Condensation and wetness in Dubia habitat.

[nenders]

I have a large Dubia colony in a 30 gallon Rubbermaid. It was in the garage and would get some condensation on the inside when it started getting cold out. Around November (in NC) it was moved inside. I noticed continual condensation. It was mainly on the side with the egg crates. I found that it was up against a poorly sealed old drier vent. It was sealed better today. I also removed the wet parts of the egg crates.

I have a typical set up, a human heat pad under the egg crate side. About 6-7 egg flats and a few paper towel cores on one side; food and water crystals on the other side. Feed them dog food and random veggies or fruit. I have several hundred.

Is condensation inside normal? Or was it from the cold on the outside of the container? What bad effect will the moisture cause, what do I need to look out for? A few spots of the egg crate were very wet and mushy.

PS: Just watched G-Force. Made me wonder if Guinea Pigs would eat Dubias. :twisted:

 

[Rutabaga]

I have had my colony going for about a month. I have not had any problems with condensation so far. I keep mine in the laundry room. It's warm in there and no windows so it's dark in there most of the time. So far...no problems. Hopefully someone else can chime in on the moisture problem you are having.

 

[EShell]

Several possibilities come to mind:
1) Insufficient ventilation.
2) Too great a temperature differential.
3) Too many succulent foods for the conditions.

Dubia do require high humidity, but if outer temps are so low the interior of the bin "sweats", some sort of insulation is in order, like bubble wrap or something along those lines.

Even as we work to keep temps up, we must also provide good ventilation to prevent excess condensation and mold, which can kill a colony.

 

[techdave]

I put polystyrene around my dubia bin. Works great.