Thinking of Switching from Lats to Dubia

[PitViper]

So I just about fed off my B. Lateralis colony and was thinking of switching to B. Dubia due to the Lats speed, I tong feed my Avics too and its a pain to grab Lats with the tongs and also looking for something that gets a little bigger for my adult Ts. Any opinions?

Thanks,
T.J.

 

[jebbewocky]

B.dubia smell better, are easier to care for, and are definently better for bigger Ts. Do your Avic a favor and just feed it jubie dubs though--the adult ones are almost as big as it is most likely, and it probably won't go for them.

 

[PitViper]

How are the Dubias speed wise?

 

[briarpatch10]

not terribly fast but the tend to burrow into the substrate if you dont watch them. I feed one t at a time to keep and eye on it

 

[Stopdroproll]

They are actually pretty fast, but they're bulky, so it's easier to get a hold of with tongs.

What I do so they don't burrow is pin them down with a pair of tongs and use the other pair to slightly crush its head.

 

[jebbewocky]

How are the Dubias speed wise?

IME, they have the capacity to be just as fast as lats when they want to be. That's italicized, because, they usually don't want to be.

 

[Kathy]

I finally got rid of my lat colony, I just could not stand the smell anymore. One way I did make it easier to feed, however, is I would put them in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes - just long enough to slow them down so they were easy to catch. I hated cleaning that thing. For awhile I'm going back to buying crickets weekly with no leftovers. Taking a break and they maybe I will try the dubias.

 

[PitViper]

Yeah, I use the roaches for my adult Ts, I already buy 6-7 dozen crickets a week for my slings and scorplings so I'm not looking to spend anymore on crickets, only reason why I have roaches(to save money), plus it's a 15-20 minute drive to the closest pet store where I'm at.

 

[codykrr]

From my personal experience, I would say go both. I like dubia because they make an excellent meal after a molt, or sac. but they can be a pain because of their tendency to burrow. I always smash their heads and yet I have found dubia that have molted after smashing their heads.

The lateralis stink. Personally they gross me out. but, that being said, they make the best feeder for inbetween molts and sacs. especially sacs. where you dont want the female to eat too much because she could molt out.

As far as speed. personally, My dubia seem to breed faster than my lateralis. I have sold and trade so many dubia off it isnt funny.

Each person has their own opinion on the matter. but if you are needing a bigger, slower and less smelly feeder go dubia. now take it to account. dubia do take a while to become established.

 

[CAK]

I have both. The problem is: picky eating spiders. I have spiders that will totally avoid dubia because of whatever reason. Lats are faster, no questions asked... Slings LOVE lats, but only about 2 in 10 actually eat dubia nymphs.

Now my problem is... I can't get lats to reproduce to save my soul! I can't get them warm enough.

 

[JimM]

I'm not sure why, maybe it's the peat I use as a substrate, but my lats don't stink.

 

[jebbewocky]

I'm not sure why, maybe it's the peat I use as a substrate, but my lats don't stink.

Could be, or it might be the food.
I don't give my dubia cat or dog food anymore, so the change in smell could just be a difference in food. My lat colony always smelled like a tub of farts.

 

[spiderslight]

I love lats because they breed so much faster. And the adults will work with all of my Ts and i can feed them to my geckos and frogs.

 

[briarpatch10]

I have both. The problem is: picky eating spiders. I have spiders that will totally avoid dubia because of whatever reason. Lats are faster, no questions asked... Slings LOVE lats, but only about 2 in 10 actually eat dubia nymphs.

Now my problem is... I can't get lats to reproduce to save my soul! I can't

get them warm enough.

all of my slings eat dubia without a problem!

 

[pato_chacoana]

I breed B. dubia and N. cinerea. I occasionally buy crickets, mostly for slings and juveniles. Some how, I've always felt and I'm almost positive that crickets are better meals for growing spiders (at least over here)...seems like they gain larger sizes between molts when they eat crickets. Anyway, the cinerea are attractive feeders for slings, and they are not much smelly.
I have a Blaberus sp. that I've been trying to get established for a long time, but I can't for any reason. But they are very cool, a little smaller than B. dubia, but move faster. Unfortunately, since I can't get them to breed steadily, I seldom offer them as feeders...

Cheers
Pato-

 

[2oCHEVYo0]

Wanna do the same thing, I hate the smell and cost of crickets. It adds up with 20 mouths to feed. Definatly sure I'm switching, just haven't decided where to buy from or how many I want...

Anyone got any ideas on that?

 

[Stopdroproll]

I'm guessing you're from Lincoln, Nebraska. How's the weather there, how's the temperature in your home, and are you willing to keep them in ideal breeding conditions? It is getting cold in the northeast, so my colony has pretty much stopped growing.

Depends what kind of mouths you're feeding. Slings, juveniles, or adults? If you have slings, I would go with an adult/nymph mix. If you're keeping them in ideal conditions, the adults should start breeding in about 5 months, so you need enough nymphs to keep Ts fed for about 5 months, which shouldn't be a problem. I feed my Ts a decent size dubia and they're good for a month.

You should get a bunch of egg crates for them to hide in. I got a small bag of water crystals and they last forever. There are some good videos on Youtube on how to keep them. Check the Classified section. There are usually guys selling them cheap. I started my colony with about 100 small nymphs because all my Ts were slings. Now I have around 150 mature adults.

 

[PitViper]

Lol, well your lucky your still at 20, I have 37 Ts, 21 Scorps, a black widow and a tailless whip scorp to feed, the scorps were born a month ago so they get small crickets along with about 25 of my Ts, so it really adds up for me every week.

 

[JimM]

Could be, or it might be the food.
I don't give my dubia cat or dog food anymore, so the change in smell could just be a difference in food. My lat colony always smelled like a tub of farts.

I provide citrus, and a small cap full of crushed dog food.

 

[jebbewocky]

I provide citrus, and a small cap full of crushed dog food.

Weird. I used dog food (uncrushed, lazy), and whatever fruits/veggies I had available. Maybe we used different brands? Or it could be the substrate I suppose. I tried to be pretty vigilant about taking the dead ones out.