dubias

[unbreakable]

got my first lot of dubias to start a colony, went to put them in a rubber maid container and they climbed straight up the sides and tried to escape! i thought these guys couldnt climb well! my chams are in my bedroom and i cant feed them these roaches if they are that good at escaping, any ideas

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

WOW , they did? Could you post a pic of them and the container?

Does the container have any texture to it. I have about 200 of these guys and they can't climb at all.

 

[Vibrant Chameleons]

You either ended up purchasing Lobster roaches as Dubia or your Rubbermaid bin isn't totally smooth. Can you please post a picture of the roaches and the enclosure?

 

[Dean Pulcini]

Try some packing tape half way up the clear stuff we all use for shipping.

 

[lbesok]

If you want to get a little messier you could try a thin layer of Vaseline around the parameter of the container...

 

[unbreakable]

this could be a possibility as i wasnt the one that ordered the roaches! im a bit concerned about taking pictures as these buggers can really shift and i dont want them escaping whilst i try and take a picture. Is there any tips on identifying whether they are dubia or lobster roaches? thanks for the help so far.

 

[dodolah]

post a pic. I agree with Vibrant Chameleons.
I have a feeling that your dubia might not a dubia after all.

here is a lobster roach:

here is dubia (male is the one with wings):

the head pattern is slightly different. and lobster has more pattern all over its body (and a bit more khakis in color )

 

[unbreakable]

meh all look the same to me! here is a quick picture, btw i have small dubias from a seperate order that move very slow and cant climb.

 

[Brian]

Thats a lobster roach They are good feeders, but you have to make shure you use bug stop or vaseline to stop them from climbing.


Brian

 

[dodolah]

that's not a female dubia.
yep, you got a lobster.
in this case, do what Liz said. Vaseline on the perimeter.

 

[Vibrant Chameleons]

meh all look the same to me! here is a quick picture, btw i have small dubias from a seperate order that move very slow and cant climb.

Yep, Lobster it is. Coat the top of the bin with vasoline all the way around and at least an inch wide. They can't get through it. Or you can order bug stop. It's basically the same thing, but I hear that it works better.

Lobsters breed even faster then Dubia, so that is a plus. They are also just as nutritional as the dubia but are a little bigger and faster, and can climb exceptionally well lol...

 

[lbesok]

Yeah from what I understand the downside with the Vaseline is that it can wear of and you have to lube the perimeter more frequently.

 

[Vibrant Chameleons]

Yeah from what I understand the downside with the Vaseline is that it can wear of and you have to lube the perimeter more frequently.

Yeah, I don't have experience with it, but I've read quite a lot about roaches and their setups. I just don't trust something that can climb and breed very prolific. I'll stick to my Dubia

 

[unbreakable]

indeed! they are mixed in with 100 small dubia! my plan is to take them out to a field or someone i dont likes house and take the lid off! im sure if i keep dissturbing them they will all eventually crawl out! lobster roaches are just not bedroom material! thanks for all the help guys.

 

[Vibrant Chameleons]

indeed! they are mixed in with 100 small dubia! my plan is to take them out to a field or someone i dont likes house and take the lid off! im sure if i keep dissturbing them they will all eventually crawl out! lobster roaches are just not bedroom material! thanks for all the help guys.

I agree, they aren't my type of bedroom insect either

 

[dodolah]

indeed! they are mixed in with 100 small dubia! my plan is to take them out to a field or someone i dont likes house and take the lid off! im sure if i keep dissturbing them they will all eventually crawl out! lobster roaches are just not bedroom material! thanks for all the help guys.

since when any roaches is bedroom material?

 

[Vibrant Chameleons]

since when any roaches is bedroom material?

Hahaha. Too funny, yet so true lol

 

[Chuck G]

Thats a lobster roach! they will climb out of anything!
Vaseline around the perimeter of the container. On the whole its a good idea....What?

 

[Tygerr]

my plan is to take them out to a field or someone i dont likes house and take the lid off!

Please don't do that. One of the reasons we (exotic pet keepers) are encountering more and more legislation preventing us from keeping certain species of animals and bugs is because people irresponsibly let these creatures out in the wild.
In a best case scenario, the animals can't survive in the wild and die soon. The worst case scenario is that the animals go on to live and breed successfully and eventually start damaging the eco-systems they have invaded.
Rather don't take the chance and simply euthanise the roaches, then dispose of them accordingly.

BTW - I ended up getting rid of my lobster roaches too. They're too much effort to keep contained - Dubias are far more pleasant to keep.

 

[Eric Adrignola]

Lobster roaches are like snakes - they WILL escape.

Kill them all, feed them all to your animals, make sure they're all dead and gone... and get more dubia.

I had a few lobsters fo rthe heck of it. I neglected them, barely fed them... yet the still thrived. I took one, pinched it's legs at the middle (hobbled it like on "Misery"), an dput it in a smooth sided, vaseline coated container - trying to feed a sickly chameleon.

that night, it was gone - I figured it ate it.

Next week, I am cleaning out the rabbit's cage. I lift the blanket that is under the cage, and there it is, scurrying around on it's knees (where I had pinched it's legs off), with all 12 of it's newborn babies...

no thank you.

Oranged headed roaches died in the winter, plus they stink.

Dubia, well, they breed about as well as lobsters, smell alright, do not escape, live long, get big...

I got a colony online from somebody ( about 1000 total, with 100 adults) to add to those I got from Brad (which were already thriving). It's been a few months, and I have well over 2000 now. The container is HEAVY with them, I need to get at least two more containers. They devour food in quantity.

I made up a mix for them that they love - guniea pig food, ground up with dry baby cereal. It's doing well.

I use a red bulb for heat in the cool months, but they hate light. A different heater would be a better idea.