dubia roaches ? let me know

[Chameleonboy]

today i found one of my big females dead

how long is the lifespand on dubias ?

and is there a certan tep of heat needed for them ?

i have a 10 gallon tank for them and a heatpad for a 10 gallon tank the medium size heatpad from zoo med i thought it might be to hot for them so i just put a little blanket on it to take some of the heat away from them should i take the blanket off of the heatpad and just leave it glass on the heatpad or keep itt he way it is

i feed them fruits and cricket yummies wich is good because it has about 37 vitamins and minerals in it

thanks for evryones input

-clemonde

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

At 83 to 90 degrees F they take about 12 weeks to reach sexual maturity, according to a book on the subject, although it doesn't seem to be taking ours that long. Lifespan is about a year at that temp. Maybe a bit less. They like it very warm. Ours especially like orange slices and mashed pumpkin. They prefer green leaf lettuce over romaine. They don't like sweet red peppers. They generally set up a nursery near the feeding area, and they protect their young.

Did you actually find a dead dubia, or just an empty/molted dubia shell? They look identical, but a molted shell will be much lighter. I've only had one die that I know of, but I don't know how old our colony members are. We have a couple of large chams who like the adults, so we do feed them out occasionally.

 

[Chameleonboy]

it was dead for shure it was i think one of my biggest females and i have no clue how or why it died

 

[Chameleonboy]

bumb still need help

 

[pedro92]

Sometimes they dont eat or maybe it tried molting and died, it all depends on temps foods etc.

 

[Chameleonboy]

i had a question for evryone could i just leave the heat pad right on the glass or shoul di keep the towel on top of the pad ?

 

[pedro92]

put it under the tank. put a picture/s of your setup and ill give you tips and hints

 

[Chameleonboy]

if you need picks ill get them up but it seems easy to picture in your head i have a zoomed medium size heat pad the black one under a 10 gallon tank and on top of that inbetween the tank and heat pad i put a towell because i thought it might be to hott for them should i take the towell off or leave it ? ill get picks if you want

 

[pedro92]

pics would help and check the temps they should be about 90 for best breeding.

 

[Chameleonboy]

 

[Chameleonboy]

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh167/clemonde/roaches1.jpg


http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh167/clemonde/roaches.jpg



the temp was about 100 so i took the towel and doubled it how could i keep the temp at 90 im not shure how to

 

[pedro92]

looks good. just add water crystals and keep fruit or vegies in there at all times. add more roaches.

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy,

If you or someone you know is handly with wiring then get a cheapie extention cord and a cheapie typical light dimmer and splice it into the extension cord. Now you have a way to limit the power going to the heat pad . If you have more money than time and expertise, buy one of these on sale now for only $10!: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=43060
I have several of them and they work fine. I even use these router speed control units with heat tape for cold weather silkworm production. I try to keep them in the mid 70's. The roaches run around 90F.

 

[HiroProtagonist]

Hey dave, where do you find that heat tape? I have a heating pad that is meant for seedlings and such and it doesn't seem to get warm enough to heat my rubbermaid up to the right temp.

 

[Vegas Chad]

Damn I <3 harbor freight... Most of the stuff is junk, but its cheap enough so you can buy a replacement for when the first breaks! Maybe not -junk- but you get what you pay for. I have never had any sort of electrical problem mind you... so dont not buy the switch if you are in need.

 

[Chameleonboy]

they should be at around 100 so when i put a thermomitor on the glass it should be at 90 ?

 

[pedro92]

100 is a little to hot 90-95 is about perfect but dont go higher.

 

[Chameleonboy]

as of now i cant seem to lower the temp it is hard even thoe i am puting blankets under it maby il put another blanket under it and see if it will drop some more it as around 90-100 right now im guesssing

 

[Sara270]

I have found some playing dead laying upside down with legs in the air. Then to find them alive when I poke 'em they run away. It's rather funny. So, just make sure they really are dead.

I find these little guys so smart. It is actually becoming harder to use as a feeder because I am growing attached to my little colony. Like they are my pets too. Way smarter than crix or other feeders. Maybe just my opinion.

I am starting to make my husband feed them off. Funny, I think he thinks I am grossed out by them, but its quite the contrary.

 

[royden]

Honestly - I would not put a zoomed in any kind of enclosed situation where it's pinned between something and something else. I consider that a fire hazard. I have my zoomeds right in the cage with the roaches. I drill a hole in the side of a rubbermaid, gluegun around the chord, and just lay the zoomed on top of the egg cartons. Then air flows freely on all the surfaces of the pad, the roaches are climbing on and under and around the pad. I've never had any deaths.

I actually use two pads sitting freely in the bin, but my roach cage is outside in an insulated box. Makes the wife happy.

The #1 thing to kill your roaches is fungus and mold. Keep food on a plate or in a cup, so when it begins to decay, they can escape it.

I also don't use substrate.