Harmful or not ?

[Stefan-A]

Some of the pesticides they use are harmful to reptiles as well.

[acovert]

I would recommend an exterminator. Not only are the roaches going to be harmful to the snake because of the diseases they carry, but they can be harmful to you as well.

Have you ever seen roaches in your home before? If you're living in an apartment that is directly against other apartments and you have never had a roach problem before, there is the possibility that they are coming in from another apartment, in which case you should contact the apartment manager to let them know. Usually that only happens with serious cases, though.

I had a friend who's family had a problem with roaches as well as ants and fleas. When i would stay the night they would end up crawling on me and my mom would get upset because she didn't want them getting into my things and coming home with me. Their house was a disaster; there was food smeared all over the walls and I swear that they never cleaned. They had a lot of pets that I worried about, including cats and a gecko (the gecko ended up dying from unknown causes, and I was the one who discovered it dead).

So...yeah. I recommend an exterminator as well as looking into the situation a bit more. Roaches can be deadly to animals as well as humans if the infestation is bad enough. They're nasty little creatures. And very durable.

[Light of Dae]

Oh gross... I ain't one to be grossed out but cockroaches... eww... The closest thing I've seen are harmless Giant Water Bugs... Which I used to play with all the time as a kid... still want one as a pet... Their bite sure hurts though... Used to hear the buzz in the sky first n then see a cloud of them drop down looking for water...

giantwaterbug_on-hand.jpggiant_water_bug.jpg
Used to stick a twig in front of them n watch it snap... Made the mistake of 'twitching' a finger whilst holding it though n it snaps your finger n OWW lol

I couldn't deal with a bug that survives nuclear bombs n radiation though... Gross.

[kibakiba]

It's a zombie, destroy the brain!

[EasternGirl]

I was worried about saying the double sided tape on the outside of the tank was okay...but I really couldn't think of anything else to tell him in the middle of the night to keep the roaches from getting into the tank . When I was married, my ex-husband's little brother came to live with us for a little while, and the apartment he had been living in before he came to our place had roaches. He of course, brought some with him in his stuff. I found a roach crawling in his bedroom after he moved in. I put roach motels in his bedroom and it took care of the problem. But what Ashley said is right...if you are in an apartment and your neighbors have a bad roach problem...or the building has a problem...the manager is going to have to do something to treat the building. This is why I said that if the manager is going to call an exterminator, you need to find out exactly when the exterminator is coming so that you can take Jade...and her tank...out of the apartment when they spray. If you can find a place to take her, I would keep her out of there for a day after they spray, just to make sure all the fumes are gone.

[kibakiba]

Petrolium jelly should work for preventing them, they can't climb over that I don't think.

[guidofatherof5]

Provent-a-mite would be a possible solution to the in tank problem but the overall situation needs to be addressed.

Pro-Products | Provent-a-Mite

[infernalis]

Some of the pesticides they use are harmful to reptiles as well.

Amazing no one noticed this....

[acovert]

I noticed, but ultimately an exterminator would be necessarily for the health of all the inhabitants of the household, human and non-human. And if it's an apartment complex then there may be no choice; it's ultimately up to the manager.

There are exterminators that may have other options that are safer for reptiles. I would recommend discussing things with the exterminator beforehand, of course, because they may know what to do for the snake. Some exterminators deal with snake infestations as well as bug infestations. I've seen some bad and dangerous infestations. If it's just a couple now then it might not seem like a big problem, but roaches reproduce fast and in large numbers and it can become a real problem really fast.

[Light of Dae]

This is why I said that if the manager is going to call an exterminator, you need to find out exactly when the exterminator is coming so that you can take Jade...and her tank...out of the apartment when they spray.

That's what I was going to suggest as well because ...

Some of the pesticides they use are harmful to reptiles as well.

This is true.

I noticed, but ultimately an exterminator would be necessarily for the health of all the inhabitants of the household, human and non-human. And if it's an apartment complex then there may be no choice; it's ultimately up to the manager.

This is true as well. Hence I was going to suggest removing Jade n her tank n everything used for her Out of there for I'd say a week. Say a friends place or something, Somewhere you can trust, visit your friends n Jade n feed her at the same time. That way you wouldn't have to worry about having someone (who may or may not like, let alone Know anything about snakes) learn to feed her or anything, just simple instructions on light times.

Best of luck with them roaches.. I'll stick to Giant Water Bugs. thanks.