Dubia Roaches?

[Defianceofexistence]

So a few weeks ago I got 45 Dubia roaches (2 adult males and the rest large females and about maybe 10 small ones that were the size of wood bugs). I have them in a 10 gallon tank with coconut husks about an inch deep and milk cartons for them to hide in.

I have a heat lamp that I leave on them during the day and a dish of water to create humidity...I feed them a variety of veggies and they get water crystals and dry cricket gut load...plus a handful of my cats very expensive dry food which they go nuts for lol.

My question is, when will I start to see babies? Is there something I'm not doing right? The lady I got them from said that a few of the females she gave me looked ready to have babies but so far nada......

I fed Loki 2 of the smallest ones and he went ape for them....normally he shy's from new food when I introduce it but he didn't even hesitate so I'm eager to get some babies happening....thank you!

 

[nightanole]

I got bad new for ya....

1. get rid of bark, dubias need nothing at the bottom of the bin, just fill it with egg cartons or paper towel rolls.

2. dont feed them dog/cat/fish food. its waaaay to high in protein and they will store the extra protein as uric acid, which ill cause gout in the chameleon.

There is about 100,000k youtube videos and reports on how to raise these guys, read some.

As for your "when do i get babies". if you have females allready, it takes about a month if they have plenty of food and the tank is above 85F.

 

[Lpsouth1978]

First off, get rid of the coconut husks. The babies will hide in it and you will have a VERY hard time getting them out to feed your guy. Also, they do not like the light. I keep mine in a dark closet with little to no light most of the time.
An aquarium is also not ideal as it lets in lots of light and doesn't really allow them to hide. I use a cheap plastic bin from Walmart, it has a tight fitting lid and only cost like $5.

A simple heat mat of some kind is best, but you can also use a ceramic heat emmiter. You want a heat source that does not put off light and can keep the temps consistently between 90-95 degrees.

You will also want to get a few more males. You want a ratio of about 4-5 females for every male. and plan on not feeding from your colony for a couple of months. My 5mo ambilobe will eat about 20 small dubia a day. Your colony simply won't survive if you start harvesting right away (it simply wont keep up with the demand.)

As for the humidity, it sounds like you are good to go. Make a few changes and give them some privacy, and you should start seeing babies pretty soon. Females will give birth to about 30 young every month.

On a side note - dog and cat food is too high in animal proteins and is not a good gutload for your chameleon. There are lots of good gutloads available on line and specifically on the forum.

 

[Kate]

I waited ages for babies. Temp of 84/85f. Darkness and oranges did it. It's hard to be patient

 

[Defianceofexistence]

Thanks for the replies....when I get home tonight I will move them into a different container and eliminate the substrate....also I will get a heat pad for them and move them into darkness.....and be patient lol