For people who breed dubias (or others)

[CandyCham]

I'm very interested in the setups you all have who breed dubias or other insects. I'd love photos!!! I want to start breeding my own and I'm looking for the most sanitary, functional and "clean" looking setup possible. I've seen various setups from some people out here and I just wasn't impressed with it. I just want something that looks decent in my home while also serving it's function. Do most of you put them underneath, in a cabinet where the drainage is for your chams? That's an idea... I just want to see other ideas. I love the cabinet idea but at the moment I don't have a cabinet for that purpose. Just wanna see how everyone else does it, is all before I dive into a project.

 

[alphakenc]

I would make sure to use the egg crates standing up not flat down on the ground so all the roach poop will fall down to the bottom and the bigger roaches wont crush the smaller roaches by piling on top of them,also the roaches will need to be gutload with lots vegetable green along with some hydration in their enclosures.
Cabinet sounds like a good idea,as long the cover of the roach enclosure is closed off so they wont crawling out all over the places.

 

[Andee]

In my opinion to have the most sanitary container possible I definitely recommend having some clean up crew beetles. It keeps the deep cleans down to a minimum and helps and gas build ups or smells down. Deep cleans aren't really good for pregnant females and can cause extreme stress which causes the loss of ooths before they are ready to be born.

 

[scott52019]

I had some success with breeding dubia. Unfortunately, I've killed my colonies from too much moisture and mold forming. Would like to know how keep a balance so there is no mold but humid enough for breeding.

 

[CandyCham]

I would make sure to use the egg crates standing up not flat down on the ground so all the roach poop will fall down to the bottom and the bigger roaches wont crush the smaller roaches by piling on top of them,also the roaches will need to be gutload with lots vegetable green along with some hydration in their enclosures.
Cabinet sounds like a good idea,as long the cover of the roach enclosure is closed off so they wont crawling out all over the places.

Yeah, gutloading and typical enclosures I'm already aware of - the egg crate tip is very useful! Thank you!

 

[alphakenc]

I had some success with breeding dubia. Unfortunately, I've killed my colonies from too much moisture and mold forming. Would like to know how keep a balance so there is no mold but humid enough for breeding.

I use a metal screen on a 20 gallon glass tank,so its impossible for the roach to climb out and the metal grill screen will have the air hole on top,besides that,roach love to eat thing like carrots n orange,and they can use these food as their moisture source,so this way will minimize the mold n still keep them hydrated,do remember u will still clean n replace the food part every day for the spot daily clean,and do the 2weeks clean when there are too many poops on the bottom n also sort out ur roaches size in the same time.

 

[alphakenc]

Yeah, gutloading and typical enclosures I'm already aware of - the egg crate tip is very useful! Thank you!

U are welcome.

 

[Andee]

I had some success with breeding dubia. Unfortunately, I've killed my colonies from too much moisture and mold forming. Would like to know how keep a balance so there is no mold but humid enough for breeding.

Clean up crews like the beetles will keep the mold and humidity down easily as will good ventilation. The beetles airate the frass and eat any decomposing things that could cause too much moisture.

 

[ZacharyLeesWife]

Clean up crews like the beetles will keep the mold and humidity down easily as will good ventilation. The beetles airate the frass and eat any decomposing things that could cause too much moisture.

Definitely invest in a good cleaning crew! Taxidermy beetles do a great job in my farm.

 

[Nursemaia]

I haven't started breeding yet but I gutload with bug burger or superload

 

[CandyCham]

I haven't started breeding yet but I gutload with bug burger or superload

Yes, I gutload with bug burger as well as a variety of veggies I know are good for my cham. I'm more interested in enclosures and general setups - numbers of dubias in such setups etc...

 

[nick barta]

Some thoughts...
On the container, size is determined by how many you want to produce; if you want to supply one chameleon, a 20-quart plastic container, or a 10-gallon aquarium will do. If lots of Chams, get a 40-quart plastic container. Ventilate the entire lid. When you stand the egg crates up, flip every other one so they have gaps between them, and off-set them so they are as tight as possible for lots of egg crates in the container. If you want to sleep well and not worry about escapees get the Sterlitte Gasket Seal box at Target, see my post "My favorite Roach container."Leave about 5-inches open at one end, and place dry Roach mix and fruits/veggies here; if you place the wet items on the egg flats, they get nasty. For breeding, hit a target temperature of 80 degrees, use the cleaner beetles as everyone said, and moisture will happen only if you are overcrowding; the egg crates will begin to soften.

CHEERS!

