This species can be housed comfortably in a 1 gallon container to start, though I'd recommend moving them to something larger once they really start breeding well to avoid crashes and keep conditions more consistent. All life stages can climb smooth surfaces, so a tight fitting lid and/or a climbing barrier is recommended.
A substrate an inch or so deep of coconut fiber, potting soil, etc. works well, and serves to retain the moisture/humidity this species requires.
This species enjoys high humidity and high ventilation levels, so I recommend keeping most of the substrate fairly damp at all times, as well as providing them with lots of ventilation. If the air gets too dry, their oothecae will usually fail to hatch, but if conditions are too wet they will also rot.
Hides in the form of bark, cardboard rolls, eggcrates, etc. all work well, and the more the merrier. This species does not burrow, so the more hides you have, the more surface area they have, the more roaches your colony will be able to sustain.
Diet:
A staple diet of dog/cat/fish food, fruits and veggies works great for this species.
Temperature:
Temps in the 75-85F° range are recommended for breeding.
Breeding/Life Cycle:
Adults typically live 5-7 months on average, with females living a bit longer than males (but not by that much). Oothecae are laid frequently, and usually attached to hides or buried just below the substrate. The ooths take 2-3 months or so to hatch, and the resulting nymphs another 4-5 months to mature under optimal conditions.
This species is not very sensitive to crowding or even filth buildups, so long as hides are cleaned/replaced enough to provide adequate surface area. Pest outbreaks, especially grain mites explosions, can prove a problem for large colonies, especially if conditions aren't very clean, so that is one thing to pay attention to. While normally hardy, this species does not recover well once they get into a death spiral, and when they crash, they crash fast.
Some strains/localities of this species are harder to keep than others, being more picky about specific humidity levels and whatnot. The "Chinese Hobby Stock" line has been the hardiest one I've seen in culture in a long time, and is the only one in culture in the US hobby ATM.
