Roaches got too big!!! Help!!

[mariamannequin]

A while back I decided to try a SMALL project, of trying to get some of my Dubia roaches that I had to breed. It hasn't been working out for me for many reasons, and now I just have a bunch of giant roaches that my beardie can't eat ? I feel terrible because now I don't know what to do with them!! I can't imagine trying to kill them...I can't kill an ant and feel okay about it. So now I'm stuck. I take care of them everyday, just like any other pet, and they're very big and healthy looking. Anyone have any advice? I'd hate to have to resort to killing them somehow and having them be wasted...I've just never been in this predicament and don't know what to do now!!! Please help!! Any advice is needed!!!!!!!!

 

[Gail]

Are you in the US? You can advertise them on craigslist in the pet section, I often see dubia there.

 

[ruben0311]

If you cant bear to kill them yourself you can hire someone else to do so... haha, just kidding, im planning on using a large, low height, container that i can dump a bunch into and set it outside by the trees. birds will have a blast with them. at least that way you are still utilizing the roaches for some type of feeding.

 

[mariamannequin]

If you cant bear to kill them yourself you can hire someone else to do so... haha, just kidding, im planning on using a large, low height, container that i can dump a bunch into and set it outside by the trees. birds will have a blast with them. at least that way you are still utilizing the roaches for some type of feeding.

I've thought about just releasing them if I can't find anyone who needs them, considering it seems nobody else I know owns reptiles! But I've also read on another forum someone said that it 'disrupts the environment' but I don't know what else to do!! I'm sure roaches live everywhere right? And like you said, they would turn into food for something at some point if they don't just survive out there!

 

[ruben0311]

it depends on where you live if they would actually harm the environment. Dubia are tropical species and so favor high humidity, low light and high heat. The competition they would face in your everyday suburb would probably kill them off pretty quickly as german or other roach species are pretty voracious and can survive and flourish in a much wider range. You can check with local pet stores that may use them for feeders, but if you're just trying to get rid of them dont try and ask for too much in terms of cash. they'll probably just take them off your hands in order to feed their own stock.

 

[Poppyphil1984]

To successfully breed dubia roaches you definitely need a heating pad on a glass tank not Rubbermaid container for obvious reasons. Tank temperature needs to be 90-95 degrees for them to reproduce successfully. From nymphs dubia roaches take a month or so to mature to breeding age usually when you can differentiate male and female. The other thing is your roaches could have been laying eggs the whole time, but you don't have the correct ratio of male to females. The males will eat the egg's/nymphs if there is an abundance of males to females. It's a dominance thing for them. There should be one male for every three to five females. Honestly that could be why you haven't been seeing any babies. Dubia roaches also reproduce better when they have fresh orange slices to eat.