Dubias.?

[mychamtini112012]

Do they usually smell really bad.? My mom is considering letting me allow them other then just worms and crickets, as long as they don't smell.

 

[Whatcamo]

Smell less than crickets! All insects won't smell if you keep them dry!!

 

[ScalesTailsandClaws]

Dubias have zero scent. Period. If you feed them orange too (as well as roach food) then their cage just smells like oranges. Buy a starter kit from http://www.gregsexoticinverts.com/roachsupplykits.htm I started with kit #4 and it's great! It comes with the best pre-made roach food and silica jelly with additional crystals. (Enough to make 4 more gallons!) You can also buy a small starter colony from Greg, or anywhere else that has dubias. They are imo the best feeder insect.

 

[lindawaz]

I hated the thought, name everything about them!

I now call them beetles and have started a colony. Found my first nymphs today!

No smell, no dying off, easy to breed, Lily loves them! Will always be a beetle to me but would not go back to crickets ever again

the kits seemed expensive to me- But I do not remember what I paid for the egg crates was not much though.

 

[ScalesTailsandClaws]

Shipping is included and comes with EVERYTHING but the bin and roaches. All you need is in that kit. It's actually not that bad when you price everything together that you'd buy item by item. Yeah, I guess you could call them beetles. The females look a lot like beetles, actually. And any that do die off (which are only old breeders) are consumed and recycled by the colony.

 

[Maurer3D]

Dubai Benefits:

• Next to no smell
• Available in sizes 1/8" to almost 2"
• Have long life spans (upto 1.5 years)
• Grow at a fairly good rate (can grow to adults in 3 to 4 months)
• Are easy to feed ( I use a quality drie roach food pluss fresh veggies. Mainly Kale, Romane Lettuce, carrots and oranges.)
• Can't Climb smooth plastic bins (tubs)
• Have no vocalizations (The only noise they make are the pitter patter of thousands of little feet. My breeder colony is about 5000 adults and my feed/grower colonies contain 30,000 to 40,000)
• Easy to breed and keep

(This quote is from an older forum post I answered)

Dubias rule......

The breeding cycle is about a month as long as they are fed correctly, have a decent humidity (mine are at about 50%, and thriving), and have a good temperature range.

Colony Size:
You'll need something like 15-30 adult female roaches per chameleon if you are using them as a staple food item. The male to female ratio should be something like 1 male for every 4 to 5 females. If you want to boost a colony so you can feed out of it right away just pop like 1000 to 2000 mixed roaches into it at the start. Otherwise you will have to wait a couple months before the colony matures and starts really producing for you.

Cage and Temperature:
I have my colony set up in a Tupperware container (14"tall x 36" long x 14" Deep) with a heat-pad underneath one side of the tube. The heat pad is hooked up to a thermostat to maintain a temperature of 95 degrees about 1 inch off the floor. The egg crates are stacked side buy side vertically above the heat pad, this makes it easier for the roaches to get out of the heat if they need to cooldown . I also put some card board between each egg crate to prevent them from collapsing into each other and killing any roaches. The food dishes are on the other side of the tube.

(Sorry image is so crude I thru it together in the minute I have)

Food:
I use Collard Greens, Carrots, and a dry cricket/roach food. I also provide water crystals just in case they need more water than the carrots can provide. Any food placed should be inspected for mold every day, fruits and veggies should be replaced every other day. DO NOT feed them fish flakes or a high protein diet, this can make them unhealthy for your chameleons.

Cleaning:
You should spot clean out uneaten food regularly, clean completely once a month taking out all the roach poo (which doesn't sell much at all), and examine the egg crates also. If the egg crates are soiled bad replace them with new ones (Egg crates for me usually last 2 months).

