My Dubia's dont seem to be eating

[Lisafosc]

Hi all, am kinda baffled, I've been using dubia's as a feeder for a few months now, I have them in a compost like substrate, with egg cart etc, they seem to take the bug gel, but will not eat the veg or fruit or the roach food i put in for them. Whats the crack? Are they eating the compost substrate? They seem healthy enough, just think its strange!

 

[pumpkinman]

I have read a ton on this topic and the vast majority say no substrate is necessary..... That being said, they could totally prefer the substrate as their main course.

Cheers

 

[JenFid]

If you have them on compost then yes they are probably eating that. It's generally recommended not to use any substrate, since they kind of create their own with their frass (poop) and that's what the nymphs eat.

 

[h0ndap0w3r]

unless you have a large amountn its hard to see any sort of change in the amount of food present.

 

[nordica]

I'd also recommend taking out all of the substrate. It's not necessary at all, and makes it VERY difficult to find and feed off the smaller nymphs. Also, what are the temps like in their enclosure?

 

[Lisafosc]

The temps are at 75, There's only a light covering of compost on the bottom, I don't really find it diff to find them in the compost, most of them hang out in the egg crates. I haven't a colony as such, I buy 100 medium and 2 adults per order. I'm still getting used to having them around and handling them. Both of my beardies prefer locust, also feed them butterworms, supers n the odd wax.

I guess taking the substrate out would mean they will eat the other food I provide, which would be better for my dragons! out of interest any one know much about breeding locust?

Thank you all for your help.

 

[nordica]

Please forgive me if I've read that wrong, but you've had your colony for a few months now and are still having to buy more every order? So it hasn't established itself yet? It took ours I believe three months to get itself well and going, once we had the temps and preferred food figured out.

 

[pumpkinman]

The temps are at 75, There's only a light covering of compost on the bottom, I don't really find it diff to find them in the compost, most of them hang out in the egg crates. I haven't a colony as such, I buy 100 medium and 2 adults per order. I'm still getting used to having them around and handling them. Both of my beardies prefer locust, also feed them butterworms, supers n the odd wax.

I guess taking the substrate out would mean they will eat the other food I provide, which would be better for my dragons! out of interest any one know much about breeding locust?

Thank you all for your help.

75F is too cold for Dubia. That is winter to them. You need to get the temps up to 85F minimum. No wonder they are not eating. They are probably not breeding either.

 

[Lisafosc]

I have been using them as feeders for a few months, but the first two months I literally ordered 25 medium, between 2 juvenile dragons they were gone in a day.

The past two orders I have ordered 100 medium and two adults, so just have two male and two female adults. the question I was originally asking about was were they eating the substrate as they didn't seem to be eating any thing else, this question was worded badly really, as right now I am more interested in gut loading them rather than breeding.

I have been buying the adults a couple at a time, just to get used to them, I find them quite difficult to have around lmao, but am getting better. So I don't have a colony, but try to keep my feeders in a heathy environment. So at 75 the environment is not healthy for them? Or just not warm enough for them to breed?

Thanks peeps

 

[pumpkinman]

I think 75 is fine if you are only storing them. Many people reduce the heat to 75F when they want to slow down the multiplying.

C

 

[nordica]

I've found (and read) that 85*f to 90*F is an great temp range for them. It's the best for breeding and appetite stimulation. Now that we've got a healthy colony established, I brought the temps down to between 70*F and 80*F, just to curb the breeding a bit until we need to build them up again (we've only got two beardies). I use a dark Rubbermade bin to house them, with a screened "window" cut into the top of the lid for a bit of ventilation. For heat, I have the bin sitting on a "human" heating pad, with a ceramic heat emitter hanging over the screened window for the Winter time if needed. As far as what I feed them, I keep one bowl filled with a specialized roach chow and dry, organic puppy chow, and another with water crystals, both available at all times. Then I have a third dish that I use for all of the "fresh" foods; dark leafy greens, carrots, sweet fruits like mangos, papayas and bananas, oranges (oranges really seem to stimulate breeding), organic wet puppy food, human baby food, fish flakes, and even the Nature Zone beardie bites (our colony goes nuts for them). Every day or few, I spray water into the bin as well, to keep the humidity up.

It's sad, I take better care of our roaches than I do myself. :roll:

 

[Lisafosc]

Thanks guys, lmao tell me about it we laugh at my place too, as we take better care of the Zoo we posses than we do our selves.

 

[nordica]

Thanks guys, lmao tell me about it we laugh at my place too, as we take better care of the Zoo we posses than we do our selves.

Seriously, I live on breakfast cereal, grilled cheese sammiches, and frozen pot pies much of the time, and my beardies and roaches eat like royalty. *facepalm*

 

[valcash]

Raise the temps - that will help the most, it is way too cold for them, take out the substrate.