Roaches

[Jweezy]

Hello

I am starting a dubia colony and i was looking around and couldnt really find anything for what they all need, like what they eat, heat source, if they can drink water from a paper towel or dishes

So if anyone has a care sheet or ideas they would share with me i would be gratful.

thanks

 

[sandrachameleon]

I feed dubia very similar to the way I feed crickets (carrot, yam, dandelion leaves, apple, kelp, alfalfa, seeds and nuts, oranges, squash...). I do not provide a water source; they get all the hydration they need from the fruits and vegetables used as gutload. I find they breed sufficiently for my needs at room temperature, but if you use a heatpad you will find production is much higher. While the colony is being established, you can use high protein foods (dog food, fish flake food, boiled eggs) to help with breeding, but stop using these when you start to feed off to the chameleons.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/roach-breeding-tip-13348/
http://theroachranch.com/care_sheet.html
http://www.nyworms.com/dubiacare.htm
http://www.angelfire.com/planet/roach/roach/cageandcare/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaptica_dubia
​

 

[Jweezy]

Thank you!

 

[JohnnyD]

They will definitely get the water they need from the great food choices Sandrachameleon mentioned. I use watercrystals to raise the humidity levels inside each of my bins. This will promote healthy molts and more prolific breeding. I am assuming it's pretty dry where you live.

 

[Jweezy]

well its humid, dry sometimes, but hot hot. It was over 100 today

So for the climbing roaches or lil babies it shows in one video that you just put tape around the top for a slippery boundary, will that be ok?
I also say paint on teflon?

 

[reptoman]

Tape works fine for dubias. I have never had any escape from their bin.

 

[JohnnyD]

One mistake you can make is in the type of bin you purchase. You want the ones that are completley smooth. Some have a slight texture to their sides that the babies can climb.

 

[dmoney]

I use water crystals for my water source. I got a bag from Home Depot for $7. Just make sure you get the water crystals WITHOUT fertalizer.

 

[seanUTD]

Heres a rundown on my set up and it seems to be okay, minus the fact that I had WAY too many males (fixed now though )

Rubbermaid container, egg crates stacked vertically for temperature variation, and thats it! Just vent the top with mesh and hot glue... Dubias cant fly or climb so it'll be no problemo

For food I gutload like you normally would just make sure that your gutload is high in crude protein because they need protein more than most feeders... And for hydration I use "cuties" or mandarin oranges... They go NUTS for these and it seems to help keep moisture and humidity up to an optimal area... Which is another thing... they need humidity, warm humidity but not to the point where you see condensation... So hardy thick vegetables (squash, carrots) and juicy fruits like apples will help...

For heat something simple, I use an old DVR and a receiver for my bug colonies... DVR's work better because they use less electricity but because they are vented and large flat surfaces they work WONDERS as incubation heat sources

Hope this helps
And I see Brian (reptoman) answered as well... He knows his stuff so hes a great source as well

 

[chameleonoobie]

You do have to keep these roaches really warm, like way warmer than crickets. Mine wouldn’t even produce babies until temps were at least in the nineties. I saw a lot of egg sacks dropped until then (I have Discoids, not Dubia) The heat means you do have to remove vegetable scraps that aren’t eaten almost daily or things will mold or spoil fast. I use the Really Useful Boxes tub. It is pretty expensive, but black, locking lid and very very smooth plastic.