Yes sorry. :8o
Frustrated with Blaptica dubia roaches
- Thread starter gvfarns
- Start date
Thought I should post the finale to this story:
I gave my B. dubia roaches to someone who has some reptiles and whose T's are better eaters, I guess. Anyway, I thought the B. dubia were pretty decent pets and was never worried about escapees or anything, but they never really worked as a feeder for me.
I replaced them with a colony of Blatta lateralis. They were way cheaper and it's clear that they are much faster reproducers (there are a bunch of egg sacks and females laying eggs and stuff). They are much, much more active and bold than the dubia and as a plus I don't hear their little feet tromping around against the plastic at night since they are so much lighter. I threw a few in with my T and she munched them immediately and with gusto. Mission accomplished. Now I have a feeder that really does replace crickets and I don't have to go to the store for them. Ever. Very exciting.
Downsides? Well, I think as far as weight is concerned, one dubia is like four lateralis. Maybe more. In this sense lateralis are good because smaller T's can eat them, but it means you have to feed more or more often to your larger T's. I think I'll toss several in at a time. On the other hand, this small size is kind of a plus because it means I have more opportunities to feed and watch her eat. Any time I have friends over I can throw a roach and then let them throw one and trust that both roaches will be immediately eaten. And lateralis are cool because they seem to want to hide between the T's legs. It makes for a good show and remarkably little waiting on my part.
The other downside is the handling of them. I thought they might be easier to catch than crickets since they don't jump. They are more predictable, but they are fast and there are so many of them. They run in all directions. While you are catching one, others will sometimes run up your arm and since they are small you hardly feel them. They really keep you on your toes. Further, if you hold them in your hand, they are much more able than crickets to wiggle out between your fingers. Much more.
Oh and lateralis are not nearly as cute as dubia. Guess that makes me feel less remorse when they die.
Both dubia and lateralis have a smell about them. It's not strong, like crickets, but if you have a full colony and put your nose up to them, you can smell them. I prefer the smell of lateralis.
Anyway, my experience indicates that overall lateralis are preferable in all ways to dubia, except the scariness of the possibility that they might escape. They don't climb glass, so you just have to be careful as you are taking them out but I would recommend a colony of lateralis to anyone considering roaches.
That's my two cents to add to the communal wisdom of the boards.
I gave my B. dubia roaches to someone who has some reptiles and whose T's are better eaters, I guess. Anyway, I thought the B. dubia were pretty decent pets and was never worried about escapees or anything, but they never really worked as a feeder for me.
I replaced them with a colony of Blatta lateralis. They were way cheaper and it's clear that they are much faster reproducers (there are a bunch of egg sacks and females laying eggs and stuff). They are much, much more active and bold than the dubia and as a plus I don't hear their little feet tromping around against the plastic at night since they are so much lighter. I threw a few in with my T and she munched them immediately and with gusto. Mission accomplished. Now I have a feeder that really does replace crickets and I don't have to go to the store for them. Ever. Very exciting.
Downsides? Well, I think as far as weight is concerned, one dubia is like four lateralis. Maybe more. In this sense lateralis are good because smaller T's can eat them, but it means you have to feed more or more often to your larger T's. I think I'll toss several in at a time. On the other hand, this small size is kind of a plus because it means I have more opportunities to feed and watch her eat. Any time I have friends over I can throw a roach and then let them throw one and trust that both roaches will be immediately eaten. And lateralis are cool because they seem to want to hide between the T's legs. It makes for a good show and remarkably little waiting on my part.
The other downside is the handling of them. I thought they might be easier to catch than crickets since they don't jump. They are more predictable, but they are fast and there are so many of them. They run in all directions. While you are catching one, others will sometimes run up your arm and since they are small you hardly feel them. They really keep you on your toes. Further, if you hold them in your hand, they are much more able than crickets to wiggle out between your fingers. Much more.
Oh and lateralis are not nearly as cute as dubia. Guess that makes me feel less remorse when they die.
Both dubia and lateralis have a smell about them. It's not strong, like crickets, but if you have a full colony and put your nose up to them, you can smell them. I prefer the smell of lateralis.
Anyway, my experience indicates that overall lateralis are preferable in all ways to dubia, except the scariness of the possibility that they might escape. They don't climb glass, so you just have to be careful as you are taking them out but I would recommend a colony of lateralis to anyone considering roaches.
That's my two cents to add to the communal wisdom of the boards.
Oh, one more note. Besides being eaten right away the lateralis are more fun to watch because they are quick and sometimes they get away the first time the T goes for them, so the T has to chase them down and strike again! Very fun to watch. Recommended.
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- Sep 18, 2002
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But Lateralis look so nasty lol.
the crazy ones are b. lateralis. they seem to like running like crazy doing laps of the terrarium. but they are more nasty at handling because they drop thier legs and all that. and they climb and can escape prom their enclosure. i reallly dislike them. on the other hand i like b. dubia, and yes they stand still, but my a. geniculata just takes them, easy, sometimes doesn't even attack, she just picks them like u would pick a marble from the floor. it's like she always knows they're there
the only thing i hate about b. dubia is that the males tend to become pretty competitive when they mature. i have to find a way to get rid of them :wall:
but they are more nasty at handling because they drop thier legs and all that. and they climb and can escape prom their enclosure. i reallly dislike them. on the other hand i like b. dubia, and yes they stand still, but my a. geniculata just takes them, easy, sometimes doesn't even attack, she just picks them like u would pick a marble from the floor. it's like she always knows they're there the only thing i hate about b. dubia is that the males tend to become pretty competitive when they mature. i have to find a way to get rid of them :wall:
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- Dec 16, 2007
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I had the same problem with my B. dubia when it comes to feeding time.
