Lemme take a few deep breaths here... in one, out one... in two.. out two.
Okay!
So, after much deliberation and boxing with my phobia, I've decided to try and breed dubia roaches for my beloved beardies. This decision is a very big step for me! A few months ago, someone was kind enough to send me a small amount of dubias to feed to my guys to A)see if they liked them(they LOVED them) and B)to try and work over my fear of roaches.
I kept them alive for a few weeks to try and get used to them, and while they definitely still give me the heebie jeebies when I think about them, I can't imagine trying to keep large amounts of crickets on hand anymore. Crickets STINK, are NOISY and they jump -all- over the place... The dubias while I had them were quiet except for their little skittering sounds, and I actually enjoyed watching them. Their tank never smelled (well it did, just not like crickets. I think it was the leftover apples), was much cleaner than the cricket bin, and they never tried jumping out at me.
So, to get to the meat of the matter, I'm taking things slow. I guess my first question is, how many roaches would I need to start a self-sustaining colony for a troop of three very hungry, voraciously eating adult bearded dragons?
Also, what type of food is recommended? For the few weeks I had the roaches, I fed them an apple a week or so. I don't know if this was too little or not. I did try some dry cat food and used a slap-chop (hahaha) to crumble it to tiny bits, but I don't think they ever ate it. I also have no idea if they drank any water crystals or not. But, they did live pretty well it seemed. What about a feed from a supply store? Such as chicken, goat or horse feed or something?
If I started a colony, would I need to separate the babies from the adults?
Also, about this male to female ratio, would I need separate bins for each male to female group?
Would I be feeding off the babies or the adults when the babies got larger?
And then, I guess, another question would be... would anyone happen to have any spare roaches they wouldn't mind donating to the cause? :help: Hehee, can't blame me for tryin'? :mrgreen:
I'm sure I'll have tons of other questions, but in the meantime I'll let this sit for awhile and see what advice everyone has to share!
Okay!
So, after much deliberation and boxing with my phobia, I've decided to try and breed dubia roaches for my beloved beardies. This decision is a very big step for me! A few months ago, someone was kind enough to send me a small amount of dubias to feed to my guys to A)see if they liked them(they LOVED them) and B)to try and work over my fear of roaches.
I kept them alive for a few weeks to try and get used to them, and while they definitely still give me the heebie jeebies when I think about them, I can't imagine trying to keep large amounts of crickets on hand anymore. Crickets STINK, are NOISY and they jump -all- over the place... The dubias while I had them were quiet except for their little skittering sounds, and I actually enjoyed watching them. Their tank never smelled (well it did, just not like crickets. I think it was the leftover apples), was much cleaner than the cricket bin, and they never tried jumping out at me.
So, to get to the meat of the matter, I'm taking things slow. I guess my first question is, how many roaches would I need to start a self-sustaining colony for a troop of three very hungry, voraciously eating adult bearded dragons?
Also, what type of food is recommended? For the few weeks I had the roaches, I fed them an apple a week or so. I don't know if this was too little or not. I did try some dry cat food and used a slap-chop (hahaha) to crumble it to tiny bits, but I don't think they ever ate it. I also have no idea if they drank any water crystals or not. But, they did live pretty well it seemed. What about a feed from a supply store? Such as chicken, goat or horse feed or something?
If I started a colony, would I need to separate the babies from the adults?
Also, about this male to female ratio, would I need separate bins for each male to female group?
Would I be feeding off the babies or the adults when the babies got larger?
And then, I guess, another question would be... would anyone happen to have any spare roaches they wouldn't mind donating to the cause? :help: Hehee, can't blame me for tryin'? :mrgreen:
I'm sure I'll have tons of other questions, but in the meantime I'll let this sit for awhile and see what advice everyone has to share!