Picky Dubias won’t eat?

[cmacky]

I used to use rabbit food pellets as a staple food for my dubias. Then I would give them fruits and veg as a daily food, but remove after a certain amount of time (usually when I could see they’d filled up and lost interest). And fish flakes and pellets for protein.
For heat, I actually attached a heating pad to one side, and kept egg cartons standing upright; this way, they could self regulate their temps by moving around to their preferences.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I used to use rabbit food pellets as a staple food for my dubias. Then I would give them fruits and veg as a daily food, but remove after a certain amount of time (usually when I could see they’d filled up and lost interest). And fish flakes and pellets for protein.
For heat, I actually attached a heating pad to one side, and kept egg cartons standing upright; this way, they could self regulate their temps by moving around to their preferences.

I’ve never tried pellets I’ve been using cat or dog food mixed with oats . Yeah my heatmat is on the side also. fruits and veg I constantly give them . Just gave them a ton of sliced carrots . A little potato too.

Probably because most bread is nutritionally lacking, especially that white bread

they eat wheat bread a lot faster and all of it. This white bread is garbage it seems … can’t find any use other than trash for it.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

They ate the ripe banana , nibbled on the tomato but didn’t eat it.
And ate 3/4 the lettuce . Just gotta keep trying new things and posting/writing down what doesn’t work.
The nymphs were going crazy for diy roach chow, they scattered before the picture.
There next meal

 

[DerGraf]

This white bread is garbage it seems … can’t find any use other than trash for it.

Makes you question, if we ourselves should eat that at all, if even roaches don't like it, right? They could survive on damn cardboard, if they had to!

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Makes you question, if we ourselves should eat that at all, if even roaches don't like it, right? They could survive on damn cardboard, if they had to!

Yeah true. Maybe I’ll give some to the dog next time it’s obsessed with hotdog buns. The rest I may as well just throw away if roaches won’t eat it.
Do you have a list of things your roaches don’t eat ?

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Update, they seem to be doing good.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

found 8 dead Dubia cleaning some of the frass out , I don’t understand how mealworms got in there: strange.

 

[SpookySpooder]

Sounds like you got a bunch of old roaches.

I leave 1cm of frass at all times in the bin. I really don't even clean out my dubia bin and they're exploding.

I have more dubias than my slings can eat. And none of my T's can handle a full grown male.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Sounds like you got a bunch of old roaches.

I leave 1cm of frass at all times in the bin. I really don't even clean out my dubia bin and they're exploding.

I have more dubias than my slings can eat. And none of my T's can handle a full grown male.

Yeah that’s good my old colony died offf because phorid flies and it was just so old . Although 60 of them mixed with my new bloodline.

 

[SpookySpooder]

I don’t understand how mealworms got in there: strange.

Bro I don't know what you're doing over there, but you're killing me



You must have at least a dozen mealworms in there, I'm dying

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Bro I don't know what you're doing over there, but you're killing me

View attachment 466237

You must have at least a dozen mealworms in there, I'm dying

I gave them bran used by mealworms and Beatles. I must’ve thought the eggs had hatched already. Totally forgot doing it though.. till I saw the mealworms. Seems like they do fine in there.

 

[SpookySpooder]

I gave them bran used by mealworms and Beatles. I must’ve thought the eggs had hatched already. Totally forgot doing it though.. till I saw the mealworms. Seems like they do fine in there.

Well the good news is you successfully bred your mealworms AND your roach colony has exploded in success. I remember you troubleshooting your colony last summer and you were ready to give up on it.

Now you got mealworms in with the roaches. I can't even

 

[FlamingSwampert]

Well the good news is you successfully bred your mealworms AND your roach colony has exploded in success. I remember you troubleshooting your colony last summer and you were ready to give up on it.

Now you got mealworms in with the roaches. I can't even

I've seen people use mealworms with roaches as a "clean-up crew," seems to be a pretty solid idea but I fear the roaches would eat the pupae so it wouldn't likely be self-sustaining.

I gave them bran used by mealworms and Beatles. I must’ve thought the eggs had hatched already. Totally forgot doing it though.. till I saw the mealworms. Seems like they do fine in there.

I think you've solved your problem, but I just felt like suggesting a piece of pear every now and then. My colony ate 4 pieces in under an hour, and there's probably only around 30 total. And the whole time they've had a carrot in there for weeks and it just gradually shrinks a little bit. I guess roaches really like fruits because they're more sugary.

My colony isn't that big yet, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but I think a layer of substrate on the bottom could be helpful. It might make finding the nymphs a bit harder, but it helps them get traction, makes the enclosure look less "gross" with the waste buildup, and the nymphs burrow sometimes after molting to find refuge from the others.

 

[SpookySpooder]

I've seen people use mealworms with roaches as a "clean-up crew," seems to be a pretty solid idea but I fear the roaches would eat the pupae so it wouldn't likely be self-sustaining.

I think you've solved your problem, but I just felt like suggesting a piece of pear every now and then. My colony ate 4 pieces in under an hour, and there's probably only around 30 total. And the whole time they've had a carrot in there for weeks and it just gradually shrinks a little bit. I guess roaches really like fruits because they're more sugary.

