I need help with dubias

VaejovisCarolineanusSDS

Arachnoknight
Joined
Aug 4, 2017
Messages
248
I have been trying for months now to convince my parents to let me start a breeding colony of dubias. Of course we live in a small town where everyone HATES cockroaches. I think I may be able to start one now. How much would I need to get? I would need a colony large enough to sustain 10 pets. Most of them would need nymphs or medium size roaches. How much adults should I get to start a colony that would keep my animals happy? I also want to get some that I feed off now until the colony gets started. Also, what are some things I should know about them. I know what supplies I need and the basic care.
 

cold blood

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 19, 2014
Messages
13,223
How much would I need to get?
Roach sellers sell starter kits, they're not generally too expensive.

I would need a colony large enough to sustain 10 pets.
Depends on the pets...for 10 tarantulas, it would be a huge over-kill and you would never be making a dent, in fact you would need to start sellng them off eventually.

I also want to get some that I feed off now until the colony gets started
Like I said, you can get starter kits...but theoretically you could start with a handful of adults and a mature male and in 6 months you would have a significant colony.

Also, what are some things I should know about them. I know what supplies I need and the basic care.
Give them things to get between, many use egg cartons or vertically stacked cardboard....I use a thin base of dog food (any kibble is fine) and drop in fruit or vegies on occasion. Carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, oranges and apples (peeled) all are munched quickly. Otherwise you keep them warm and just sit back and do nothing...they breed like, well....roaches.

@EulersK or another roach seller may chime in with a whole lot more in depth info.

But they're not tough to keep.
 

VaejovisCarolineanusSDS

Arachnoknight
Joined
Aug 4, 2017
Messages
248
I have two bearded dragons, 1 T, 1 scorpion, 1 centipede, and a few true spiders to feed. I don't need much, I just need enough to have a constant supply. I wouldn't even need a colony if the pet store wasn't so far away. But, in the long-run this is much cheaper and I don't have to worry about not having food. Plus I can get more inverts.
 

EulersK

Arachnonomicon
Staff member
Joined
Feb 22, 2013
Messages
3,292
@VaejovisCarolineanusSDS

Apologies for the late reply, I completely forgot about this thread.

Just follow what @cold blood said, these things aren't difficult to breed. Just a few extra notes.
  • Never waste money on "cricket gel". Simply buy this stuff and add 1tbsp to a gallon of water. You can buy larger quantities for comparatively cheaper, but for a new colony, that $9 bag will last you upwards of a year.
  • Also never waste money on dubia chow or anything of the sort. I feed mine unmedicated chick feed - high protein, high fat, and most importantly, cheap. Dog food works as well. I'd avoid cat food simply because it's largely carnivorous, and dubia prefer plant based foods. I also offer fresh fruits/veggies about once per week. Put the fresh food in there at night and remove anything uneaten by morning. Oranges seem to make them breed like mad, not sure why.
  • They do breed at room temperature, but they breed much faster when kept 80-85F. Do not exceed 90F. If you want to heat them, use a heat mat (not a heat lamp!). To avoid the heat mat melting the plastic bin, place a floor tile on either end of your bin and place the heat mat in the empty space created by raising the bin. Do not skip the tile step! Their frass ("poop") will insulate the heat mat, and that will result in temperatures flying past 100F, and that will melt your bin.
  • Like most animals, their breeding slows down significantly when the resource of space runs low. That will help keep numbers in check. Further, if your colony gets out of hand, just make a drowning pool out of a bucket of water and cull your colony. I usually suggest that people sell/give them away, but given that you're in a small town, that may not be an option. As a side, though, chickens love to feed on these.
  • Egg flats work best for their enclosure. Have the flats standing up. If you just lay them down, the roaches will eventually eat the flats.
  • You're able to drill holes in the lid, but I've found that this fosters mold growth and makes them smell much worse than they should. I always just cut out a chunk in the middle of the lid and hot glue screen for as much airflow as possible. Remember - if they smell, then you're doing something wrong. I've got hundreds of thousands of roaches in my hot room, and it smells slightly earthy at worst. Back when I had a single colony, you couldn't smell anything unless you stuck your head in the enclosure.
  • Related to the screen top, keeping it bone dry in there will ensure you don't need to clean it... well, ever. I clean my colonies perhaps once per year. You don't want to be throwing away their frass, that was a big mistake I was making when I first started. The babies will burrow and live in the frass, and I suspect they eat fresh frass. Most importantly, having frass makes it so they can flip themselves back over if they fall onto their backs. This is probably the most important tip I have to offer.
 
Top