Egg crates:
I came up with a method for deciding how many egg crates to use. If anyone has a better idea for this let me know.
1 egg crate for every 100 adult roaches
1 egg crate for every 200 1" roaches
1 egg crate for every 500 1/2" roaches
1 egg crate for every 1000 1/4 " roaches

(note: I typed this up quickly and didn't have time to proofread it like I normally do, so there might be some spelling/grammar errors. I'll try to fix it later when I get home)

I've changed my setup a tad (now that I have about 40,000 Dubia Roaches in 4 colonies separated into Adults, 1/8th to 1/2", 1/2" to 1", 1" to almost adult).

 

[Dave]

I don't know if I agree with a couple of comments of "No Smell", as they do have a certain aroma to them if you bury your face into the colony (ew right?). If you keep them clean, they'll be considerably less smelly than crickets.

 

[BocaJan]

The hardest part of raising dubias is separating the babies from the frass. I have tried everything, but those little buggers can squeeze through any small hole. Sooo, my solution is to empty the frass, babies and all into a small bin like an old tupperware type container, sprinkle some cricket crack on top if there isn't any dry food mixed in with the frass, clip on a piece of screen ( my security, not theirs, they don't like to be out of the frass) and let them grow. After a couple of months they get large enough that I can use a slotted spoon or a collander to get them out and use them to feed to my chams. I let the frass sit for another 2 months to make sure they are all out, dump out the frass again to remove any more roaches (beatles), then put the lot into a zip lock bag and freeze for a couple of days before throwing into the trash. Works for me.

FYI *****FLORIDA PEOPLE***** Dubias are ILLEGAL in Florida. I read a newspaper article where someone actually went to jail and was fined for bringing in dubias. If you live in Florida be sure to get Discoid Roaches. If you are thinking of raising roaches, check out the laws in your state. My local reptile store sells only discoids and knows that dubias are illegal. (WTG Ben Seigal)

 

[Maurer3D]

The hardest part of raising dubias is separating the babies from the frass. I have tried everything, but those little buggers can squeeze through any small hole. Sooo, my solution is to empty the frass, babies and all into a small bin like an old tupperware type container, sprinkle some cricket crack on top if there isn't any dry food mixed in with the frass, clip on a piece of screen ( my security, not theirs, they don't like to be out of the frass) and let them grow. After a couple of months they get large enough that I can use a slotted spoon or a collander to get them out and use them to feed to my chams. I let the frass sit for another 2 months to make sure they are all out, dump out the frass again to remove any more roaches (beatles), then put the lot into a zip lock bag and freeze for a couple of days before throwing into the trash. Works for me.

FYI *****FLORIDA PEOPLE***** Dubias are ILLEGAL in Florida. I read a newspaper article where someone actually went to jail and was fined for bringing in dubias. If you live in Florida be sure to get Discoid Roaches. If you are thinking of raising roaches, check out the laws in your state. My local reptile store sells only discoids and knows that dubias are illegal. (WTG Ben Seigal)

I use a kitty litter strainer that I found at a random small pet-shop I stopped at a few years ago. Unfortunately I have not found another one like it (1/16th in screening). You could probably build something with an aquarium lid and a bucket or something like that.

New image of my adult colony setup.

 

[pssh]

I don't know if I agree with a couple of comments of "No Smell", as they do have a certain aroma to them if you bury your face into the colony (ew right?). If you keep them clean, they'll be considerably less smelly than crickets.

I'm with Dave. I don't care who tells you they have absolutely no smell, because they do. It's just not noticeable unless, like he said, you bury your face into the tub. (Keep that in mind if you get any other species as well as they all smell different!) I personally think the dubia kind of smell earthy.

Keep the frass dry and the food from molding over, and your mom will probably thank you for getting them and using less crickets!


EDIT: As for Florida legal roaches, the list includes B. discoidalis, P. pallida, P. surinamensis, P. nivea, B. orientalis, E. floridana, various wood roaches of the genus parcoblatta, B. craniifer, and others.

 

[Branman]

Dubia roaches dont have a smell unless you stick your head in the container. I have them in my room and i never smell them. Alot better than having stinky crickets.

 

[mychamtini112012]

Well I might just order some for right now, and consider breeding them later on. As that seems a tad...confusing. Thank you guys.