My dubias stink :(

[GeckoNub]

I know that roaches arent as bad as crickets but my dubias are a tad on the whiffy side.

I have a big plastic tub with a lid and airholes in the lid. On the bottom i have a heat mat that just about covers the whole floor. I have water gel in a dish in one corner and dried cat food (not ground up cos last time it went mouldy ground) in the opposite corner.

The humidity seems ok as there is some condensation on the plastic. I have egg crates that i keep vertical so all the poop can fall down and i move the crates every other day so it can drop down.

Ive only had them for about 3 months and started with very small ones, prolly babies. Some are very big now and nearly adult. I started with 100 and got another 200 small last month to make sure i get a good colony going even though i fed off a few, and as i got a baby gecko now it is eating some of the little ones.

I feed them carrot or some other kinda veggie once a week. Normally leave it in a few days then remove uneaten stuff.

I have done a total clean out twice since ive had them so it isnt filthy. There is no mould in the tub or anything rotting.

So im not sure why it smells so bad. Im not even sure what to compare the smell with, its just icky bug smell that gets right up ur nose and i can still smell it like 10 mins after putting some uneaten ones back.

Could it be because i dont have enough air holes so air isnt circulating through the tub enough? Would i be better getting some kind of mesh and cutting out a piece of the plastic in the lid? Or will the smell just come through the mesh and make my whole shed where i keep my feeders stink?

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[Chewbecca]

I, personally, would cut out a big square either on the side of the enclosure, or on the lid of it and place screen over it.

I don't know, but my roach enclosure doesn't have condensation on the lid or on the walls.

Your humidity sounds TOO high.

 

[GeckoNub]

Thanks for the help

Im not sure how i can lower the humidity The sides were practically dripping with moisture before i moved the crystals into the corner, now its just a bit wet.

I had no condensation when i was using a smaller heat mat on the side of the plastic tub, but i was worried it wasnt hot enough so i got a mat that covers the full bottom of the tub.

Maybe i should try the big mat on the side...might help the stink too >.< Im wondering if the smell is amonia or something cos my nose is still hurting from sniffing it in earler

 

[BlackDiamondGeckos]

Mine don't smell that bad at all. 1-10 about a 3. Good ventilation is key. Blattas tend to smell a little more.

 

[LizMarie]

Not that long ago I had a horrible smell coming out of my bin and when I looked it was due to very high humidity. I had approx. 50 air holes on the lid when I was told to cut out a bigger piece for more ventilation. Since then I've done just that. approx half the lid is cut out and has been replaced with wire mesh. I also cleaned out the bin and disinfected it because the smell was in the plastic. thankfully I haven't had a problem so far. While roaches need humidity I don't think the bin should be dripping with sweat because that will sooner or later create mold and probably kill off your colony.

 

[GeckoNub]

Thanks for the help

I gave it a good cleaning today and as soon as i put them in it stank again before i even put the lid on

I moved the mat to the side of the bin as its too big to put on just part of the bottom. Im also gonna get some kinda mesh this week and put it in the lid.

Could what you feed them be anything to do with if they smell? I give them complete dried cat biscuits that i also feed to my cats, theyre not cheapo nasty stuff hehe.

Last time i tried it they didnt eat lettuce and didnt seem to want cabbage much either so i just give em carrots once a week.

 

[gothra]

Try not to have the heat mat covering 100% of floor; if you have your water crystals placed above heat, you'll creat a lot of humidity. I have a heat mat covering 2/3 of floor space only, and I put all the roach food and crystals on the unheated end.

I also don't use a lid for my roach tubs, I simply clip laundry net on top for maximum ventilation.

 

[Neill]

I have a decent size colony in a 20 gallon long. NO heat under and just one ceramic heat lamp INSIDE tank above my water crystals and an air flow space above the ceramic heat lamp about 1/3 of the 20 gallon long. My humidity in tank doesn't show on sides. How ever my roaches shed fine. Only time i have had bad smells is 2 LARGE dead females WOW!!!! they stink! But other then that no smell tank stays about 80-90 depending on day and constantly filling the dang water crystal bowl back up with water. Egg crates inside haven't cleaned tank yet and have had it for about 6 months. I make sure to move vegg out every 2-3 days. Veg doesn't mold because i think my humidity is just right.

 

[Norrad]

Dubia are like hogs.. They will change smell by changing what they eat.

 

[laughing dog]

whats the humidity for dubias. as ive had most of my ones someone just sent me, die off. their all females, and all but one had egg cases, and just keep dying off one after another. my humidity is 60% now. it was 80% next to the container. the nymphs that came are fine. the babies seem to disapear, but i have stopped finding dead ones, and even got ten of a dead dubia egg sac to hatch. im now down to 5 adult females, 6 nymphs, and fluctuating babies.

 

[mitchrobot]

my dubia bin has very very low humidity (they get their moister from fruits and vegetable only, i found the water crystals to be quite nasty and a pain to deal with.

i feed them mainly carrots, pears, oranges, squash and apples for moister (along with dry catfood).

i have the entire lid open with screen in place, as well as like 20 or so 1" holes (also screen). tons of ventilation.

i have very little smell issues, but mainly because i keep it so dry, and pretty warm (100+ on the hot end, i use a 150w heat bulb).

i havnt had any mold issues at all, and my colony population has grown to above 10k. with dubia, humidity IMO shouldnt be an issue at all, ventilation should be the key in keeping of a healthy colony (as well as heat)

i did not like the water crystals because they get soiled quite quickly, and well, look like a great place for bacteria to breed. since i got rid of them i havnt had any issues, feeding them oranges and the like seems to work perfect for getting them enough moisture, but you do have to dial in how much to give them. i try to give them enough to last 2-3 days, that way they eat fast enough that the food does not rot

good luck