For three decades I've been fighting a war with depression, anxiety, and my adhd. All I've ever known was sadness and the feeling of alienation, but with personal courage and my stubborn will to live, I'm still here. The name "Off the Fent Roaches" has double-meaning: 1. It's a reflection of my humor, and 2. I have to rely on substances to function properly, but much like the drug fentanyl, these substances help me "feel good" at a price; they will never cure me, and I will always be dependent on them for my happiness. So, I might as well go off while I'm on them!

The roach hobby has given me the platform to live my dreams. I never thought it was possible to work with animals, care for them, conserve them, and educate the public about them without a degree and a science-related job. But I realized, after being given the opportunity be one of the first to bring a new roach species to the U.S hobby, that I was performing wildlife conservation in my own home, and I have the freedom to work on my own schedule and not have my ideas rejected. I'm still fairly new to this hobby and the community, but I hope taking these small steps will nurture me into the person I've always wanted to be. I'm afraid of failure, but I'm confident this hobby will teach me to accept failures and apply what I've learned to future projects. I'll always need to remind myself that even the most experienced roach keepers have colony crashes and other set backs sometimes. I'm looking forward to this journey. :)

I'm always open to talk to you if you have questions or just want to chat about roaches. Places you can contact me are via email offthefentroaches@gmail.com, Instagram @offthefentroaches, and Discord @thalassodromidae.