Dubia Roach Help

[billybrr]

Alright, so i have 2 bearded dragons. Buying crickets for them is a little costly, so i decided to start breeding roaches to save money. The thing is I'm on a super tight budget, i already bought some roaches but the problem I'm having is with the heat.

I CANNOT buy a heat pad, i simply don't have the money and need to work with what i got. I was trying to come up with ideas, and instead of wasting money and killing them i instead thought id ask someone.


If i use a infrared bulb would they be able to see that and flip out?
my second option is putting them in my Attic, i live in Louisiana so its hot most days and its dark up there. The problem with that is I'm afraid it would be to hot and to cold at night, I'm really stressing out about this because I really need to make this work or my dragons wont have ANY food.

My third idea would be to use the infrared light (which is red obviously) and then build the other side of the tank all dark, with some black plastic were the light wouldn't show through. I really just need some help, thank you all very much in advance i appreciate it.

 

[billybrr]

can anyone help me? please :/

 

[WoolyMarmot]

30$ thermostat + 20$ heatmat will be cheaper in the long run in terms of electricity bills.Especially when these will be run 24/7. A 60-100watt infrared bulb will cost 4-5 times more per year compared to 15-20watt heatmats

 

[aussiefreak101]

There are people who use infrared lights over an extra mesh opening/vent on the side of the egg crates of their bin. I wrapped mine in a large blanket to keep it temporarily insulated before I could afford a proper heatmat.

 

[TeachersPetDragon]

I CANNOT buy a heat pad, i simply don't have the money and need to work with what i got.

As WoolyMarmot mentioned, you are wasting a lot of money on electricity if you use a bulb. It is costing you $3.80/month if you want to run a 60 watt bulb in Louisiana, or $6.48 if it is a 100 watt bulb.

A 14 watt heat mat costs only $7 to purchase on eBay. It costs $0.90/month to run it at full power, and less if you set the rheostat down (which you'll have to do). You'll be saving money in just 1 or 2 months. If you check the temperature occasionally using a thermometer then you probably don't need a $30 thermostat and just use the built-in rheostat.

 

[randommonks]

Try it without heat if you're in a pinch. My old colony never had a heat pad and they were in 74-80F daily and they still bred like crazy.

 

[Buckmaster299]

how big is your colony. I noticed that with mine when i first started out i had to keep them wrapped in a blanket and in a warm room in my house. As the colony expanded and grew the temps were not so hard to control. I now use a human heating pad taht does not shut off and i regulate it daily as the temp goes up or down with my digital thermostat. These animals are very hardy and by the way i understand it they will breed at lower temps just not as much. If i'm wrong, please someone correct me. I think my heating pad cost like 15 bucks on amazon and i'm a prime member so i got free shipping but even without free shipping it couldn't have been more than 20 bucks. As everyone is saying this WILL be worth it in the long run. If I were you, I would sacrifice something for a week or so and buy the heating pad if that was an option. I wish you luck in starting your colony and have fun.