One of the best but most under appreciated insects in terms of food value, maintenance and ease of breeding has to be the Nauphoeta cinerea or as most people in refer to it, the Woody. An alternative common name is the Lobster Cockroach. Other common names used are the Madeira, Cinereous, Tampa, Speckled and finally "Woodie". Woodies are a medium sized insect, approximately three centimeters long, they don't smell, they live for about a year, anyone can breed them, but more importantly most herps love them. Disadvantages? Perhaps the main one is that they do climb up and out of plastic/glass containers if not prepared properly. A reminder that if these roaches do escape they will not take over your premises.

Woodies are:

¨ Easy to keep and breed.
¨ Live for up to a year.
¨ Equally as acceptable to reptiles & amphibians as other foods.
¨ Perfect for Dragons, Geckos, Skinks, Monitors and frogs.
¨ Make no noise.
¨ Unlike crickets, they almost ‘thrive on neglect’.
¨ Have no odor.
¨ Do not jump.
¨ Do not bite.
¨ Do not fly.
¨ Soft bodied.

Housing: In the wild woodies live under bark or wood, however it is not necessary to replicate these conditions, a simple container filled with shredded paper and cardboard cylinders is perfectly acceptable. The one thing to note when choosing a container is although woodies cannot jump they are capable of climbing most materials, including glass. The roaches can be kept in plastic containers that are fitted with a lid, very similar to the one described as the colony container for breeding crickets. For small quantities, round bucket type containers are O.K. but for larger quantities large flat sided containers are preferable giving the insects housing with more surface area. These should also come with a lid. A suitable container to use measures 24" x 16" x 8" deep. The lids should be well ventilated (not just a couple of holes drilled). Cut the majority of the center part of the lid out leaving just the outer rim and at least a 2" section all around to fix the mesh to. Purchase enough fly screen (the wire one – not the fiberglass one) to cover the cut out section with a bit of overhang. With a hot soldering iron, gently press the screen into the plastic lid. No glue needed – you now have a perfectly sealed ventilated lid.

Example Roach Colony Container (Click the image to the left for a larger view)

As mentioned, the roaches have the ability to climb up and over and out of plastic and glass containers. There are two methods of containing them. One method is to put a generous smear of Vaseline around the top inner surface as was done in the above picture. This generally works but can become a bit messy. Another useful trick is to place a 2" wide strip of tape around the inside of the container so as to discourage woodies for running out when the container is opened.

To provide your insects with a hiding area and also increasing the habitable living surface area, obtain some egg box trays, fruit divider trays or opened egg cartons. Place plenty of these down one end of the holding container. If you are using the flat trays be careful to place them so they don’t collapse down on each other once stacked.

No substrate is used. This enables it to be cleaned easily.

Biology: This is a false ovoviviparous species in which the oothecae (a cellular egg case) contain 26 – 40 eggs. The nymphs hatch as the female extrudes the oothecae from the brood sac; they shed their embryonic membrane as they hatch and eat both it and the oothecae. Newly hatched nymphs crawl beneath the female, even under her wings, and remain there for about an hour after hatching. Female nymphs take longer to mature than males.

oothecae of Blattella germanica

Nauphoeta cinerea Woody	Blattella germanica German	Periplaneta americana American

Biology of Nauphoeta cinerea based on Laboratory Data (Averages) at 86° F:

Heating: The roaches do prefer to be kept at 77 - 86° F. This can be maintained by having them on a heat mat or flexible heating element. A probe thermostat or dimmer can control the temperature. The warmer they are, the more active they are.

Feeding: Woodies survive best when fed on food pellets (rabbit, guinea pig, cat, dog ...) with a piece of carrot, lettuce or orange for moisture. It is best to keep a pile of pellets in one corner of the enclosure so there's always food available. Rep-Cal Cricket food etc but the ‘fresh’ carrot is important for moisture. No water is supplied. Provide enough carrot that your colony will devour in two days. Remove any uneaten carrot at this time or earlier if the carrot starts to spoil. Remember what you feed them is what you are feeding your herp. A good gutload will enhance their nutritional value.