I don't want to breed dubias yet

So it's crazy expensive to feed our 2 baby beardies 40 3/8 crickets a day (they're not eating 1/2 inch yet) When our petstore sells them for 14 cents each, and we're looking to start buying feeders online. In Montana the temps have been 95+ and the sites I've been looking at say they don't guarantee in 90 degree weather and they don't provide ice packs. Crickets are a lot less stressful to keep up with than dubias, while smelly and loud sometimes. Then I've been thinking about just purchasing dubias frequently until our beardies are full grown or can at least eat the large dubias. When they can eat the biggest dubias, then we'll start a colony of our own. The thing is I just don't know WHERE to buy from that will provide ice/warmers when our weather is extreme (which it always is). Is it possible to only house dubias temporarily, or where can we at least find crickets that fit our needs? We'd be ok with crickets because they don't need any extra heat set up. We have a couple of extra terrariums from when I was younger that my mom found (bless her timing) just found in storage when she didn't know I would need them.) so we're good on enclosures.

EDIT: So I'm looking to buy from abdragons.com and I was planning on getting 300 to see how our babies like them. I'm still curious on the feeding ratio because I know dubias have way more protein, so do we feed them less? Also still looking to see how to just house dubias rather than breed, we're getting 3/8 inch dubias

I've used abdragons and don't have any complaints. I used their 500 mix to start my colony. I house them in a 20g tank with screen lid (a big plastic tote will work too) and they live in cardboard tubes and eat leftover veges and orange slices. They will live happily in a similar setup even if you're feeding them off. It takes a few months to get a colony started and no further action is needed (except maybe some additional heat) if you want to start breeding them other than waiting.

CooperDragon":5ne711zi said:

I've used abdragons and don't have any complaints. I used their 500 mix to start my colony. I house them in a 20g tank with screen lid (a big plastic tote will work too) and they live in cardboard tubes and eat leftover veges and orange slices. They will live happily in a similar setup even if you're feeding them off. It takes a few months to get a colony started and no further action is needed (except maybe some additional heat) if you want to start breeding them other than waiting.

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I'm not ready to start breeding them yet though, I just want to buy them here and there until we have the space to set up a colony, we just want something we can buy 1x or 2x a month instead of trying to buy crazy expensive crickets every 3 or so days

That's fine. They fit in the same habitat and eat the same food. Just order a few hundred of them at a time and see how quickly they are eaten. I was just saying that extra steps aren't needed for breeding, you just wait longer.

CooperDragon":k01nka2q said:

That's fine. They fit in the same habitat and eat the same food. Just order a few hundred of them at a time and see how quickly they are eaten. I was just saying that extra steps aren't needed for breeding, you just wait longer.

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but do they require heating if I'm not breeding them, or can I wait until the winter?

I have my feeder dubia and my colony separate. My breeders have a heating pad. My feeders are just in plain old room temperature and they do just fine. If anything, I think the fact that there is no extra heat keeps them from growing so fast from what I've noticed, but its not by much.

I agree, the extra heat isn't needed if you aren't breeding them although I've noticed just higher ambient temps in the summer have the colony expanding at an increased rate.

SukiLove":3g5zg6ox said:

I have my feeder dubia and my colony separate. My breeders have a heating pad. My feeders are just in plain old room temperature and they do just fine. If anything, I think the fact that there is no extra heat keeps them from growing so fast from what I've noticed, but its not by much.

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So I could keep them just like crickets? Also, do you think they'd be ok on the fluker's orange cubes for crickets?

CooperDragon":2748aivp said:

I agree, the extra heat isn't needed if you aren't breeding them although I've noticed just higher ambient temps in the summer have the colony expanding at an increased rate.

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I feel like this would solidify our need for AC which would be fine and preferred for my boyfriend

I don't really like the fluker's orange cubes, in my experience they just make a mess and for some reason when I did keep crickets their death rate seemed to go up with them. The dubia would do fine just with some orange slices and left over veggies from your beardies.

SukiLove":2zprs8xt said:

I don't really like the fluker's orange cubes, in my experience they just make a mess and for some reason when I did keep crickets their death rate seemed to go up with them. The dubia would do fine just with some orange slices and left over veggies from your beardies.

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Awesome, thank you for the heads up! I think I'll go place an order!

Dragonses":1y8esh7t said:

SukiLove":1y8esh7t said:

I have my feeder dubia and my colony separate. My breeders have a heating pad. My feeders are just in plain old room temperature and they do just fine. If anything, I think the fact that there is no extra heat keeps them from growing so fast from what I've noticed, but its not by much.

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So I could keep them just like crickets? Also, do you think they'd be ok on the fluker's orange cubes for crickets?

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I don't know about the orange cubes, but mine eat (I think it's Fluker's too) the cricket chow. I didn't have anything else on hand when I got my dubia (got 100 large ones for 17.50$ on ebay, not a single one dead!) and they seem to enjoy it.
You can just try and feed them the cubes, I'm guessing they will eat them, roaches typically eat almost anything.