Dubia Colony failing...what am I doing wrong?

EvilLost

New Member
Hey all,

I purchased 4 males + 2 females + 125ish juvi dubias last month and attempted to establish my first breeding colony. Long story short, my colony is failing. I have already lost one of my adult females and it seems like my juvi's are dieing out but I have seen NO reproduction yet (it might be too soon, but I am concerned because my roaches are dieing).

HOUSING:
I have housed them in a large plastic tub (like 3'x2'x2') (opaque) filled with egg crate/random cardboard for them to hide in. It is nice and dark in there.

FOOD:
I blended high quality cat food and tropical fish flakes. I have placed a plate of it in their enclosure and it doesn't seem to have been touched at all, but I made a fair amount so its possible I just couldn't tell.

WATER:
Tons of water crystals. These are definitely running out and I need to replace them weekly but I'm not sure if this is just them evaporating or not...eitherway it seems

TEMPS:
I know my temperatures are a little low, they vary around 70-75F. I have no heat pad atm but I am getting one...I have a hard time believing that my colony is failing solely because of this though...


any advice!? I setup the colony around February 20th. I was hoping to be able to notice something different...but maybe its just too soon? (I am just concerned because I am finding dead juvis and 1 dead adult but not seeing any new young...)
 
This is a tropical species. You have to heat thing up for reproduction. Your temps are okay for nighttime, but need to get daytime up in the 80's, 90's
 
Hey there,
You need more females than males about 20 females and 8 males should be good.

Also for faster reproduction the temperature should between 80-95.

It will take plenty of time months before you start seeing more and more dubias.
 
I agree.. more females and higher temps. I have had colonies thriving for years. I keep them in the corner of the reptile room.. dark and quiet.. and I have their hot spot at 90F, with ambient temps in the low to mid 80's, in that room.

Also, offer them fresh food and try them on Fluker's Cricket "load". I also make my own cat/fish kibble blend, but they seem to prefer the Fluker's over it.. or, at least, mixed into it. And they LOVE fresh stuff.. collards, water cress, turnips, dandelion, escarole, red papaya, mango, orange slices, apples, carrots, etc.

Good Luck! :)
 
I am just starting myself and was told if the temps arent high enuff the will live but not breed. And that orange slices"put them in the mood". Try raisin them temps and let us know how it goes.
 
heat = eating and breeding = hundreds of roaches. make sure there is no mold as mold can wipe out a colony and try feeding more veggies/etc they will eat almost anything that can be put in a composter. (my dubia colony is my winter time composter lol)
 
This is how my colony is setup:
- 4-5 females for every Male
- 1 egg crate per 100 adults
- 2 egg crates per 1000 1/4"-1/2"
- 4 egg crates per 1000 3/4" to 1"
- Heat pad at on end of the tub temp reach the mid 90's at the hottest point
- Veggies get tossed in between the egg crates (greens and carrots)
- 1 dish with crystal water
- 1 dish with a dry roach food mix

Breeding takes a long time and with so few females it will take forever to establish a colony. From my calculations you need something like 50 adult females to support a pair of Veiled Chameleons.

Females produce 1 litter of about 15-30 nymphs every month if the temperatures are right.

If you are going to feed these to a chameleon don't feed them fish flakes (can cause health problems).

A good starter colony would be like 50 Females 10 Males and 1000-2000 small to medium Roaches (costs about $200 if you shop around).
 
more ladies! They will produce up to 40+ babies a month each if they aren't overcrowded and if they have plenty of food and heat. With that said, starting out with 2 females means you would have a max of 80 baby roaches every two months. That would be a very very slow start.
 
- Heat pad at on end of the tub temp reach the mid 90's at the hottest point

Quick question, since you've some experience in this ;). Currently using a human heating pad. I was gonna pick up an UTH, but I keep them in a 10 gallon Sterilite plastic tub and read that I shouldn't use this. Does this get so hot it could melt the plastic? Highly doubt it, but curious what you use as a heating pad.
 
