# Will dubia breed at 70F?



## Roland Slinger (Sep 2, 2009)

I plan on starting a colony and keeping them in the basement but its on the cooler side down there, 65-70F, sometimes even drops to 60F.

I know they won't breed a lot, but will they breed AT ALL?


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## arrowhd (Sep 2, 2009)

Probably, but not very quickly.


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## Roland Slinger (Sep 2, 2009)

Hmm. I plan on getting 100 mixed dubias. 

Is there any way you can guess how soon I can expect babies and at what rate they will reproduce? This is just all new to me.

I mean will I only get 10 babies a year, or more like 30 a month?


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## vvx (Sep 2, 2009)

Any reason you can't slap a heat pad on the roach container?


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## Roland Slinger (Sep 2, 2009)

No money for that really. It's $12 at Amazon but I don't want to waste that money for roaches since I can buy crickets for 9 cents each. I'm already paying more than I'd like for the roaches themselves, adding any more and it's not worth the money spent on them.

Since I also only have 2 Ts I need very little roaches (about 4-6 a week). So I don't need them reproducing a lot. 25-30 baby roaches a month would be perfect.


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## Matt K (Sep 3, 2009)

What you are paying for the roaches is regardless, because you will have a limitless supply so ultimately you can only count them as a fraction of a cent each, which is far cheaper than a constant 9 cents a cricket.... 

...80 degrees is thier optimum temperature.  Why are yours at 70?


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## Roland Slinger (Sep 3, 2009)

Matt K said:


> What you are paying for the roaches is regardless, because you will have a limitless supply so ultimately you can only count them as a fraction of a cent each, which is far cheaper than a constant 9 cents a cricket....
> 
> *...80 degrees is thier optimum temperature.  Why are yours at 70?*


Hold on, let me change my life style and heating bills to fit the roaches, I'm sorry for being so ignorant I should have known better :?


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## Matt K (Sep 3, 2009)

You don't HAVE to be rude in reply posts, that's just an option.... 

Nobody said ANYTHING about heating bills and lifestyles, but apparantly that is a topic you may want to address with a therapist....
Since roaches are so ultimately cheap to keep, the question was posed because there may be warmer locations in your home to keep them- most places where most people live are not exactly the same temp in every room and not the same near the ceiling and the floor, or near major appliances, near a window, etc., though maybe you want them on a table in the middle of a living room for some reason and live in a basement somewhere- you were not clear about where you are keeping them and why they are 70 and if you had a choice or not.  Perhaps you are unemployed or not able to earn any money and live in your parents basement until you graduate high school, and maybe have a mental diability so figuring out how to slightly change a temp in a small enclosure is a challenge.  We dont know from your posts and no one can assume what you are all about from your posts.... so others like me might tend to ask simple questions without the intention of offending you.


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## Roland Slinger (Sep 3, 2009)

Matt K said:


> You don't HAVE to be rude in reply posts, that's just an option....
> 
> Nobody said ANYTHING about heating bills and lifestyles, but apparantly that is a topic you may want to address with a therapist....
> Since roaches are so ultimately cheap to keep, the question was posed because there may be warmer locations in your home to keep them- most places where most people live are not exactly the same temp in every room and not the same near the ceiling and the floor, or near major appliances, near a window, etc., though maybe you want them on a table in the middle of a living room for some reason and live in a basement somewhere- you were not clear about where you are keeping them and why they are 70 and if you had a choice or not.  Perhaps you are unemployed or not able to earn any money and live in your parents basement until you graduate high school, and maybe have a mental diability so figuring out how to slightly change a temp in a small enclosure is a challenge.  We dont know from your posts and no one can assume what you are all about from your posts.... so others like me might tend to ask simple questions without the intention of offending you.


You were the one being rude, by questioning my roach keeping habits  

I'm a student and still live with my parents, yes. So?

What I asked was my situation. I can only keep them in the basement, which gets very little heat and my parents don't want to heat it up because we just keep junk there. 

I don't want the roaches in my room, nor can I keep them in the living room for obvious reasons. The only place I can keep them is the basement which is 60-70F.

So my question was quite simple and to the point. How much will they breed at that temp? None? Very little? How much is very little? I'm new to roach keeping so I have these questions.

I know about other options but they are not financially feasible.

Guess no one can estimate that so I'll have to wait and see myself. Just hope I didn't waste money buying them just for them to not be able to breed


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## sinflspeed (Sep 3, 2009)

Very little if at all.  The temps will slow the process significantly.  If you can take them and set them in a warm spot outside for aan hour or so through out the week. As many time as possible is your best bet to get them to breed prolifically.


