Extra Small | 1/4″ | Red Runner Roaches

Red Runner Roaches for Sale

Red runner roaches, Blatta lateralis (also called the Turkestan or rusty red roach), are a fast-moving feeder roach and a strong cricket alternative. This extra small 1/4″ size suits smaller reptiles, juveniles, dart frogs, and mantises. Their sizes at each stage are close to crickets, and their quick movement triggers a feeding response. TC breeds them from a captive colony started in 2017.

A Fast, Active Feeder

Red runners live up to their name. Their speed prompts a strong feeding response and gives reptiles some exercise. Unlike dubia, they do not burrow into substrate to hide, so they stay visible in the enclosure. They cannot climb smooth surfaces, the females are wingless, and the males only flutter, so a vented bin keeps them contained.

Nutrition and Dusting

Red runners are similar to dubia in nutrition, high in protein with moderate fat. They have also tested with useful B12. Like most feeders, they are low in calcium with an inverse calcium-to-phosphorus balance, so dust them with TC Calcium Ultra Fine and gut-load them on a quality roach feed before feeding.

Care and Setup

Keep red runners warm, around 70 to 85°F, in a vented bin with vertical egg flats and no substrate. They do best kept fairly dry, so limit fruit and veg and offer moisture with water crystals rather than an open dish. They are a tropical roach, so keep them warm, not refrigerated. A clean bin keeps any odor down.

Easy to Breed

Red runners breed quickly, so a 1/4″ starter group can grow into a colony. You do not need to count males and females, though a ratio of one male to three females boosts output. Females lay egg cases that hatch in 7 to 14 days, and the nymphs live alongside the adults.

Will They Infest My Home?

A clean home is not at risk. Like dubia, red runners only establish indoors under ideal, messy conditions, and roaches need steady protein to breed. Kept in their bin in a tidy space, they pose no realistic infestation risk.

Best For

• Smaller reptiles, juveniles, dart frogs, and mantises.
• Keepers who want fast, visible prey over hide-prone feeders.
• A cricket alternative that does not jump or chirp.
• Starting a fast-breeding feeder colony from nymphs.

Not Best For

• Large reptiles, which suit a larger size or roach.
• A calcium source, since red runners need dusting.
• Keepers who cannot keep them warm.

Recommended Add-Ons

• Supreme Feed to gut-load and breed them well.
• Jumbo Water Crystals for clean, spill-free moisture.
• TC Calcium Ultra Fine to dust them before feeding.
• Red Runner Roach Colony to start breeding right away.
• Red Runner Roaches to browse all sizes and counts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are red runner roaches?

They are Blatta lateralis, also called the Turkestan or rusty red roach, a fast-moving feeder roach and cricket alternative. This is the extra small 1/4″ size.

Can they climb or fly?

They cannot climb smooth surfaces. The females are wingless, and the males only flutter, so a vented bin contains them.

Do I need to dust them?

Yes. Red runners are low in calcium like most feeders, so dust them with calcium and gut-load them before feeding.

How do I keep them?

Keep them warm at 70 to 85°F in a vented bin with egg flats, kept fairly dry, with water crystals for moisture. Do not refrigerate them.

Will they infest my house?

No, not in a clean home. Like dubia, they only establish indoors under ideal, messy conditions, so a tidy space poses no realistic risk.

Which size should I get?

Choose the 1/4″ size for smaller animals or to start a colony, and step up to larger sizes as your animal grows.

Learn More About Feeder Roaches

These sources cover feeder roach nutrition and biology.

• ABVP: Feeder Roach Nutrition. A veterinary overview of feeder roaches and the inverse calcium-to-phosphorus ratio common to most feeders.
• ScienceDirect: Gut Loading (veterinary overview). A reference on gut-loading and supplementing feeder insects, which supports dusting roaches.
• Blatta lateralis Overview. A reference on the Turkestan cockroach and its biology.

Species-Specific Myths

There are rumors that this species can infest a house. However, this species has the same chances of infesting a house as a Dubia Roach. If you have a clean house, this species cannot and will not infest. Roaches need

proteins to make eggs and reproduce. So if you are not already dealing with a roach problem in your home, then this species poses you no risk. Keepers that have experienced indoor infestations from this species had to

have the ideal conditions for it to occur. Keep pet safe roach poison if this is something you might be concerned with.