Dubia Start Colony Advice

[ThyTempest]

Hey guys, first post. I have been lurking and searching for a few weeks and can't quite find everything I am looking for.

I want to start a colony of dubias so that I have a colony stabilized to feed from for the early summerish. I want to know what your suggestions are for starter colonies...everyone says get as much as you can afford, blah blah blah. I realize the bigger I start, the faster it grows and the bigger the colony will be when the time comes.

I want to be able to feed a growing beardie, a growing crested gecko, and a not quite so spiderling anymore G. Rosea, hopefully by June or so. With that said, I have had a lot of people suggest just buying adult breeders, and other who say to get a mix package, and maybe add some extra adults. Which do you suggest, and how many for each scenario? Also, do typical nymph packages available at the various websites only include nymphs, or mostly nymphs with adults?

I will be housing them in a large storage tote with a mesh window, egg crates, flexwatt for heat(90ish). I have heard a million different things for feeding and moisture. Water crystals seem to be the most popular, but more recently I have heard far more people siding with fresh fruits and veggies every couple days or so. Which do you suggest? Also, for food, I have heard (all ground up), commercial roach diet, cat food, dog food, rodent lab blocks, fish flakes/food, chicken feed, cereals...the list goes on. I know variety is the spice of life, but is there a staple food that would be good for 24/7 feeding, with veggies, fruits, other feed thrown in occasionally as treats? I ask this because it would be very convenient and easy for me to grind up some our rodent lab blocks, dog food or cat food as a main staple (or buy a designated feed, ie chicken feed) and toss in some fruits/veggies when we have them.

Also, what do you use to contain your food and/or water crystals/moist foods?

Thanks
Austin

 

[Atreyuhero4]

Hey, I just got my first roach colony today (B. dubia) I got them from www.blapticadubia.com They have a real good double up deal going on (I bought 200 roaches mixed size and got 400. and I also got 15 adult breeding pairs. There is also the member on here simply known as James. he can match the double up deal I think but you would have to talk to him about that. For food I got pound of roach feed and when that runs out it will be smashed up cat food. for moisture im just gunna have a big bowl of water crystals (which I have setting up right now).

You should also check this link out http://theboardedwindow.wordpress.com/2008/05/02/blaptica-dubia-the-colony/

Hope this helps

Also can anyone tell me if I should refridgerate the water crystals? I have a milk jug full!.

 

[dunawayj]

I bought a mixed batch with nymphs and adults . I think it was 75 or 100 of them and i can not feed them off fast enough. I am feeding about 50 Ts and scorps and not making a dent in them. I am getting a geardie in the next day or so and that should help keep them in control. I just feed mine a roach food you buy online by the pound and they eat the s*** out of it. I am pretty sure it is just really fine ground dog food but i dont want to deal with the mess it makes.

As far as the water crystals i juist mix mine a quart at a time in an old sour cream container and sit it on my T shelf and have had no problems.

Welcome to the boards hope this helps.

 

[bluefrogtat2]

Also can anyone tell me if I should refridgerate the water crystals? I have a milk jug full!.[/QUOTE]

only need refridgeration if you added vitamins
andy

 

[Atreyuhero4]

Thank you bluefrogtat, and dunwanaj or whatever it is how much do you have and have you ever had a beardie? Like I said I started out with 400 and I dont think I could feed them off to my beardie yet he eats like a beast!!!!

 

[bluefrogtat2]

i have a few thousandish(???large colony of them)and yes i have fed beardies on them.
no longer own any beardies though.
they will sure help keeping the numbers down,they demand tons of food.
andy

 

[dunawayj]

I started with under 10o I think i have about 74 million now. Not really sure how many but it is in the hundreds maybe a thousand. No never had a beardie before. I am actually buying it for the wife for valentines day.(This could go really good or really bad) It is a baby though.

 

[Atreyuhero4]

Bluefrogtat I just got 400 mixed sizes today and 15 adult pairs. how long should it be before I can feed them off to one male beardie/pig mix and 4 adult Ts, 7 slings?

 

[ThyTempest]

To everyone that replied, thanks...but my questions are still unanswered. It really does not help me to know how many you started with, unless I also know how long it took for that colony to grow to X size and be able to feed Z number of beardies/scorps/tarantulas etc.

 

[dunawayj]

In my opinion start with a small batch of 50 to 100. By june you will have more than enuff to last a lifetime. Just keep the temps up and they will **** like crazy

 

[ThyTempest]

How does quick reply have anything to do with this...confusion....

I am not really sure what you are getting at, but I didn't want to quote anyone...

 

[dunawayj]

Sorry dude typin from my phone. Got til june man why so anxious. See original message edit above.

 

[elportoed]

To everyone that replied, thanks...but my questions are still unanswered. It really does not help me to know how many you started with, unless I also know how long it took for that colony to grow to X size and be able to feed Z number of beardies/scorps/tarantulas etc.

How many to start with? There are so many variables involved here, that's why most people suggest that you start with as many as you can get your hands on. If the condition isn't right in the container that you keep them, being heat, humidity, etc, they may not reproduce as many if at all for you. And the amount you feed your pet each week is also a factor.

I have been keeping them as feeder for a while, but my colony isn't reproducing as fast as I feed. I'm still struggling to keep my colony going.

So start with as many as you can, and go from there. If you can't get the colony to go, get some more later. I heard people have 2 colonies, one to feed, and the other one just left alone so they can reproduce (supposedly it takes a while). Keeping the temp in the 80s supposedly helps too.

As far as food go, I learned that overfeeding is a bad thing. So again, trials and errors, feed enough so they eat within a day. And remove uneaten food so you won't have mites and/or mold.

 

[ThyTempest]

Thanks for all the advice...keep it coming, sounds like I am just going to have to wing it.

 

[Galapoheros]

"wing it", that's the best advice I'd give anybody, to a point. Everybody seems to have diff experiences with feeders. I feed out hissers and dubias and supply and demand have been pretty balanced for a couple of years so far.