Dubia Roaches?

[Evin]

I am planning on starting a colony of dubias and want to ask few questions experienced people..
1. What is the best place to keep them? I have 2.5'x1.5'x2' aquarium... how does it sound? Or should i get a plastic bin?
2. I know that people say they don't smell, but really they don't smell that much that I can keep it in my room no problem? Has anyone kept them in their room? Can they cause any problems if I keep them in my room?

 

[zebraflavencs]

I prefer the bin to the tank, as I can keep them in the dark, where they like , and no there isn't much smell, clean the bin every 2-3 months, temps around 90*, half an orange to encourage breeding , water crystals, ground up cat food with fish flakes, and ends of the veggies you feed to the dragons, and a pinch of calD3 mixed in. keep the damp veggies off to one side, or in a separate container to avoid mold issues.
That should pretty much take care of your issues, and nope you shouldn't have a worry with the roaches in your room. Just don't freak if you hear scrabble, scratching noises, the adults and young are just moving around.
Hope this helps,
Janie.

 

[Evin]

Thanks a lot that answers all my questions!

 

[zebraflavencs]

Any time, I have 3 colonies going right now, dubias, lobs and turks. By the way, the adults get to 2" in length, but are pretty cool to watch.
Breeding them will take around 6 months to have a good base. When the numbers get to 1k, the colony, barring disaster, is self perpetuating.
Hope that helps too !
Janie.

 

[Evin]

Woah 1k is a little too much, I'm thinking of keeping numbers in between 200-300, I only have 1 beardie atm
Can you tell me more about their bins? How big? Lid with holes or mesh? How to keep them warm? Thanks again!

 

[patrickb]

The aquarium you mentioned earlier will work fine if you want to use that. If it has any silicone in the corners on the inside, you will want to get some clear 1.5" wide packing tape and cover the silicone in all four corners around the top. The smaller ones will be able to climb the silicon and possibly slip under the lid.

If you want to get a bin, around an 18gal would work for your needs just fine. You can use either holes in the lid or tops of the side, or cut out a big section (around 10"x10") and glue screen mesh over it for the ventilation. Doesn't really matter, as long as their is adequate ventilation. If you live in a very humid area, you may need more ventilation and the screen mesh would work better there. You will know if you need more ventilation if you ever see water condensing on the sides of the interior of the bin.

And no, they don't smell. If you stick your head down in the colony and take a big whiff, you *might* notice a faint oder, but nothing of an offensive smell. The colony I have now is almost at 1k now and it hasn't been cleaned in over 8 months and still has no smell at all. Just remove any dead ones whenever that starts to happen and keep the moist food replaced every other day and you will be fine. Other than the sound of them scurrying around the furniture when you first enter the room, you would never know they were there.

 

[gregorydragon]

I think the only thing left is a heating pad under the bin and a temp probe/gun to measure the inside temp. You also need to monitor humidity. I have a probe that measures temp and humidity.

I think it would be difficult, if not impossible, to have a colony of only 200-300. You need more in order for it to be a self-sustaining endless supply of food for your beardie. Too much is better than not enough IMO. You could always give some to friends with lizards or just take some out, freeze them (to kill them) and throw them out. You could keep them as pets. You could even sell some (depending on what state you live in).

 

[Evin]

You could always give some to friends with lizards or just take some out, freeze them (to kill them) and throw them out. You could keep them as pets. You could even sell some (depending on what state you live in).

Hey, I'm not even allowed to buy them not talking about keeping them.... selling :silent: so shh me not me i don't know you you don't know me :mrgreen:

Thanks a lot for all the info! I already went out and bought a bin, I'll be putting screen mesh in the lid. I'm getting 32oz container of dubias for $40... :?: don't know how many is that...
Any more suggestions on how to prevent any escapes? Like Vaseline on sides of a container? Cuz if my parents will ever see one lose.. I'll be out of the door together with my lizard...
Also a heat pad... i happen to have one extra exo-terra heat pad about 8"x8" will that be fine? i was thinking of putting it in towels, cuz it gets pretty hot and i don't want it to burn my container or something.. any suggestions on that? Should I keep it on at all times?

 

[zebraflavencs]

I use a people heating pad, and just turn it on, waiting an hour then checking temps, if hot enough, good, if not, turn up and check again in an hour.
The pad has a sleeve it goes into, and sometimes a second pad that you could soak in water (for humans). I tend to replace that second pad with a thicker one, and then set the bin on the hp.
Hope this helped !
Janie.

