Best UTH Positon for Dubia Tote & Feeding Crickets

[RioReptiles]

I got the 145 starter kit with 5 pairs of adults a month ago and have been keeping them in the garage where it is 80º to 90º + in the day and high 70's to low 80's at night and have left them to do their thing. It's been a little bit cooler one or two days a week and much drier. I added a 20-30 gal Zoo Med heater to the middle of the side of the tote. Where is the best place to put it? I'm thinking the bottom would be better at the end under the egg crates where they always hide. Will it make a difference?

And since the roaches are taking so long and I'm going poor buying crickets every other day at the pet store for a premium price, I broke down and bought 1000. WHen I first got them I filled a storage container lid full of Jason's roach chow and they ate it all by morning. They love it! I assume it is good to feed them, I put some fresh veggies in daily too. Should I keep them fed ALL the time or is so much per day okay? Thanks! Cheryl

 

[Geoff22]

First off lol when buying bulk crickets don't buy over 500.

Even if its the same price as 1k its just not worth it, they eat WAY to much and half of them will die before you have a chance to feed them off.

But ya, you should try to keep food in there all the time, its easier with crickets then roaches, they arent as picky when it comes to food. What you should do is go to the store buy a $5 bag of dog/cat food and grind it up and just use that to feed them, save jason's chow for the roaches!! thats good stuff.

Plus you could cut up a potato and throw that in there with some carrots

 

[RioReptiles]

Don't be so hard on me for buying 1000, it was actually an accident! I meant to get 500... but I am feeding 3 young mouths so maybe it wasn't too bad of a mistake.

So, should I put the heater under the roach bin? Should I get more roaches or start another colony since I have 3 dragons?

 

[patrickb]

Yep, under the bin on the eggcrate side like you were thinking would be the best spot. As for food, it is ok if they run out, but I usually keep enough food in there to last 2-3days and then let it run out, so I can make sure no leftovers are there to mold and also pull the food dish out and clean it up. Fat and full roaches are healthier and happier I say!

 

[augsburg1530]

I hear yaon going broke feeding baby dragons, and you've got three?!!! Everyone who asks about being a new dragon owner on here I tell them to start a dubia colony first so they won't go broke!

As for the heat pad, I would put it under the tank at the end where their egg crates are. The side works, but I think having it on the bottom and letting the heat rise is more efficient.

As for feeders while waiting for your dubia to produce, I would look into lobster roaches. They are as cheap as crix in bulk, don't smell as bad, don't eat as much and don't die off like crix do. If not feeding off quickly, you can end up losing half your crix because they die so easily. You can order lobsters in bulk at http://www.aaronpauling.com

Lobsters can climb, so you put a couple of inches of vasaline around the top of the tote in a very thin layer, they can't get past it. Plus once they are in their tote they will want to hide out in the egg crates and won't try to climb out anyway. I used lobsters for Spike while waiting for our dubia colony to produce and had no problem with them. If Dubia weren't so much better, I would have stuck with raising lobsters.

Hope that helps,

Eric

 

[Zemanski]

I was just wondering about ordering dubias to feed off while waiting - I refuse to do crickets since he's been so ill with parasites and I'm sure they came in on the last bulk batch - but they are so expensive; the lobsters sound a much better idea, thank you

 

[RioReptiles]

Thanks for all the advice. I moved the heater to the bottom, I thought it would be warmer to the touch so it should be perfect. I'll check the temps in the morning when its coolest to see how warm it is. Now I have to figure out how to keep up the humidity. Any more suggestions??

As for the crickets, I haven't had any die yet so I guess I got lucky so far. At the rate I'm feeding them off they should only last 2 weeks so I will try the roaches next time.

Boy, you said it!! If I knew then what I know now, I wish I would have started a roach colony prior to getting my first beardie. The people I work with can't believe it when I tell them it cost me about $25 per week to feed these guys.

 

[LittleRob]

I got the 145 starter kit with 5 pairs of adults a month ago and have been keeping them in the garage where it is 80º to 90º + in the day and high 70's to low 80's at night and have left them to do their thing. It's been a little bit cooler one or two days a week and much drier. I added a 20-30 gal Zoo Med heater to the middle of the side of the tote. Where is the best place to put it? I'm thinking the bottom would be better at the end under the egg crates where they always hide. Will it make a difference?

And since the roaches are taking so long and I'm going poor buying crickets every other day at the pet store for a premium price, I broke down and bought 1000. WHen I first got them I filled a storage container lid full of Jason's roach chow and they ate it all by morning. They love it! I assume it is good to feed them, I put some fresh veggies in daily too. Should I keep them fed ALL the time or is so much per day okay? Thanks! Cheryl

What size tote for this 145 starter kit im considering?

 

[patrickb]

You should be considering a 30ish gal tote. You won't need that big of a tote for only 145 roaches, but you gotta remember, in 12 months, that is going to be a couple of thousand roaches. No point in buying one now and having to replace it in a few months.

 

[LittleRob]

so about 1 yr later thats about the time i could start using them as feeders? or would i ruin the chances of a good colony by grabbing some before that time. i have 2 guys to feed

 

[LQDragons]

with 2 dragons You could feed off 145 roaches in 1 day :shock: my 3 1/2 month old eats 75-100 every day (30-40 x 3 meals a day)

 

[patrickb]

It's going to be 6-8 months realistically. The longer you let them be, the better the end result would be. I just mentioned the 12 month mark because by then I am sure your colony will be exploding and you will wish you had a bigger tote. Like I said, no point in buying a smaller tote now and having to upgrade it later because the roaches, well, they are roaches and put rabbits to shame.

 

[bigmonkeyjoe]

I have found that crickets really enjoy dog biscuits and chew them down to crumbs. They also easier to handle with no mess when it's clean up time. My dubia's eat everything but really enjoy human cereal and greens the most.

 

[patrickb]

I have found that crickets really enjoy dog biscuits and chew them down to crumbs. They also easier to handle with no mess when it's clean up time. My dubia's eat everything but really enjoy human cereal and greens the most.

heheh, crickets will eat anything. Don't believe me? Get a small sample of carpet and put in there. It will be crumbs before long. :shock:

 

[LittleRob]

Thanks, my order is placed and will ship monday. I'm excited. Wierd. Anyways thanks for your imput it is greatly appreciated. :wink: