May start a roach colony... need some advice

[Kloster]

I have a bearded dragon now! Shes a little girl 6'' head to tail.

Because of her im considering starting a b. dubia colony.

I have her and 3 Ts, well 4 with my rosie but she rarely eats (ughh fasting periods...).

Do you guys think its gonna be too many roaches for 5 little critters? I dont want 1000+ roaches in a bin and then having them overflow and all the cleaning and feeding and crystals and all that just to feed my 5 pets.

In any case, I guess the real question is: how can I keep the population down once I have a "self-refilling" colony? What size would such colony be?

Thanks in advance.

 

[codykrr]

well first i think you should start a colony, in a sence there more than feeders. because sooner or later you will be holding them like pets. at least i do..there just so fascinating.also for you id get a 100 mixed lot(nymphs and adults) that will give you some to feed while they colonize. once you have steddy numbers(id say 300 to 500) you can always sell them off to keep populations down. or trade for more Ts. you can usually find 100 mix lots for about 15 to 25 maybe even 30 dollars. there a great investment and can easily pay for them selves. i bought a pound of dry water crystals and a pound of dog food and has lasted for almost a year. and ive still got tons left.just get them and you wont be disapointed. for any setup ideas there are countless threads on the topic, but i have pics of my setup on my pic link below. hope this helps cody kerr

 

[Kloster]

Why do you have the cardboard between the egg crates?

Whats a good simple way to remove them from the crates? For crix my bro used to grab a paper towel tube and shake it inside a bag and theyd drop in there ready to be dusted and then eaten.

Also, I REALLY hate feeder insects unless theyre worms.

I hate crickets, im already a very jumpy and nervous person. When I see them running around so quickly and then the sudden jump and all I just get sooo nervous! Theyre a pain in the arse, currently im paying off my arse buying silkworms and phoenix worms just so I dont have to deal with crix other than the 3 I feed my Ts.

The less I deal with these insects the better.
Its funny I handle my Lasiodora P with no probs but even the sight of a cricket gives me the heebeejeebees.

 

[codykrr]

well i keep the cardboard between the egg flats for a couple reasons. one, is so that the egg flats dont interlock with each other, two more climbing space, and also to help keep males seperated so i dont have males killing each other. and the last was to just have the extra tight fit i was looking for. and now that i know your jumpy and nervous....your going to hate roaches. and one way if you do get some, would be to place a paper towel roll in there and it will fill up just shake them out. but i personally hand pick my roaches i feed.

 

[Kloster]

Yeah man im dreading it...
Im not sure what to do, I think im gonna cut the egg crates in a certain way so that i can pick it up(with gloves lol!!) and shake it in a bag then dust with calcium(for beardie, dont dust for Ts of course) and bam.

Before I get them im gonna start collecting those crates.

 

[codykrr]

here is a fair warning. be careful what kind of crates you use. never and i mean never use apple crates or any veggie/fruit crates because there all toxic.(they fumigate entire crates even that flats ) wich i suspect may be a cause of dyskinetic syndrom in tarantulas and other inverts. you can get safe egg flats rom wal mart for free just ask. i get lots of stuff from wal mart for free belive it or not. and seriously ifyou need some dubia roaches i may suggest www.blaberus.com or aron pauling. a. pauling can be foundin the for sale section of the boards. both have good reviews and great prices. and dont be scared or squimish. their only roaches i love them. my wife hates them. there not bad and best thing to conquer your fear is just get some and hold them, let them crawl on you(there not to fast) best thing i can tell you.

 

[Kloster]

Thanks for the advice! I was getting ready to go to the fruit market and collect lots there, wont be doing that anymore...

As for being scared of them its not so much that im scared of them its just that they gross me out, i get the goosebumps and start getting nervous but these guys cant jump, the crickets are the ones that are hell for me. I had ~20 escape and I didnt realize until I looked at my wall and saw black dots moving omg it was horrible. I basically rearranged and cleaned everything in my room to make sure there wasnt a single cricket.

I will deffinetly try holding one though. I think holding one for a few mins every day can sort of help me with that.

 

[ThyTempest]

well first i think you should start a colony, in a sence there more than feeders. because sooner or later you will be holding them like pets. at least i do..there just so fascinating.also for you id get a 100 mixed lot(nymphs and adults) that will give you some to feed while they colonize. once you have steddy numbers(id say 300 to 500) you can always sell them off to keep populations down. or trade for more Ts. you can usually find 100 mix lots for about 15 to 25 maybe even 30 dollars. there a great investment and can easily pay for them selves. i bought a pound of dry water crystals and a pound of dog food and has lasted for almost a year. and ive still got tons left.just get them and you wont be disapointed. for any setup ideas there are countless threads on the topic, but i have pics of my setup on my pic link below. hope this helps cody kerr

How did one pound of food last you an entire year? I got a mix 500 and they have easily gone through a pound of food in the last month. Water crystals I believe...but mine must be little pigs.

 

[codykrr]

one. pound of dry rystals makes 16 gallons of wet crystals. and i grind my dog food up last longer. i pound of dog food is quite a bit on top of that. i mix betta pellets, flish flakes, bread, oats, and dried fruiot all together to makemy food. they pig out. and i only feed them when the dish is empty(once a week).

 

[ThyTempest]

one. pound of dry rystals makes 16 gallons of wet crystals. and i grind my dog food up last longer. i pound of dog food is quite a bit on top of that. i mix betta pellets, flish flakes, bread, oats, and dried fruiot all together to makemy food. they pig out. and i only feed them when the dish is empty(once a week).

How many are in your colony?

 

[codykrr]

as of right now...over 1200. and as i was saying. dog food is a base for my roach diet. i do add other things in with it, but before i did that they got pure dog food out of the same bag of "old roy" 1 pound bag, im still using. and there all very healthy. and i have to sell off roaches alot. but helps when you know people with lizards and sugargliders.

 

[ThyTempest]

We feed various dry foods, also ground. Primarily they get Mazuri 6f rodent lab blocks, Kent 23% Rodent lab blocks and extra dog/cat food. We have gone through about 2 pounds of food since we got our mix 500 ~2 months ago.

 

[bareass]

anyone use farret food?
i was looking today, it was the same price as cat food, but had a lot more protein. 45% to be exact. will this work. i also plany on using fruit, greens, and extra dried up Crested gecko food.
yay or nay?

 

[Cocoa-Jin]

You can limit roach population by limiting feedings. I feed 1-2 a week...if I ever need to ramp up production, I ramp up the food.

I have a nice 5 gallon tank for my 2 Ts...they arent over-whelming the enclosure or my needs for them.

I started off with a small 25 count shipment...1.5 years later I have more than I'll ever need...and new supply of fertilizer to boot.

 

[Kloster]

You can limit roach population by limiting feedings. I feed 1-2 a week...if I ever need to ramp up production, I ramp up the food.

I have a nice 5 gallon tank for my 2 Ts...they arent over-whelming the enclosure or my needs for them.

I started off with a small 25 count shipment...1.5 years later I have more than I'll ever need...and new supply of fertilizer to boot.

Now THATS what I wanted to hear

Thanks for the reply, ill be getting my roaches in the next reptile xpo.