How to look after Woodies or Wood Roaches?

Step-by-step guide to Woodie Insect Care

Buying insects in bulk is great for the environment and very cost effective. They arrive packed in a calico bag with egg flats. For mini bulks, half bulks and full bulks of woodies a habitat is required to house your woodies.

What do I need for a Bulk Woodie Habitat? 

1. Plastic Storage Box
   • A deep sided storage box from your local store can easily be transformed into a woodie box.
   • Bigger is better - at least 94 litres for a full bulk.

2. Fluon is Fencing for Woodies.
   • Fluon is a white runny liquid that can be painted to create an uncrossable area for insects. It is runny and unsatisfying to paint with but will dry to a very fine white powder that is too slippery for insects to walk across.
   • Paint a band 5-10cm wide around the top inside wall of the plastic box and all
     ow to dry completely before adding insects.
   • It will need to be reapplied if it is damaged or wears off but can last for months if handled gently.

3. Cricket Keeper Carpets – makes a house into a home
   • Our Cricket Keeper Carpets are absorbent pads that will help to absorb woodie waste.
   • Spread them out in the base of the tub and replace when soiled.

4.  Insect Apartments – Egg flats
   • New clean egg flats
     are ideal for creating tiny homes for woodies. If you are recycling them make sure they’re clean and have not been exposed to pesticides.
   • Woodies can become stressed if they feel threatened, over crowded or exposed, so provide plenty of hiding spaces for them.

5. Woodie and Cricket Food or Gutload
   • Formulated food for insects, should be offered freely at all times.
   • Woodie and Cricket Food is ideal for everyday use.
   • Gutload is better for small woodies, can be used as a daily feed and useful for Gutloading insects prior to feeding out to your animals.

6. Aquaload
   • Safe water source for insects. Clean and hygienic with no risk of drowning.
   • Remove old dried up Aquaload and replace with fresh balls regularly.

 How do I set it up?

1. Paint a strip of Fluon around the top inside wall of the Plastic Storage box and allow to dry.
2. Spread out Cricket Keeper Carpets on the base of the Tub.
3. Arrange the Insect Apartments (Egg Flats) to make the maximum number of hiding spaces for the crickets.
4. Place Woodie and Cricket Food &/or Gutload plus Aquaload in small bowls or recycled jar lids in several places in the home. Woodies like privacy to eat, so its good to hide the food etc in the egg flat tower. 
5. Carefully introduce your Bulk Woodies. 

Important things to consider

• Insects like it hot! Keep them in a warm place all the time,   22 to 30ºC. 
• Avoid pesticides, chemicals and contaminates in the air and their environment. 
• Keep it Clean. Clean out their house regularly. At least weekly. Clean it out before new woodies are added. 
• Avoid Mould. If you add any vegetables, they must be fresh and discarded before they go mouldy. 
• Humidity is the enemy of woodies - less is better with moisture and water sources for woodies. Aquaload is ideal. 
• Regular food. They need fresh Woodie & Cricket Food or Gutload at all times.
• Air flow - good ventilation and airflow is vital to Woodie health. Too much humidity and stale air is deadly. 

Buying in bulk is very economical and a great way to support the environment with reusable and compostable packaging. Shopping online with Reptile Realm means you will recieve your insects in premium condition direct from our farm. 

You can find all our Insect Care Products here. Set up your Bulk Woodie Habitat and start seeing the benefits.