Royal Roaches

09/03/2025

Hellllloooooo fellow reptile lovers!

I hope the end of summer hasn't left you down and out....my favorite time of the year starts in just a couple of weeks so I'm looking forward to the cooler temps, free of humidity, and the slow changing of the leaves. And oh yeah....my birthday is in October!

Unfortunately, the end of summer also meant the beginning of some health challenges that hit me on the evening of Saturday, August 16th when I became extremely fatigued with heart palpitations, neck pain and dizziness. I attributed it to heat exhaustion given those 110 heat indexes we dealt with around that time and prior. A visit to my primary care doctor and my cardiologist the following Wednesday really left no strong indication of what had occurred.

Thursday morning I was awoken around 3:00 am with an extreme tension headache and the feeling like a horse had kicked me in the back of the head. I couldn't stand up without feeling dizzy and nauseous. I couldn't get a doctor's appt until the next Monday and I still thought it was the residue of heat exhaustion. I went to my Monday doctor's appt feeling better and was sent home. Well, Monday night arrived and all hell broke loose......I was struck down by 103 degree fever and severe chills, along with the return of the tension headache, heart palpitations, and neck pain. I had caught something at my doctor's office!

A day later I was admitted into the hospital in very bad shape. Tons of tests, a gallon of various anti-biotics fed via IV, a gallon of blood taken out of me later....and I was discharged from the hospital last Sunday night without any concrete diagnosis. What is clear is that when I was admitted into the hospital my blood tested high in a certain protein/enzyme that is an indicator of a heart attack.

Sometime this week I'll be back in the hospital getting a catheter ran up to my heart and the likelihood of a stent being placed somewhere along the path. I'm bringing this to everyone's attention because current orders that have been placed with us on August 27th or later will be delayed for shipping. And any orders placed with us moving forward will also be delayed.

I hope to have these orders filled and shipped as soon as possible. A delay until next week is a possibility however. If you have placed an order and are wondering why there is a delay....well, now ya know. Please feel free to reach out to me but a reply, like your order, will probably be delayed.

Mike

04/15/2025

A little more than a month ago Helen and I acknowledged the 1 year anniversary of the passing of our beloved Windemere. Not a day goes by that I’m not reminded of her joy of life.

Last year we purchased flowering Dogwood trees in remembrance of her and her brother Brody who passed on just a year earlier. The plague of Locusts really took a toll on both trees and I really thought we lost them both.

Windy’s red and white flowers really bloomed vibrantly this past week even though she doesn’t have a single leaf on her. We are hoping Brody’s white flowers will bloom soon but he got beat up pretty bad from the plague….fingers crossed.

We sure do miss them both!

01/05/2025

Happy New Year everyone….hope 2025 exceeds your expectations!

Here’s a tip to help keep your sidewalks , driveway, and decks free of ice…..or help remove it once it gets a foothold at your home.

1 part Beet juice combined with 4 parts of salt brine….fill up a sprayer and let the fun begin!

No need to use harmful chemicals as this all natural solution won’t harm your tail waggers or purr babies. You can find ready made beet juice at your local grocery store, or for a cheaper option buy the canned beats and emulsify the contents in a blender. Add 1 tbsp of table or kosher salt to a quart of water to create a working brine solution.

Spray surfaces as a pretreatment before the ice hits, or spray it on the ice itself afterwards and help make all your walking surfaces safe for everyone!

Bonus Tip: Use 2 cups of isopropyl alcohol (or a bit weaker rubbing alcohol) combined with 1 cup of warm water with a few drops of dish soap into a spray bottle. It will quickly melt ice on your windshield and prevents refreezing. Be sure and add the water diluting the alcohol, rather than using it straight up, to avoid any potential issues with the clear coat on your vehicle.

12/16/2024

Mother Nature is amazing!

⚡️📸 ¡Incredible Photo of the Stunning Dragon Mantis! 🦗💚

Native to the rainforests of Southeast Asia, this captivating creature gets its name from its dragon-like appearance. These mantises are masters of disguise, blending seamlessly with leaves to ambush prey.

Fun fact: their intricate patterns make them one of the most sought-after subjects for insect photography!

📷: ennisanna_fei

11/08/2024

Hellllloooo St. Louis!

It's never too early to give Thanks!

It has been a pretty rough year with the price of basic necessities taking more and more of our hard-earned money. And please don't get me started on the sky-high price of auto insurance. :-)

In appreciation of our customer's support this year we want to give "thanks" in the form of a discount coupon you can use when visiting our website and making a purchase. Just type in THANKS24 in the coupon box when checking out to receive a 20% across the board discount on all products.

Keep in mind we ship across the country for only 6.00 dollars. We also meet folks Monday thru Thursday at 5:30 in High Ridge, 6:00 in Fenton, and 6:30 in Imperial....please contact us for specific locations. We are also sometimes available to meet on Fridays.

At Royal Roaches we strive to bring you the best insect and worm feeders your hard-earned money can buy. We hand sort our feeders to insure you get the quality and the consistency you and your critters desire. We raise our feeders on an all organically grown, pesticide free, diet. It costs more but having been breeders of Bearded Dragons, and currently breeding Geckos thru our sister site Great Gatsby Geckos, we know what you feed your bugs is what you feed your critters.... nothing but the best will do!

We hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and please remember to support your local reptile breeders, pet stores, and reptile shows. We are all working hard to earn and retain your business!

Mike, Helen, and the kiddos!

11/05/2024

Cool pic….

This week, we're celebrating bats and all they do for us:

🦇 Eat their body weight in insects nightly

🦇 Pollinate over 300 species of fruit

🦇 Disperse fruit seeds

🦇 Reduce the need for pesticides in agriculture

Across the continent, we’re working with partners to protect bats, research treatments to halt the spread of white-nose syndrome and raise awareness about just how incredible, and vulnerable these long-winged friends are.

Learn how you can help: https://www.fws.gov/story/bats-are-one-most-important-misunderstood-animals

Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

08/26/2024

Hello folks!

Unfortunately, here in STL we have a heat advisory in effect with heat indexes forecasted to be 109 degrees thru Tuesday evening. We have decided to suspend shipping until Wednesday. If the forecast changes we will let you know.

If you are in the St. Louis area and want to meet up Monday thru Thursday this week in Fenton at 6:00 pm, or Imperial at 6:30, to pick up your order because of the heat....we can do that too!

If you have paid for shipping we will refund your shipping costs if you want to meet up instead, or we can give you a 6 count of tasty Hornworms or a 100 count of calcium laden Black Soldier Fly Larvae for your critter.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let us know. Thx

Mike