Smells like crap

[Glass_]

Alright people said that roaches wouldn't smell like anything but I've had them for a few weeks now and the tank smells like ****. It's really horrible. I barely even want to feed them anymore it's so bad. The smell is also wafting out to the room, to the point where if you're standing 3 feet away you can smell them. Also, they aren't even breeding. What the heck is going on here?

 

[Stl_Greaser]

Are you sure you didn't have a mass die off? I have over 20,000 Dubia in a 35 gallon Sterilite bin and there is little to no smell at all! What are you feeding them and what are you using for a hydration source?

You will not necessarily see them breeding, especially in just a few weeks! You will just notice new babies every now and then. I have had my colony for a year now and I can count on one hand how many times I have seen the act of breeding or egg sacks.

 

[Glass_]

They eat dog food and orange slices, and they drink cricket hydration stuff that says it's good for any feeder. http://www.********.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753961
I do see dead roaches often in the tank... and half the time I shake one of the paper towel tubes into the bag for shaking, there's either legs or sometimes even a dead roach. If I did have a mass dieoff, would they still be safe to feed to my geckos and how would I fix it?

 

[nicosgeckos]

I don't see how it would smell. See if there are any dead roaches.

 

[Glass_]

Yes, I do see dead roaches. How do I fix the smell? I don't want to have to move them downstairs because of a smell that isn't supposed to be there.

 

[fuzzylogix]

only way to fix the smell is get the living roaches out, clean our your tub, and put them back. i have a huge tub full of dubia and there is no smell at all. i use apples, carrots, oranges, and cat food. are the temps and humidity right in the tub? if its too dry you can have dubia die while molting. if its too cold they can die as well.

 

[Glass_]

Thank you for your help. When doing the clean, how do I make sure that the living roaches do not die because of the lack of heat? It might be the humidity, so how do I make it so that the humidity is higher?

 

[gothra]

It'll only take an hour or so to clean out the roach bin, they won't die in that short time period. The roaches will only smell when there are dead ones and the food getting wet, do you have enough ventilation to your bin?

 

[Glass_]

I have to switch to mealworms. My dad decided that he didn't want roaches in the house. I'll try to trade them to the person I got my geckos from for a starter kit of mealworms.

 

[thegeckoguy23]

It's due too your husbentry I bealive.

 

[Glass_]

well my dad said I could keep them so I'm not getting mealworms anymore I cleaned the whole tank and it doesn't smell anymore.

 

[gumbii]

yeah man... my dubia do not smell... but my hissers smell great... lol... i used some vaseline that is for kids or something... it smells like baby powder... so when i open the tub i get a pleasant surprise... i say surprise because they are GIANT SCARY ROACHES in that bin...