Dubia roaches

Ren

New Member
Ok got some roaches in today, i picked up a Tupperware type container 14 gallon in size, i have some egg crates and foods for them, and a outside building that reaches 90 degrees most of the time, do i need to cut out some vent holes for air circulation or no, this info i cannot find.I am gonna set up their enclosure here soon so need the info asap, thanks guys, thanks Matt
 
Yes, you need some air holes. Just get a drill. Find a drill bit that is smaller than the smallest nymph size. I drilled multiple holes on all sides toward the top of the container.

Egg crates are great.

I do not use substrate on the bottom, that way it is easier to clean.

Food. Regularly change out so it doen't mold. Mixed veggies, orange, cricket food.

Water. Roaches will drown, so water gel, or moist paper towels should be put in.

Temp is good.

Don't hesitate to call if you need to.

Matthew
 
When we were buying 10,000 crickets per week - we knew we needed a change. We got into roaches and have been raising them for several years now. We have 6 species and they all have differences. Even though we have large rolling melamine roach bins now, we still help folks get their feeder colonies started with the following tips:

The best beginner's enclosure we have found with the humidity loving roaches (dubia is one) is where we cut out a large portion of the tub's lid and replace that section with aluminum screen. The dubia roach prefers the dark, so no light is needed. Heat is supplied from underneath (heat pad).

We recommend a good sized tub (minimum 58qt) to be set up as follows:
roach-setup-3.jpg

roach-setup-2.jpg


The wooden rack holds the 12" square egg flats upright, but you can choose to hot glue them together (front-back-back-front-front...) if you don't want to build a rack. We use substrate: sanichips is what is shown in the picture - a good choice, and inexpensive. It does pose a problem for the babies to hide in when cleaning time comes however. You can choose not to use a substrate, but we have found that with dubia, the best substrate is slightly damp coco fiber. We make sure to add a bit of water to the substrate every two weeks or so, and maintain it at a 1" depth.

Provide a shallow dish of water gel. Another shallow dish should be placed in the tub to contain the dry gutload. Offer fresh vegetables often. We place the vegetables on a paper towel or brown paper sack. Mold is a serious threat to a roach colony, so don’t offer portions that are more than can be consumed in 24-48 hours. We also have found that placing the fruit or veggies on a flat piece of cardboard on top of the egg flats works best - easy to access and maintain.

As with other non-glass climbing roaches, consider the dishes that you place their food in. If it is slick, then they cannot climb in it or out of it. We use clay plant saucers for the gutload and water gel. The one for the water gel is glazed on the inside only.

Another tip: Don't let the "non-glass climbing" claims relax your guard. The male dubia can use his wings to fly/jump short distances. It is a good rule to keep them covered.

People ask us about dry food for our roaches all the time. Since we make (and sell) gutload, it is the only dry food any of our roaches get. They are fed this 24/7. We do not recommend chicken feed or dry dog food. Our crickets don't even eat that stuff.

Raising roaches is easy and after a while it doesn't seem to cost much at all. You will save by not having to buy crickets all the time, and the absence of the cricket smell will be the best reward. :D

Hope this helps and maybe gives you some ideas.
~Morgana
 
Thanks! We have found this set-up to work well for all types of roaches.

The white stuff is the paint-on teflon (we offer it as "Bug Boundary" on Kingsnake). It keeps the climbing roaches in the tub. We use it for hissers; lobsters; etc. - even fruit flies! When we make a set-up for a customer, we paint it on for them. :)

~Morgana
 
I am underway, I need to get some more egg flats... other than that I am now on my way to breeding roaches... had to talk with my neighbors about it today, though it was better than keeping it from them, they are kewl about it... they find it all fascinating the neighbors on the other side are older and would not think so, so I wont tell them... haha anyways thanks guys for all your help i will post some pics of my setup perhaps in the next few days... I also like the idea of planting a mulberry tree once I move to try the silkies... cant remember where I heard that but was a good idea to me...
 
Well, we've never taken pictures of the roach bins...
Basically it is a box made from melamine (particle board covered in plastic). The top is open (but we have a plexiglass lid). The box sits on a board that has casters mounted underneath. Why use the extra platform? Well, between the platform base and the melamine box is the heating unit. Gotta keep those roaches warm.

We also have plastic bins similar to what was shown in one of the cricket threads - but our plastic bins are 4ft x 2ft. These are not on wheels, they are smaller than the melamine bins, and not nearly as heavy.

~Morgana
 
Ok, I dont know why but i pictures something else haha. Anyways thats kewl and thanks for your info and help as well...
 
@Reptayls where did you get the paint-on teflon, I cannot find it at home depot/lowe's. Thanks

Sorry, you won't find that same product at a home-improvement store.

We bought it from Dupont Chemical - in a large drum. There are some folks that have similar products - perhaps even someone that is currently getting it the way we did. Have you checked on Kingsnake? Or try a Google search for ""Insect-i-Slip"" I saw that advertised a few years back.

Hope that helps.
 
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