SJM":41f71 said:
I'm getting verrrrry tired of crickets. They're stinky and die too much, and buying them adds up to a lot of money. I hear that roaches are extremely easy to breed and much less smelly, and I am very interested.
I am with you all the way. Crickets suck. Dubias are awesome!
As was said, once you get your colony going, you will have a whole variety of sizes to feed your dragon for the rest of his life.
As for the tank, I would urge you to keep them in a large Rubbermaid container. It is easier to clean, easier to store, and holds humidity much better, which is good for the roaches.
I cut the top out of this tub and replaced it with screen. (This was originally made for crix; dubias would be better off with 1/2 or 1/4 that much ventilation.)
These things are virtually indestructable. Which is a good thing when you're using them as feeders; a bad thing when you're trying to get rid of an infestation. Out of curiosity, I took a few of my dubia and put them in a separate container. No food, no water, no heat, no humidity, they lived for months. :shock: Which means if these guys get loose in your house, you're in trouble. The good news is that they can't jump, fly, or climb, so as long as you're careful, it's easy to keep them contained.
So, pretty much, these are about the easiest feeders to keep. You don't need to do anything! However, keeping them cool and not giving them food is not the best way to get a strong, healthy colony going, which is what we're shooting for. The following are some basic guidelines to follow to get your colony going. If these guidelines are followed, your roaches will only need a month or so to establish before you can start feeding them off to your beardie.
For best possible results with breeding, keep them at around 90*.
If you live in a dry area, mist the walls of the tub every now and then to keep up humidity. If kept at low humidity, roaches won't be able to molt. A stuck molt will kill roaches.
For food, anything goes. These guys aren't too picky about what they eat, lol. To gutload them, follow the same guidelines as for gutloading crix. I use a bearded dragon food pellets (catfood will also work, as will many other concoctions reccommended for gutloading crix).
To keep them
hydrated, you don't need any of those gell-water things, although companies will try to tell you otherwise. I use fresh fruits, veggies, and greens (mostly leftovers from Budo) that I slightly mist. This is all they need for water. Just don't give them a dish of water, or they will drown.
As for where to get them, I highly reccommend The Roach Guy.
http://www.theroachguy.com/ Great customer service and decent prices, as far as dubias go. You will find that they can be pretty expensive. Trust me, it's all worth it to be done with crickets once and for all, and think-- you'll never have to buy feeders ever again!
