Okay, I've decided to try and breed roaches... AHHH~!

[Rachella]

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!

 

[romanfj]

I don't know how many you'd need to start a colony for a few beardies (see my tagline). However, a couple friends of mine do. Contact:
Marcus at http://www.afexotics.weebly.com or
Ian at http://www.theroachranch.com

I have heard of peple using hog feed for their roaches. I personally find dog food works well for dubias. Certain other species like more protein and I give them kitten food. Dubias don't eat much but, trust me, they were eating the pet food you put in with them.

They must have a waer source. This can be provided solely through fruit, but that will get expensive when your colony grows. Provide them fruit, but always make sure there are plenty of water gels available.

You don't need male and female bins. A start up 1 male for every 2 females is good. Once your colony is going, try to keep approximately 1 male for every 5 females. Do this by using extra adult males as feeders. Males and females need to live together. The only trouble you might have is if there were many more males than females. Then the males start arguing amongst themselves.

Once the colony is established, you'll be feeding babies and adults. Eventually, you will reach a point where there are more roaches than you have dragons and it won't matter whether you feed off newborns or adults.

Frank

 

[SkitTer]

If you want to start feeding off of it right now, I would get no less than 1000 mixed nypmhs with at least 100 being breeding adult pairs. This will ensure you hatching new nymphs everyday and should allow you no problem with feeding as much as necessary.

Most dubia dealers only sell breeding pairs. So I would focus on feeding off the adult males until you get a ratio of at least 1m:5f. I like to keep it at 1m:10-15f but that is becuase the males can be cannibalistic of the young if they get hungry. The males are also territorial and will often flutter at each other.

As for feed, I use a blended mixture of alfalfa with goldfish flakes and a little high grade dog food. This provides a nutirent packed and protein loaded meal. I also supply oranges to stimulate reproductive rates. With a mixture of apples, carrots, celery, greens, etc. provided every couple of days (fresh produce style).

There is more to it though, if you need help just shoot me a pm. I will be glad to walk you through it.

 

[bjohnsey]

Is there a beardeddragon.org care sheet on keeping dubias? That would make things much easier instead of everyone posting the same questions lol