Dubia Roach Colony

[rafa2k]

I've posted previously on this site that I'm very new to Beardies, so new in fact that I haven't even bought one yet

I'm going to rescue one from Petsmart this weekend, I have the whole habitat set up, 40g glass terrarium, basking area is 110, cooler area is 76. Reptisun UVB 10.0 and digital thermometer all set up. The beardy I'm looking at is SUPER tiny, so I'm wondering if it's too soon to start thinking Dubia Roaches and Roach colonies.

I know about the limitation of the size of the food, size between their eyes, so I ordered 50 small dubias. They should be in this weekend, I will get a few pinheads from petsmart to start off. Is it too soon to start feeding dubias to, what looks like, a hatchling?

I also have some fresh collard greens and yellow squash ready for him/her.

 

[Soulwind]

As long as they are small enough, no it's not too soon.

I can't imagine even a very small beardie that couldn't handle the tiny ones.
The very tiny dubia's start at about 1/8" and go from there.

Plus they are much softer-shelled than crickets and you can "push it" a bit on size.
Don't go hog wild or anything but getting right up near too big is OK, whereas with crickets I'd leave quite a bit of margin on size.

And it's definately not too early to start a colony. A colony takes anywhere from 3-9 months
(with 5-6 being about average) to really become self-sustaining and feedable from.

Depends on how many females you start with of course (more means you can start feeding from it sooner).

Hatchlings grow FAST and become little eating machines, so you'll almost certainly have to buy feeders for awhile
until the colony can get tooling along.

Your guy is probably little due being beat out in the competition for food and basking area
with the way the pet stores house multiples in those little vivs.

 

[rafa2k]

Thanks Soulwind,I really appreciate the quick response. I did order the 1/8" roaches so I'm glad to hear they will be fine. I only ordered 50 to test them out. I figured I would have to order for a while before my colony would start so these are just to feed him right away.

I figured he's getting beat out for food that's why I want to rescue him.

 

[randommonks]

A word of caution about buying the smallest beardies at Petco/Petsmart- they're often sick and it can be an uphill struggle to bring them back up to health. I agree that extra small dubia (fresh birthed) will be perfect for a small beardie. You'd be surprised how tiny they come :lol:

Also, once your beardie gets a taste of dubia, don't expect him to want to go back to smelly old crickets!

 

[rafa2k]

Thanks random,

From what I understand, dubias are much better for them anyway so that is what I would like his staple to be.

Another quick question, as a hatchling, do I feed him live food 3x a day and keep greens in a bowl? Or do I substitute a meal a day with greens?

 

[randommonks]

Nope feed him as much insects as he wants 2-3 times a day for 5-10 minutes. If he doesn't touch his veggies, that's fine and normal. Keep offering a small amount everyday though and if you notice him eating it regularly, then that's always good news too.

When you get him home, don't be alarmed if he doesn't eat much for the first week or so as he'll still be going through relocation stress. If you notice him sleeping all day or being generally lethargic or lazy, then there could potentially be a problem.

 

[rafa2k]

awesome, thanks. I'll definitely keep a close eye on him.