Nick

 

[CandyCham]

Some thoughts...
On the container, size is determined by how many you want to produce; if you want to supply one chameleon, a 20-quart plastic container, or a 10-gallon aquarium will do. If lots of Chams, get a 40-quart plastic container. Ventilate the entire lid. When you stand the egg crates up, flip every other one so they have gaps between them, and off-set them so they are as tight as possible for lots of egg crates in the container. If you want to sleep well and not worry about escapees get the Sterlitte Gasket Seal box at Target, see my post "My favorite Roach container."Leave about 5-inches open at one end, and place dry Roach mix and fruits/veggies here; if you place the wet items on the egg flats, they get nasty. For breeding, hit a target temperature of 80 degrees, use the cleaner beetles as everyone said, and moisture will happen only if you are overcrowding; the egg crates will begin to soften.

CHEERS!

Nick

Awesome, I'll look into those crates. I'm used to housing about 50 dubias at most, so, all this information is quite helpful

 

[trickedoutbiker]

Which cleaner beetles are we talking about here? Peanut beetles? Buffalo beetles? Superworm darkling beetles? Dermestid (taxidermy) beetles? Lesser mealworms and their darkling beetles? There are so many options I have heard of in the past but I have never tried any of them out. I know that some cleaner crew beetles can fly and others can't. The most popular of all of them I've read about is the Dermestid beetle, which has wings and can fly, but typically only fly if it is over 80 degrees or so. In a roach bin, that is a guarantee. I've looked into them a bit and they seem like the best option because they establish and reproduce quickly, and they devour dead flesh super fast. I just don't want a crew that is gonna fly out of my tub when I open the lid.

So what's the next best option? I've read lots of good things about Buffalo beetles as well and that seems to be the next most popular one that people use.

I've had a roach colony for quite some time but I've never used a cleaner crew on it. It would definitely help a bit and I wouldn't have to clean as much. I clean all of the poop out of the bins every month and I clean dead carcasses out of the bins as I see them. Would definitely be nice to have some good beetles to help me out.

What's BEST suggestion on ones that CANNOT fly?

 

[ZacharyLeesWife]

Which cleaner beetles are we talking about here? Peanut beetles? Buffalo beetles? Superworm darkling beetles? Dermestid (taxidermy) beetles? Lesser mealworms and their darkling beetles? There are so many options I have heard of in the past but I have never tried any of them out. I know that some cleaner crew beetles can fly and others can't. The most popular of all of them I've read about is the Dermestid beetle, which has wings and can fly, but typically only fly if it is over 80 degrees or so. In a roach bin, that is a guarantee. I've looked into them a bit and they seem like the best option because they establish and reproduce quickly, and they devour dead flesh super fast. I just don't want a crew that is gonna fly out of my tub when I open the lid.

So what's the next best option? I've read lots of good things about Buffalo beetles as well and that seems to be the next most popular one that people use.

I've had a roach colony for quite some time but I've never used a cleaner crew on it. It would definitely help a bit and I wouldn't have to clean as much. I clean all of the poop out of the bins every month and I clean dead carcasses out of the bins as I see them. Would definitely be nice to have some good beetles to help me out.

What's BEST suggestion on ones that CANNOT fly?

I use dermestid beetles and isopods. The beetles do fly, they're about the worst escapee out of all my bugs. But they're incredibly effective. The isopods need quite a bit of moisture so I only use them in the roach and cricket bins but I've not had any mold issues at all since I introduced them.

 

[alphakenc]

Besides what trickedoutbiker valid point on they can fly,Im also worry about how much roaches waste can mix in with the beetles,since I like to do a totally clean with a vacuum inside my roaches tank,I haven't had the cleaning crew before,if they can devour all the waste ,then That will definitely save me much more time and stop all the vacuuming inside of my roaches tank.I would like to know more about them as well.

 

[ZacharyLeesWife]

Besides what trickedoutbiker valid point on they can fly,Im also worry about how much roaches waste can mix in with the beetles,since I like to do a totally clean with a vacuum inside my roaches tank,I haven't had the cleaning crew before,if they can devour all the waste ,then That will definitely save me much more time and stop all the vacuuming inside of my roaches tank.I would like to know more about them as well.

The beetles eat literally any dead matter and poo, so all that is left over are empty shells if there are any deaths and the sheds. I have to clean my roach bin maybe once a month tops, the beetles do the rest. The flying is an issue, I won't deny that! I only tolerate crickets at all since I have a solid crew to put with them.

 

[CandyCham]

How many separate containers for dubia roaches?

 

[alphakenc]

The beetles eat literally any dead matter and poo, so all that is left over are empty shells if there are any deaths and the sheds. I have to clean my roach bin maybe once a month tops, the beetles do the rest. The flying is an issue, I won't deny that! I only tolerate crickets at all since I have a solid crew to put with them.

Great,any tips to collect all the cleaning crew from inside the enclosure ,I just dont want to suck them all up in the vacuum,@ZacharyLeesWife thank u for the suggestion.

 

[CandyCham]

Great,any tips to collect all the cleaning crew from inside the enclosure ,I just dont want to suck them all up in the vacuum,@ZacharyLeesWife

Do you use a shop vac type vacuum? Because that's brilliant (as long as all the good guys are out of the way!)