Dubia questions...

[AutopsySoldier]

Well...I'm so sick and tired of having chirping crickets that I got over my fear of roaches and bought 100 small dubias at the reptile show in Anaheim this past weekend...and I want to start a colony and now I got a couple of questions...

1. They're a good staple for beardies, right? My dragon is about 8-9 inches right now and I want to feed him the babies.
2. I need to dust them with calcium and vitamins, just like I was doing with the crickets right?
3. In every "home made chow" I keep reading that almost everyone here uses dry cat food...why? Is it better than dog food? Cheaper? Or are most of you cat lovers?
4. I just found out yesterday that the males can jump/glide (not by experience, but read it online)...do they get high/far? I don't know if I would've bought them knowing this.
5. Instead of using water crystals, or vegetables can I just put a wet paper towel and some wet cotton balls for water, like I'm doing for my crickets? I can't tell if they drink it...seeing as they run and hide when the lights are on.

I'm pretty sure I had more questions, but can't think of them now...Anyways, any help with these would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Sunshinessmile]

Well...I'm so sick and tired of having chirping crickets that I got over my fear of roaches and bought 100 small dubias at the reptile show in Anaheim this past weekend...and I want to start a colony and now I got a couple of questions...

1. They're a good staple for beardies, right? My dragon is about 8-9 inches right now and I want to feed him the babies.yup, same rule as anyother feeder, no bigger than the space between his eyes
2. I need to dust them with calcium and vitamins, just like I was doing with the crickets right?Yuppers
3. In every "home made chow" I keep reading that almost everyone here uses dry cat food...why? Is it better than dog food? Cheaper? Or are most of you cat lovers?I think it has to do with whats in it... i just bought 10lbs from Jason the roach guy, much easier for me
4. I just found out yesterday that the males can jump/glide (not by experience, but read it online)...do they get high/far? I don't know if I would've bought them knowing this.they do have wings, but i have never had one do much of anything so no worries
5. Instead of using water crystals, or vegetables can I just put a wet paper towel and some wet cotton balls for water, like I'm doing for my crickets? I can't tell if they drink it...seeing as they run and hide when the lights are on.I would assume you could, i use water crystals, cheap, makes ALOT....

I'm pretty sure I had more questions, but can't think of them now...Anyways, any help with these would be greatly appreciated!questions are good!

 

[AutopsySoldier]

Cool, thanks a lot for the help!

I decided that I need to play with them and handle them to get over my fear...and I don't know how to pick them up, so I would just put my finger in front of them hoping one would climb on and man...every time one got near, my heart would start beating faster! My palms got all sweaty, lol...I'm scared of them..not grossed out, but scared. Anyways...

I noticed that there were a few on their backs and I just starred at them...and they tried their hardest to flip back over...but then they just seemed to give up and I would end up helping them back on their feet. Can they get back on their feet on their own?

 

[Ruby2uesday]

well if your bd is 8-9 inches he'll go through 100 baby dubia's in about 2 days. or less! If you want to start a colony you'll have to get some pairs. go to some of the sites like http://www.theroachguy.com or http://www.theroachranch.com and you can get starter colonies there. They both have a ton of info on what you'll need to get started and how to keep them going. You'll have to supplement for a couple months while the colony has a chance to grow (something i failed to do and now kicking myself for) but in the right conditions they produce quick! With the males, they do "flutter" a bit, but i've only had them do that when i get startled and flick my egg crates to hard. I can touch the babies no problem, but the bigger ones.... not so much! lol but i still like them better then crix! i supplement my colony w/ phoenix worms and OCCASIONALLY i'll get a dozen or so crix as a treat so he has something to really chase around, but that's only because i can dump the whole bag in the viv and walk away! LOL

Have fun!

 

[Mikhail]

Roaches do not have a righting mechanism. If you have pest roaches in your home they will often appear dead upside down in places like a clean kitchen floor. Roaches rely on things in their environment that they can latch on to on the ground in order to flip themselves. Given a perfectly smooth floor and no interaction they are likely to remain on their back until death. Interesting aren't they.

I have not noticed fluttering in dubia, but I know that lobster roaches will occasionally flutter fall. They do it when they are brought up high usually as an escape mechanism. Their young are also not afraid to jump. Wings serve them pretty much as a glide mechanism. Dubia aren't that fast so there should be any trouble.

Mine eat dog food because my cats are on a special diet due to UTI's. My roaches also eat whole oats that I grind and vegetables. The oats are left over from my old mealworm farm and they only cost about 11 bucks for 50 pounds so it's nice and cheap.

Hit me up with any ?'s. This is really the only section of this forum I post in right now, lol.

 

[AutopsySoldier]

Ruby thanks a lot for those links! I just placed an order with the roach guy! Hoping to get rid of the crickets I have while the dubia colony get's going.