Usually my blondi will snatch them up as soon as they hit the substrate. With my G. rosea, and A. hentzi sling I use a pair of tweezers to place the dubia upside down real close to the T. For me they wiggle around a lot more when upside down to try and turn themselves over and My T's usually snatch them up.
I've converted all my little predators to dubia's now... including my Latrodectus mactans
Usually my blondi will snatch them up as soon as they hit the substrate. With my G. rosea, and A. hentzi sling I use a pair of tweezers to place the dubia upside down real close to the T. For me they wiggle around a lot more when upside down to try and turn themselves over and My T's usually snatch them up.
I've converted all my little predators to dubia's now... including my Latrodectus mactans
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lateralis are awesome feeders...and so are lobsters. If you are looking for a good compromise you might want to go with lobsters. My Damon diadema, however, have yet to be seen eating either. However, my female did eat an orangehead roach. These are sorta like dubia on steroids. They are less likely to play dead and all T's I've tried them on ate em up!
I had zero problems getting anything to eat male dubia though...including my Damon diadema which are probably the pickiest eaters.
I had zero problems getting anything to eat male dubia though...including my Damon diadema which are probably the pickiest eaters.
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- Aug 12, 2006
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We've had "picky eaters" with our T's.....those who won't hit on a "crushed headed" dubia, will invariably take them from the tongs. We hand feed our stubborn ones.
Either way - we aren't paying extra for crickets.
Either way - we aren't paying extra for crickets.
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- Aug 5, 2002
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The only "issues" I've had is that they burrow quickly and once they are covered in dirt, their shells seem to make it impossible for the predators to tell that they are "Food" and not "The dirt I live on". One quick snip of their abdomens with a scissors floods the cage with their unique scent, and they seem to get quickly eaten after that.
Or, if you just don't want them burrowing... grip them by the rear end with 12" tweezers and clip all their legs off with a scissors. That way, they kind of flop around on top of the substrate and can't burrow. This seems to trigger an otherwise picky eater sometimes as well.
Or, if you just don't want them burrowing... grip them by the rear end with 12" tweezers and clip all their legs off with a scissors. That way, they kind of flop around on top of the substrate and can't burrow. This seems to trigger an otherwise picky eater sometimes as well.
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I think this whole convo just illustrates how highly evolved B dubia are. They've developed a whole set of defensive mechanisms for predators who hunt primarily by vibration rather than by sight. It's pretty cool how they remain completely motionless even in very clutches of a gigantic spider. It's not until they're actually getting fanged that they start struggling. My biggest rosea still hasn't eaten one. She'll grab it, hold it, turn it over in her palps and eventually drop it and move on. Lucky roach!
I have about 50 dubia at various stages right now. I also have a thriving cricket colony of about 800. All my Ts at this point have been raised on crickets exclusively. Once my dubia colony starts growing, I will start feeding them to the Ts. I was hoping maybe within a year.
After reading in this thread that T's fed on crickets may be difficult to switch over to dubia, I decided to break down and give one to my 3.75 inch smithi. The dubia (2 inch) immediately walked away from my smith and hid under some coco fiber. About 2 min. later my smithi casually walked over to where the dubia was hiding, sunk her fangs into the substrate, and pulled out the impaled dubia.
Well, at least I know I won't have any problems switching with her!
hoping maybe within a year.After reading in this thread that T's fed on crickets may be difficult to switch over to dubia, I decided to break down and give one to my 3.75 inch smithi. The dubia (2 inch) immediately walked away from my smith and hid under some coco fiber. About 2 min. later my smithi casually walked over to where the dubia was hiding, sunk her fangs into the substrate, and pulled out the impaled dubia.
Well, at least I know I won't have any problems switching with her!
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I have just over 100 Ts and I have found that the majority will not eat B. dubias. It's very frustrating. I switched to Blatta lateralis and every one of the Ts love them. The lateralis have a bigger "ick" factor for me than do the dubias but I've gotten used to them.
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That's the truth. The dubias are a keepers dream. They don't stink, clean up after themselves nicely, don't stink, pretty to look at, don't stink and move slowly so recapture is usually easy if they jump for freedom. Did I mention they don't stink?
Unfortunately, B lateralis are much preferred by almosy any T I have. Now, although they don't smell as bad as crickets (death and fear) they do smell bad (pee and BO). I've developed a system for catching them which helps and i only have about 3x the escapees as the dubias...:wall: The t's go nuts for them though, can't deny that. Also the speed that lateralis breed... bunnies could learn a thing or two.
jinx
Arachnopeon
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I think I will stick with buying crickets after reading these comments.
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Lol... maybe my comments were a bit over the top. I will reiterate that as difficult as either species of roach might be, i far FAR FAR prefer them to crickets. Nothing stinks like crickets. They're aggressive cannibalistic monsters and they eat your t's if if they catch them in a molt. Plus they're loud. And they jump. Did I mention I hate crickets?
Also I like maintaining the colonies almost as much as the t's. It's another living thing that thrives or suffers at my hand and I get a a certain fulfillment from that.
Same as e-town, no matter my complaints about roaches, I will never go back to crickets. unless i drastically downscale and only have like <5 mouths to feed. They are so much easier and the convenience is just great. Having the colony means i can breed all my scorps/t's or expand my collection as much as I want with virtually no extra cost, aside from vials which I buy in bulk. .20 cents each, coulda been cheaper if I got more.