Housing:
These roaches can be started off in anything ranging from a one gallon container to a 5 gallon bin, obviously it's easier to observe a starter colony's progress in a smaller enclosure, and small species don't need a ton of room.A minimum of 3-4 inches of substrate should be provided, and should consist primarily of crushed rotten hardwood and/or flake soil. For the crushed rotten wood, most species are fine with the level of decay being red rot or even more degraded, however most prefer or at least relish white rot, and in the case of some picky species/genera (like Salganea incerta) white rot definitely seems to be best for optimal breeding.
Highly degraded leaf litter and certain composts may be added to the mix but are mostly filler, Panesthiinae really seem to specialize in eating wood matter, so this should make up most of the substrate.
No hides are needed, as all life stages spend most of their time underground, in various tunnels and chambers. All currently cultured species seem to prefer high humidity, and tend to do well with low to moderate airflow. Neither adults or nymphs can climb smooth surfaces.
Diet:
Rotten wood makes up the bulk of their diet, but growth/breeding seems to be sped up at least moderately by offering supplemental foods regularly, such as dog/cat/chick feed, fruits and veggies. Salganea and Ancaudellia seem to be protein hogs, whereas Panesthia are more partial to fruits. Leaf litter and some composts will be nibbled on as well but are usually ignored when high quality rotten wood is offered (white rot being a favorite of most species).
Temperature:
A lot of the species in this family can be a bit heat sensitive, and it's generally recommended to keep them in the 68-75F° range. However, if the substrate is very deep, and the enclosure well ventilated, it seems some species can take temperatures up to 80-85F° with little issue (and this may speed up growth/breeding a bit).
Breeding/Life cycle:
Adults live for 1-3 years depending on the species. Females take 4-7 months on average to gestate their broods, with larger species taking the longest. The litters are usually small, only 6-15 nymphs, sometimes a bit more. The resulting nymphs take around 6-10 months to mature depending on the species, though if not fed supplemental foods and kept very cool, it might take even longer.
Adults of most species in this family start out fully winged, but then usually tear/chew their wings off shortly after maturity. In the wild they use their wings to find new logs to colonize, and then they tear their wings off, since they no longer need them, and they only get in the way when tunneling into wood. Some species (Salganea spp. especially) seem to show a degree of paternal care towards their offspring, and the nymphs stay very close to the adults.
No hides are needed, as all life stages spend most of their time underground, in various tunnels and chambers. All currently cultured species seem to prefer high humidity, and tend to do well with low to moderate airflow. Neither adults or nymphs can climb smooth surfaces.
Diet:
Rotten wood makes up the bulk of their diet, but growth/breeding seems to be sped up at least moderately by offering supplemental foods regularly, such as dog/cat/chick feed, fruits and veggies. Salganea and Ancaudellia seem to be protein hogs, whereas Panesthia are more partial to fruits. Leaf litter and some composts will be nibbled on as well but are usually ignored when high quality rotten wood is offered (white rot being a favorite of most species).
Temperature:
A lot of the species in this family can be a bit heat sensitive, and it's generally recommended to keep them in the 68-75F° range. However, if the substrate is very deep, and the enclosure well ventilated, it seems some species can take temperatures up to 80-85F° with little issue (and this may speed up growth/breeding a bit).
Breeding/Life cycle:
Adults live for 1-3 years depending on the species. Females take 4-7 months on average to gestate their broods, with larger species taking the longest. The litters are usually small, only 6-15 nymphs, sometimes a bit more. The resulting nymphs take around 6-10 months to mature depending on the species, though if not fed supplemental foods and kept very cool, it might take even longer.
Adults of most species in this family start out fully winged, but then usually tear/chew their wings off shortly after maturity. In the wild they use their wings to find new logs to colonize, and then they tear their wings off, since they no longer need them, and they only get in the way when tunneling into wood. Some species (Salganea spp. especially) seem to show a degree of paternal care towards their offspring, and the nymphs stay very close to the adults.
They don't usually have too many pest issues, though some pests of notable concern are fungus gnats, certain millipedes and isopods, due to them competing directly for food and eating the rotten wood much faster than the roaches can. All wood material used for these roaches should be sterilized to avoid any pests, predators or pathogens from sneaking in on freshly collected materials.
These species can can a lot of neglect and forgetfulness, however their substrate should never be allowed to dry out, as this would kill most, if not all individuals in the colony.
Overall this group of roaches is is rather easy to keep and breed and can be pretty hardy, as long as you avoid making any simple mistakes with them.
