First roach colony

[Pokersnake]

I got my Dubias this weekend! I have them in my critter keeper with a heat pad on the side. I've read plenty on how to start a colony. I have 4 or 6 females and one male.

Funny thing is that directions have included how to get conditions just right for breeding... but I totally caught them in the act the first night they were here. Baby roaches here I come!

 

[thegeckoguy23]

Yeah I got some gravid females 15 unsexed large 1 molt away from being sexable and 1 male coming in the mail right now... Try using something a little bigger then a critter keeper I have a 88 qt tub






Jake

 

[gumbii]

yeah, they're going to need a lot of room pretty soon... i have them in 18 gallon sterilite containers...

 

[thegeckoguy23]

yeah, they're going to need a lot of room pretty soon... i have them in 18 gallon sterilite containers...

Haha I have one of those! I use them for my crickets...I have too manu bins! lol 3 for super worms i have 3 drawers for mellies (one colony per drawer I keep all life stages together) and one bin for roaches and one for crickets 18 for geckos (not all used)



Jake

 

[gumbii]

i need to learn how to breed mealies... it looks easy, but i haven't read up how to do it...

 

[thegeckoguy23]

i need to learn how to breed mealies... it looks easy, but i haven't read up how to do it...

Well if you want PM me I ***MAY*** Be able top send you a start up colony...




Jake

 

[fuzzylogix]

breeding mealies: ground oats or wheat bran in tub, thrown in 1000 mealies, feed them carrots, other veggies....that's it. i dont even seperate my beatles, just a big bin. if you keep food in there, they will just multiply.

 

[gumbii]

Well if you want PM me I ***MAY*** Be able top send you a start up colony...




Jake

hmm... i'm 10 minutes away from rainbowmealworms.net so i don't know if you will beat their price on pick ups... unless they're free... LOL... but let me know if you can...

breeding mealies: ground oats or wheat bran in tub, thrown in 1000 mealies, feed them carrots, other veggies....that's it. i dont even seperate my beatles, just a big bin. if you keep food in there, they will just multiply.

orly...? i just finished reading up some how to's and man... it is easy... i go to the feed store all the time to get chicken scratch and pigeon food... i might just pick up a new tub for them...

will temp fluctuations mess them up...? my room fluctuates from 50-85F degrees depending on the season...

 

[fuzzylogix]

i actually have them on a shelf in my large rack, and along the side of their bin i have a run of heat cable, they seem to thrive with a little warmth. before i just had them in the middle of the shelf and i wasn't getting pupa, now they are out of control.

 

[gumbii]

hmm...


i don't know if i would want to try it, and fail... i don't have room on my rack, but i can get a huge tub with another heat pad under it... like i do with the dubias and hissers...

i think i'll try it out in a couple of weeks...

thx for the info, and sorry for the thread-jack... lol...

 

[Stl_Greaser]

You will want to ditch the critter keeper for a larger solid colored sterilite bin. The critter keeper lets too much light in and will not hold the humidity needed for the Dubia. I use the blue 35 gallon sterilite bin. You will want to go as large as possible so you will not have to upgrade or start a second bin in the future. Cut a 10inch square hole in the top and use hot glue to glue some aluminum window screen to the underside of the lid. Heat the bin on the underside with a human heating pad. I keep the floor of the bin at about 105, the roaches will thermoregulate by moving to the other side of the bin or to the top of the egg flats. Offer hydrated water jell and roach chow 24/7 and offer fresh fruit a couple times a week and you will have a ton of roaches in a few months.

You can keep a colony at lower temps in a clear enclosure but the production rate will be a lot slower.

 

[Stl_Greaser]

Yeah I got some gravid females 15 unsexed large 1 molt away from being sexable and 1 male coming in the mail right now... Try using something a little bigger then a critter keeper I have a 88 qt tub






Jake

All Dubia are sex-able at any age. Just check out the attached picture. The last segment of the Female is about twice the size of the males.

 

[Pokersnake]

While I would normally agree with all of you about getting a larger bin... I'm only gonna bbe feeding 2 Loepard geckos. I really don't want a HUGE colony. So I figure on feeding what they will eat and giving the rest away, or maybe selling. But not as a profit making scheme.

My friend works at the Museum of Natural History in the next town over. I might offload some on to them. Or he can take some home to feed his beardie and cresteds. I don't really plan on letting the colony get huge.

As for light and humidity, I can cover most of the outside and part of the lid so that some moisture stays in. I also have egg crates inside for hiding places.

 

[Dron2124]

any one know any roaches that are easy to start a colony as dubais. I have a baby leo but i live in florida so i cant get dubais. I would love to start a little colony so i dont have to buy food all the time.

 

[Pokersnake]

Get Turkistan roaches. Lateralis... I think. They never outgrow a leo's capability to eat them. Though I hear they are fast. OR there are Discoids, which were recommended to me, but I like Dubias better.

 

[Dron2124]

Yea i hear dubais are real good nooooooooooo one ships them to florida it sucks.

 

[T-ReXx]

The only roach species that is legal in FL is the Discoid. All others are illegal, including lats.

I agree with the solid colored bin, but I would like to note that I keep my lateralis in clear bins in a closet(no lights) and they do just fine that way. But really, lateralis will breed in just about anything, they're ridiculously prolific.

 

[Pokersnake]

I could stick them in my closet. It would probably make my guests and house mates feel a bit better. I just worry that I'd forget about them in there, and I would have a cord running under the door.

*shakes head* I bought crickets today and there are some leftovers... They are in the closet and I can still hear them chirping. Nasty things. But they sure do get the geckos moving to catch dinner!

 

[Digby Rigby]

Legal Florida Cockroaches

Legal species able to be shipped into Florida are any adventive species (non native that have produced feral colonies) as well as native species. Species that can be shipped are Blaberus discoidales (Discoids), BLaberus craniifer (Death's head), Gromphadorina portentosa, (hissing cockroach MALES ONLY),
and Panchlora nivea (Green banana roach).

Also roaches like to be in close proximity to each other so enclosures can be too big. If you find them all balled up in one part of the enclosure and a lot of unused space the enclosure is too large.

 

[roachesrus]

hey if anyone needs any roaches hit me up !