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Starting & Caring For A Dubia Roach Colony

Bushmaster11B

Juvenile Dragon
Messages
543
Location
In the U.S. of A.
Blue Devil, Yes they are cheaper in the long run. My BD is a bit picky when it comes to size. He will eat only 2-3 mediums at 1 sitting and then eat 1-2 more smaller ones. The meat on roaches in my opinion from observation is about 2-3 times that of the equivalent sized cricket. You have to really pay attention to what your BD likes and can handle in size so you don't over buy too large of roaches. I bought 200 mediums at the beginning of the month and with all his other live food (Silkworms and Phoenix Worms) plus his veggies, he has only knocked off about 50 of them, so I'm happy. I usually spend about $50 a month for Aries food since he is only 14 weeks old (today).

If you buy in bulk, it is way easier. And if you need help building a storage bin, hit me up and I will show you how on here with pictures. We are all here to help each other out. When I was doing crickets, I was buying 500 per month at 1 time and they only cost me $20. $7 for 50 is very steep price and I'm afraid you are getting ripped off. I ordered mine online. Don't go to Fluker's Cricket Farm! They are diseased, miscounts, incorrect size... you name it, I have had a problem with them. Anyhow, I hope this helps.
 

milo0

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
92
Yes, they're a lot cheaper in the long run. I bought my colony off of craigslist last summer and have made back triple the amount I spent on them by selling off extras. I have around 200 females and 40-50 males and just grew and added a few large nymphs to replace the ones that die off from age. If you can, start your own colony so you don't have to keep buying them. Put them in a plastic tubaware with a vented top, throw some eggcrates vertically in there, grind up some high protein sources (dog or cat food, oatmeal, fish food, cereals) into a powder, get some oranges or water gels, and feed off any leftover fruits/veggies and bam, they'll happily breed. The warmer temps you keep them at, the more they'll breed. My now are always between 90-95 in the garage, but over winter they still breed indoors when it's in the upper 70's. Best part of these guys is they don't eat other like crickets, and won't escape.

If you can get over the ick factor of having hundreds of roaches, they'll save you a lot of trouble and moeny in the near future. The one time I fed my BD crickets from the pet store ended up giving him 3 different kinds of parasites and $90 worth of treatment. Been on roaches since, and not one sign of parasites.
 

Bushmaster11B

Juvenile Dragon
Messages
543
Location
In the U.S. of A.
The biggest pro in my book for roaches is they do not stink. I hated how crickets stink so bad. Hey Milo, do you or does anyone have a picture diagram to show what males and females look like for Dubias as medium sized nymphs? I want to start saving back my larger ones but need to control the male to female ratio.
 
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MonarchMealworms

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
3
I Would Stay Away From Feeding Dog Food Or Cat Food To Roaches, Too Many Pesticides And Food Coloring, Although Harmless To Your Colony...Can Be Passed On To You Dragons, Which In Turn Causes Gout.

-0.2 Cents
 

maxxdout

Juvenile Dragon
3 Year Member
Messages
231
Ok, so I'm super pumped I found this thread. So is have a very small 7" baby beardie. I HATE crickets. They terrify me, and they get out all the time. I seriously can't handle it anymore....I've been researching dubia. While they are still super nasty, (Sorry, have a bug phobia), the fact that they don't fly, climb, jump or stink is very attractive to me! Plus reading the nutritional value of them is swaying me more and more...my question is where he's still so tiny, and has health problems, are they good for him? I'm worried with a colony that I wouldn't have appropriate sized roaches. He's still on pin head crickets. And have any of you had issues with them getting out? Can they infest my house? Are they hard to catch?...I have like 4 foot tweezers lol...wondering what the best choice is here. I also have a larger chinese water Dragon who is polishing off 30 crix a day...getting extremely pricey and they seem to eat each other very quickly.
 

Jon Macintosh

Juvenile Dragon
Messages
136
Location
Missouri
I see that optimal temperatures range from 72-95 as shown on this care sheet.

Using a UTH, I've only been able to reach about 81 in my new aquarium setup - and this is a reading from the glass right on the UTH.

Should I consider upgrading to a flex watt heat tape?
 

maxxdout

Juvenile Dragon
3 Year Member
Messages
231
I would ditch any under tank heat sources. They need an intense basking spot of about 110. I use a repti sun 10.0 100 watt, and a 100 watt ceramic heat emitter to achieve my temps. They can be burned badly from under tank heaters. They cant feel heat on their stomachs. You may have to play with a few different bulbs and wattages. Make sure to use uvb light :)
 

Jon Macintosh

Juvenile Dragon
Messages
136
Location
Missouri
I would ditch any under tank heat sources. They need an intense basking spot of about 110. I use a repti sun 10.0 100 watt, and a 100 watt ceramic heat emitter to achieve my temps. They can be burned badly from under tank heaters. They cant feel heat on their stomachs. You may have to play with a few different bulbs and wattages. Make sure to use uvb light :)

Maxxdout, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that you're talking about a setup for a bearded dragon whereas we're talking about sustains a dubia roach colony!!

They tend to shy away from lights ;)
 

maxxdout

Juvenile Dragon
3 Year Member
Messages
231
So heat tape though?? Or heating mats? Lol I'm getting my colony up and running, but wanna get it right.
 

Jon Macintosh

Juvenile Dragon
Messages
136
Location
Missouri
I'm utilizing UTHs right now and find that they don't keep the entire tank as warm as I'd like (may differ from plastic)


I also have a new issue.. I've noticed quite a few of my adults dying off - I RARELY found one dead before this tank and now they seem to be turning up frequently..

Any ideas on what could cause this?

I'm trying out a small recommended blend of Cheerios, corn flakes, and oatmeal just to see if they'd like it before making something a bit more rounded. Other than that I feed oranges and/or apples. Times without that I provide water crystals.


Any thoughts?
 

Mother of dragon

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
2
Location
AZ
I purchased a couple of dubia roaches for Maximus who's now 6 mo and he loved them!
I will be getting these more often sense they don't stink or eat each other, pretty nasty things.
I'm not at all interested in breeding these roaches though LOL:p
 

Canicke

Super Moderator
Staff member
3 Year Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
1,669
Youre not keeping them around the house! You keep em in a rubber tote and no one will ever know!
 

RaidenMarshall

Hatchling Dragon
Messages
92
Location
Arizona
So, I live in Phoenix, AZ where the temperature is hot as heck during the summer. I'm just wondering if I could put the dubias in the garage without a heat source as the garage can go anywhere from the mid 70's to 110 degrees Fahrenheit?
 
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