For the dubia know it alls!

[Twobeardieguy]

8)

 

[FloraBelle]

Hello!
Great tips and info!! Thank you!
I will be acquiring a beardie in the next week or two and I want to start a dubia colony... I am wondering if you have any recommendations for a reputable source. I know that I will need to start with small dubias for feeding, and I am also wondering if I should have two containers... one for current feeders and one for the colony....
Finally, since I will only have one dragon... will a colony end up being too much.
Thank you!

 

[Sauzo]

I would check your local craigslist first. You can sometimes find great deals there. Then I would check ebay as you can usually find free shipping all the time and the guys usually selling there are the same dealers you find if you just google "dubia roaches for sale". I would use 2 containers. 1 for your breeders which you only really clean and mess with once every couple months(give them water and food and pick out dead roaches if it smells funky) and then 1 for your feeders which it doesn't matter if you mess with those. 1 dragon for 1 colony might get to be a bit much once your dragon gets older since he/she will begin eating more greens and less protein but you can always sell excess off like I do. Can get a nice chunk of xtra pocket change every couple months or so.

Also I used http://buydubiaroaches.com/. A little bit more money than the 2nd one but always fat healthy roaches and never any deaths. http://www.dubideli.com/Home_Page.php great prices and fast delivery with nice roaches. Did have a few deaths but that's to be expected from bugs I guess. Either way, those are the 2 I used when building my colony plus craigslist for a great deal on 50 adult females.

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Hello, glad it helps you out. I sell starter kits in the for sale section.

 

[dociledragons]

That is where I found mine was on craigs list. I also purchased thousands of orangehead roaches for 50.00 bucks. I have already resold 180.00 worth. More then doubled my money. Yet, I still have 900 adults left. The best deal found yet.

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Just be careful buying from sources you don't know.

 

[dociledragons]

Just be careful buying from sources you don't know.

why? parasites? People worry to much about things.

 

[Twobeardieguy]

That and how they are cared for. All I'm saying is not all dubia sellers are the same.

 

[dociledragons]

That and how they are cared for. All I'm saying is not all dubia sellers are the same.

Not sure what you mean by that. but ok

 

[FloraBelle]

Thank you all for the advice!!
I just purchased my starter colony last week, and I noticed an adult die-off in the first few days. I lost three adult females and three adult males. I am at a loss as to what the problem might be. Temps are good, food is good... I am concerned about humidity... how quickly can low humidity kill dubia? How can I boost humidity without risk of mold. I am using polymer water crystals now... afraid to mist due to mold.... How often does anyone mist their dubia enclosure? Note: I live in a very dry climate...
Thanks!

 

[Sauzo]

That happens a lot. Seems the temperature change from their origin source, then through transit, then to you will kill some. Plus those ones that died could have also have been old breeders and close to the end anyways. I have noticed a lot less deaths during summer time vs winter time.

As for humidity, normal house humidity is fine. Just watch to see if you get any dying during a molt(stuck in the old chitin) or if you notice adult males with deformed wings. Those are signs of too low of humidity but for the most part, dubias can tolerate the lowest humidity of the roaches. I personally just have their water dish of water crystals in both my breeder and feeder bins and they are all fine. Misting your bin when you got cardboard egg crates in there is just asking for problems or more work than is needed imo. If you are really concerned, just put a bigger dish of water crystals in there and cover 3/4 of the top with the lid from the tote.

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Bump

 

[Twobeardieguy]

 

[Esther19]

:wink:

 

[jenneelk]

In regards to temp.. I have my new colony in a 27 gallon tub with a 40-50 gallon heater on the bottom. It never gets above 84 in the middle, which is where my probe sits. Do you think this is ok for breeding? It's already 78 all day in my house and about 72 at night since Cali is already in the 80's during the day.

I've had them about 1.5 weeks I think and noticed I just had a large one die (not an adult) and about 6-8 smaller ones. Started with 25 females, 5 males and 250 or so mixed.