Dubia roaches

[ZuggieTheCham]

Well ive gone and done it, i cant believe ive let nick order dubia's ad not just a few bloody 200 of the buggers!! Were going to start our own colony we got a good deal all this for £20

25 adults (15 female and 10 male)

30 large

50 medium

100 small

Should be a good start im just telling myself its for zuggies benefit ! And ive told nick if one even one gets loose he is moving out with the roaches hopefully i get used to them like i did with the banana roaches !!

Just a few questions i have before they arrive, im going to get a large plastic Tupperware box cut a hole out of the lid and glue down mesh, do they like heat and humidity? Will they breed faster with heat?
Any info will do pleaseeee Thankyou!!

 

[c81kennedy]

THey will need a heat pad.

 

[Olimpia]

The benefits are worth the horror!
Yes, they will do much better with heat. I keep my roach colonies outside when it's not cold or 1,000 degrees outside, and they do much better when it's warm. About 30C would be perfect for them. So yes, a little heat pad would be appreciated, and you'll see them breed much faster with one than without.

 

[spawn]

I recently bought a batch of 50 females because my current colony wasn't producing too quickly (I only have it around 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit and 28-29 Celcius) but now I have maybe 5 females for every 2 males, so I think the ratios kinda' screwed up now. I do see them mating from time to time, I just don't have the capability to stick any heat source on the tub because they sit on a shaggy carpet and don't want to risk a fire, and I don't want to pay for a heat source above the thing either. So, my colony's always going to produce slow, I'm just hoping with numbers they get going eventually to the point I no longer need these damn crickets.

No one has had any problems with different sources of dubia being sterile or incompatible breeders with other dubia have they?

 

[Trillian]

Mine took a while to breed until I discovered that the top of my fridge is the ideal temperature for them. Is there anywhere in your house like that?

 

[ZuggieTheCham]

Okay thanks guy's

I ordered a heat pad when i got these just incase so good job i did i have this tub and ive cut a hole in the top just about to glue a peice of mesh down onto it is this big enough??

I have loads and loads of big egg crates, do i just simply chuck around 3 in there and thats it?? Nothing else? And will they feed on any sort of fruit and veg? Ive heard of people putting dog biscuits on the bottom as a sort of substrate?? Thanks again people

 

[Rottsko]

Okay thanks guy's

I ordered a heat pad when i got these just incase so good job i did i have this tub and ive cut a hole in the top just about to glue a peice of mesh down onto it is this big enough??

I have loads and loads of big egg crates, do i just simply chuck around 3 in there and thats it?? Nothing else? And will they feed on any sort of fruit and veg? Ive heard of people putting dog biscuits on the bottom as a sort of substrate?? Thanks again people

can't really tell how big that container is but the amount you ordered, it should be fine. i wouldn't feed any kind of dog food or cat food. feed it the same gutload as your crickets.

 

[ZuggieTheCham]

can't really tell how big that container is but the amount you ordered, it should be fine. i wouldn't feed any kind of dog food or cat food. feed it the same gutload as your crickets.

Ive just measured and its 16 inches deep , pretty big tub the biggest i could find anyways lol and thats all good then, could i put like a bit of dry gutload at the botttom or just leave it bare??? As I've seen many with some what looked like oats and bran??? Thankyou for all the info

 

[ZuggieTheCham]

The benefits are worth the horror!
Yes, they will do much better with heat. I keep my roach colonies outside when it's not cold or 1,000 degrees outside, and they do much better when it's warm. About 30C would be perfect for them. So yes, a little heat pad would be appreciated, and you'll see them breed much faster with one than without.

Thats what i keep telling myself! I know there good for him, and they don't smell so thats good, once there here ill probs be fine,i just don't want any escapes because they can breed in any climate even here in the rainy uk lol but i like to feed zugs by hand so ill just have to put up and shut up lol but i cant get over my fear of super worms there evil! Good job he doesn't have many of those lol

 

[Swayne8998]

Thats what i keep telling myself! I know there good for him, and they don't smell so thats good, once there here ill probs be fine,i just don't want any escapes because they can breed in any climate even here in the rainy uk lol but i like to feed zugs by hand so ill just have to put up and shut up lol but i cant get over my fear of super worms there evil! Good job he doesn't have many of those lol

Lol, they will grow on you. They are really not bad at all, in fact I almost guarantee that by the end of the month you will be fearing crickets more than roaches!

