Dubias not eating

[KDK241]

I just got 200 dubias for my lizards and its only been a couple days but they don't seem to be eating anything :? I gave them some fish food, dog food, carrot and collard greens and its all still there. Do they take some time to adjust? When I opened the bin yesterday morning they were all hiding and I didn't see a single one. That was a bit unnerving to someone who still can't believe she has roaches in her house on purpose :shock: They are in a black bin heated with a lamp on top and the temp on the warm side is 88* and the cool side is 78*.

 

[Twobeardieguy]

If they are seeing light that may be a problem. Also they should have night and day difference. The temps can be bumped up a bit. The best method is to heat from under the bin and the egg creates stacked vertically over the heat. Hope this helps..

 

[KDK241]

They aren't seeing any light. I put a screen on the top but they are in a dark place and the light is heating the solid side of the bin. I will get a heating pad today and heat them that way instead. Maybe I just have picky roaches. They can fit in with my picky lizards

 

[esn]

It could just be that you're feeding too much, but it sounds like a heating issue. When heated properly (they prefer bottom heat, or well placed side heat) they should be dragging the food into their crates and making it disappear. Mine don't like collard greens as much, but kibble and carrots should go away pretty much immediately. I hope getting that heating pad fixes the problem. Dubia colonies are disgusting, but rewarding.

 

[DragCity]

I wouldn't worry too much. You only ordered 200 dubia which is not many. Especially if that # is comprised of mostly nymphs. Even 200 adult dubia won't run through food too fast. Dubia are one of the more nibbling species of roach when compared to other medium/large roaches.

For instance my discoid colony completely devours anything I put in there (and I mean ANYTHING). Meanwhile my dubia colony takes days for food to disappear (sometimes a full week). Yet I never worry because each time I rummage through the egg flats in the bin I see more and more babies each time.

I used to worry much the way you are, when I first used to open the lid and not see a single roach out eating or running amok. Especially after watching all the youtube vids of roaches scampering left and right, with the sound of them marching loudly, lol. However, I've come to decide maybe those roaches in those vids were just underfed which is why they may be going bonkers for food in those online vids. Mine only seem to bumrush the food bowl if I offer them "Flukers High Calcium Gutload." Otherwise, with fresh fruits|veggies and my home-made chow they just take their time eating it, taking days to finish it off.

Which is why my discoids have come to be my favorite feeder roaches. Those guys PUNISH any food item I put in their bin! I love my orange heads too but mainly because of how beautiful they are. But anyway, don't worry too much. As long as your dubia start producing nymphs and nibble here and there you'll be fine. Especially since your temps are right and you have kept them dark. I wouldn't worry much. Only start to worry if 2 months go by and you don't see any new babies.

 

[KDK241]

My main concern with not seeing any was that they got out somehow :shock: It must have been the temps. It was really hot here today so I turned off their light and when I looked in there tonight there isn't a piece of food in sight. I didn't put much in there because I wanted to figure out how much is too much. When should I put more food in there? I know they can drag it under the crates and I really don't want to disturb them looking for leftovers if I don't have to, they still creep me out.

 

[DragCity]

My main concern with not seeing any was that they got out somehow :shock: It must have been the temps. It was really hot here today so I turned off their light and when I looked in there tonight there isn't a piece of food in sight. I didn't put much in there because I wanted to figure out how much is too much. When should I put more food in there? I know they can drag it under the crates and I really don't want to disturb them looking for leftovers if I don't have to, they still creep me out.

As long as you don't have the egg flats reaching the very top of the bin, and you have a layer of clear packaging tape around the inner-circumference of the bin 2"-3" inches from the top, you won't have to fear any escapes. Just make sure the bin you have is smooth plastic made by Sterilite or Rubbermaid.