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## Matt K (Sep 3, 2009)

They will definately breed at 70.  Much more at 80.  Not much more at higher temperatures.  In the 60's they may become very slow and breed rarely.

There is no need to go to so much effort to move a bin of roaches out for an hour and back in as this will absolutely not help out contrary to the previous post.

Is the operation of a single 25 watt bulb over the bin really THAT "not financially feasable"?  I mean that may cost what- a dollar a month?

And by the way- when someone posts a question about keeping something and limits the details, it is helpful -NOT rude- when people ask you further questions to try to help.... at least its that way with most adults anyway.


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## vvx (Sep 3, 2009)

Matt K said:


> They will definately breed at 70.  Much more at 80.  Not much more at higher temperatures.  In the 60's they may become very slow and breed rarely.
> 
> There is no need to go to so much effort to move a bin of roaches out for an hour and back in as this will absolutely not help out contrary to the previous post.
> 
> ...


a 25 watt bulb would running 24/7 assuming electricity cost of $0.10/kilowatt-hour would cost $1.825/month. But if you put it on a $5 timer 12 hours on/12 hours off you could get it down to $1. 

I'm assuming the financial burden isn't the electrical cost but the cost of a light fixture and bulb or heat mat.

But even then, to feed only 2 T's at $0.09 per cricket you're probably talking a few years before the initial expense of the roaches and equipment saves you money. Though, it would probably be more convenient to just go down to the basement instead of hitting up the LPS for crickets.

Perhaps a better idea would be to pay the money for the heat so that you can sell some off and make money keeping them.


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## Roland Slinger (Sep 3, 2009)

vvx said:


> a 25 watt bulb would running 24/7 assuming electricity cost of $0.10/kilowatt-hour would cost $1.825/month. But if you put it on a $5 timer 12 hours on/12 hours off you could get it down to $1.
> 
> I'm assuming the financial burden isn't the electrical cost but the cost of a light fixture and bulb or heat mat.
> 
> ...


Exactly. A bulb is not a problem (will 25W even produce any noticeable heat? I don't think so), but just the fact that buying the roaches ends up costing much more than simply buying crickets. My LPS is a walk distance away so not like I'm spending gas on it anyway. But the employees there don't give a crap about anything and it's a puppy store. I always feel terrible coming in there and seeing those puppy mill puppies eating their own feces and lying in their own urine. And it smells terrible, I'm always a breath away from puking.

So I just decided to buy 100 mix dubias and give it a try. If it doesn't work it doesn't work. But at least it will buy me 4-6 months minimum of not having to step foot in that store again. It was a great deal, $15 with free shipping. (www.thefeederstore.com if anyone is interested)


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## Endagr8 (Sep 3, 2009)

Matt K said:


> They will definately breed at 70.  Much more at 80.  Not much more at higher temperatures.  In the 60's they may become very slow and breed rarely.


To the OP: get _B. lateralis_ instead. I supply no additional heat to mine, yet they continue to breed like crazy.

Matt K, would it slow breeding if I were to keep my _dubia_ colony at 100 degrees rather than 80 degrees? Is that too hot?


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## BrianWI (Sep 4, 2009)

Roland,

Stick with the crickets. That basement will be 50's this winter.


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## Matt K (Sep 4, 2009)

*@ Endagr8-* thier native habitat ranges from the high 60's to the low 80's.  They seem to breed well in the high 80's but not much better in the low 90's, and definately no better closer to 100.  The problem stems from individuals not being able to eat/drink fluids as fast as they respirate the water vapor, so they live in a constant state of being partially dehydrated.  While they may mate at high temps, the eggs do not develope internally as well from being too hot and/or dehydrated.  
Bottom line is that if they are heated to 100 it really does not have any significant benefit over say, 85.  If they are fed well and have moisture in the 80's temps, the females should ultimately have a better yield of nymphs. 

*@ BrianWI-* crickets will breed well in a basement environment, good point.  Though in the 60's and 50's they will grow slowly, which for the OP may not matter.


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## Roland Slinger (Sep 4, 2009)

Brian, it doesn't get lower than about 60F, during winter as well. Funny thing is that it's around 60F in the summer and 65F or so in winter.

