Roaches in enclosure

Mykell · Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2007 10:46 am Post subject: Roaches in enclosure

Hey all, this issue came up less than half an hour ago and need input. As I was tending to Ridley's enclosure, I discovered a couple cockroaches had been hiding in the Cypris Mulch. I killed one, but before I even discovered the other, Ridley hunted it down and ate it.
These are the standard run-of-the-mill apartment cockroaches and I need to know if this poses a significant health hazard that he ate one or will continue to eat them if more are found/get into his enclosure. Any suggestions on how to prevent this from happening in the future?

dpjm · Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2007 11:12 am Post subject:

If you don't know where they came from, then it might not be best for your tegu to eat them. Have you ever seen roaches in your place or do you think they came with the mulch? If they came with the mulch, they would probably be ok to eat.

Mykell · Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2007 11:37 am Post subject:

They are most deffinitely the apartment kind. I went digging around the mulch to see if there were any more, but it seems those were the only 2. The bugs that come with the mulch are pretty tiny and Ridley just ignores them.
My home built enclosure isn't the best made. There's holes in it here and there from faulty measurements, and that's probably how the roaches got in. Is there anything that I may be able to put in the enclosure (like a spray of some kind) that would keep insects out without hurting Ridley?

dpjm · Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2007 2:13 pm Post subject:

I think that your bet bet is to try to seal the enclosure better. I don't think a spray is the answer. It's not like you can spray once and it will keep the roaches away forever. They will keep coming in and you will always be spraying, and I can't imagine that being good for Ridley.
You might consider sealing with silicone, but you would have to house Ridley somewhere else until it dries completely.
You might want to find out what the small bugs are that you said came with the mulch. I would be worried that they are mites. If you can't identify them, you could take a sample to a local university entomology dept and I'm sure they could help you.

Rick · Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2007 2:33 pm Post subject:

Sealing would be the best. Any kind of pesticide could get on or into the roach, which could be eaten by the tegu.

Rick
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Sisco Reptiles - Proud Breeder of the Tamest & Most Social Tegus. See www.SiscoReptiles.com

Mykell · Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2007 11:18 am Post subject:

I'd like to be able to seal it better, but I don't know if I really can. Most of the holes are around the door. There's a couple spots that I could seal up with silicone, but it seems the roaches get in through the door itself. Only way I can truly repair that is to replace the door entirely.
Question, would it be too harmful to leave the UVB (florescent) lamp on through the night? Only reason the roaches got in was because it was dark.

TallBaldNTatt2ed · Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2007 6:39 pm Post subject:

Leaving the light on won't help, they're coming in for the heat and will just hide in the mulch. If you have roaches in your place it is next to impossible to keep em out of your cage. I've lived in a couple pretty crappy apts. that had pest problems and the only real remedy i found was cleaning the cage out completely every month. That way they won't infest the cage.

ApriliaRufo · Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2007 2:34 pm Post subject:

It's as simple as this. Buy some caulk, or wood filler, or hell you could use some cat hair and fiber glass. Run it along the edges of the enclosure. Then take your butt to Lowes, home depot, or osh, or whatever. Discount scraps on linoleum are cheap. Get a nice big hunk and glue it onto the bottom and sides. Multiple problems soved.

1. nothing gets in
2. nothing gets out
3. crappy enclosure now looks elegant
4. clean up is a no handle broom and a sponge