Dubia better on glass than plastic?

winwin

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 24, 2010
Messages
271
Hey guys, a friend of mine who breeds dubias very successfully told me that his "secret" is to keep the container dry and just put a water dish and only feed them chick booster. No vegetables or fruits. And keep container dry. Also, he says it's better to use glass containers compared to plastic... Is this true?
 

Bugs In Cyberspace

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 10, 2006
Messages
721
Roaches aren't picky so your friend can make his own rules, but they will eat many different foods, like us. Plastic vs. glass doesn't make a difference in terms of their health or fedundity, no more than homes of bricks vs. logs for us. If he's using a heatpad like I do, glass would be superior to some plastics in this way.

If feeding chick mash in a glass container works for him and it will work for you, do it! Convenience and consistency of care translate to success.
 

winwin

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 24, 2010
Messages
271
His point was that dubias like humidity but have moisture and plastic containers would moist when the weather is cold or when it's raining. As for the food, i fed my dubias a piece of banana and a lot of them died, i think from pesticides? That's why i'm sticking to dog food and chick boosters now.
 

Matt K

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 27, 2007
Messages
941
I use large plastic bins with four 2" vents (two in each side) and no lid. 2 inches of mulch in the bottom, with some egg carton on top. I dump a pint to a quart of water on them once a week. I drop in all sorts of veggies, fruits, fish food and they do extremely well. I recently tried chicken feed (I have chickens) and they did not eat it as quickly or in the same quantity as the fish food pellets for me. My 2 cents.
 

winwin

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 24, 2010
Messages
271
I use large plastic bins with four 2" vents (two in each side) and no lid. 2 inches of mulch in the bottom, with some egg carton on top. I dump a pint to a quart of water on them once a week. I drop in all sorts of veggies, fruits, fish food and they do extremely well. I recently tried chicken feed (I have chickens) and they did not eat it as quickly or in the same quantity as the fish food pellets for me. My 2 cents.
I noticed that some roaches are picky, my old lats colony don't like to eat chicken feeds but like dog food, my new lats colony really like chicken feeds... My dubias would leave the chicken feeds alone for a few days then finish them all at once. Kinda weird... I don't put any ventilation, i just open like every 2 days. Is that ok?
 

echostatic

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 14, 2007
Messages
129
I had wondered about humidity. I have a 20g long glass tank set up for some dubias I just ordered, and with no misting and a bowl of water crystals, humidity is in the 30% range. Misting keeps it in the 50% range. Didn't know if mid 30s would be too dry.
 

Lolita

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jan 9, 2011
Messages
185
i make roach chow which is part dog food part chicken food part oatmeal part old cereal like cheerios (the sweetness makes them eat it more and not be picky) and part cichlid fish food and i give them water crystals instead of water and their in a big plastic tote and i've had to split my colony 3 times now i have over 2,000 roaches and give my friends starter colonies or just feeders all the time for free and i just keep them on egg cartons inside the totes
 

Obelisk

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 15, 2009
Messages
337
Mine are doing fine and reproducing in their plastic bin (with a screened lid). They get fed catfood, bananas, apples, etc. They get their moisture from water crystals and moist paper towels (no substrate to avoid mites). They get plenty of surface area from the egg cartons.
 

jebbewocky

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 1, 2009
Messages
909
Mine get cat food, oranges, any veggies I can spare, and water crystals.
I've offered chick starter, but it sits there, uneaten.
 

winwin

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 24, 2010
Messages
271
I've no access to water crystals so i'm going to use those water containers they use for chickens, the ones that has an upside down water, i'll just put some pebbles so they wouldn't drown. :)

---------- Post added at 09:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:31 PM ----------

i make roach chow which is part dog food part chicken food part oatmeal part old cereal like cheerios (the sweetness makes them eat it more and not be picky) and part cichlid fish food and i give them water crystals instead of water and their in a big plastic tote and i've had to split my colony 3 times now i have over 2,000 roaches and give my friends starter colonies or just feeders all the time for free and i just keep them on egg cartons inside the totes
How big is your container? And how many roaches did you start with?
 
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