Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm sure this has been asked quite a few time and I've read a few post but could someone post a link or go into detail of how to start a DUBIA ROACH colony. I don't really have credit cards available to use for online orders and money orders take too long so I'd like to start my own colony. Every link I have gone to kinda skims on the information of how to set these up. I'll only have a baby beardie so I'm not sure how man of these I'll need at this point to start a colony so any (detailed if possible) information you can give me to get me on my way would be helpful!!!!!!!!!

I'm also assuming the DUBIA roaches can't climb????
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kill 'em with kindness

ok first of all Dubia roaches cannot climb

now for getting started
purchase roaches....depending on how fast you want them to breed and how big a colony you want depends on how many roaches you want to buy. giving you only have 1 dragon, you dont need many. Dubia are pretty fast breeders but not nearly as fast as lobster roaches, which do climb and are smaller. anyways, my suggestion would buy 20-25 females and 5 males. its hard to find someone who will sell you adults, and that many females tho, most roach breeders keep females to themselves and dont pick out only adults and all. with most, you will get a mixed bunch, including small and medium nymphs and then a few adults. you may talk them into adults only for breeding but you will pay more.

then the setup. get a large rubbermaid container, one of the deep large ones. get a dark colored one, like green or blue. roaches like dark areas. drill holes in the lid for air or cut out a section and hot glue some screen over the cut out. dont ever leave the lid off unattended. put some egg flats in their like 5 of them depending on the amount of roaches. keep them warm 75-90 degrees is good. warmer temps make them breed faster but make sure theres a cool spot for them to go to. keep them fed and watered. you can find caresheets and all for what to feed.

clean out the cage every few months. i usually get the dead ones out every time i look in there, but i do a major cleaning every couple months or so.

and there ya go. not hard at all. good luck
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Beach Beardies

2.2. bearded dragons
1.1. Sugar Gliders
0.2. Felines *queen athena and missy*

Okay I pretty much got it but I still have a few questions. First, about how long after I receive my roaches will I expect them to start breeding and for me to be able to use those given the breeder sends me nymphs and not adults. How exactly do I know which ones are nymphs or adults and males or females? So if the breeder sends me just nymphs what do I do just put them into the container and just let them be? And for how long? Once I do get some to breed do I remove certain adults or nymphs or do you just keep them together?
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kill 'em with kindness

I've have done this set-up exactly as you have described, but how are you keeping it that warm? Also, how to you get them out to clean the container? I have to say that no other feeder gets my beardie so "predatory" looking. It is funny. Even though they kinda creep me out, I'm so glad to have switched to them. Thank you for the past and current help getting started with these.

to clean the bins i just remove the roaches and the put them into another bin. its time consuming but it works. you have to be patient doing so.
to keep the container that warm i keep them in the same room as my reptiles so its pretty warm. if you dont have that option ive heard of some using undertank heater mats on one side of the bottom on the container set to about 85 degrees. just be sure to watch it at times to make sure it doesnt melt the container of course. others have a rack system for their roach bins and put down flexwat heat tape accross the shelf and set their bins on top of that.

and if you were to get nymphs yes you just leave them alone if you want them to grow to be breeders. wouldnt help you much if you just fed them off to your dragons. dubia grow to adults in about 4-5 months. males have wings but dont fly and females are just dark without wings. when they do have babies you can keep em all in the same bin or removed the adults it doesnt matter. some do it just to sort by size, others leave them be.

heres a good link to a breeder with some good caresheets
www.blaberus.com
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Beach Beardies

2.2. bearded dragons
1.1. Sugar Gliders
0.2. Felines *queen athena and missy*

Okay thanks for the information..I think I have enough knowledge to get started...In regards to maturity and breeding purposes how will I know when they can breed? Is it when the males grow wings or is it a certain length? Other than that I think I have enough information....
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kill 'em with kindness

So if I started a colony say sometime beginning this week and given the fact I only have a baby how man roach's do you think I should buy for my first initial order to start the colony given they may be all nymphs. Also do any of the sites you guys order from allow you to choose whethere you want more females than males??? Also as nymphs can you tell the sex or is it after they grow a while???
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kill 'em with kindness

Well if you go to blapticadubia.com, they have the cheapest prices, and they also have adults. They only sell the adults in pairs, but if you ask like I did for more females and less males for example: you buy 5 pairs, just say that you want only 3 males, and 7 females and they will probably do that.
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Darien Drollinger
www.djsdragonranch.com

Okay I was just reading a few other sites about these and now I've come across a few sites talking about there roaches getting "MITES". Is this common with breeding and keeping roaches or rare cuz I'm really down with the advantages of Dubia's but not having mites...
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kill 'em with kindness

like i said before dubia reach maturity at 4-5 months. no you cannot tell the sex until adulthood which is when the males get wings and the females dont. i cant really say how long it will take to get them to breed but it shouldnt be long. dont expect to have baby roaches to feed your dragon within a week. best to do is get some adults to breed along with some small nymphs to feed.

ive never heard of roaches getting mites, but im sure it could happen. i wouldnt worry about it. the same could happen with crickets as well and im sure you still feed those.

any live feeder can have mites and parasites. this is why its could to get your dragon tested every 6 months or so. also a product called parazap is good to use yourself at home every 6 months or so as a preventative measure
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Beach Beardies

2.2. bearded dragons
1.1. Sugar Gliders
0.2. Felines *queen athena and missy*

In regards to the mites yea you are right. I'd still have to feed my dragons. I'll be waiting for your response to the email you sent early this morning and thanks for bringing up "PARAZAP". I have been trying for the life of me to remember the name of that stuff but this old brain couldn't remember since it's been 3 years since I been here posting regularly. Thanks.!
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kill 'em with kindness