dubia roach enclosure question

[fartbreath]

I have recently bought a few dubia roaches for the purpose of breeding food for my T's. However, I rarely see them feeding. Am I missing something? Here are the details of my enlosure:

a. the pen is a Rubbermaid plastic container with 7 holes (precisely 2" in diameter) drilled on the sides
b. I put a big deli cup containing oats, fruits and veggies in the center so they can get at it easily
c. I placed egg containers on the sides vertically so I can clean the pen easily when the time comes
d. Since I don't have a heating apparatus, I shredded up some newspaper and spread it around them

Please help.

 

[0siris]

you can do away with the newspaper. It took a bit of time for my colony to get accustomed to the enclosure when I got them. Give them some time, make sure the temps stay at 80 or above and pretty soon they will shred a banana like frenzied piranhas. Refrain from disturbing them if you can.

 

[hassman789]

Yeah it took a while for my colony to take off. Like 4 months I think, and until then they didn't eat much. But wow, once it did, they are eating so much! I put a whole apple in and a few days later theres just seeds left. I only have 4 critters to feed so I am not giving the colony extra heat to reduce breeding, and I'm not feeding them like I used to. Now I just treat them like roaches and they survive... So give them some time.

 

[fartbreath]

Thanks for the advice, friends. I relocated my Dubias to my a closet I don't use much these days. I hope to see them boom in population in the next few months.

---------- Post added 11-25-2011 at 12:13 PM ----------

I came across readings that say heat encourages them to breed. Thanks for affirming this!

---------- Post added 11-25-2011 at 12:14 PM ----------

Thanks! I loved the part about the frenzied piranhas!

 

[Sarcastro]

I gave mine sweet citrus and they went insane; It's like crack for roaches. Once I started feeding it on a regular basis I did notice a huge increase in young, it could be just me or it might increase fertility... I'll have to do an experiment now.

 

[fartbreath]

I gave mine sweet citrus and they went insane; It's like crack for roaches. Once I started feeding it on a regular basis I did notice a huge increase in young, it could be just me or it might increase fertility... I'll have to do an experiment now.

I will definitely try this one next week. Thanks, sarcastro.