Dubia Roach Bin Disease?

[CamrynTheCham22]

Okay, so I have NO IDEA what the problem is with my roach bin, but I know for a fact that it is unhealthy. About a month ago I tossed some cucumber in with some romaine lettuce because I saw that chameleons can have gutloaded cucumbers . . . and I had some on hand . . . bad idea. For some reason the next time I checked the roach bin there was this awful, watery, earth-green slime in the area where the cucumbers used to be. I can't guess what happened, and the water crystals I had in there at that time were also this horrible slimy green. Yeah, never making that mistake again.
I give them lettuce as a filler and because it is hydrated for my cham. I know I should have more, but it is all I usually have on hand.

Anyway, now when I go into the roach bin, it has the most disgusting smell to it, which I know is not a good sign. And they keep dying. I ordered some new roaches today and I usually deep-clean the bin whenever I get new roaches. The ones that I have just don't breed, which is odd, but I think it is because the humidity here is around 0% year round.
On a recent post I expressed my worries over a spider that got in, but that will be taken care of when I clean the bin. Plus, I will be switching out the egg crates because the ones that I have are probably contributing to the smell. I had this problem in the past when I used a smaller container, but I have no idea what it is now.

Could the colony have some kind of disease? Also, when I get the new roaches, should I throw out the old/smelly ones in case they are carrying something? I don't know if I should let them mingle for fear that the new roaches could catch something. I am also unsure if I should keep feeding these to my cham . . . So many worries.

It seems that I have no trouble taking care of a chameleon, but for some reason I just can't figure out how to take care of some dang roaches! If you read this whole post, bless you, because it was long.

 

[jamest0o0]

You need to post pictures so we can see what's up with your bin. I highly doubt it's a disease, the humidity may be the issue. Roaches are very resilient to mold, bacteria, parasites, pesticides, disease, etc

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

I should have pictures up by tomorrow or Wednesday. Unfortunately I don't have a way to upload pics until then. I was just seeing if anyone had any guesses on what could be the problem gauging by the description. If the problem persists after I clean out the bin, then I will have to figure something else out. I am really hopeful that it will get better after a cleaning, though.

 

[jamest0o0]

Oh okay. It's really hard to say. Dubia IME are nearly indestructible. Mine have survived temps as high as 110 and as low as 40. My guess would be the humidity. Nothing else should be killing them so fast.

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

Okay, thanks. I don't know a sanitary way to increase the humidity, so I guess I will just have to clean it often and take out the dead ones. I think that is what is causing the stench.

 

[jamest0o0]

Here do this if you can, I'll bet they thrive if you do

-Clean out the bin thoroughly
-Add a mix of cocofiber, sphagnum moss, leaf litter, orchid bark, etc. The more ingredients the better, but they're not all necessary as long as you have a foundation of cocofiber or some other similar substrate. I'd do like ~2" or more if you want. Keep it moist, but not wet.
-add cork bark preferably(they hold up in humidity), but egg flats will do.
-if the lid isn't airtight just clamp it on the bin, put a few small airholes, if that, and you'll have enough air exchange
-not sure your heat source, but keep it around 90
-feed low protein fruits and veggies with small amounts of protein

 

[jamest0o0]

Oh and I forgot, add springtails, isopods, and some cleaner(darling beetles) to the bin. They will clear up any mold, rotten food, and dead roaches. In time when your colony gets large, the roaches will eat their own dead.