Dubias VS Crickets

[smilieone]

Ok I am really thinking about raising these crazy Roaches. :mrgreen: .. But i do have one question do your beardies eat as many Dubias as they do crickets? If thats the case i need to feed my beardie at least 40-50 dubias a day.. Thats seems like alot at the difference in cost in the two? Or do they breed like rabbits once you get them going? :wink:

Thanks for the info !!

 

[patrickb]

Well, the Dubias (and roaches in general) are much more meatier than crickets, so it will take a lot less to fill them up. I am not sure of the exact numbers, but maybe someone here that recently switched to dubias from crickets can relate their experience with actual numbers. I am guessing anywhere from 30-50% less individual insects would be needed, but that is only a guess.

But yes, Dubias do breed like rabbits once you get them going. Even at 50 a day, that's about 1500 insects a month (beardies are such pigs heh). I like to count on one adult Dubia producing 15 babies a month (its more like 22-25 really, but I go conservative to replace the older dieing breeders and allow the colony to expand a bit), so you would need approximately 100 mature females to sustain your beardie.

 

[nesta's mommy]

The Dubias are definitely much more filling. so you will not need as many

I love roaches because they don't smell, climb, fly, and they can't escape! plus, crix carry a higher risk of parasites than roaches!

i contacted theroachguy and got my starter kit... a month ago i said bye bye to crickets because my colony was substantial!!! i haven't seen a cricket since!

 

[gregorydragon]

The Dubias are definitely much more filling. so you will not need as many

I love roaches because they don't smell, climb, fly, and they can't escape! plus, crix carry a higher risk of parasites than roaches!

i contacted theroachguy and got my starter kit... a month ago i said bye bye to crickets because my colony was substantial!!! i haven't seen a cricket since!

How long did it take for your colony to be "substantial"?

 

[NegativeCreep]

How long did it take for your colony to be "substantial"?

After reading about them all night, it seems that they can start supporting your BD in about 5-6 months, but apparently we can get a few extra breeding pairs to jump start a colony...

 

[Geoff22]

im assuming your BD is a baby considering how much he eats ?

This might give ya some perspective

When I Used to feed crickets I would give him 10-15 adult *full size* crickets twice a day

Today when I fed him, he ate TWO adult male dubias and 2 superworms and he was full and wouldnt eat anymore



So you can see the dubias fill yer beardie up quick
Im guessing if I fed him about mid sized dubias he would eat 5-8 twice a day .....and my dragon is roughly 15inchs

 

[nesta's mommy]

The Dubias are definitely much more filling. so you will not need as many

I love roaches because they don't smell, climb, fly, and they can't escape! plus, crix carry a higher risk of parasites than roaches!

i contacted theroachguy and got my starter kit... a month ago i said bye bye to crickets because my colony was substantial!!! i haven't seen a cricket since!

How long did it take for your colony to be "substantial"?

gregory, i got the starter kit and then i ordered a bunch of adult pairs... in about 4 months, i was done with crix. i bumped up the heat a lot and i bumped up the humidity.. when it was really hot here i left them outside to get that warmth!! the warmer they are the more they breed i find!!

bye bye crix!!!

 

[gregorydragon]

gregory, i got the starter kit and then i ordered a bunch of adult pairs... in about 4 months, i was done with crix. i bumped up the heat a lot and i bumped up the humidity.. when it was really hot here i left them outside to get that warmth!! the warmer they are the more they breed i find!!

bye bye crix!!!

Awesome! Thanks! I need to do a recount because a few weeks ago, when I set up my tote, I had at least 12 adult pairs and several other really large nymphs that looked like they were VERY close to adulthood. I may be closer than I think, even though it hasn't even been a month yet.

 

[bigmonkeyjoe]

Hello
I'm glad to be back on the forum.
I have my dubia colony going for about a month now and some females have ootheca(s) . the one thing I can not get a firm answer on is...
Do the females drop the ootheca to hatch on it's own or do the carry it until it hatches?
to my Fellow canadians I do have a supplier that will ship these lovely "beetles"

 

[gregorydragon]

They hatch inside the female and she births live young.

 

[darwin08]

how old does your dragon have to be before you can feed it roaches. (or how big)

 

[gregorydragon]

how old does your dragon have to be before you can feed it roaches. (or how big)

You just need to follow the size rule. For young beardies, do not feed anything larger than the space between their eyes. Freshly hatched nymphs would be small enough to feed to a hatchling. I think they are only a few milimeters long.

 

[darwin08]

alright I'll just wait until he is bigger then. so he can crack down on some big ones!

 

[gregorydragon]

alright I'll just wait until he is bigger then. so he can crack down on some big ones!

You could start a colony of your own too! :idea:

 

[tbelanger]

Does anyone have a good rule of thumb about how many you need to start feeding off? I know one of you said it took about 4 months, but is there a way I can look at mine and see progress? LoL I just ordered 125 mixed nymphs and may be coming with about 5 pairs of adults - still working that out. I can't wait to stop feeding those nasty little buggers (crickets).