Roach Care

Porcupine Roach Care & Storage

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The following information will help you keep your porky roach in good shape and add years to its life.

Step 1: Wrapping Material

The very best material for wrapping your new roach is an elastic (Ace-type) bandage that is 2" or 3" wide. (We suggest 3"x60" Ace bandage.) In order to make wrapping easier, always roll the bandage up before beginning.

Step 2: Wrapping Stick

An item that will contribute to a nicer looking roach is a tapered wooden stick on which to wrap it. A quick way to make one of these is to use a small baseball bat that has been cut as shown in sketch A. Another method would be to carve a piece of wood to this same shape. Either one should also have a flat area down one side that conforms to the shape of the base and causes it to lay flat when it is wrapped on the stick. If your roach base is fairly narrow (approximately 2" to 2-1/4" wide at the front) you can use one of the wooden dowels that are sold in lumberyards for clothes rods and handrails. Very little shaping is required with this dowel and it does not need to be tapered. The length of the stick should be approximately 4" longer than your roach base length to insure proper protection for all of the porky hair.

After you have achieved the correct shape, insert a wooden peg or drive a nail into the large, or top end of the stick. This goes through the hole in the roach base in order to hold it in the proper position when stored. When positioning this peg, use the guidelines shown in Sketch B. The front edge of the base should be even with the edge of the stick for an Southern style roach, while the base should extend slightly past the stick for a Northern style.

Step 3: Wrapping Instructions

Begin by placing your roach over the peg and straightening the base and all of the hair as perfectly as possible. This is very important, as it will determine how straight the porky hair stands the next time you use the roach. Start to wrap by laying about 5" of the bandage along the base of the roach at its top end and over past the front edge of the base. Next, fold the bandage at a 90-degree angle (as shown in sketch C) and begin wrapping ½ of the bandage to stick up above the top edge of the base. It is the nature of the elastic bandage to fold over this edge, thus protecting the edges of the tied hair. The next few wraps should begin to angle down, each overlapping the last by approximately ½ until you reach the bottom end of the roach. If you have some extra bandage left, you may reverse the direction of the wrap and start back toward the top until you run out. This will give a bit more protection than a single wrap, but is not absolutely necessary. Secure the end of the bandage with the small metal hooks supplied with it.

Step 4: Damage Control - Reshaping Your Porky Roach

If the porky hair in your roach should lose its shape due to poor wrapping, rough handling in transport, or accidental incorrect wrapping on a previous occasion, it can always be corrected by dampening the hair and carefully straightening it while you wrap it. It is a good idea to wet the bandage and squeeze out as much water as possible before wrapping it. Be certain the hair is straight when you do this because if you wrap it with a bend in it, it will set up this way and you will have to repeat the process. To dry the roach, place it in the sun or in a warm place with some air circulation, such as in front of a heater vent in the house. One word of caution is needed here, however. As deer hair is difficult to dye and is not completely colorfast, you should use extreme caution if you dampen the hair of a roach that has colored deer hair. This is especially important if it is red, since this color will bleed onto white hair if it gets very wet.

Follow these instructions carefully and you will greatly improve the life of your roach! 

**Some of this material was adapted from the Crazy Crow Trading Post: Roach Care Guide, which is posted on their website (crazycrow.com).