Would putting a space heater with them for an hour or two a day do the trick? I can't leave it on all day because my parents already get mad at me for using the one in my room whenever it's cold


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## BrianWI (Sep 4, 2009)

My opinion is that if you can't supply better conditions, you will be disappointed in the results.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## LadyVenom (Sep 7, 2009)

I had a colony of 100 dubias in about a 70 degree room for about 3 months. Most of them were fed out before they even bred. Then I moved and put some heat tape around the bin with a thermostat: 84 degrees in there. I started myself with a colony of 300, and now, while I feed about 50 large nymphs and 10 medium nymphs out weekly, I have a colony of over 500. You definitely want the extra heat.


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## LadyVenom (Sep 7, 2009)

Roland Slinger said:


> No money for that really. It's $12 at Amazon but I don't want to waste that money for roaches since I can buy crickets for 9 cents each. I'm already paying more than I'd like for the roaches themselves, adding any more and it's not worth the money spent on them.
> 
> Since I also only have 2 Ts I need very little roaches (about 4-6 a week). So I don't need them reproducing a lot. 25-30 baby roaches a month would be perfect.


What's the point of breeding them then? They need food, water, care, and they are expensive. I have a colony to feed bearded dragons, tegus, jeweled lacertas, AND my T's. The food itself can get expensive, and if they do overbreed, what are you going to do? You can't just set them free.


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## wraith (Sep 10, 2009)

LadyVenom said:


> What's the point of breeding them then? They need food, water, care, and they are expensive. I have a colony to feed bearded dragons, tegus, jeweled lacertas, AND my T's. The food itself can get expensive, and if they do overbreed, what are you going to do? You can't just set them free.


He can always put the excess roaches in a bag and put them in the freezer. That's what I do. I crush them up and mix them with my roach food. Waist not want not.  The first time I did it I was out of dry catfood for them and I figured in one swipe I could reduce their need for food and increase their protein content in the food. They seem to like it. Kind of reminds me of the film Soilent Green. I raise Blatta Lateralis though, they naturally will cannibalize with low protein in their feed.


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## Matt K (Sep 10, 2009)

wraith said:


> He can always put the excess roaches in a bag and put them in the freezer. ....I could reduce their need for food and increase their protein content in the food.... naturally will cannibalize with low protein in their feed.


Why do so many of these threads on roaches repeatedly perpetuate the myth that roaches need "more protein".....??  Does *no one *really learn _anything_ about the care and natural history of roaches?  Does everyone rely on what someones-neighbors-cousins-daughters-friend once said in a post somewhere?  And how does someone so ambiguous achieve such a high regard in the world of captive propogation?  Who is that person and when can I talk to them?

*Geesh.* :wall::wall: :wall:


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## wraith (Sep 11, 2009)

Matt K said:


> Why do so many of these threads on roaches repeatedly perpetuate the myth that roaches need "more protein".....??  Does *no one *really learn _anything_ about the care and natural history of roaches?  Does everyone rely on what someones-neighbors-cousins-daughters-friend once said in a post somewhere?  And how does someone so ambiguous achieve such a high regard in the world of captive propogation?  Who is that person and when can I talk to them?
> 
> *Geesh.* :wall::wall: :wall:


I've witnessed mine eat one another when I was low on cash and fed them nothing but cheap canned mixed veggies for like two months.


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## xhexdx (Sep 11, 2009)

BTW, at 9 cents per cricket and feeding only two spiders, I'd say forget the roach colony and just buy crix when you need them.


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## Matt K (Sep 11, 2009)

wraith said:


> I've witnessed mine eat one another when I was low on cash and fed them nothing but cheap canned mixed veggies for like two months.


I sure you  did as canned mixed veggies are very low in anything nutritional and very high in water and/or sodium.  If you ate popcorn for two months you might be inclined to eat your neighbor too.  But if you are/were a vegetarian for two months you would not make such a decision.

I have some colonies that have not eaten anything with protein in it for years, and they thrive and are very healthy without eating each other- why?- because they are fed fresh veggies/fruits regularly, watered regularly, and maintained at a moderate temperature.

Roaches only each each other as a last resort for survival.  If yours do that then you are excersizing bad husbandry on them, that's all.  Nothing to do with how much protein they get in thier diet.


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## sinflspeed (Sep 11, 2009)

Matt K said:


> Roaches only each each other as a last resort for survival.  If yours do that then you are excersizing bad husbandry on them, that's all.  Nothing to do with how much protein they get in thier diet.


Well said, and I couldn't agree more.


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