Dubia Colony finally underway!

[AReptile]

Today I went to clean out my roach tank and I found these tiny tiny lil babies running around! I found i'd say around 20 or so of them. I wasn't sure if i had to or not but I separated the babies from their massive parents. Was this correct? Also how long would it take for them to reach full size from their pinhead stage? This is the first time I have had something successfully breed and I was originally trying to get a roach colony going so I'm happy that i am heading in the right direction

 

[reptoman]

you can leave the babies in with the adults. In fact the babies will live in the fras (poop) as it builds up on the bottom of your tank. Make sure you have heat under the tank and plenty of food and they will breed easily. Good luck

 

[millerman6401]

i hear if you feed them oranges it like turns them into breeding machines or somthing.

 

[chameleonoobie]

I use a small plastic bottle lid with some water crystals and Tang. My roaches love it. It does the same thing and doesn’t mold like oranges. I have a pretty small colony, though. A big colony can hollow out an orange in a day probably.

 

[JohnnyD]

They will eat oranges quickly but make sure there is not more than they can eat in 24 hours or so. Besides the mold issue, you can create a fruit fly breeding paradise.

 

[phase]

ive wanted to start a little colony of these. how long do they usually take to breed and give birth?

 

[JohnnyD]

adult males in as little as 3 months, adult females in 5.

 

[phase]

cool.. thanks

 

[AReptile]

I can't seem to get the lil babies to eat anything, while the adults will destroy anything that is put in there with them. The babies just stay holed up in the small piece of egg carton that is with them. The adults do the same thing but when I drop food in a lot of them come out and feed. Also another question when selecting which roaches to feed off to my lizards, is it better to pick a female or a male? Which is more vital to the success of the colony continually growing?

 

[MD19]

I use a small plastic bottle lid with some water crystals and Tang. My roaches love it. It does the same thing and doesn’t mold like oranges. I have a pretty small colony, though. A big colony can hollow out an orange in a day probably.

Really? Have you compared before and after adding tang?

I can't seem to get the lil babies to eat anything, while the adults will destroy anything that is put in there with them. The babies just stay holed up in the small piece of egg carton that is with them. The adults do the same thing but when I drop food in a lot of them come out and feed. Also another question when selecting which roaches to feed off to my lizards, is it better to pick a female or a male? Which is more vital to the success of the colony continually growing?

The smallest babies will eat the frass the adults leave behind as well as very small food particles. You shouldn't disturb them much...The darker and more undisturbed things are the better they seem to get along. You should leave food in there all of the time, only refilling when needed (dry food that is). When selecting I tend to grab males since females remain pregnant after being mated and though one male can inseminate many females, so long as you have a handful of males one female can produce many to eventually take their place.