Worst nightmare come true? Dubia enclosure compromised?

[Irithyllian]

So today while doing a little maintenance on my H. pulchripes, I noticed something. A very small baby dubia roach in the enclosure. Now, my pulchripes is in the top shelf of a 5 foot tall organizer, my small dubia colony I am raising, which I’m new at, is across the room on a different organizer on the middle shelf. These two are very far from each other. I researched dubia and heard they are horrible climbers and hardy, while also growing large which is why I chose to try and raise them as opposed to crickets which I have done up until recently.

My worst nightmare is the dubia escaping and populating throughout my home. And now it seems this may be a probability. If my info on the dubia is wrong please tell me. I’m posting a picture of the dubia enclosure and bear in mind there are no adult dubia inside only very tiny ones barely smaller than my fingernail.

 

[Scorpiobsession]

The dubia was likely left over from feeding. I've found that baby dubias are better at climbing than adults but if you spread vaseline or vegetable oil on the sides of the colony they can't escape. Also the dubias need a temperature higher than 70* to breed and a high humidity. Depending where you live that likely isn't going to happen. Even if they did you would likely be able to quickly catch them. Also, a recommendation for your dubia colony: increase the humidity, keep the substrate damp (one side more than the other) and if you haven't already add springtails and beetles (dermestid, buffalo, and/or lesser mealworm) to serve as a cleaner crew.

 

[Poonjab]

I could be wrong. But I don’t think Dubias can infest like other roaches. I don’t know if red runners can either... but let’s just say I don’t trust red runners as far as I can throw them.

 

[Irithyllian]

I could be wrong. But I don’t think Dubias can infest like other roaches. I don’t know if red runners can either... but let’s just say I don’t trust red runners as far as I can throw them.

That’s a relief. That’s honestly my biggest worry. I’m happy knowing my info on them might be correct.

The dubia was likely left over from feeding. I've found that baby dubias are better at climbing than adults but if you spread vaseline or vegetable oil on the sides of the colony they can't escape. Also the dubias need a temperature higher than 70* to breed and a high humidity. Depending where you live that likely isn't going to happen. Even if they did you would likely be able to quickly catch them. Also, a recommendation for your dubia colony: increase the humidity, keep the substrate damp (one side more than the other) and if you haven't already add springtails and beetles (dermestid, buffalo, and/or lesser mealworm) to serve as a cleaner crew.

Thanks for that info, I heard they need over 90 degrees so I have a heat pad under one side, I know that under might cook T’s but I figured dubia wouldn’t mind. I also do have springtails. I think maybe I’ll put a couple super worms in too then to help out. And as for the feeding my pulchripes is actually about 3 inches, I’m still using crickets and super worms till the dubia grow into adults as they will be used for my largest T’s, so the fact it was in an enclosure so much farther and higher while also never leaving their enclosure is why I was confused. Do any bags of substrate have chances of these guys being within? I don’t know how else it could make it there

 

[Irithyllian]

These pics listed first is the shelf with the pulchripes on top, second shot shows where the dubia have been the whole time

 

[Scorpiobsession]

Are you positive it was a dubia roach? Otherwise it was likely a coincidence unrelated to your colony.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

This seems incredibly unlikely. If one did escape, that wouldn't be where it would wander to. Is there anyone else in the house? Any chance someone might have "helped"? Any tools or furniture items that might have transferred a baby dubia?

 

[Irithyllian]

Are you positive it was a dubia roach? Otherwise it was likely a coincidence unrelated to your colony.

It had to be it was the same size and everything with the dubia I bought. I bought a handful of them on eBay as well as 20 in a cup from my exotic pet store, they are all very small, inside the enclosure I virtually never see them at all, which for roaches I hear can be normal, and that’s why I was wondering how else it could wind up there.

This seems incredibly unlikely. If one did escape, that wouldn't be where it would wander to. Is there anyone else in the house? Any chance someone might have "helped"? Any tools or furniture items that might have transferred a baby dubia?

Hahaha ironically when I told my roommate I planned on breeding roaches that’s when they were about to freak out over infestation chances, I live in Utah so they aren’t native here and my roommate doesn’t buy many things, and I fully agree it makes no sense to me at all that they would be able to get out there, I was curious if maybe when I was pulling old food out that maybe one was on said food and fell into the garbage and escaped? But even then how could a dubia under 1/2 inch climb a garbage bag massive shelf and somehow slide inside of a tarantula enclosure, let alone survive that vicious T in that thing. That’s just what doesn’t make sense. The only thing that makes sense is it was in substrate I bought maybe an egg or something? I’ve had substrate that’s new before and suddenly after a week or two a beetle rises from this said substrate but I don’t know.