muzikfreakah
Juvie Member
Are they just as good? Planning on getting some as alternative to crickets as well for my 5 month old dragons.
fresnowitte":c9684 said::wave: Well I have to tell you that most people don't seem to like them mainly because they look similar to the roaches one might find in there home....So I guess they kind of creep people out.
And they are much faster than the Dubia.
Another difference is that the Blatta Lateralis lay egg sacks the Dubias don't, they give live birth.
Personally I have the Blatta Lateralis an I like them so do my beardies.
They were a little creepy at first. :shock:
An according to this chart http://www.feedersinc.com/insect-comparison/ they are higher in moisture and protein, but lower in fat.
Sounded good to me. They are cheep to start, they quick producing, an I have never had an escapee. I got mine in March an I feed 8 beardies off of them, babies, juvies, an adult beardies. It's really nice not to have to spend all that money on feeders anymore. :mrgreen:
fresnowitte":cd62a said:1) Very minimal smell if any.
I have a colony in my kitchen an one on the back indoor porch an only if the enclosure is to humid does it put off any smell at all. If it does begin to put off an odor just shake off your egg crates and change them out and try to lower the humidity just a bit. If you need to use a heat source for them like an under the tank heater just make sure your food is at the opposite end this will keep the odor away as well.
2) No substrate for these guys.
3) No
4) Yes
I use a mixture of dry cat and dog food with a variety of cereals and grains as well as unsalted peanuts.
If you have a grocery store that has a bulk food section you can find all of these things for very little out of pocket in comparison to the gut load its way cheaper. And I shred up carrots and other leftover beardies food for them as well. They grow best and will thrive best if given a high protein diet.
5) I wouldn't as they may drowned themselves.
Instead if you don't have water crystal you can use a wet sponge or paper towels. Also by feeding them carrots, other veggies and fruits they can get their moisture.
Their poo (and pee I guess) is in a solid form and has no odor to it. Use of a substrate just increases the moisture retention and makes cleaning time more difficult. As long as you keep the poo dry, it won't smell. As a matter of fact, you don't need to clean it out like you do with crickets and this poo will become the substrate. As long as you can still see the dead ones, then there is not too much poo. Like Barbara said, they have a minimal smell, definitely no where near as bad as crickets and not really even a bad smell. Keep the dead ones picked out and you probably will only ever notice the smell except when you first open the tote and it is going to knock you off your feet.muzikfreakah":e4ab8 said:Ok, I heard that you need substrate because this will be the one to absorb their body oils which give out the smell and the pee and the poo?
As for the water dispenser I plan to fill it up with pebbles as that what I do also for my cricket colony, so far constant water, no drowning. Will that be ok?