Mikhail...stupid roaches, yeah I always check in on the ones I have in the morning and will see one upside down...so I think it's dead and I go to pick it up and it starts kicking! Wonder how long it was like that, lol. I'm feeding the roaches I have right now a mixture of fish food flakes, crushed up dog food and flukers cricket diet...with carrots and wet paper towels for moisture. I have no idea if they're eating it because every time I open the lid they run and hide. But I think they are, because the poop in the bottom of the tub seems to be increasing.

Well, I do have another question....

Is it ok to leave some dubias in the dragon's viv? I don't do that with crickets because they can bite the dragon. I want to leave them in a little dish where they can't climb out of, but you never know...the dragon could toss some out, I just don't want him to get bit. Did that make sense?

 

[TamiLynne]

Before I say anything let me first admit that I know little to nothing about roaches. lol. But I do know about more "common" pets! So I can confidently say that the reason most folks prefer to use things like cat, fish, and ferret food is due to the higher levels of protein. Cats are carnivores, dogs are omnivores. Thus, cat foods have much higher levels of protein. Also, since cats are notoriously picky eaters of dry cat food, more attention is paid to palatability in those foods. I doubt that has very much to do with feeding roaches, but I assume if it tastes/smells better they will eat and breed more.

Hope that helps!

 

[ajkry2]

Ya know, this thread is interesting...

One thing I noticed that isn't mentioned -- half an orange every couple of days is good if you decide to start a colony. Janie says its like roach viagra :lol:

giggity giggity goo

 

[LFC]

we are also thinking of getting some Dubias... so let me know how they work out...and i also have that fear/ am creeped out by them. But at the same time i realy hate crickets and our beardies doesnt like eating them either...

 

[xroscox]

Dubia roaches are by far the best investment that I have made for my dragon Rosco. They have a different appearance then the normal roach that you picture. I have no problem handling the smaller nymphs because they look more like a beetle you would find in your garden. The adult males are slightly scarier due to they have wings (but cannot fly!). I am parting out some of my colony and if anyone is interested in starting a colony or just adding some adult pairs check out my post in the for sale forum. ( [ Invalid URL Removed / p= t=114695 f=2 ] )

 

[AutopsySoldier]

Woooo!

I just got my first order from Jason The roach guy! I bought 100 small when I went to the Anaheim reptile show through another vendor...and this time from Jason I ordered 150 small plus 4 adult pairs...man, after starring at tiny dubias for like the past month, these adult roaches ARE NO JOKE!! Those things are HUUUUUGE!

Tami Thanks a lot for that info! I will pick up some cat food next time I go to the store, thanks again!

ajkry2 Yeah, I've seen her around here saying its roach viagra, lol. Will throw a couple of slices in there in a bit.

rosco Yeah! That's why I like dubias they don't look like roaches! I lived in apartments infested with...german cockroach? I think that's what they are, dubias look nothing like that! Actually, I always thought crickets resembled does nasty roaches more than dubias, yet everyone is ok keeping crickets in there house. That's weird.

Thanks for the link, I'll check out your thread in a bit!

LFC Roaches are the way to go! I have a really sensitive nose and every time I open the cricket tub to get some crickets I have to hold my breath because if I breath there scent in...it almost feels like my lungs start hurting also get stomach pains just from the smell.

Roaches on the other hand, absolutely no ordor! Man...trust me, I've hated roaches for my whole life...but as a feeder for my dragon...I freaking love dubias!

 

[BioTeacher]

Water crystals are clean, easy, and cheap if you buy them in bulk online. I also like to feed mine Chicken mash. It is the egg laying feed you would feed your chickens. It costs around $10 for a 50lbs bag! Quite a bargain.

 

[Ihaggerty1313]

Water crystals are clean, easy, and cheap if you buy them in bulk online. I also like to feed mine Chicken mash. It is the egg laying feed you would feed your chickens. It costs around $10 for a 50lbs bag! Quite a bargain.

Be careful w/ the chicken mash and where it comes from. Sometimes it harbors grain mites which can seriously damage a colony of Dubia. Not that feeding them Chicken Mash is a bad thing but the grain mite issue is worth noting. You don't want a case of those nasty buggers!

-Ian
http://www.theroachranch.com

 

[Ihaggerty1313]

Water crystals are clean, easy, and cheap if you buy them in bulk online. I also like to feed mine Chicken mash. It is the egg laying feed you would feed your chickens. It costs around $10 for a 50lbs bag! Quite a bargain.

Be careful w/ the chicken mash and where it comes from. Sometimes it harbors grain mites which can seriously damage a colony of Dubia. Not that feeding them Chicken Mash is a bad thing but the grain mite issue is worth noting. You don't want a case of those nasty buggers!

-Ian
http://www.theroachranch.com

 

[BowserTheDragon]

What I Feed My 2 dragons (Bowser the male) (Fionna The female) Are Dubai roaches what i feed them is dragon pellets for B.D. cuz the roaches eat that and the dragons eat them 2 birds with one stone