Getting Started -Dubia Roaches?

[doclizard]

I am in the process of getting my viv set up to get my first cham in many years and would like to get a colony of dubia roaches started now so it can be established early. I have seen some mixed opinions on how many roaches are needed to get started, so I wanted to hear from any successful feeder breeders:
1.) How many roaches should I get to start?
2.) Should I get mixed sizes or start with all adults (since I wont need to begin feeding off any for ~ a month)
3.) Is it better to buy pairs (more expensive) than the "mixed" batches (don't know the male/female ratio)?
4.) Where do you purchase your feeders (I am a graduate student so any money saving tips are appreciated!)

Thanks in advance!

 

[Shenzi Sixaxis]

1. The cup of 25 or so that Mulberry Farms sells should be good, seeing as dubias aren't very well priced to buy anywhere else I looked. The cup I got had quite a few adults, large nymphs, and only 3 or so were smaller than a nickle. If you want to start the breeding process quickly and need large numbers, two cups might work.
2. Mixed sizes. Get different ages that way, and perhaps better genetic diversity.
3. Mixed. You don't need a 1 to 1 ratio, and if you end up with a bunch of males, feed 'em off or keep 'em around to breed with the other girls as they mature.
4. Mulberry Farms. <3


Mulberry Farms also sells a cup of lobster roaches, 150-200 individuals. Do a little research on them as well.

 

[JohnnyD]

Small roaches are the most economical way to go. They will be producing for you in about 5 or 6 months. For one cham, I'd get 500 to 1000. The reason being, you can continue to use crickets while they grow and you can feed off some of the roaches while your in between cricket purchases. By the second to third month, you'll have roaches in the half to one inch size. You can feed some of these off too. Nice thing is, a 1 inch dubia is like 3 or 4 crickets. Just make sure you hold back enough to sustain your colony. 200 adult females and 50 adult males is a nice number to have. They seem to reproduce at a higher rate (per adult) when you have more adults in your bin. I think the more densely populated they are, the easier it is for them to find breeding partners or maybe they are less stressed in larger groups.