I still reckon it was more the light than the temps. I'd bet they came out due to the light source being cut off rather than the temps being lowered. As for food amount, sometimes less is more. As it'll assure you that they're actually finishing the food off AND MORE IMPORTANTLY less food means less likely to have a mold or fruit-fly larvae infestation. Just feed them enough that they can finish off in 24-36hrs at most.

As for the creep-factor, you'll be over it soon (probably less than a month). I used to be petro as well about rummaging through the egg flats but now I'm totally addicted to it. I can't go more than a day without checking on them, LOL. Sometimes I even feel like I enjoy my "feeder" roaches more than "pet" lizard (go figure!) lol

 

[Buckmaster299]

I started with a very small colony like yours. I probably had 150 or so in there. and most were babies. When i would put food in there they would take days to eat it and it wasn't much. Now i'm pushing up to and probably over 1000 total roaches. Again mostly babies still growing and they are now starting to devour food. I use the bottoms of water bottles for the protein food that I feed them and within about 3 or days its all gone along with almost an entire orange. I have just recently threw in some greens and apples. I will know tomrrow how they like that. Right now i'm burning thru about 2-4 oranges a week between my roaches and crickets but I'll be sooo glad when I get away from the crickets. They are so nasty. Good luck with your colony.

 

[KDK241]

That's good to know. I'm a worrier, lol. Mine are mostly adults with some babies and medium ones tossed in too. I'll check tomorrow and see what's left for food. How much ventilation do they need? I put a 6x6 screen on the top but I'm having trouble keeping the humidity up even with water crystals and a covered bowl of water. If I cover part of the screen would that be ok?

 

[Buckmaster299]

I have 3 3X4 vents in my lid. I cover and uncover as i need to regulate temp. I can only assume that my humidy is find as i have a humidity gauge in my bearies cage and it is reading right where it should i believe. my roaches have apparently become accustomed to me being aroud because they do not scatter when i go to feed them anymore. They actually swarmed the food last time i dropped food in there which tells me my colony is growing becasue i used to only have to feed them once a week and now i'm doing it twice and still almost eating all of the food.

 

[DragCity]

That 6x6 screen should be fine. But it's hard to determine the perfect method for maintaining appropriate humidity levels because every situation is unique for each persons setup. For instance if you live in a humid place you may be able to use 8x8 or larger screening without sacrificing any humidity. Me personally, I only use 4x4 screening to keep in as much humidity as I can since I live in a dryer area. But yes, you can cover part of the screening with a terry-cloth towel to keep in more moisture and that should suffice.

 

[Brieana]

I also have a starter colony of 200 and for the first couple weeks, they didn't seem to eat much. Now they're getting bigger and going through food way faster. I actually have to make some more chow soon. They also tend to be more active on the days when I don't use the air conditioner, so yeah, it's probably your temps. I keep the heat pad on no matter what. They have plenty of space to go to on the cool side if they need to.

 

[KDK241]

Well I was definitely worried for nothing. They are eating pretty much anything that goes in there and have taken a particular liking to turtle pellets. They also don't run and hide anymore when I open the bin. I've been feeding them every other day, is that ok? I just want to make sure any veggies that might get drug under the crates get a chance to get eaten before adding more. I moved them around a little yesterday and didn't see anything under there but I didn't look too thoroughly. The females don't really bother me much but the males creep me out (its the wings). I have a few that are easily 3" long and they are too freaky.

I got another 200 today and set them up in another bin for feeders so I don't have to keep disturbing the breeder bin. I separated all the adults and put them in the breeding bin and kept most of the small/medium sized ones in the feeder bin (there are still plenty of small/medium ones in the breeder bin too).

On a side note while I was setting up the new bin I felt something crawl up my leg and it was a 1/2" baby roach :shock: I dropped one yesterday while I was taking some out to feed and I thought it had fallen back in the bin but apparently I was wrong. After freaking out and brushing it off I lost it again but about 10 minutes later it was back crawling up my leg and that time I got it back in the bin. So much for making sure they don't crawl on me :roll: