Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The other day my order from blaberus.com of 30 Blabtica Dubia arrived. I have them in a rubbermaid container(quite large) containing egg crates ang blended dog food with some reptile calcium supplement added in a dish that they can access. There temperature ranges from high 70s to low 80s. The problem is that the small ones keep crawling out from the crates and dying. This is bad because I am hoping to start a breeding colony. I dont know if it is normal for some of the smaller ones to die. They are just lying on thier backs dead. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
-Thanks

Provide fruits & vegetables for moisture/water. Do not supplement with added calcium. Lack of moisture & calcium supplements will kill roaches as well as other insects.

Temperatures should be from the 80's to 90's F. Roaches like to be in slightly crowded conditions; esp. for socializing & breeding.* for more info, see my previous reply re: lobster roaches. Also, Blaberus.com should be able to assist with the problem(s) you may be having.
Goodluck.

should i even bother with the ground up dog food, or shoud i just give them fruits/vegetables? i read somewhere that they used calcuim in the mix, because these are feeder roaches. this is bad? Also, do you think i should move them into a smaller container(the one nthey are in is approx 18 X 10 X 11 inches)

should i even bother with the ground up dog food, or shoud i just give them fruits/vegetables? i read somewhere that they used calcuim in the mix, because these are feeder roaches. this is bad? Also, do you think i should move them into a smaller container(the one nthey are in is approx 18 X 10 X 11 inches)
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Ground-up dog chow is fine; it is better to buy brands that have no red dye added nor has high fat content. The primary diet should be fruits & vegetables(carbs & minerals). AS a source of protein, you can use un-medicated chicken laying mash (which has calcium incorporated into it); this can be used with or without the dog chow.

If you are feeding the roaches to a reptile, you can powder them with a calcium supplement prior to feeding off; this will maximize your calcium & prevent killing of the roach. A high calcium diet based on collared greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens will also help supply calcium prior to feed off.

The size of the caging seems adequate. Make sure that there is no residues of soaps/cleaning agents or other toxins which may be a source of die-off.
Goodluck

Have you sprayed any air freshener in the vicinity of your roaches? Are there any candles or incense burning near your cage?

nope, but theyre doing fine now

I always help customers if they have problems, but I do not remember this one. Following the care sheet is important when keeping roaches. The food discussed is good and will meet the roaches needs. I'm also experimenting with cactus which carries more calcium tham other fruits and veggies.
James
www.blaberus.com

Hey James,
The cactus experiment sounds interesting. Could ya post some info. here, or your site? After you've had some time to mess with it, that is??
And both the shipments I receive from you, have flourished. Thanx again. The only time I've ever seen the little guy's kick the bucket, prior to other's. Is due sudden lack of moisture, because they aren't as tough as their larger counterparts. This same situation happened to me when the room temp suddenly spiked. It was drying out their tubs to fast.
If you use a supplemental heat source, instead of a room. You could keep there food/H2O, on the cooler side..
Good Luck, Dubias are my favorite thus far..

RogueHerp