 

[gregorydragon]

Any more suggestions on how to prevent any escapes? Like Vaseline on sides of a container? Cuz if my parents will ever see one lose.. I'll be out of the door together with my lizard...
Also a heat pad... i happen to have one extra exo-terra heat pad about 8"x8" will that be fine? i was thinking of putting it in towels, cuz it gets pretty hot and i don't want it to burn my container or something.. any suggestions on that? Should I keep it on at all times?

If you are really concerned about escapes, you could put vaseline around the top inside edge of the bin. A cleaner option would be some 2-3 inch wide clear packing tape. Put a strip around the top inside edge. I use a regular human heating pad that does NOT have an auto-shutoff feature and I leave it on 24/7. When I first started my colony, I had it on high, but now it is on low and I could probably turn it off because I have plenty of roaches and I need them to slow down on production. I don't have a reptile heating pad so I don't know how hot those get. you could probably ask TheRoachGuy or BestRoach, or patrickb or Ian or...there are many knowledgeable roach ranchers on this site.

 

[patrickb]

Thanks a lot for all the info! I already went out and bought a bin, I'll be putting screen mesh in the lid. I'm getting 32oz container of dubias for $40... :?: don't know how many is that...
Any more suggestions on how to prevent any escapes? Like Vaseline on sides of a container? Cuz if my parents will ever see one lose.. I'll be out of the door together with my lizard...
Also a heat pad... i happen to have one extra exo-terra heat pad about 8"x8" will that be fine? i was thinking of putting it in towels, cuz it gets pretty hot and i don't want it to burn my container or something.. any suggestions on that? Should I keep it on at all times?

As far as escapees, if you have a bin that is truly smooth they will not be able to escape. If it is clear they won't be able to climb up it. Some of the colored bins look smooth, but have just enough texture for the smaller Dubia (like 1/2" and under size) to climb up. If you want to be on the safe side, using the clear packing tape that is 1.5" wide like gregory mentioned around the inside at the top will stop them from going any further. The only other way they would get out of the bin is if you keep the eggcrates or anything else fairly close to the top and an adult male flutters enough to get to the top. They can hop and flutter about 3-4" vertically at the most, so keep the highest point in the bin at least 5" away from the top and all should be well. Some people find male dubias loose in their house and swear they can fly. They can't fly, they just can hop a bit and glide sideways basically. Cut the eggcrates in half if you are using eggcrates and they are too tall.

As for the heating pad, it should be fine without wrapping it. If you can hold it to your bare skin and not get burnt, it won't melt the plastic. 8"x8" pad should be a fairly low wattage and it may feel hot, but it isn't burning or scorching hot I would hope. Test it beforehand though to make certain. It should remain on 24/7 if needed to keep the temps in the bin up. If it is hot in your house during the summer months, then you could cut it off.

Oh yeah, one other thing to mention. When you do finally have to clean your bin, do not use any harsh chemicals or abrasive pads on it. This will scuff the surface and make it possible for the roaches to climb if you do this. Only a mild dishwashing soap or bleach solution and a towel for the cleaning when it is finally time.

 

[Evin]

Oookay... so i got the whole colony in today, there's about 200-300 mixed adult/babies paid $40 (good or bad deal?). First impressions but when i think of the savings
Anyways I'll tell you more about my set-up... Color bin, almost as smooth as clear one... full investigation of a bin did not show any rough surfaces, clear tape 1.5" wide around the top. Inside i have Tim Hortons trays, which are about 8-10" to the top. Lid with mesh screen apprx 8"x14". The guy I bought it from told me that he just keeps them at room temps and they do just fine, so i don't know if there is a point of getting heat pad for them. I'll take a picture of my set-up tomm and post it.

God if you people only knew how scared i was to open that little container and let them go in my bin. I thought its going to be like in one of the horror movies where some insects start coming out of a hole and there's billion of them running up on you and everything else :shock: anyways after 1/2hr of convincing myself that everything will be fine i finally let them in their new home and i start laughing when i saw how slow and clumsy they are... that's my first impressions of dubia roaches
Thank you again for all your help guys!

 

[gregorydragon]

The guy I bought it from told me that he just keeps them at room temps and they do just fine, so i don't know if there is a point of getting heat pad for them.

Room temp in the mid-70s will be fine, they just won't breed as fast. Prime conditions for doing the deed is 85-95 degrees.

 

[scalesandtales]

that is an amazing deal. where did you get them?. Don't get scared when they turn white lol I saw mine do this and almost peed myself. It means that they just molted

 

[Evin]

that is an amazing deal. where did you get them?. Don't get scared when they turn white lol I saw mine do this and almost peed myself. It means that they just molted

I got them locally in Toronto, lol I'll keep the molting part in mind thanks

If ill get the temps up, how long should i wait until i can start using them as a regular diet for my beardie (i only have 1 for now)