homemade dubia chow?

[patrickb]

Awesome thanks alot man!!

I went out tonite after reading this and I tried finding that baby rice ceral, but all I could find is the one with bannana instead of the mixed fruit one, so imma give it a try and see how it works out. I also got some "whole grain" and some oatmeal (the all natural stuff).

So the plan is tomorrow, imma grind some of this stuff up and put it all in there seperate I think and see if I can put a mix together off what they chow down 1st to last .......

Ill let ya guys/gals know how it works out tomorrow

Yep, here again, I just use the stuff I can find easily. The one with the mixed fruits caught my eye because I know they love fruit. They should go nuts over the banana one as well. And that is really the best way to go about it, just try stuff, see what they like and develop your own custom blend. I still experiment with new foods anything I see something I haven't tried before.

Oatmeal, do you feed it dry?

Im assuming dry, water + colony other than crystals usually is a bad idea

Dry is best. I occasionally make some up wet using a little honey water, but it molds quite quickly and surprisingly they don't go nuts for it. Not sure why considering they love the oats and honey individually. A wet based food similar to this isn't bad really, it just increases the maintenance substantially and you need to make sure to remove it after a day, otherwise mold sets in very quickly, which is bad. It isn't necessary, but I like to experiment a lot with different things anyways.

Fruits do you peel them or just toss them in whole and let them go at it?

I would like to know the answer to this also

Peeled, or chunked/cubed is best. They don't eat the rind and tend to not chew holes through it like say a cricket would. Usually when I cut up a fruit or veggie I just cut it into decent sized chunks and place any of it that I won't be feeding to the roaches in an airtight container and pop it in the fridge. Some things will last weeks in the fridge and stay quite fresh like this. Come feeding time, I just grab what I need and put it in their wet food dish.

 

[gregorydragon]

by patrickb on Wed Oct 08, 2008 1:42 pm

I don't use a blend like you are looking to do at this point. Though I am thinking about doing it for convenience eventually. Usually what I feed them is what I have on hand, or happen to see and pickup one day, so it varies a lot.

Baby Rice Cereal w/Mixed Fruits
Whole Oats
Wheat Bran of Wheat Flour
Dog food
Dried green peas
A teaspoon of sugar or honey every once in a while
Rabbit food
Various cereals
Peanuts, sunflower seeds, and other nuts

They really love the sugar and honey added as a treat, but I limit it a lot. Whatever dry blend you end up with, don't forget to add those fresh fruits and veggies too. They got nuts for them.

Awesome thanks alot man!!

I went out tonite after reading this and I tried finding that baby rice ceral, but all I could find is the one with bannana instead of the mixed fruit one, so imma give it a try and see how it works out. I also got some "whole grain" and some oatmeal (the all natural stuff).

So the plan is tomorrow, imma grind some of this stuff up and put it all in there seperate I think and see if I can put a mix together off what they chow down 1st to last .......

Ill let ya guys/gals know how it works out tomorrow

Hey Geoff22! What did you find out on this experiment? Did you decide on a mix? how is it going?

 

[bigmonkeyjoe]

Has anyone used dried fruits and veggies to minimize the mold growth?

 

[gregorydragon]

Now we have some ideas for ingredients. What about proportions of each ingredient. So far, I have tried to mix a "serving" of each item. The "serving" is whatever the measurement that is listed on the box. 1 cup of this, 1/2 cup of that, 3/4 cup of the other. Any ideas?

 

[patrickb]

Has anyone used dried fruits and veggies to minimize the mold growth?

I haven't done this still, but I know I have an old dehydrator tucked away in storage somewhere. Been thinking about digging it out to dry my own fruits and veggies just to add to the dry mix. There most likely is some nutritional loss during this process and the big thing keeping me from making it a priority is that I use the fresh stuff to help with the hydration of the roaches. I always have water crystals available, but the moisture from the fruits and veggies helps a lot. If you are worried about the mold growth, you are putting too much fresh stuff in at a time. Try reducing your portions and you shouldn't have to worry about mold.