Rhabdoblatta rustica

The captive stock of this species was initially misidentified as Rhabdoblatta formosana, but we now know this species is R.rustica, read here for more info.

This caresheet is likely applicable to a number of Rhabdoblatta spp., and probably some other closely related Epilamprids.

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Housing:

Colonies can be started out in a gallon container, however they will eventually require a much larger enclosure size, like a 40 qt. bin. The lid should be rather tight, as adults are great climbers and can fly as well, however, small nymphs also have an annoying tendency to "swim" up water droplets on the sides of the enclosure after a good misting, so they can easily reach the lid as well... This species appreciates moderate to high amounts of ventilation.

A one inch layer of substrate should be provided in the form of coconut fiber, peat moss, potting soil, etc., and they should be given plenty of hides, bark slabs and eggcrates work well. This species is semi-aquatic in the wild, and while they don't need any sort of water features in their enclosure, they will need to be kept very humid.


Diet:

Dog/cat/chick feed, fruits and veggies work great as the staple diet, this species does seem to have a preference for fruits, and may not reproduce without them.


Temperature: 

This species will breed in a temperature range from 70-85F°, but breeds best in the high 70s and mid 80s.


Breeding/Life cycle:

Adults live for around 3-5 months, with males dying first. Females give birth to large litters of about two dozen nymphs once or twice in their life, and the resulting nymphs only take 4-5 months to mature under optimal conditions.

Their enclosure must be kept in pristine condition, any frass or dead body buildups can cause the colony to stop breeding and crash rapidly. Unfortunately, due to this species being so prolific and short-lived, frass and dead bodies pile up very quickly, this species' fast reproduction rates are it's own worst enemy in captivity.

Unfortunately cleaner crews of isopods and lesser mealworms have been tried, and while both did eat lots of rustica bodies and frass, they also heavily stressed out the roaches, causing them to halt reproduction completely... So in order to keep your enclosure clean, you will have to remove excess frass and bodies by hand, every month or so as the colony gets bigger.

Overall this species is easy to get going, and can make a great feeder, however breeding them long term can prove tricky and labor intensive, and the margin for error is very small with this species. I'd only recommend them to the most serious of enthusiasts.