Switching to dubia.

[KylieT]

I'm done with crickets. They won't breed, they stink, they escape, and my males keep dying. So, I'm switching to dubia. My question is how many roaches do I need to start a colony? Is 25 good or should I just go for the 50?

 

[sandrachameleon]

I encourage you not to stop offering crickets entirely. A varied diet is best!

I started a colony with fewer than 10. It really just depends how long you're willing to wait if Impatient, get the 50.
Keep them warm

 

[KylieT]

I definately will not stop offering them, but as the staple feeder they are obnoxious to care for. I will probably just go for the 25 if they breed well then, to cut the cost a bit thank you so much for your response.

 

[KylieT]

Just thought of some other questions. About how many can I keep in a 58Qt rubbermaid container without it becoming crowded and where can I purchase a heating pad for them?

 

[LucasD]

I got mine from pet mountain.

 

[KylieT]

I just ordered them through Mulberry Farms, I went with the 50 they have a minimum of $15 per perchase, so I had little option.

 

[pssh]

I would go for 100 mixed if you want to be able to really feed from the colony within 3 months. You can usually find 100 for $25 including shipping. 25 adult females would be sufficient as well. If you start with less, it takes much longer to get them breeding well enough to feed from regularly.

 

[kwilkens14]

I would go for 100 mixed if you want to be able to really feed from the colony within 3 months. You can usually find 100 for $25 including shipping. 25 adult females would be sufficient as well. If you start with less, it takes much longer to get them breeding well enough to feed from regularly.

Agreed. I just started a colony earlier this week that was originally supposed to be 100, but I ended up talking to the dealer while she was counting and walked out with closer to 250

 

[KylieT]

I still have quite the load of crickets and cricket credits to work my way through lol I'll have crickets for quite awhile. That and if I can't get the children to like them then I should only have a few on hand. Neither of them are picky though so I have that going for me.

 

[Solid Snake]

I encourage you not to stop offering crickets entirely. A varied diet is best!

I started a colony with fewer than 10. It really just depends how long you're willing to wait if Impatient, get the 50.
Keep them warm

This/\

I keep a colony of dubia. I see this as my for sure food source. They are always there, and always the size I need.

I do not keep mass amounts of crickets any longer, or try to breed them.

I do still pick some up once a month or so, and mix them into the schedule throughout the week.

I feed other wc insects too though.

You always want as much variety as you can get.

Wc insects arent always around, and/or available to some people though.

So dont count the crickets out just yet

Having the dubia colony will definitely save you money, and make your life easier though.

 

[banshee1]

My panther dosent like dubias. he dosent eat them days can pass and he just watch them. I put a cricket and boom disapeared

 

[Solid Snake]

My panther dosent like dubias. he dosent eat them days can pass and he just watch them. I put a cricket and boom disapeared

They like to see the movement it seems.

Sometimes I have to move the dubia around rapidly, and try to make it imitate a fly or a bee, buzzing around, before they will take it

Usually just giving it a scoot, and having it scurry across my hand is enough though.

Others have put forth, that it depends on what you gutload them with, whether they like them or not.

So you may try changing up the gutload?

 

[KylieT]

Luckily enough I have one cham who just eats anything I offer to her, be it carrots or bugs or veggies she'll take it from me, If I leave it in her cage though she just wont eat. The other guy he'll eat anything free range but will not cup or hand feed, still a baby and still really skiddish. So I know that I have one for sure that will eat them, I definitely have to cup feed the roaches as I can't have any get out. so he's going to have to cup feed. Getting him to do that though is going to be hard.

 

[BocaJan]

If you want your roaches to breed well, stand up egg crates, or cut them in 1/2 so the frass drops to the bottom. They like to huddle together, the more the merrier. They like it 95 plus 24/7. I live in Florida and keep mine in a tub in the garage with a 90 degree light bulb on a clip light shining into the bin and I cover the bin with tin foil. I feed them Cricket Crack (you can get dry roach food), cut up oranges, grapefruit, celery leaves, apples. They turn up their noses at kale. Only makes a mess in the bottom of the cage. I give them water crystals. Seems they like lots of water. All their food and water sits in dishes I made from cutting down cottage cheese containers and Kool Whip containers. Every day I check the food so it doesn't get moldy or icky. With the dishes it makes it easy to remove. However, they do like to drag it out of the dishes sometimes. Don't worry about removing the peel, They eat what they want and leave the peel.

The females get this thing that sticks out of their butts, that is where the babies reside until they are born. When you start to see these you know your colony is doing what is supposed to do.

 

[K9Luvn]

You will be so happy you are starting with dubias. They have made my life so much easier. I give them all types of foods to eat. Anything I want my cham to eat I just toss in with the roaches. I keep them warm with a heating pad under the rubber made tub and put egg crate sheets vertical in the tub so they can huddle up and the frass drops to the bottom of the bin. I give them an orange cut in half once a week (they breed like crazy when you give them oranges). They are so easy to keep.

 

[Rodger]

If any escape, do they infest a home like cockroaches ? ( Wife doe NOT want me to try the dubias )

 

[KylieT]

To my knowledge dubia don't but lobsters and hissers will. the only way youll have one escape is if you drop it or it has a way to get out of the bucket.

 

[chamguy]

If any escape, do they infest a home like cockroaches ? ( Wife doe NOT want me to try the dubias )

No, these do not. Dubias require hot, humid climates year round to breed. As well as a steady food supply. They grow slow, soo even if they could infest it would take forever. They also aren't the best at moving about, as they are very slow and "clumsy".

If you live in FL they mostlikely could infest. I truly hate the bad rap animals such as Dubias get. Same with snakes, and sometimes reptiles in general.

 

[Rodger]

Thanks for the replies . I got a e-bay order of 300 dubias . Wife is ok with them & even held an adult pair . Cool little guys !!! I posted this part in another thread but anyway ... Is there any type of regualr food that is poisonous to dubias ? i put a couple teaspoons of sugar in with them & have had 3 large die within 3 days . I know I don't have enough heat in there yet & guess that is more the reason than regualr sugar ??? I am gaining knowledge & experience . i suggest that anybody buying in order to set up a colony , buy mature adults also . That way babys might be born right away . If you buy what i did , you will have to wait until they finish maturing & then 30 days before the babys come . How long it takes for the babys to be big enough to be worth feeding . Does anybody know how long it takes a baby to turn brown ?