Need help with B. dubia hydration!

[Mithricat]

I usually give my dubia fresh fruits and vegetables as a source of both water and food but they don't last long and given that sometimes I have to be away for 7-9 days I always come back to a bone dry colony...

So I tried to solve this by putting some cotton in a shallow (1 inch) bowl and filling it with water to help prevent rapid evaporation. The roaches can climb up, sit on the cotton and drink. However that's obviously not enough cause when I come back days later so much water has evaporated that the cotton on the very top is just damp.

My next move was to buy water crystals. I read everywhere that they're supposed to last for days but I have put a few of them in a plate with my colony for a couple of days now and already they're less than half the size... I'm sure they won't last more than 4-5 days...

I'm running out of options and I could really use some ideas...

 

[ccTroi]

More water crystals in a much larger bowl

 

[Mithricat]

More water crystals in a much larger bowl

That's what I was thinking, perhaps I could also cover part of the bowl to slow down evaporation. Will keeping the bottom of the crystal mound in a little bit of water help slow down the water loss? I thought of doing this in the beginning but I'm worried smaller dubia might slip through and drown (the crystals are like fine round spheres, not the gel kind)

 

[Stardisk]

I am just brainstorming here but how about a jar with a stick in it or w/e so they can climb out and just fill the damn thing up, surely you won't evaporate 1/2ltr of water right?
Other than that, if you have a good tank with a good substrate you can always put in moss and plants, plants always keep the humidity high, gives shelter and creates a more realistic living space for them.
This ofc doesn't work if you have one of them basic eggcrates/tupperware tanks.

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

Honestly 7-9 days is fine. I've left my colony alone for over two weeks with zero noticeable mortality. Just give them plenty of moisture- laden food beforehand and turn off the heating mechanism if you have one.

One method i've heard for giving roaches water while you're away is to fill a test tube with water, plug it up with cotton and leave that in the cage. Very little of it will evaporate that way, the roaches will drink from the cotton and push it further back as the water runs out. A length of plastic tubing with cotton on either end will also probably work. Don't worry if it's too small for the bigger roaches to crawl in, as a rule larger roaches (and larger arthropods in general) are far less susceptible to dehydration than their smaller counterparts.

 

[Darren0985]

I used to buy the water granules in. I’ll and just mix them up in one gallon containers.
Then put a few different plastic lids with the crystals on, the lids were shallow enough that the babies couldn’t drown.
If going away for a few days try putting a few slices of orange in there it should last a few days.

 

[Ashlynn Rose]

When I am going away for more than a few days, I use a dish I made. It's really easy. Here's what you need:

Large peanut butter jar lid
Medium peanut butter jar
Water crystals

Cut a small scoop out of the bottom lip of the jar. Make sure it is no larger than the height of the jar. Fill the jar 3/4 full with water, put the lid on top, and flip. Then put water crystals in. The roaches can drink and the water will be replenished.

 

[Mithricat]

When I am going away for more than a few days, I use a dish I made. It's really easy. Here's what you need:

Large peanut butter jar lid
Medium peanut butter jar
Water crystals

Cut a small scoop out of the bottom lip of the jar. Make sure it is no larger than the height of the jar. Fill the jar 3/4 full with water, put the lid on top, and flip. Then put water crystals in. The roaches can drink and the water will be replenished.

Nice, I think I understand the principle. Do you perhaps have any photos with your implementation?

 

[Ashlynn Rose]

Sure.

 

[Mithricat]

Thank you