Food in college

[Jakama]

Eh, I will have a male roommate so it will probably go over fairly well. How ventilated should I make my colony? I have some mesh, so if need be I could cut a rectangle out of the top of my little bin and staple the mesh to it.

 

[Marc10edora]

Eh, I will have a male roommate so it will probably go over fairly well. How ventilated should I make my colony? I have some mesh, so if need be I could cut a rectangle out of the top of my little bin and staple the mesh to it.

That's what I would do. Make the vent about the size of a book. If you could make one side hinged down the middle, that would be even better. Just in case you accidentally knock it over. My local pet store owner knocked his dubia bin over and there were roaches all over the place. He was in a mad panic trying to gather them all.

 

[Jakama]

What do you mean by make one side hinged down the middle? Also, I don't think PetCo sells roaches. Where do you various forum users buy them?

 

[Marc10edora]

What do you mean by make one side hinged down the middle? Also, I don't think PetCo sells roaches. Where do you various forum users buy them?

Hinged so one side of the lid can flip open when the other side stays shut. That way if it gets knocked over while open, there is less space for them to escape.

You will have to order them from online. Check the sponsors here. I get mine from mulberryfarms.com or from my local reptile shop. Large petshop chains like petco or petsmart wont have them. I had to find a small mom and pops shop.

 

[iLik3LIzards]

Eh, I will have a male roommate so it will probably go over fairly well. How ventilated should I make my colony? I have some mesh, so if need be I could cut a rectangle out of the top of my little bin and staple the mesh to it.

yeah thats what i did. just hot glued it on from the inside. and i lined the bin below the ridge with packing tape so they cant climb out. they cant climb on the tape and it gives them 5 inches or so to climb the walls if they so choose. if theyre well fed they generaly just stay in the egg crates where its warm. dont keep food in there for more than a day, specially with a heater, that shitll mold up n stink right quick. also dont put in more than is going to be consumed, it tends to get alittle moist in there and the egg crate gets all nasty and soggy. i usualy alternate days on veggies in the bin, helps with those issues. so for ex: 1st night put veggies in, 2nd night take veggies out and leave out, 3rd night put new veggies in, etc..etc.. i wont be feeding dubai for awhile, i want to expand the colony a bit. but if i feed off the adults down the road i plan to feed off the males because the females are whats going to keep the colony going, 1 male will do its thing with several females, so u really dont need a bunch of males, pending on your m-f ratio.

 

[iLik3LIzards]

Hinged so one side of the lid can flip open when the other side stays shut. That way if it gets knocked over while open, there is less space for them to escape.

You will have to order them from online. Check the sponsors here. I get mine from mulberryfarms.com or from my local reptile shop. Large petshop chains like petco or petsmart wont have them. I had to find a small mom and pops shop.

this would be safest bet. I havnt knocked mine over or found any escapes yet ::knock on wood::

 

[cbeal1]

I ordered mine from dragonbreeder. He has an add under the classified section, chameleon food. They arrived in perfect health and they were a great price. I would look there.

 

[Jakama]

What's a good starter size for a colony? Size of container isn't really an issue, I have a big plastic bin that I will be using.

 

[Marc10edora]

What's a good starter size for a colony? Size of container isn't really an issue, I have a big plastic bin that I will be using.

It's been a while since I've done this. If I can remember, a good starter colony for 1 cham would be 50-75. By the time summer hits, you will see an explosion of nymphs. Try to keep more females than males. If adults are too big at the moment, you can feed off a couple of juveniles. But not too many, you want some to mature and breed.