Dubia Colonies Oversimplified?

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NeosMom

Juvie Member
I have been hearing for years about dubia roaches. They have been advertised as practically a miracle. I've heard that they are more nutritious, more filling, easier to keep, quieter, lower in odor... One guy at a pet store in Florida claimed to have a roach colony (hello - in Florida?) and told me about how they were the easiest things in the world. Basically, you toss them into a rubbermaid tote, throw food scraps in there (they are roaches and will eat anything), and clean the bin out every couple of weeks. In no time flat, I was promised infinite and perfect food for my dragons.

First of all, I lived in Florida, so it wasn't even legal. Secondly... EEEEEEEWWWWWW!!!

So, now I have moved to North Carolina. I had totally forgotten about dubias until I saw that the local pet store sells them. Hmmmmm... I started thinking. We have a new dragon in the house and he needs more live food. I should start breeding feeders again. Crickets are obnoxious. Hornworms are expensive and really hard work. Superworms are useless for a baby. That's when I decided to investigate dubias. All I have to do is toss them in a bin with whatever food scraps are lying around, right? Yeah. Nothing is that simple.

Now, my head is about to explode. There are temperature considerations. Well, the storage closet under my stairs would be a good choice - except it's 72 degrees. Could I keep them on the back porch? We get no sun there at all. Not a clue. Oh, and I have to sort them. I'm still getting over the gross out factor of touching these things. You want me to paw through a bin and sort them out by sizes? Again, I say... EEEEEEEEEWWWWWWW!!!! So, I checked out YouTube. The easy way to sort from what I'm seeing seems to be 5 gallon buckets from the hardware store with progressively smaller holes drilled in the bottoms and stacked together. Uh-huh... 4 buckets at $5 each, plus drilling, plus a place to store those too? Basically this is just getting way too big, way too fast. And that is without pondering the water, egg crates, dry food and how many bins I actually need to store these things.

Can some people with some experience here please give me an honest answer regarding what I need to do. I would appreciate some genuine feedback that doesn't make me feel like I am establishing Dr. Frankenstein's lab under my stairs, but also is truly honest about what I'm facing without the outrageous "just throw them in a box and there will magically be eternal food with no effort on your part" answer.

Thanks for any helpful feedback here. Oh... and for the record... I am feeding two adult female dragons (3-4 years old) and a male that we have estimated to be 5-6 months old based on what we know from the pet store. Poor thing was starved and very small when he came home, so I can't estimate feeding him like other babies I have raised. He only seems to want 20-30 crickets per day whereas my older dragons were eating at least twice that. So... any help figuring out what I really need would be great, too.

Mindi
 

Gail

BD.org Addict
I kept one tub of dubia for years and never had any fancy tools for sorting them. I wasn't selling though so I didn't mind have all sizes in one tub. If you need to sort out tiny dubia for a baby dragon or a small lizard, you can use a plastic Folgers coffee can. Cut the bottom off and replace it with a small piece of mesh wire with 1/4" holes.
You need something in the tub for the roaches to climb on. Most people use egg crates, they are large flat pieces of cardboard shaped like what eggs come in. I was cheap so I used actual egg cartons from the store, had everyone in the family saving them for me.
I used plastic lids for food/water. I would grind dogfood and various dried foods like beans, cereal, oatmeal, etc in a coffee grind to feed the beasties. They also got all veggie/fruit scraps.
Water crystals can be bought in small quantities at a plant nursery but I bought a large bag off ebay for $10, that was around 5 years ago, they last a long time.
In the summer I don't worry about temps. When it starts to get cold, I stuck a under tank heater to the side of the plastic tub. Thats the same side I'd lean the egg crates against.
While you need a few things to get started and care for them, in the long run its worth it.
 

Taterbug

BD.org Addict
I used plastic tubs as sorters, it's slower than a five gallon bucket but cheeper. You might be able to get free buckets from a cafeteria or restraint if you don't mind the smell of pickles.

For my roaches I do almost nothing. They have a heat pad and a plastic plate for food, one bin has egg crates and the other for my feeders is setup like a terrarium. The terrarium is in my living room and they are breeding, the big colony is in the basement and has been strong for three years now. They get fruits and veggies. No chow but occasionally they get rabbit pellets if we out of other things. My feeders get fed fresh stuff and peppers salad leftovers at the end of the day. For my breeding colony I get overstock produce and freeze it for them alon with fresh scraps. Sometimes they get leftover bread. I clean the tub only when it gets nasty or the frass too deep, a couple times per year.

Water crystals can degrade over time, I've stop using them cause I'm not so confident they aren't passing chemicals on down the line.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
I agree that they can thrive with minimal setups and minimal interaction. I keep mine in a 20g tank with a mesh top. I have an under tank heater on one side and just keep the enclosure in the basement on a bakers rack (to allow ventilation under the heat pad). The bugs live in cardboard tubes stacked on top of the heat pad and I put fresh vegetable scraps and orange slices on the other side of the tank for food/hydration. I cleaned the tank out once but have found that I don't really need to other than replacing the cardboard tubes once in a while when they get nasty. My colony has been thriving since September.
 

BrendaKay

Juvie Member
Like you, I was very skeptical about the ease of raising Dubias and squeamish at the thought. But when I adopted my boy, he came with a colony. I put them in a bigger bin to have the food separate. I'm also in NC and I kept them in the sun porch all year except the two coldest months. Then they were moved to the living room by the fireplace. They THRIVED with very little special care.

I used Home Depot buckets with holes drilled to sort and clean, maybe twice a year. AND they sort themselves. Lolol.

I'm in the Piedmont part of NC. Where are you?
 

NeosMom

Juvie Member
Original Poster
Hi Brenda! I'm feeling bolder after all the posts and I ordered 500 mediums. Let's see if I can manage those. If yes, I can start a colony.

I'm in Cary. I was pretty shocked at the snow this winter, but overall I love it here. I'm really glad we moved.

Mindi
 

BrendaKay

Juvie Member
I'm about an hour plus from you. In fact, Sidney came from Durham! Yes, I loved this state so much as well when I got here that I stayed. Can't complain about the weather at all!

Keep us all posted on how your colony is doing!
 

NeosMom

Juvie Member
Original Poster
Right now it's just mediums for feeders. I'm still adjusting to that. My son won't reach in the bin and my husband won't even look at them. I'm not comfortable yet. I figure when I can handle them like I did crickets, then I can take the next step. Part of me wants to rush ahead, but without any backup in the house I'm a bit nervous doing that. I'm also hoping when I'm ready that a good opportunity on a starter colony will come my way. Kind of a nudge from God saying "Go ahead. You can do it." :D

Mindi
 
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