A few Newbie Questions about Dubias :?:

[Insectisaur]

Hello all! I am a soon-to-be mother of a rescue beardie (and newbie to this forum), and have a colony of B. Dubia roaches on the way. I have read TONS on how to raise and breed these little guys, but a few questions are stuck in my head---
1. Why do I have to use PAPER egg cartons? Is there anything wrong about using styrofoam ones? (All my co-op here carries are the foam kind).
2. How should I feed my dragon to make sure I don't deplete my colonies numbers?
and
3. Is there any benefits to feeding freshly shed (white) dubias vs. other dubias?

Sorry if these questions seem dumb! I am just trying to make sure I do things right before I start! :lol:

 

[Heckapunchez]

I was hoping one of the people who had more experience would answer this for you. As far as your questions go I'll give you what I've noticed/read/observed/done/etc.

1) A video on youtube I specifically remember a guy who tried them and the roaches never colonized in them. He swapped over to the paper ones shortly after and they readily climbed aboard.

2) This really depends on how big the colony is and if you have a separate container for feeders and breeders helps with this. I ordered about 4000 roaches to begin with and 30 females 10 males. Threw them together and feed off it already. I only pull roaches from the last egg carton with the fewest on them to disturb as few as possible. I have 4 beardies currently and soon will have 2 more, so far I haven't noticed numbers declining at all. The younger beardies eat a lot more than the older ones do however and sorting the roaches is needed to get the little ones out for the little beardies to eat.

3) They're softer. I hand pick mine out of the colony and they're very soft and delicate.

There are no dumb questions, ever. I wish I had asked more prior to me buying my first dragon a few months back, however this board has supplied me and the wife with tons of knowledge and 2 vets have already given us the thumbs up for our care/knowledge. I imagine most people don't ask enough questions.

 

[Insectisaur]

Thank you! I wonder why they won't colonize inside styrofoam egg cartons. Maybe it's the chemicals that are in it, or maybe the texture. Hmm...
I did a little more research the past couple days, and the Beardie I am getting is a full grown female, so she shouldn't eat TOO many roaches. Good idea about only taking out one egg crate at a time. I am sure they appreciate it! I am also thinking of feeding only males until I get a 1:4 male to female ratio. That way I won't get rid of future egg-'layers'.
I can imagine it is the same as the benefits of feeding a freshly shed mealworms (less of the un-digestible shell, less of a chance of impaction).

Thank you again for your help! I

 

[rdoyle225]

I don't think they can clime on it. it is to smooth for them to get a crip on it

 

[Lexxifoxx21]

Yes, I feed off the males as well because I seem to get freshly molted males every day and only notice a couple females every few days. I rescued a woodhouse toad from work and am fattening him up with the extra males as well for now until I let him loose before winter so he can hibernate/hide properly.

*Edit* Didn't realize my wife was logged in already. - Heckapunchez.

 

[Sauzo]

The less you disturb your roaches, the faster they will breed. I personally just go through once a month and toss in the size and amount I need for a months feeding in a "feeder" bin. Harley isn't big enough for adults but if I did feed those, again once a month cull out xtra males and toss them in the feeder bin too. That way you only have to disturb the roaches once a month for collection and at the same time, I do spot cleaning under the egg crates like pick up old molts that are on the floor of the bin and any old dead adults.

 

[Insectisaur]

Thanks, Sauzo, I'll keep that in mind! Though, I wonder how I will be able to tell how much feed/water crystals will hold them over for a month? Right now I have 200 smalls from West Coast Roaches.

@Hekapunchez---that's very sweet that you are helping that toad. And don't worry about it, I accidentally post on my mom's facebook account all the time, so I understand! :lol:

On another note, has anyone ever tried a cardboard or wooden "Roach Motel"? I saw a tutorial a while back, and wondered how well it works, or if there are any other plans for how to make one. Any suggestions?

 

[Sauzo]

Me personally, I just use corn and soybean free starter chick mash. It's dry so I just toss a pile of it in the corner of the bin opposite the egg crates and they eat it. The little ones will also burrow into it and sleep in it haha. Then about once a week or so I just scoop out what's left and toss it and then put down some more. I used to use a little feed dish but the roaches made a mess of it anyways so now I just toss a pile in the corner.

