Dubia roach colony bucket

[runCMD]

I think that once you want to scale larger, the bins are really the better options and have lids like you were talking about. The buckets are nice for portability and space saving. If you want multiple smaller roach colonies(to be able to move them around easily or having different species for example) I think the buckets are a great solution. In my case it wasn't necessarily the cheapest because I had to insulate and heat the bucket separately from the room but I do not wan to keep my garage hot . In summer time the heating mat will probably be off more often than on. It is the most convenient for me though.

 

[user 666]

I just got started, and my colony is in a quart deli cup - in my closet. I plan to upgrade as my colony grows, but this works okay for now.

BTW, how do you go about selecting, say, all 0.5" dubias - and only that size?

I am wondering what the trick is.

 

[runCMD]

I am not sorting for shipment so it's as easy as just picking up a section of egg carton and grabbing the one I want. If you want to sort, people make systems where they have multiple buckets with specific-sized holes in the bottom stacked on top of each other. They dump all the roaches in the buckets and sift them through. You end up with the big ones in the top, and sorted down by size for each successive bucket. The amount of dubia that would fit in a quart cup would not work for breeding I don't think. The males tend to not want to hang together and they are quite large when mature. Keeping your feeder supply that you replenish would work in something that size but not breeding. you can check out the thread I linked for picture of my setup if you want.

 

[user 666]

I will probably upgrade, yes. I didn't know how much space 100 quarter inch dubias took up until I got them. (I was also under the mistaken impression I could keep them the same as crickets.) Now that i know, I can buy larger sizes and guarantee that I have room.

 

[KevinsWither]

I would recommend if it is a small space like a bucket setup. Another thing I would say for that is that 100 quarter inch dubias do take up like 1/3 of the space estimated in a container that is 16 ounces. Honestly, I would get the bucket (or small container) and get like 25 females and 10 males. Then there is quite enough for a nicely sized colony. What are you feeding?

 

[user 666]

I am using the food I got from the seller:
https://www.dubiaroachwarehouse.com/shop/dubia-roach-feed

 

[Jeff23]

I will probably upgrade, yes. I didn't know how much space 100 quarter inch dubias took up until I got them. (I was also under the mistaken impression I could keep them the same as crickets.) Now that i know, I can buy larger sizes and guarantee that I have room.

Crickets may let you jam them together, but they actually need space as well. When crickets are jammed together cannibalism occurs.

 

[runCMD]

Agreed, they definitely need more room. And if you're going to be feeding out of this colony I would suggest following Kevin's advice and ordering the adult females and males as well to start with the breeding right away. I did the 25/10 order and it seems to be working - I am feeding from the bigger nymph order and the babies they have already produced. It can take many months for them to mature.

 

[user 666]

Agreed, they definitely need more room. And if you're going to be feeding out of this colony I would suggest following Kevin's advice and ordering the adult females and males as well to start with the breeding right away. I did the 25/10 order and it seems to be working - I am feeding from the bigger nymph order and the babies they have already produced. It can take many months for them to mature.

Can you recommend a vendor?

 

[runCMD]

Not sure if it's a recommendation but my last order from Rainbow Mealworms here in California went fine and was a decent price. I would suggest looking for something more towards your side of the country though.

 

[user 666]

Agreed, they definitely need more room. And if you're going to be feeding out of this colony I would suggest following Kevin's advice and ordering the adult females and males as well to start with the breeding right away. I did the 25/10 order and it seems to be working - I am feeding from the bigger nymph order and the babies they have already produced. It can take many months for them to mature.

It looks like I won't have any trouble with space for the first 100; I am going through them faster than expected. I just gave a dubia to each of the Ts I fed on Monday/Sunday and they are all chowing down. (Do you know what I like most? Dubias don't jump away and escape like cursed crickets.)

How many eggs will the 25/10 colony produce, and how often?

 

[KevinsWither]

They give live birth, and they produce 40 per female per month. So doing basic elementary arithmetic, it would be if all of them produced 40 by the end of a month, would give us 1,000 baby roaches, assuming they all produced 40, give or take 5 less or 5 more.

 

[N1ghtFire]

I have about 30 adult dubias in a kritter keeper with egg crates, and they are reproducing very nicely! I think a bucket would work pretty good, maybe get a second bucket and seperate the adults and babies. I keep them seperate so I can observe how fast they reproduce. :3

 

[runCMD]

If you have a lot of animals to feed out of it you may want to make a separate breeder colony that you don't feed out of. I only have the 3 and one of them is a 3i spiderling so I am good. Thoguh honestly you may notice they need much less. 1 dubia=several crickets, especially if you are gut loading the dubia.

 

[user 666]

If you have a lot of animals to feed out of it you may want to make a separate breeder colony that you don't feed out of. I only have the 3 and one of them is a 3i spiderling so I am good. Thoguh honestly you may notice they need much less. 1 dubia=several crickets, especially if you are gut loading the dubia.

I have 30-ish Ts (many are pet holes, so ... )

 

[KevinsWither]

If you have a lot of animals to feed out of it you may want to make a separate breeder colony that you don't feed out of. I only have the 3 and one of them is a 3i spiderling so I am good. Thoguh honestly you may notice they need much less. 1 dubia=several crickets, especially if you are gut loading the dubia.

About that, that's actually something I'm considering now knowing that I have space for two more of those buckets. And seeing how they are much more warm and humid then my last setup. Using one for green banana roaches for sure, could have one for hissers, so hard to choose, ughhhh.