Dubia: Leave them Utterly Alone, or Give them Fruit Weekly?

[ButterflyGirl89]

I've been seeing a lot of different tips and stories of experience on here ranging from people who set their dubia up with water gel and food and leave them completely alone for a few months, and people who suggest giving fruit 2 to 3 times a week.

So this makes me a little confused on what works best and I thought I'd try to pile together a lot of people's opinions and experience on the matter.

----When starting up a dubia colony, do you:

--------------- give the dubia food, water gel, close them up and leave them alone till like 3 months later?
or
----------------open the bin up weekly to add/take out fruits and veggies?

 

[ibotu]

I think when people say they leave them alone, it just means they try not to bother them. If you left them food and replaced their food, fruits and water after three months, they may be some mold in there. And i think we all know that mold can kill your colony. Have you heard of fruit flies or any sort of flies lingering in the bin? Well good mam, if you were to do that, you might find something else other than dubias in your bin after three months.


Just replace the food, water, fruits whenever it needs to be replaced. Look through the hole you made and see if it needs to be changed. Once changed, leave it alone and repeat the process.

 

[rdoyle]

I think she is talking about not butting in fresh friut or veggie in there.

 

[ButterflyGirl89]

I think she is talking about not butting in fresh friut or veggie in there.

Yeah, that was what I was going for.
Obviously I wouldn't leave an orange or anything like that in there for 3 months.
But if it's just the dog food mix and the water crystals (separately), I wouldn't imagine any mold coming from that.

So I guess in an even more simplified version:
------------put in veggies and fruits weekly, or don't put in veggies and fruits at all for the first few months?

 

[Gail]

You want to give them fruit/veggies every week. When people say leave them alone, it means don't go shaking the colony up or digging through them for certain sized feeders. Open the lid to feed/water won't disturb them.

 

[popsmoke63B]

If you're starting a colony, heat your breeder tub to around 90-95ish, put in a few orange slices, and don't bother them for a few days. When people say "leave them alone" they mean just do maint., don't go messing with the egg crates, or shaking anything around. Changing out food is fine.

 

[ButterflyGirl89]

Cool.
Thanks everyone!!

 

[CritterFeeders]

I change my fruits in my colonies at least every 2-3 days. I have colonies I don't touch and some I use to sell and some I just keep for my little guy and my leopard geckos.

 

[ButterflyGirl89]

I change my fruits in my colonies at least every 2-3 days. I have colonies I don't touch and some I use to sell and some I just keep for my little guy and my leopard geckos.

I can imagine! I think I read you once stating that you had just bought like 40 MORE tubs for more colonies because you miiight have some room left in your warehouse, or something like that? lol.

 

[CritterFeeders]

i wish i had a warehouse lol my storage shack is just about full, hell i even have some going on in my bed room lol