Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Eurycotis floridana

Housing:

These roaches are decently sized and can sometimes get a bit territorial, so a container size no smaller than a gallon should be provided for a small starter colony of nymphs, ideally when they mature or start breeding you'd then move them to a larger bin, something 5-10 gallons in size would be nice.
An airtight lid is a must, as nymphs and adults are excellent climbers. A climbing barrier such as silicone oil is recommended, but small nymphs may still be able to cross it. 

A substrate about an inch or so deep should be provided, coconut fiber, potting soil, peat moss, etc. will work great. Lots of hides in the form of bark slabs, leaf litter, eggcrates, paper towel rolls, etc. should be provided, the more surface area, the better! These roaches like climbing, and appreciate some verticality in their enclosure, so take that into consideration when arranging the hide placement. 

This species semi humid conditions, the fanciest way to do this is to keep the upper layers of the enclosure dry, with the lower layers under the hides to be more humid, (which can be achieved by only misting/soaking the areas underneath their hides). Alternatively a horizontal humidity gradient can be used, with a third to half of the enclosure kept humid, the rest dry. They aren't too picky compared to some of the other Eurycotis spp. when it comes to humidity. They appreciate moderate to high amounts of ventilation.


Diet:

The normal roach fare of dog/cat/chick feed, fruits and veggies works fine. They are a protein loving species, may start eating their ooths if not given enough protein, or alternatively not enough moisture.


Temperature:

This species can breed at temps from 70-85F°, but breeds and grows fastest when kept in the higher end of that range. 


Breeding/Life cycle:

Adults live some 8+ months, with males dying first. Females lay roughly one large ootheca per week for the first several months of maturity, but slow down and stop laying ooths as they get old. They usually deposit their ooths on bark and cover them in substrate, or bury them, often in the more humid areas of the enclosure.
The oothecae take around 3-4 months to hatch, and the resulting nymphs take 5-6 months to mature, depending on temperatures and available food. 

This species handles crowding better than some of the other larger Eurycotis spp. and are also pretty tolerant of filth buildups, pest outbreaks and neglect. One of the easiest species in the genus to work with.

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