Substitute for egg crates for dubia?

[brcb7tuner]

Is there something else I can use instead of egg crates for dubia?

 

[hammerhead]

paper towel, tp rolls, cardboard cup carriers from McDonalds. Grab a stack at the self serve drinks and walk out like I do. Say "thank you" on the way out.

 

[Cowabunga]

The first question that should have been asked is "How many roaches do you have or plan to have?" Because at a certain point, there is no substitute...

 

[hammerhead]

Whether you have 20 or 20,000 dubias, cardboard drink holders or paper towel rolls work the same. How many roaches do you have?

 

[Cowabunga]

Whether you have 20 or 20,000 dubias, cardboard drink holders or paper towel rolls work the same. How many roaches do you have?

:lol:

If by "work the same" you are referring to "filling up space" then yes but comparing them to egg flats as far as efficiency and housing ability is silly. Saying it doesn't matter if it is 20 or 20,000 although an exaggeration I am sure only exaggerates your ignorance. If you are asking ME how many Dubia I have then it is well over 20,000 and I can assure you that you can NOT maintain a large colony without using egg flats or something similar. By the fact you even suggested cup holders I'll assume you have quite a small colony you're housing. Roaches don't mind being in large colonies but the female Dubia need space as do the males. A high concentration of males will end up in fights and increased deaths. The females wont breed or will become stressed out and drop their sacks if they can't find enough open space to lay them. If you are working with a large colony and using the methods you suggested then you're greatly decreasing production and wasting time feeding multiple roaches that put out at the rate of a much smaller colony.

So back to the OP...

How many Dubia do you plan on housing?

 

[hammerhead]

I have 3 colonies with approx 400 adult females in each. I also have many other bins with different size roaches, also over 20,000, and have had colonies for over 5 years. They haven't complained yet about me using cardboard rolls or cup holders and they are doing just fine. I can maintain a large colony with them. Have you ever tried?

 

[Cowabunga]

I have 3 colonies with approx 400 adult females in each. I also have many other bins with different size roaches, also over 20,000, and have had colonies for over 5 years. They haven't complained yet about me using cardboard rolls or cup holders and they are doing just fine. I can maintain a large colony with them. Have you ever tried?

I've used paper towel rolls but for a breeder colon I just figure, why bother? I rather they be out mingling in the colony doing their thing than sitting in the tubes. Now I'm not saying you can't do it and especially if you are keeping small amounts like only 400 females per colony I am sure a big enough bin gull of drink holders could work BUT that same bin with eggcrates will hold all 1200 females just as efficiently as separating them into 3 separate ones meaning the 3 crates you are maintaining could EASILY be reduce to a single footprint that is easier to control.

That is more the point I am making. If it is in small enough numbers then space isn't an issue but if you want to maximize the real-estate of one bin then there really is no substitute. Just seems easier for me to have 3 setups with 1000 females and 200-300 males each opposed to the 8 bins I would need doing it as you have it setup... In all reality I could do 1500 and 1500 and have 2 bins, same 300 males and be just as fine but apart from those 3 bins is my main breeder bin that is a 50/60gal with 3000+ adults on its own.

I suppose their are many ways to skin a cat as the phrase goes just some can be viewed as "The best way" and others as "Good enough". But hell, in the end, if it aint broke don't fix it and if its working for you thats awesome. I just got another stack of flats in and at this rate I suppose I am in the same "if it aint broke, don't fix it" situation as well. I simply did it the way the big breeders did and then improved on it for my own use.

And hopefully my tone didn't come off as me being critical of your own setup. Due to my career I tend to be tedious as to stuff like that and "efficiency" is a motto of mine that annoyingly gets applied to everything I do hahaha. The cup holders are a great option if you cant get your hands on egg flats but at the same time I wouldn't consider them a replacement/substitute considering the pros and cons. :study:

 

[brcb7tuner]

I only have about 50 males and females and I am keeping them in a 18 gallon tote and just trying to get small results and not to kill all of them off with mold or something. How sensitive are they to not laying eggs by messing with them?

 

[Cowabunga]

I only have about 50 males and females and I am keeping them in a 18 gallon tote and just trying to get small results and not to kill all of them off with mold or something. How sensitive are they to not laying eggs by messing with them?

The above cupholder solution would work perfect for you in that case. As far as them being disturb, it takes a lot to piss them off but as long as they have enough space and are mostly left alone they will be fine. Some times I'll open the bins and just watch them. They can be comical at times, either way they are fine when I am done.