Dubias not eating

[Jared910]

I've had a dubia colony for a little over a week now and I have yet to see a single cockroach eating, or even on the side of the enclosure where the food and water is once. They are just constantly in the egg crates. I'll occasionally crack open the lid and check, and like I said, I have never seen a single cockroach on the food at all. There's around 50 adults and 100 juveniles so i don't understand how they can just be content hanging out and not eating for this long. The temp in my house isn't too cold, maybe 80 degree average for ambient in my room. Is this normal? I've put out collars greens, oranges, carrots, mandarins, dubia diet premade mix, etc. i just would expect to see a single roach eating or drinking if there's 150 in there. Am I doing something wrong? Maybe too many egg cartons so they don't feel the need to explore to the other side of the bin? Idk. I attached a picture to the thread. Any ideas would be appreciated I'm not sure what to do

 

[opheliaeatsbugs]

Have u tried cantaloupe? My dubia love it and I'll always catch a male eating even after I've opened the lid.

They might be disturbed when they feel the container being moved, or when the lid is opening and quickly scuttle out of sight?

 

[Jared910]

Have u tried cantaloupe? My dubia love it and I'll always catch a male eating even after I've opened the lid.

They might be disturbed when they feel the container being moved, or when the lid is opening and quickly scuttle out of sight?

It's definately not them scuttling out of sight. I've made it an effort to open the lid quickly in one swift motion so there's no chance to scurry away. So it's not the movement that is sending them hiding, their just not interested in the food :/

 

[CharlieCharmingo]

What food are you giving them?

 

[PJK]

My issue was always temperature so I got a heated cable and ran it under the container, they have been eating like crazy ever since.

 

[nightanole]

Mine make little roaches even at 72f.

One word of advice, ditch the water crystals. You might get away with them if you have adult chams, but if you have smaller ones, there is a high chance of getting a dihydrated cube on a roach leg, and have it rehydrate inside the cham and causing a block. Bugs can digest the crystals, for lizards it just comes out the other end.

PS:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/i-think-i-invented-dubia-crack.95938/

 

[Jared910]

My issue was always temperature so I got a heated cable and ran it under the container, they have been eating like crazy ever since.

What kind of heated cable do you mean? Would it not melt the plastic tub or carpet that the colony sits on? If you can send an example of what you use that would be great

 

[nightanole]

What kind of heated cable do you mean? Would it not melt the plastic tub or carpet that the colony sits on? If you can send an example of what you use that would be great

Its the stuff you wrap around pipe to keep it from freezing. its like 3 watts per foot and safe on pvc.

 

[nick barta]

Dubai feed at night, so you won't see them rating in the daytime unless they are starving. Check your container temperature with a temp gun, you might be cooler than you estimate. If they are not nibbling on fresh fruits once you get the water crystals out of the container, you do have a problem, they always eat apple slices and orange slices, try them.

CHEERS!

Nick

 

[bobcochran]

Sure sign they're eating is if you see roach poop in the bottom of the container. I agree with Nick, I would check the temps.

 

[AZChamFan]

Since you say you're using collard greens I thought it was worth mentioning that my dubias are major pigs but won't eat collard greens. I'm sure some people's colonies eat them, but just be aware that they may eat one type of leafy greens and not another - they can be quite selective! Mine absolutely love Endive and Dandelion Greens.

 

[artgecko]

I would get a reptile heat mat (I use the ultratherm ones) and put one on the side of the tub (outside) and control it with a cheap t-stat like a hydrofarm to raise the temps next to the egg flats to around 90f or a little higher.

I would also suggest washing your produce VERY well. I buy organic whenever possible, but for things that I can't get organic (like oranges) I wash the outside with soap and water and rinse very well. I purchased a new brand of oranges, washed with just water, and cut them into quarters and the roaches wouldn't touch them. When I washed with soap and water, they consumed them very quickly, so i figured the roaches were sensing a tiny amount of pesticide or something on the skin of the oranges.

I would also keep your dry chow and veggies apart. I use the mesh food baskets from dubiaroaches.com and have one for water crystals, veggies, and dry chow. These are placed a good distance apart to avoid the wet foods / crystals from contaminating the dry chow and causing mold, which will kill the colony.

Do you have a cut out on the top of the container for air flow? If not, you will want to add one and cover with screen / window mesh. I place that over the end with the food and the air flow also helps keep mold at bay.

I switch out veggies every 2-3 days and my colony does a pretty good job of eating it all in that time period. I'd agree with others about them liking vs. not liking some things. I feed mine carrots, oranges, banana, and kale. If your colony isn't eating the food fast enough, you may want to reduce the amount you give them at a time.

I keep a separate bin that I isolate feeders in and I sort for feeders maybe 1x a month. The feeder bin doesn't get citrus or banana, and get a higher quality gut load, other fresh veggies, etc. If you are concerned about using the water crystals, you can just use them in your colony bin and not in the bin where you are gut loading feeders.

 

[Jared910]

I appreciate all the responses! thanks!

 

[Extensionofgreen]

I'd raise the bin up off the floor and after trying a couple heating options, I prefer seed starting mats for bottom heat. I got mine from Amazon.com and they do not melt the plastic bins and do a better job of heating, even through an inch or 2 of substrate.
I agree with some of the other suggestions.
Remove ALL food for 2 or 3 days, then place some fresh food and moisture sources ( you can use unsweetened applesauce, puréed baby food ( no meat ones, just fruit and veggie ), greens, and so on ). They eat very little until the colony is booming and above room temperature. If they are hungry and thirsty enough, they don't turn much down and they can pick up the scent of fruits and such fairly easily.