Male Dubia mass die-off?

[lynchy217]

I bought an equal number of male and female dubias a month or so ago.. trying to start up a colony (had one a while ago, but got lazy and let it die off. I got some nymphs already, but it seems that all of my males have died off within the last few days. no dead females at all, only males! I did feed a few of them off while i was waiting for the nymphs to get bigger, but stopped a few days ago when I found a few dead and figured I should keep some around to get more nymphs. That was 3 days ago...and now I cant find a single males thats alive. or a single female that's dead for that matter. I know the males have a shorter life cycle, but it seems strange that they would all die off within a few days like this. any idea what would be killing the males but not the females? anyone else run into this problem before? I'm ordering some more males now, but it still seems very strange.

 

[ju5t1n]

lol Mine did the same I neglected my colony for about a year, because I got mites. I just gave them food or an orange sometimes...
I decided to clean them out and start over and keeping up with them now. I noticed the same too! Most of the females and nymphs lived and all the males died too.
They are here for a good time, not for a long time.

DubiDeli is having a sale on males right now http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=197032. You could also try to email some dubia sellers to order some nymphs and ask for some free males.

-Justin

 

[Sauzo]

I've learned you're better off buying large nymphs and just "growing" them yourselves since then you know the age of them unless of course you can get some free males.

 

[ju5t1n]

I've learned you're better off buying large nymphs and just "growing" them yourselves since then you know the age of them unless of course you can get some free males.

Yeah I agree! It's cheaper gowning a nymph. The males should be around the same price as a nymph, but you will get some females that usually cost around $1.00 each for .10 cents each as nymphs.

 

[Sauzo]

Ok put on your tin foil hats!! I've always wondered though if when you order say 50 large nymphs or any smaller amount of nymphs, do you think they check em for females and keep em for their breeding colony and just give you males? I mean I doubt they do but I've always just wondered haha. :lol: Of course for big orders, it would be nuts to hand check each one and at the very least i'd hate to be the guy who had that job. :lol: Anyways chime in!! Oh and sorry for the semi thread hijack OP

 

[ju5t1n]

beep bo beep beep.

lol I'm guessing they probably don't seems like too much work and not getting payed to get the order out.