Dubia colony for one dragon?

[SugaReina]

I'm doing a lot of research on the dubia roaches, and I'm strongly considering making the big switch from crickets. I was wondering though, is it worth having a dubia colony for one beardie? How can I maintain the size of my colony? Any suggestions on who I should order from? I think my biggest problem with the dubias would be the simple fact of caring for roaches!!!!! :| I'm not very good with insects, and it took me a LONG time to get over the crickets. So, any tips on handling - or not having to touch them lol - would be helpful as well.But, it's all for the love of my life, so it must be done!
All insight is appreciated! Thanks!

 

[JakeZula]

I just got my first order of dubias from theroachguy.com (Thanks, Jason!). 100 mixed and five breeder trios (10 f, 5 m). I'm still feeding my boys crix for now, but the roaches should be ready by the time they run out. There's some great care/breeding info on theroachguy's site, and more details and pics of breeding/discussion of other breeds here: http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=463

It should be fairly easy to maintain your dubia population by feeding excess females to your BD. Or, you could feed him juvies by the handful to cull the numbers. It's just about as easy to care for 100 roaches as 1,000 from what I can tell, so you might as well go for it.

 

[SugaReina]

Thanks for your insight! Now, I have another concern: these are roaches. I'm worried about something happening where they may escape somehow - and then I'll have an infestation problem in my home. They are a foreign roach, as well - so there could be huge problems there. Am I just being insanely paranoid?

 

[JakeZula]

Everyone on here says these roaches have a hard time reproducing in our non-tropical climate (depending on where you live, I suppose). Escapees are often found dead near their tub because they can't withstand temps below 68 degrees for very long and need humidity to reproduce. Also, they don't fly or climb, so escapes aren't an issue if you have a lid on your tub. They can scurry pretty fast, but they're much easier to catch than crickets.

 

[SugaReina]

Thanks again! I'm still not sure if I'm really going to go for it, but I'm considering it...

 

[AutopsySoldier]

Yeah, I think I'm also going to start a Dubia colony...as soon as I stop being scared of them!

 

[SugaReina]

Yeah, I think I'm also going to start a Dubia colony...as soon as I stop being scared of them!

Haha! That's the biggest thing holding me back! I'm petrified! But, my BD is like my child, and if that's what he needs, then that's what he'll get. I still jump and shriek when my crickets hop around and land on my arm or something! LOL
My sister suggested I try a deep fish net to scoop them out - it would be easier to get them from the tote to the tank, without worrying about the getting on me. But, I'd still need to dust them with calcium, no? This is going to be really difficult LOL

 

[Heisei]

I just started one a couple weeks ago. They are super easy to care for. All you need is a rubbermaid tub, 18-24 gallons or so, some egg flats, a heating pad, some screen to cover the hole you put in the lid for ventilation, and food. I use a mix of ground cat and fish food with occasional fresh fruit added. I got my roaches from Ian (Ihaggerty1313). He was very helpful and answered all of my questions, and there were a lot, in a very timely manner. From him I got 120 large nymphs and 2 oz of water crystals for 34$, and he threw in 6 adult pairs. Shipping was free. I would definitely recommend buying from him!

Aaron

 

[AutopsySoldier]

Yeah, I think I'm also going to start a Dubia colony...as soon as I stop being scared of them!

Haha! That's the biggest thing holding me back! I'm petrified! But, my BD is like my child, and if that's what he needs, then that's what he'll get. I still jump and shriek when my crickets hop around and land on my arm or something! LOL
My sister suggested I try a deep fish net to scoop them out - it would be easier to get them from the tote to the tank, without worrying about the getting on me. But, I'd still need to dust them with calcium, no? This is going to be really difficult LOL

Hahahahahah, I wasn't scared of them before so I would just reach in there and pick up the crickets...till one of them bit my brother, now I'm all freaked out about them, lol.

Here's what I do, throw a couple of those toilet paper cores, you know, the cardboard tube in there. They seem to like it in there, and they just chill in those tubes. When you're going to feed them to your dragon you can slowly pick up the tubes and shake them into a bag and they'll fall in there without you touching any of them, then you can just add your calcium powder in the bag and Shake 'N' Bake!

I also have some of those looong tweezer/tong things. You can get one for like 5-6 bucks at petmountain.com They're great if you're a chicken like me!

 

[SugaReina]

Hahahaha I use the long tweezers to grab the toilet paper rolls that are in there. I scream when they get all hippity-hoppity on me! It really is a sight to see! And I swear my dragon looks at me like I'm nuts! He appreciates my efforts though LOL.

 

[SugaReina]

I face my fears out of love...it's just a matter of getting over them LOL

 

[zebraflavencs]

Reina, I personally think that crix are the nastiest feeders around... Creepies !
Roaches on the other hand, are no where near as repugnant as crix. Roaches are clean, quiet, fairly easy to corral (dubias and hissers) and just a pleasure to have around the house... I have to make a choice some days whether to toss my vegetable matter out in the compost, or the roach bins
Janie

 

[Freddiemom]

I want to look into roaches,too. From the amount of crix fred eats in a day, it would be way nice to breed the buggers at home. Yes the thought creeps me out but the things we do for our critters. I live in a tiny town & that would make it extra nice for me. Our little local pet store has ran out many times. I really want to do it.

 

[Emegaz]

I just got my dubia roaches from theroachguy/jason a few days ago. I wasn't quite sure how I would be able to handle them but once I saw em and picked some up I had a sigh of relief. Their easy to maintain and handle. Biggest thing I worry about is being too rough and squishing one.

 

[xroscox]

I have a surplus of Dubai roaches at the moment and would be will to get rid of some cheap. PM me if you are interested. Dubai roaches are the best and I am glad I stopped using the crickets....definitely dont miss the smell or noise.