My colony isn't that big yet, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but I think a layer of substrate on the bottom could be helpful. It might make finding the nymphs a bit harder, but it helps them get traction, makes the enclosure look less "gross" with the waste buildup, and the nymphs burrow sometimes after molting to find refuge from the others.

I sent him a cup of Alphitobius diaperinus so he really doesn't need to worry about the clean up. Pretty sure he just accidentally seeded the colony with mealworm eggs!

As for sugar, that's a great suggestion for some food enrichment. Mine go CRAZY over a slice of orange or a banana, but I wouldn't use sugar as their primary food source. It does give them a bunch of energy but it isn't nutritionally dense enough to faciliate nymph development. Stick to carrots and leafy greens, mix in protein and oats.

Your suggestion about a layer of substrate is a good one. I keep a layer of frass for all the nymphs to hide in, and I still manage to find all sizes in the open for feeding... but I have easily a thousand or more so they're everywhere.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I found a lot of mealworms, but no pupae.

 

[Kada]

I’ve never tried pellets I’ve been using cat or dog food mixed with oats . Yeah my heatmat is on the side also. fruits and veg I constantly give them . Just gave them a ton of sliced carrots . A little potato too.
they eat wheat bread a lot faster and all of it. This white bread is garbage it seems … can’t find any use other than trash for it.

If you are wanting to save some cash. It is very easy to make little balls of dough, let them rise, bake and freeze. I do this sometimes in large batches. Bread isn't crazy expensive, but where I live it is not really well known what all the ingredients are outside the basic labels. Organic wheat flour is dirt cheap. I have done this for various feeders. Meal worms, roaches and crickets. Plus fruit and vegetable. Suuuuuper cheap and very easy.

 

[444 critters]

There is some terrible advice in here and I didn't even read all the comments.. I have had dubia for about 3 years. I started with 400, I now have over 8k easy. I will just give you a rundown on my operation and pictures.

1. Substrate.
I use oats. Whether it's a whole oat from a feed store, or dry oatmeal. The dubia love to burrow. Especially the babies. I use oats because it is a edible substance, wheat bran is another good choice. (YOU CAN USE ANY NON EDIBLE SUBSTRATE IF YOU LIKE)

NOTE: it will he wise to freeze, or microwave all oats before introducing them to a colony. Grain mites are hard to get rid of if they get in your colonies, or pantry!

2. Enclosure.
I use solid black plastic tubs, with a ventilated lid. A enclosure that lead in less light the better. Dubia are from the forest floor. They like it dark.

3. Housing.
They deffinantly need egg cartons, or other cardboard hiding places. they deffinantly do not like to be exposed.

4. Heating.
I use a heat mat and thermostat. I get heat mats for seedlings. I have my colonies set at 93° for optimal breeding. Too cold they will just die. They can't even get out in my house, they don't last more then a couple days, i keep my house around 72-75°. I ONLY have heat on half of the enclosure, the half where I have the egg crates, the other half Is the cool side..

5. Food.
Like previously stated, I use oats as a substrate, and they deffinantly eat it. I also use oranges, shaved carrots, cantaloupe, leafy greens, etc, any organic fruits or veggies. DO NOT FEED YOUR DUBIA CAT, DOG, FISH, OR ANY OTHER HIGH PROTEIN. They are already high in protein, and the extra protein makes them produce ALOT MORE THEN NORMAL uric acid. You will notice a slight burn in the eyes when opening a tub if this is the case.



Sub par to food, for babies

DO NOT REMOVE FRASS (the poop) the babies use this for food aswell as a substrate. The oats will help mask the smell. It isn't too bad unless you have a large colony that rarely gets clean.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

There is some terrible advice in here and I didn't even read all the comments.. I have had dubia for about 3 years. I started with 400, I now have over 8k easy. I will just give you a rundown on my operation and pictures.

1. Substrate.
I use oats. Whether it's a whole oat from a feed store, or dry oatmeal. The dubia love to burrow. Especially the babies. I use oats because it is a edible substance, wheat bran is another good choice. (YOU CAN USE ANY NON EDIBLE SUBSTRATE IF YOU LIKE)

NOTE: it will he wise to freeze, or microwave all oats before introducing them to a colony. Grain mites are hard to get rid of if they get in your colonies, or pantry!

2. Enclosure.
I use solid black plastic tubs, with a ventilated lid. A enclosure that lead in less light the better. Dubia are from the forest floor. They like it dark.

3. Housing.
They deffinantly need egg cartons, or other cardboard hiding places. they deffinantly do not like to be exposed.

4. Heating.
I use a heat mat and thermostat. I get heat mats for seedlings. I have my colonies set at 93° for optimal breeding. Too cold they will just die. They can't even get out in my house, they don't last more then a couple days, i keep my house around 72-75°. I ONLY have heat on half of the enclosure, the half where I have the egg crates, the other half Is the cool side..

