How many dubia should I order?

[dobiegil2000]

I am looking into a dubia colony for two beardies, and would like to get it established asap (I am really tired of crickets and supers). How many should I order? Should I purchase several adult pairs?

Thanks in advanced.
Robin

 

[clear]

Order all you can afford to be honest, Even if you order 500 today you still need to wait atleast a month or 2 to feed from it.

 

[zebraflavencs]

You can also mix and match species of roaches. I have Dubias, turks, and Lobs on hand, totalling over 2k roaches. With 3 young dragons I have enough to feed out of (Thanks Roach Guy) and maintain a colony.
Hope this helps !
Janie.

 

[patrickb]

What clear said. The more you can start with, the sooner the colony will be producing what you need. Janie is right though, you could look at using another species of roach also while you wait on the Dubia to being producing. Turks (or those dreadful Lobsters) and very fast breeders and are about as cheap as crickets.

 

[dobiegil2000]

Thanks guys! I think I will try to get two colonies going. Patrick, you said those dreadful lobsters, why? I was thinking about those. Just wondering.
Robin

 

[zebraflavencs]

They move fast ! They also crawl over everything. I used Vaseline and coated the top of the feeder bin, so no worries as to them crawling out. Just refresh weekly on the vaseline.

 

[patrickb]

Well, first I will state I have never owned Lobsters, so my opinion is to be taken with a grain of salt. The whole ability to climb thing just doesn't work with my paranoia. Sure you can vaseline every container they will be in, but I have a fear they will breach the barrier and be all over. I will definitely stick to one that can't climb to be on the ultra safe side.

 

[dobiegil2000]

The fact that they could climb doesn't sit well with me either, that is why I like the dubias. Do the turks climb? I thought I read they did.

Robin

 

[Ihaggerty1313]

The fact that they could climb doesn't sit well with me either, that is why I like the dubias. Do the turks climb? I thought I read they did.

Robin

Turks don't climb, however they aren't called "Red Racers" for nothing. They are grease lightning and being small and hard to catch if you drop one... Just squish it cuz you ain't catching it w/o hurting it anyway. Best way is to cool them off in the freezer for a couple minutes to slow them down.

I will state this. Blaptica Dubia are the all around best roach for a couple different reasons. One being is that they range from small to large depending on how old they are. If you start a breeding colony you will always have the size you need. And two being that they aren't too fast. I personally think that Turks are the second best feeder roach as they breed a ton and don't get too big. Although I always put them in a weighted dogdish first and let my lizards pick them off that way.

-Ian

 

[dobiegil2000]

thanks for all the help guys. I guess I will go with turks and dubias. Once my dubias are going strong I will feed off my turks. I can't wait to get rid of the crixs. They are so gross and smell like ______ well you get my drift.

Thanks,
Robin

 

[patrickb]

thanks for all the help guys. I guess I will go with turks and dubias. Once my dubias are going strong I will feed off my turks. I can't wait to get rid of the crixs. They are so gross and smell like ______ well you get my drift.

Thanks,
Robin

I think the crickets probably smell worse than that. As far as the climbing question, some people use the opaque Rubbermaid tubs and those tubs may have just enough texture for a smaller roach like Turks to climb, whereas the fat Dubia don't stand a chance. Turks cannot climb truly smooth surfaces like the clear Rubbermaid containers or glass (Lobsters can). If you get a tub for them my best advice is to get one of the clear Sterilite or Rubbermaid ones and never use any harsh abrasive cleaners or pads to clean it with, as that will scuff up the surface and they could climb it then.

If you already have a tub and are unsure, then go to the local general store and buy some of that clear 1.5" wide packing tape. Put a ring of it around the inside upper walls of the tub. The Turks cannot climb that smooth tape.

 

[lacy_black]

The fact that they could climb doesn't sit well with me either, that is why I like the dubias. Do the turks climb? I thought I read they did.

Robin

Turks don't climb, however they aren't called "Red Racers" for nothing. They are grease lightning and being small and hard to catch if you drop one... Just squish it cuz you ain't catching it w/o hurting it anyway. Best way is to cool them off in the freezer for a couple minutes to slow them down.

I will state this. Blaptica Dubia are the all around best roach for a couple different reasons. One being is that they range from small to large depending on how old they are. If you start a breeding colony you will always have the size you need. And two being that they aren't too fast. I personally think that Turks are the second best feeder roach as they breed a ton and don't get too big. Although I always put them in a weighted dogdish first and let my lizards pick them off that way.

-Ian

Maybe I had weird turks because mine could and did climb, I swear they were on the lid of the bin more often then the lobsters climb the walls.