Dubia Roaches Setup

[migdem]

Hi all,

I am going to order some Dubia Roaches to feed to my geckos because I hate crickets. They die alot and smell!!!

So to start my colony how much should I get? What size?

To start breeding them what should I do?

Thanks

 

[migdem]

I just ordered 100 adults. Do you think it is good as a starter?

 

[STUTFL]

How many leos do you have? I've never raised roaches, but you'll probably want to hold off on feeding them off for a while until you get the numbers up. Do you have the setup ready for them; food, housing, etc.?
I know we have some folks here who raise dubias ... until this thread gets more posts you might want to search the forums for threads like this one to help you out. Good luck - I've heard nothing but good things about dubias!

 

[ReptileWorld]

I just got into Dubia a few months ago and i love them!

first order was 5 males and 25 females... wasnt enough...

2nd order a additional 5 males and 25 females.. still wasnt enough..

3rd order i did a trade and got 20 males 40 females 120 mixed nymphs..

now i have enough! lol try getting some dubia very female heavy 1 male to approx 8 to 10 females and then nymphs at every age and stage so this way some are always maturing.

Currently have 100's of new born nymphs and tons of adults and larger nymphs just not many small to med nymphs. so i a m doing 1 more order of mixed nymphs to help establish it faster.

i just took some photos of my set up and everything. i will post some when i get them uploaded.

 

[migdem]

Ok thanks. My order is for 100 adult should be mixed. I hope it is enough. I only have 4 gecko's 2x Leos and 2x AFT. AFT are breeding but leos are young. So I should be good with 100 dubia's.

As a setup this week I am going to buy everything. The delivery should be made for next week. Will wait for your pictures then

I am going to change because I hate crickets they smell bad, die quickly, difficult to catch with tweezers.....

Just a question for whom feed dubia roaches to geckos. Should I leave them in the housing even if they do not eat them after 2 hours?

Thanks

 

[ReptileWorld]

well my geckos normally eat the dubia on the spot except for my cresteds they normally hunt them at night. so i drop them in before bed and if i see them in the morning i take them out.

Your order for 100 mixed wont be enough to establish the colony quickly. it will take a few months at a higher temp to get them going. 100 mixed is more of a colony booster. figure 1 male per every 8 to 12 females ( going off what i have seen other people keeping )

and i have read on many pages and forums the females will have 15 to 30 babies per month. so average that by how many females you have in your colony. now a dubia takes 5 to 6 months to reach maturity, and remember you need them to be cycling at all different times to keep a steady flow. if you feed out of them too early you can be cutting into what you need.

what i do is the new baby nymphs are seperated into a glass tank i have that is higher temp and they grow a bit faster for me there. but i know a lot of people say that the babies grow better in the colony bin because they feed on the parents leavings. but i just do this because it works best for me and i can keep better track of what im raising up and feeding to my animals.

 

[migdem]

Ok thanks. I will get a plastic bin/container. I am going to use UTH. Would it melt the plastic down? Should I place it just underneath the box or give is some space?

 

[ReptileWorld]

mine doesnt get hot enough to melt the plastic but it provides great heat. just remember to start out with a smaller vent and then if need make it larger. i went to big my first time and too much heat escapes.

 

[migdem]

how much is the thermostat set at? Also where did you put your thermostat probe?

 

[ReptileWorld]

i dont have a therm on my heat pad. its just stuck on to the bottom it covers 75% of the bottom of the bin and plugged in.

Now i use the flukers therm and hydrometer combo and i have it resting on the egg flats on the front. it doesnt provide a extremely accurate read of both the hot and cold side but it gives me a over all temp of the bin which is all i need.

 

[migdem]

do you think if I use a UTH would be fine instead of a heat pad?

 

[ReptileWorld]

Thats what i use a under tank heater used for my glass tanks for my reptiles.. i just stuck it on the bottom of the bin.. at first i was worried it might melt the plastic but i figured if i plugged it in early in the morning and monitored it all day i would notice it. so i checked all day and it was never a problem so i left it and its never caused any damage to the bin. i am going to try and post some pics of my set up.

 

[migdem]

Ok thanks a lot for your pics of set up. Now do you leave it 24/7 on?

 

[ReptileWorld]

yes i leave it on 24/7 and the temp goes up or down depending on the overall temp of my home. i tried to post the pics up i even re sized them but the sites not accepting them. if you send me your email i would gladly send you some pics.

 

[migdem]

I sent you a msg


thanks

 

[migdem]

I have a slight problem with temperature. I have a 75 litre plastic container. I have installed a 14W heat mat under the container. it is not touching the plastic because I fear it may melt it. The problem is That I cannot pas the 19°C (66.2°F). What could I do?

 

[ChickenChump]

Functional heat pads should go no more than 100 degrees farenheit, with some space between the pad and the item you're heating. Let it touch the plastic and see just how hot it gets. 80-90 degrees seems to be optimum breeding temperature for my colony.

 

[ReptileWorld]

What i did was i put the heat pad and set up on in the morning and left it on all day with me checking on it.. and for a entire 15 hours it reached max heat but never melted the plastic it didnt even get soft!!! so i have mine stuck to the bottom and it works great gets me between 77 and 84 depending on the temp over all in my home.

 

[migdem]

I have done it but I could not past the 70 degrees

I think i need to do some type of insulation.

 

[ReptileWorld]

well could you possibly post or email some photos and maybe we can try and give you tips from there. i have emailed you photos of my set up. i only use 1 heat pad and it gets the job done but barely. try using an additional heat pad on the back of the tub also on the bottom. remember just because its reading 70 it is normally warmer in between the egg flats they hold heat rather well.

I have a small vent in the lid of my tub and when i want it a bit warmer i cover some of it with a towel and the temp and humidity rises.