Compsodes schwarzi

Housing:

Anything from a 24 oz Tupperware to a large 5 gallon gasket bin will work well for this species, they are tiny but prolific, and will eventually fill out whatever size enclosure you give them, (but are not particularly sensitive to overcrowding either). While nymphs and adult females can't climb, adult males can climb and fly, and since this species is so tiny, even slightly dirty walls can give the nymphs enough texture to grab onto and make their escape. Because of this, the lid on their enclosure should be airtight.

A thin layer of coconut fiber or a similar substrate should be provided, as well as plenty of hides in the form of bark pieces, eggcrates, leaf litter, or "roachhuts" made of plywood or corkboard. They should be kept moderately ventilated, but be sure that the ventilation holes aren't big enough for the tiny nymphs to escape from, (and they are TINY). They should be kept rather humid, if kept too dry they can desiccate rapidly.


Diet:

The normal roach diet of dog/cat/chick feed, fruits and veggies works well for this species, in addition they seem to be decent mold eaters, eat their own dead, and might make good cleaner crews for other, larger roaches.


Temperature:

Temps from 70-85F° work well for breeding, they aren't too picky, but will obviously breed and grow way faster the warmer they are kept.


Breeding/Life cycle:

Adult males live for at least 2-3 months, whereas females live at least 4-6 months, never really kept track of how long they lived to be honest, however it was long enough for a big overlap in generations. Females are prolific and lay very small, very thin oothecae on bark pieces and other hides once a week or so. Each ootheca holds around 8 eggs, and they only take a couple weeks to a month to hatch, depending on the temperature. Nymphs take an additional 2-3 months to mature on average.

Overall this tiny species is very easy to breed, and they can make great feeders for smaller predators if kept warm enough, especially since nymphs lack the ability to climb smooth surfaces, don't burrow, and are highly active. The oothecae hatch extremely quickly, and this species isn't too picky when it comes to their setup or diet. Definitely a good addition to any enthusiast's collection!