Dubia Roaches-- What would you do?

[ponders]

I use paper towel size cardboard tubes in different diameter sizes. I have also cut a drip hose into 12" lengths. The different size tubes yield different size dubias, so you can pick what size you want and just shake the tube into a cup. Mine enjoy salad, carrots, bananas, apples, oranges, stale bread, cereal etc.

 

[Ta2Smitty]

I use paper towel size cardboard tubes in different diameter sizes. I have also cut a drip hose into 12" lengths. The different size tubes yield different size dubias, so you can pick what size you want and just shake the tube into a cup. Mine enjoy salad, carrots, bananas, apples, oranges, stale bread, cereal etc.

Another great idea!!! THANKS!

 

[clarkrw3]

I heard so where that there is something you can put on the lid and upper walls of the enclosure that will keep them off of those areas...anyone know what that is??

Also being in AZ....and married....I am going to be starting these in the garage will temps in the 100-120 range kill them? When the cars get pulled into the garage on a hot 115 day the garage can get VERY hot.

 

[ponders]

I heard so where that there is something you can put on the lid and upper walls of the enclosure that will keep them off of those areas...anyone know what that is??

Also being in AZ....and married....I am going to be starting these in the garage will temps in the 100-120 range kill them? When the cars get pulled into the garage on a hot 115 day the garage can get VERY hot.

When I used a plastic tub I would line the inside with packing tape. They can't crawl over it. Babies can crawl up the sides of the plastic crates. Now I use glass fish tanks.
120 sounds too hot.

 

[groki21]

I've been breeding dubia for a while now for my colony of leopard geckos and fat tail geckos, and I should be getting a veiled within the next week. I can tell you from my experience that the top three factors with my colonies are 1)heat 2) darkness 3)using oranges. Some dubia breeders swore that oranges were like a viagra for dubia, I never believed it, but adding oranges into my colonies definately seemed to boost production.

 

[tadeusz]

My roaches do well in the high 80's-90's. I feed them oranges, potatoes, carrots, and kale. Mine personally didn't touch the kale and rarely touch the carrots. Mine will completely destroy a few pieces of potato and a few slices of orange every 2-3 days. I have a smaller colony though with about 300-400.

 

[fluxlizard]

When I used a plastic tub I would line the inside with packing tape. They can't crawl over it. Babies can crawl up the sides of the plastic crates.

I've never seen mine able to crawl up their plastic 50 gallon storage containers.

BUT- I do think males can fly or jump (or maybe crawl when I'm not looking) because I used to keep my tubs on the top level of a big rack system made of 2x4s. The 2x4 shelves below had tubs of baby bearded dragons - I was using the heat from the baby lights to warm the tubs of roaches above. I regularly found adult male dubias (which I never used as food for baby dragons) down in the tubs with the dragons below the roach tubs. Never adult females or large juveniles. This means that somehow the adult males were getting out of the tubs up above- flying or jumping or crawling. Jumping seems impossible - they would have had to jump 10" or so up and over the top of the tub. I never saw any of any size stuck to the sides of the tubs, so climbing seems unlikely. That leaves flying as the most likely escape. I've never seen any take off and fly either though, so the mystery remains. If I kept my roaches in my home instead of in my lizard building, I'd probably make tight fitting lid out of fiberglass window screening and clamp-type paper clips. That is how I kept my baby dragon tubs secure when they were outside for the summer in those days and it worked great. Now I use reptariums...

 

[Old World]

My Blaptica dubia colony really enjoy fresh zucchini and squash....which is great because I always have some in the fridge They also enjoy oranges, watermelon rinds, non-sweetened cornflakes, apple cores, and pretty much any fruit.
They do not enjoy algae wafers or fresh turnip greens so much.
I use egg flats for my roach motels. Stagger them vertically and you get tons of square inches for them. A nice big heat pad, designed for humans, withOUT an auto-off feature, with 3 temperature settings, keeps the temps at 95 on the surface, and 85 in-between the egg flats.
I have been rewarded with tons of little dubias!

 

[Ta2Smitty]

So far I've found using cork tiles to work the best. someone on here told me about them. Basically you get some 12"x12" cork tiles drill holes in the corners an on in the middle then slide dowel rods trough them and space them out around 1/4" between each title. these make for a tom on surface space and they love squeezing in between the titles.

 

[javsto]

when u feed them oranges, are you using any particular type or will they eat all like navel, mandarin, maybe some grapefruit or other citrus fruits, pinapple, lemon/limes????

 

[groki21]

when u feed them oranges, are you using any particular type or will they eat all like navel, mandarin, maybe some grapefruit or other citrus fruits, pinapple, lemon/limes????

I use navel, but I'm sure they would go for anything close, mine have even eaten clementines.

 

[ponders]

when u feed them oranges, are you using any particular type or will they eat all like navel, mandarin, maybe some grapefruit or other citrus fruits, pinapple, lemon/limes????

Mine didn't like lemons

 

[Prodigyitachi]

I feed them any oranges that are on sale. It doesn't have to be a specific type of orange. I never tried lemon so i wouldnt know about it.

 

[Prodigyitachi]

Here are videos of my setup/colony
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPAXHP4YHJM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBsBOg9_Hpc
So you can get an idea.