As for water crystals, I use one of those reptile food dishes you can buy at the pet shop and just fill it with water crystals and add water to it every couple days to keep the humidity up and give the roaches something to drink if they want more liquid than the veggies/fruits I give them offer. I change the water crystals out every week with new ones. The rough texture of the food dish allows the newborn nymphs to crawl up into there as well so they can drink too.

As for the amount of food and water, really depends on how many roaches you got and how warm you keep them. I got my breeder colony at about 800 roaches now with over half that as adults and large nymphs and they will destroy an apple in a night and 2 slices of white bread in about 1 hour. I keep the temps in the bin around 85-95. 200 small roaches, i'd guess maybe give them a small slice of apple or whatever you feed and see how much is gone the next morning and then adjust as needed. For water, like I said, I just do the small reptile dish with water crystals changed weekly.

For hiding, I just use the dozen egg cartons. I get them pretty cheap at the local feed store. I tear the tops off of them and lay the egg carton part horizontal on the bottom of the bin stacked up about 4 high and 3 wide. On top of that I put the tops of the egg carton laid horizontal too since the males love to run on them and stake out little territories. Also the roaches seem to love to molt on them since they are right under the heat from the red light I got in there.

 

[Insectisaur]

Me personally, I just use corn and soybean free starter chick mash. It's dry so I just toss a pile of it in the corner of the bin opposite the egg crates and they eat it. The little ones will also burrow into it and sleep in it haha. Then about once a week or so I just scoop out what's left and toss it and then put down some more. I used to use a little feed dish but the roaches made a mess of it anyways so now I just toss a pile in the corner.

As for water crystals, I use one of those reptile food dishes you can buy at the pet shop and just fill it with water crystals and add water to it every couple days to keep the humidity up and give the roaches something to drink if they want more liquid than the veggies/fruits I give them offer. I change the water crystals out every week with new ones. The rough texture of the food dish allows the newborn nymphs to crawl up into there as well so they can drink too.

As for the amount of food and water, really depends on how many roaches you got and how warm you keep them. I got my breeder colony at about 800 roaches now with over half that as adults and large nymphs and they will destroy an apple in a night and 2 slices of white bread in about 1 hour. I keep the temps in the bin around 85-95. 200 small roaches, i'd guess maybe give them a small slice of apple or whatever you feed and see how much is gone the next morning and then adjust as needed. For water, like I said, I just do the small reptile dish with water crystals changed weekly.

For hiding, I just use the dozen egg cartons. I get them pretty cheap at the local feed store. I tear the tops off of them and lay the egg carton part horizontal on the bottom of the bin stacked up about 4 high and 3 wide. On top of that I put the tops of the egg carton laid horizontal too since the males love to run on them and stake out little territories. Also the roaches seem to love to molt on them since they are right under the heat from the red light I got in there.

Thanks for all the help! I learned a lot from you guys and hope to put it into action shortly. :3

 

[jodyberry]

As for feeding the dubias, I have used Rapashy's Bug Burger for the last few years. It works great for food as well as liquid (no water required in the bin). And they love it. I bought a huge bag of it for $35 and it lasts about 6 or 8 months.

I got tired of trying to find the perfect combinations of food for them and trying to make meal with 20 different types of grain or 10 different types of produce, etc.!!

This stuff is perfect.

 

[Sauzo]

I like having a dish of water crystals in my breeder bin since it helps with keeping the humidity up which helps with molting and it seems they breed a little faster with the higher humidity and the warmth.

 

[Insectisaur]

I like having a dish of water crystals in my breeder bin since it helps with keeping the humidity up which helps with molting and it seems they breed a little faster with the higher humidity and the warmth.

I just got a small dish that they can climb in and some water crystals, is the miracle-gro kind safe? I heard it was okay but want to double check.

 

[Soulwind]

I like having a dish of water crystals in my breeder bin since it helps with keeping the humidity up which helps with molting and it seems they breed a little faster with the higher humidity and the warmth.

I just got a small dish that they can climb in and some water crystals, is the miracle-gro kind safe? I heard it was okay but want to double check.

As long as it's the kind that does not have any plant food, fertilizers, or pesticides of any sort, then yes. Otherwise, no. I'm not certain of the miracle-gro, but it should be on the bag whether or not there's fertilizers added.

I use "Soil Moist" brand. Got a 4 pound bag (1 oz crystals to 1 gallon of water) for like $27.00 from an online store.