5. Food.
Like previously stated, I use oats as a substrate, and they deffinantly eat it. I also use oranges, shaved carrots, cantaloupe, leafy greens, etc, any organic fruits or veggies. DO NOT FEED YOUR DUBIA CAT, DOG, FISH, OR ANY OTHER HIGH PROTEIN. They are already high in protein, and the extra protein makes them produce ALOT MORE THEN NORMAL uric acid. You will notice a slight burn in the eyes when opening a tub if this is the case.



Sub par to food, for babies

DO NOT REMOVE FRASS (the poop) the babies use this for food aswell as a substrate. The oats will help mask the smell. It isn't too bad unless you have a large colony that rarely gets clean.

View attachment 467093 View attachment 467094 View attachment 467095 View attachment 467096 View attachment 467097 View attachment 467098 View attachment 467099 View attachment 467100 View attachment 467101

Mine won’t touch oats unless there blended up. Finally got a pic of a mom and fresh baby’s , sadly lost 2 female and 2 male roaches this week . They just got old .

I tried feeding a half to 3/4a chicken wing they went nuts !

 

[444 critters]

Mine won’t touch oats unless there blended up. Finally got a pic of a mom and fresh baby’s , sadly lost 2 female and 2 male roaches this week . They just got old .
View attachment 467351 View attachment 467352
I tried feeding a half to 3/4a chicken wing they went nuts ! View attachment 467353

Like I previously stated, some roaches need protein to avoid eating other roaches. Dubia on the other hand, don't need the extra protein, they create too much uric acid when they have a high protein diet. Oats are a edible substrate, and you won't necessarily see them eat it, you will just notice them eat less fruits and veggies because they have a constant food source. I am feeding reptiles with my dubia, so I try to be organic as possible, as I breed my bearded dragons and want the best eggs.. Not sure the effects on Ts amd uric acid. I use red runners for my tarantulas. That Is definitely a cool picture of the babies though, those are fresh.

 

[FlamingSwampert]

There is some terrible advice in here and I didn't even read all the comments.. I have had dubia for about 3 years. I started with 400, I now have over 8k easy. I will just give you a rundown on my operation and pictures.

1. Substrate.
I use oats. Whether it's a whole oat from a feed store, or dry oatmeal. The dubia love to burrow. Especially the babies. I use oats because it is a edible substance, wheat bran is another good choice. (YOU CAN USE ANY NON EDIBLE SUBSTRATE IF YOU LIKE)

NOTE: it will he wise to freeze, or microwave all oats before introducing them to a colony. Grain mites are hard to get rid of if they get in your colonies, or pantry!

2. Enclosure.
I use solid black plastic tubs, with a ventilated lid. A enclosure that lead in less light the better. Dubia are from the forest floor. They like it dark.

3. Housing.
They deffinantly need egg cartons, or other cardboard hiding places. they deffinantly do not like to be exposed.

4. Heating.
I use a heat mat and thermostat. I get heat mats for seedlings. I have my colonies set at 93° for optimal breeding. Too cold they will just die. They can't even get out in my house, they don't last more then a couple days, i keep my house around 72-75°. I ONLY have heat on half of the enclosure, the half where I have the egg crates, the other half Is the cool side..

5. Food.
Like previously stated, I use oats as a substrate, and they deffinantly eat it. I also use oranges, shaved carrots, cantaloupe, leafy greens, etc, any organic fruits or veggies. DO NOT FEED YOUR DUBIA CAT, DOG, FISH, OR ANY OTHER HIGH PROTEIN. They are already high in protein, and the extra protein makes them produce ALOT MORE THEN NORMAL uric acid. You will notice a slight burn in the eyes when opening a tub if this is the case.



Sub par to food, for babies

DO NOT REMOVE FRASS (the poop) the babies use this for food aswell as a substrate. The oats will help mask the smell. It isn't too bad unless you have a large colony that rarely gets clean.

View attachment 467093 View attachment 467094 View attachment 467095 View attachment 467096 View attachment 467097 View attachment 467098 View attachment 467099 View attachment 467100 View attachment 467101

How reliable are the vivosun heat mats? I was thinking of getting some for my colonies but I've heard complaints of technical issues. bad readings, short circuits, etc from crappy Chinese ones. These look much higher quality, so have you had any problems with them?

Mine won’t touch oats unless there blended up. Finally got a pic of a mom and fresh baby’s , sadly lost 2 female and 2 male roaches this week . They just got old .
View attachment 467351 View attachment 467352
I tried feeding a half to 3/4a chicken wing they went nuts ! View attachment 467353

I use a random mix of coco fiber and used substrate from my other inverts as a substrate, and they do love to burrow. I personally give my small colony (30-odd individuals) a good amount of protein pellets designed for reptiles that I found at Walmart every few weeks with no acid problems so far. The pellets are made from black soldier fly larvae and some other things, I used to feed them shrimp pellets for catfish but they made the enclosure smell like shrimp. I've never seen my roaches cannibalize each other, but if I forget to take out a dead one they will eat it. I actually have had very few deaths over the years (about 4 now). I mostly kept them as pets since I previously used crickets (they were a back-up feeder for me), so they didn't have any supplemental heating leading to not much breeding. Now I am switching them over to a heated enclosure, so I'll see if my feeding practices still hold true.