Ive just measured and its 16 inches deep , pretty big tub the biggest i could find anyways lol and thats all good then, could i put like a bit of dry gutload at the botttom or just leave it bare??? As I've seen many with some what looked like oats and bran??? Thankyou for all the info

No substrate, the babies will burrow and it will make it super hard to clean. Just gutload with pretty much anything--my roaches favorites are kale, sweet potato, and carrots.

EDIT: Just a little humidity will be great, to complete molts. Temps of 90's F (not sure in Celcius) is ideal.

 

[ZuggieTheCham]

Does this look good enough??

 

[ZuggieTheCham]

Lol, they will grow on you. They are really not bad at all, in fact I almost guarantee that by the end of the month you will be fearing crickets more than roaches!

No substrate, the babies will burrow and it will make it super hard to clean. Just gutload with pretty much anything--my roaches favorites are kale, sweet potato, and carrots.

Ahhh Thankyou! I wont put any substrate in

 

[Swayne8998]

View attachment 61353
View attachment 61354

Does this look good enough??

Looks great! Is the stuff on the bottom gutload? I usually put mine in a dish, just to make cleaning and all easier.

Ahhh Thankyou! I wont put any substrate in

You're welcome!

 

[ZuggieTheCham]

Looks great! Is the stuff on the bottom gutload? I usually put mine in a dish, just to make cleaning and all easier.

You're welcome!

Ahh thats alright then, and i had already put the dry gutload in, but when u said no substrate in there i took it out, i just took that pic b4 i did ill be using a dish for it so its just bare at the bottom now, and when you say a little humidity, do u mean spray once a day or once every couple of days or so??? And wont the egg crates get wet and go mushy if i spray??

 

[Swayne8998]

Ahh thats alright then, and i had already put the dry gutload in, but when u said no substrate in there i took it out, i just took that pic b4 i did ill be using a dish for it so its just bare at the bottom now, and when you say a little humidity, do u mean spray once a day or once every couple of days or so??? And wont the egg crates get wet and go mushy if i spray??

Lol I don't mist, and that's coming from a guy that lives 1 1/2 miles above sea level. They pretty much create it themselves by being together in the egg crates, and food like oranges will provide enough.

 

[ZuggieTheCham]

Lol I don't mist, and that's coming from a guy that lives 1 1/2 miles above sea level. They pretty much create it themselves by being together in the egg crates, and food like oranges will provide enough.

Oooooh lol the sea is right in front of my flat basically I'm very close to it and have loads of plants in my front room so its quite humid in there! But if the oranges and fruit and stuff provides abit of humidity then thats fine oh and another question, i currently breed green banana roaches, both my tubs have heat pads under them but i only cover 3/4 of the underneath with the head pad so they have a cool side to go to, shall i do this for the dubias too?? Thankyou by the way ur a star

 

[Swayne8998]

Oooooh lol the sea is right in front of my flat basically I'm very close to it and have loads of plants in my front room so its quite humid in there! But if the oranges and fruit and stuff provides abit of humidity then thats fine oh and another question, i currently breed green banana roaches, both my tubs have heat pads under them but i only cover 3/4 of the underneath with the head pad so they have a cool side to go to, shall i do this for the dubias too?? Thankyou by the way ur a star

Thank you!

You could find a way to keep the heat pad around the sides of the egg carton, if that makes sense. Like keep the heat pad against the side of the container, where the egg crates are--doing what you do with your GB's will work fine too.

 

[ZuggieTheCham]

Thank you!

You could find a way to keep the heat pad around the sides of the egg carton, if that makes sense. Like keep the heat pad against the side of the container, where the egg crates are--doing what you do with your GB's will work fine too.

Yeah i know what you mean, ill do that deffo makes sense, then the heat pad isnt near the food, ill put it at the other side so it wont go funny as quick right think i got all the info i need now just need them to arrive thanks again swayne