Dubia Roaches Breeding

[Reanne]

Heya, I got bout 100+ heads of roaches and I already see new nymphs, but there are no mature males in the colony yet.

The real questions is that I got them when they were tiny, like 1/4 inch was the biggest. Is it possible for them to keep sperm in them when so young?

 

[ShawnH]

Are you sure that you have no mature males and that no females were mature at the time you aquired them?

Male dubia are the ones with wings.

 

[Eclipse]

Male dubia are the ones with wings.

Indeed. Males are the ONLY ones with wings.

 

[Reanne]

The time I acquired them, which was about 2-3 months ago, they were really really small, all of them. I started to see nymphs about a week ago. Now the largest I have is almost 1 1/2 inches and none of the big ones have wings yet.

Oh yes, I feed them a diet of grinded dog food (Sigma 7 Rabbit and Trout), there's water available all the time from a dispenser, veggies and fruits 2 to 3 times a week. Recently I've added grinded rolled oats, wheatgerm and a pinch or 2 of nutritional yeast to the grinded dog food. How does this diet sound?

 

[Xaranx]

lot better than mine, mine get cheapo grocery store dog food, water crystals, and maybe an apple or some lettuce as a treat occasionally and they are booming, so you should be good to go.

And you sure you have no adults hiding somewhere? Even in mine of 1k+ i might not see that many adults actually out. they are a bit more reclusive and don't eat as much as the juvies do. Only 3 females and 1 male visible here out of quite a few.

 

[ShawnH]

I just feed mine crappy fish food I get for $1 a pound and throw fruit in about 2 times a week. You don't have to make the diet very complicated just make sure your dubias get fruit sometimes. Sometimes I do toss in some baby carrots too. Was using dog food but it smells and was starting to cause mites.

 

[Reanne]

I only have bout 100 and I use egg crates, so when I lift the egg crate I can see practically all of them. I'm moving them to a bigger storage bin when most of them get bigger.

I live in Malaysia where B. Dubias or any other kind of common feeder roach like the blaberus and hissers are really rare and expensive. I managed to finally get a hold of some after a really long wait and I want them to get maximum nutrition so they will be healthy to be able to yield a good next generation and live longer. Hence the very varied diet. Nutritional yeast has lots of vitamin B, so it helps them have a better appetite.

The mixture of the rolled oats, wheatgerm, wheat bran, dog food and nutritional yeast seemed to work well, I put more than usual and they gobbled it clean after less than 2 days, that's the most I've seen them eat in such a short amount of time.

 

[willywonka]

I see some interesting choices in what you feed your roaches. I have two questions. The first, what is consider the "best" recipe for roach food and where do you get fish food for $1 a pound?

 

[ShawnH]

I know a guy at a pet shop not to far from me. They are called staple flakes wardley's makes them.

 

[Snake_Eyes]

My roaches get fed very well. While they are used as food they are more of a pet as I only have 5 critters to feed them to. They get ground up dry dog food, cheerios, apples, whole wheat bread, mixed veggies and on occasion bananas.

When I first started I bought 52 sub to adult and 1 year later I sold 1025 back to the LPS and that doesn't even count the thousands of nymphs that I had.

 

[Reanne]

Hmm... Cherios here is expensive, though it's also approved for small animals like hamsters as treats.

Now I feed a mixture of rolled oats, wheat bran, wheatgerm, Sigma 7 dog chow, nutritional yeast, fruits and veggies occasionally. But I want to spoil them more though. I am quite afraid to feed them cheaper dog kibble because I heard from a friend that some dog foods actually do contain added pesticides and anti-roach chemicals, apparently Eukanuba does contain these chemicals.