I think that because you have roaches dying off it could probably be a mold issue. Make sure and take a look at all of the egg crates and such, be sure there is no sign of mold, and it could also be too humid. :) As everyone has stated, up the temps, get more ladies, and feed fresh veggies and fruits.
 
thanks all!

I miswrote originally, I have 2males and 4 females (not the other way around)....I have checked for mold but don't see anything and just incase I cut an opening, put on screen, and put a heat lamp to warm things up until i get an undertank heater..
 
Quick question, since you've some experience in this ;). Currently using a human heating pad. I was gonna pick up an UTH, but I keep them in a 10 gallon Sterilite plastic tub and read that I shouldn't use this. Does this get so hot it could melt the plastic? Highly doubt it, but curious what you use as a heating pad.

I use a Zoomed under tank heater (small) hooked up to a thermostat that is about an inch off the bottom of the tub.
 
Bad timing for you because I just killed off all my Dubia on purpose:eek: My new panther doesn't like them so I had no use for them. I could have sent you all the females before I tossed them. I started a small colony around Fall and by the time spring cam around, my group was booming and I couldn't keep up.

Here is was my set up/husbandry:

- Housing: Giant tupperwear storage bin with a hole and screen vent cut on top so I can put a redlight/low temp heat lamp.
- Cartons: I stacked 4 rows of egg cartons sideways against one side of the container. Directly under the light. (Side ways stacking is important. That way their poop falls to the ground.)
- Food: Only fed fresh veggies on a feeding dish. (Only put enough veggies that they can finish in a day or two. You don't want them molding or rotting)
- Water: Used water gels in a separate dish occasionally. (Most water comes from fresh veggies. Again don't put too much.)
- Temps: I keep it at 70*f-75* when I am just maintaining size and up it to 80*f-90*f when I want them to make babies....and playing some barry white at night helps..:D

Also, Make sure you keep the food and the egg cartons on separate sides. Like the saying goes "Don't poop where you eat!"

- Cleaning:
-Daily/bi-daily: Change veggies / water
- Weekly: Change egg cartons and sweep out poop. (Make sure there are no neonates in the poop pile hiding. Dubia like to burrow.)

Cham Sacrifices: Only send males off to slaughter when they are big enough and have been around long enough to breed.

Other notes: Even though Dubia are not known as fliers, don't believe that myth. I've seen females flap their wings and fly around the bin. Especially when they are warmed up.

Also, put them in a place where you won't knock over the bin. My local pet shop guy knocked his bin over and it was chaos in the store.:eek:
 
Other notes: Even though Dubia are not known as fliers, don't believe that myth. I've seen females flap their wings and fly around the bin. Especially when they are warmed up.

Females don't get wings, males do but they are almost completely non functional. The most I have ever seen them do is glide a bit (or well slow their falling).
 
Problems

1. The enclosure is much to large 3' x 2' x 2' is far too large or that amount of dubia. They like to be in close contact with each other compared to crickets. That size been would even be too small for 2,000. Too much space can cause them stress. They like dark spaces keep the enclosures very dark. As in absence of light.

2. Your temps are much to low. Raise it to 85 degrees farenheit minimum. 24/7.

3. When you feed do they swarm the food? If so then you arent feeding enough. It is also better to use smaller amounts more often to prevent spoilage. Organic produce is used because that way no danger of feeding foods with pesticides. Dubia require fruit in order to succesfully reproduce.

4. When buying adults you can get old, past their prime roaches near the end of their lifespan.

Digby Rigby
___________________

Bulk dubia & other roaches. Include phone number in reply [email protected]
 
well i have tons of eggcrate and random crumpled cardboard inside to give them cover

as for the food....i have it permanently left in there

i found a recipe online somewhere that i can't find again now that said grind up high grade kitty food + tropical fish flakes and i've done that...they don't ever seem to have touched it

i added flukers cricket food next to it yesterday as well, doesn't look like it has been touched either...


i bought heat wire and run it under the tub now hoping that changes things....
 
Cat/dog food and fish food contain too much protein and will cause gout in your cham.... I recommend cricket crack/oranges/fresh greens, i also use a 150 watt ceramic heat emitter, my colony is thriving
 
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