new Dubai roach colony questions

[scalybabes]

hey guys! I just bought a starter breeder colony from a local expo. it only came with 20 adult females and 5 adult males. I keep them in an 18 gallon tub with egg crate & paperbags with water crystals and an assortment of fresh veggies. I wasn't able to get the UTH to stick to the tub so I keep it under a table that I have one of my bearded dragons on upstairs and the tub isn't reaching temperatures above 73-75. now for some questions!

-will different sized dubias added to the colony really help them breed faster?
-would it be safe to use a CHE over the tub to raise the temperatures? is there another safer way to obtain ideal breeding temperatures?
-will spraying water on the sides of the tub help humidity and reduce chance of mold?
-with only the adults I have how long does it take to establish a colony?

I have two baby beards so the faster I can get this colony breeding the better. I'm sorry if these are questions you guys have answered before! thanks for your help ahead of time.

 

[CooperDragon]

Since you have adults, I'd imagine they will start breeding within a month or two. It may take a little while for the small ones to catch up so if you add some medium sized nymphs it may help fill the gap between generations.

They should be fine at those temps but if you put a CHE over the bin to bump them a bit then they may breed a bit more quickly.

I don't spray my colony. I just provide fresh vegetable scraps and sometimes slices of orange to the tank daily to provide them with hydration.

This is a good general care guide to reference if you have more questions http://www.southtexasdragons.com/dubia-roaches.html

 

[Sina]

when I got my starter colony, I started seeing babies within 2 weeks. I guess for the breeders there's no way to separate gravid female, so it's very likely some of your females is carrying babies and will give birth any time

 

[Taffer]

when I got my starter colony, I started seeing babies within 2 weeks. I guess for the breeders there's no way to separate gravid female, so it's very likely some of your females is carrying babies and will give birth any time

Same here...I had babies in less than a week. I guess I bought some pregnant roaches that were kind enough to deliver for me. I've only had my colony since the weekend after Thanksgiving (2 1/2 weeks). Hopefully the rest find a happy home and start to expand the colony. Now that I have my heat and humidity where I want them I try to only bother them to swap out fresh fruit/veggies.

 

[Rankins]

See the "Dubia Roach" thread...46 postings about the same subject.