The Sigma 7 kibble is super expensive, the ingredients are

Trout, Rabbit, Rice flour, Herring Meal, Dried Whole Eggs, Spelt, Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (Whole Apples, Sweet Potatoes, Squash, Spinach, Blueberries, Cranberries and Pumpkin), Chicken Fat (preserved with Vitamin E), Natural Flavors, Flaxseed, Pea Fiber, Milk Calcium Dicalcium phosphate, Sun Dried Alfalfa, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Lecithin, Chicory Root Powder (a source of FOS), Tomato Pomace, Oat Fiber, Kelp Meal, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Bacterial Cultures (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Enterococcus faecium), Bee Pollen, Spirulina, Bromelain, Papain, Vitamin C, Mannanoligosaccharides, Selenium, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Devil’s Claw Extract, Glucosamine Sulphate, Chondroitin Sulphate, Grape Seed Extract, Hawthorne Extract, Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, Vitamin E, Vitamin K (menadione), Vitamin B12, Riboflavin, Niacin, Dicalcium pantothenate, Pyridoxine hydrochloride, Thiamine mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Tocotrienols, Lycopenes, Ferrous Sulphate, Iron proteinate, Manganous oxide, Manganese proteinate, Zinc Sulphate, Copper Sulphate, Copper proteinate, Calcium iodate, Cobalt Proteinate, Beta carotene.

The protein is rather decent too, bout 24% and the fat is about 16%. 50 : 50 ratio of dog food and the other stuff.

The cheap dog food available here is too low in quality, it's like feeding gross grounded by-products, corn, salt, colouring and preservatives to my roaches.

 

[Xaranx]

I am quite afraid to feed them cheaper dog kibble because I heard from a friend that some dog foods actually do contain added pesticides and anti-roach chemicals, apparently Eukanuba does contain these chemicals.

Actually, that's the reason I am afraid to try better dog food, the cheap food usually isn't going to have those additives. i spend quite a bit of money on my dog's food (Innova), not gonna waste it on roaches.

 

[Reanne]

I think the more commercial brands only have additives like those. I use Acana and Orijen for my dogs and cats, but Acana has added garlic and Orijen is too high in protein, so I opt for more expensive super premium brands for my roaches, the brands that claim to be holistic and natural. I think Sigma 7 is more expensive than Innova. A 3kg bag is about RM80 while Innova is around RM50+.

I didn't buy the pack that I have though, went to petstores and collected sample packs

Even though the cheap brands may not have those chemicals, most of the cheapo kibble/animal treats etc are produced in Thailand where the cleanliness and health practices are not safe and the quality of the ingredients are not even fit for animal consumption. I remember one of our brands, had a petfood recall as the raw materials there were moldy and caused many dogs to have very serious problems as well as resulting in death. I sure wouldn't want my colony to crash and suddenly die on me one day.

 

[proper_tea]

What do you all think about using cat food instead of dog food. We've been feeding cricket food and fruits and veggies (our roaches get a portion of our compost, essentially).

 

[Reanne]

If I remember correctly, cat food is too high in protein and can cause protein build up in their bodies which may be harmful.

I think maybe the title of the topic can be changed a bit to Dubia Roaches Diet And Breeding if the mods would allow, though the thread was actually meant to ask if dubias can breed without a matured male and where they get that sperma from.

 

[reverendsterlin]

I've had a colony (well now 2) going for 4 years and have never fed protein. Strictly fruits, grains, and veggies. No added water source, just what they get from their food. Great breeding/ nymph production with no cannibilization. I generally sell 200-300 a month and the standing colonies are probably 1300-1700 each, I started with 2 100 mixed lots. Keep them in steralite containers with cardboard tubes. I would think that a juvie male may still be able to successfully breed.
Rev

 

[Reanne]

Hmm.... Interesting...

Since they don't have a water source they probably get more nutritious stuff with every mouthful of fruits and veggies. I'm too worried and paranoid of cannibalism as sometimes I may not be around, so I give them a water source just in case.

 

[Rochelle]

regardless of the notion that an immature male be able to breed; an immature female certainly cannot.
Therefore; the OP will have to wait for maturity or else supplement the colony with outsourced stock to move things along and provide stronger genetics ~ if indeed all the nymphs are from one source and all the same size.
Hope this helps..

 

[reverendsterlin]

Hmm.... Interesting...

Since they don't have a water source they probably get more nutritious stuff with every mouthful of fruits and veggies. I'm too worried and paranoid of cannibalism as sometimes I may not be around, so I give them a water source just in case.

cannibalism I would attribute more to supplementing their diet with a protein source (cat, dog, or fish food), thats why mine are strictly kept on a vegan diet. I feed regularly but if I was going to be gone long I would probably supplement water as well.
Rev

 

[rm90]

How long does it take for females to well, give birth? I saw one of these sticking out of my female a month ago. :wall: