Was just looking at into starting a colony?? help plz

[Anni32908]

I do have a close reptile place to me,..... BUT i just wondered how easy it is to start a colony of some sort for my beardie.
Now is it cost effective? and how easy? I am a complete begginer with the whole reptile keeping. I have a 4month old beardie at about 8inches. Its doing well and i love it loads!!!!

 

[Mikhail]

I'm assuming you are starting a colony of roaches and not borg. lol
It is very easy to start and maintain a roach colony and it will save you tons in the long run. There are several options out there. The heavy hitters IMO are Dubia, Discoidalis, and the lobster roach. Dubia have a faster maturity rate, but they are a little smaller than discoid nymphs. Both of these roachesa re large species that get their weight mostly in girth. I find the lobster roach to be an excellent alternative because they are so much cheaper, breed well, have softer shells, and are size appropriate for many applications. The only downfall is that lobsters climb, but this can be stopped by putting a layer of vaseline around the top of their bin. They also eat better than most roaches, readily devouring anything.

So here is a basic roach setup.
Rubbermaid tub
egg crates (free from a local restaurant)
Any heating source you want. I use bulbs because I have so many of them. Heat tape or pad is also a good option. they can live at room temp but breed better around 100. My room temp is 85 or higher though.
I use ground un-dyed dog food supplemented with all fresh vegetables/fruits I can find. Carrots are a nice cheap vegetable, but they will eat any veggie scraps you don't finish.

I think that's everything. If you have any questions let me know. Also lobsters should run you 10-14 bucks a hundred, dubia should be around 20 for a hundred. http://www.aaronpauling.com/ is a good supplier. Sells a hundred adult lobsters for 12.