dubia colony not producing

[missinasworld]

Ok so I was given a produing colony in a trade a month or so ago and now I'm having issues. The bedding in the bin had been cocco fibers and it was infested with flys so I removed it. The bin is set up as follow: its s 32gal plastic bin, no substrate, sevearl egg crates set in verticaly so the roaches can hide, climb and not feel to over crowded, 1 end has a dish with water crystals, cut up fruit and veggies offered nearly every day, and a dish of home-made roach food( that is a mixture of cat food, cricket high-calcium food, whole grain cerials, tropical fish flakes, ferret food, and a little repti-cal). Over the last few weeks production has really died off. It can't be the temp because its in my laundry room that ranges between 78 and 96F and has no AC. I keep crickets right next to them and they are exploding. I thought maybe it was huminidy and was misting the colony daily but the humidy is up pretty high now so Im not going to mist it again for a few days. I have a very large number of adults and near adults but no tiny nymps. And I have found a few dead adult males. any ideas? I will try to post photos but Im about to leave for work and will not be able to get photos until tomorrow. this is kind of buming me out as it was very difficult for me to get my hands on these buggies and now Im worried that I may lose my colony.

Missina
Missina.cjb.net

 

[Jheuloh]

Maybe you could run a mold check on the colony's egg cartons and corners and so on? It could be the misting is creating mold.

From what I've read, mold is akin to the black plague for roaches.

 

[T-ReXx]

I agree that mold might be your problem. I would remove everything, clean out the bin, replace the egg flats, and run a temp/humidity check. If that doesn't help then I'm not positive what the problem is. Check with some experts over at Roachforums.net and they may have some suggestions.

 

[missinasworld]

Thanks guys. I took a very good and close look at the egg crates and did not find any mold, but I Did find fly magots *ew*. I stopped by the pet store tonight on my way home and while at work i did some looking online and took someones idea of setting up a 20gallon tank for roaches. I used a 29gal tank and covered the outside in cristmas wraping paper. Then I took tin foil and covered up most of the lid and then put a heat emiting bulb on the open area. I put in a ton more egg crates then I probably needed and water crystals, some chopped up pear, their dry food and then the roaches. I also picked up a humity gage and it was spot on at 60! temp is at 80 and slowly climbing back up. I'm just going to leave them alone for the next week and then do some exploring to see if there have been any more deaths. I did find 1 more dead male and a young female that had to be destroyed..she was just weird looking as if someone had squished her and she was still alive. i am bleaching the rest of the stuff I didn't remove from the old plastic bin. i included photos of the new set up. So here is to hoping!
oh and I don't know if I added this before-the last week or so my roahces desire to eat has kind of dropped. I was feeding them daily before and then it became every other day recently. but hopfully this new cage set up will fix everything and I will be drowning in roaches!

Missina

 

[T-ReXx]

Looks great. That should get the colony going full steam. If not then I have no idea what the prob is, short of some sort of parasitical/infectious disease problem(take your roaches to the vet, lol). Assuming nothing extreme like that, you should be good to go. :grin:

 

[midget]

Looks good. This might help a bit next time don't use any rep-cal as too much and they'll die from geting too much cal or because there not eating. Good luck

 

[SeventyThree]

Besides mold, roach colonies can go through natural bursts and growth spurts. Females (of dubia's) "birth" their young once every two months, so it may be that all the females had their young recently and it will be a couple months before they have another bunch of babies. Also, they live to be around 18 months (for females) so they just may be getting old, but as soon as the large nymphs molt into adults you should see a production boost.

(PS. They LOVE oranges! I find it boosts production too )

 

[missinasworld]

OK so tonight I was watching my dog and he was tring to eat out of the kitty litter box..or I thought it was..I told him to elave it alone and before I went to bed i went to scoop the box..but it wasn't cat poo the dog had been going after..it was an adult male dubia! I thought to myself, "how did you get out?" and I opened the dubia tank that I just set up and had ot move a box of baby crickets out of the way first..and found ANOTHER escaped male dubia! :yikes: Now i have 2 male dubias in a plastic container-Im going to destroy them because I don't know what they might have gotten into..and a tank that has no cracks and there is at least a 5inche gap between the top of the egg crates and the rim of the tank. AND there is a lid on the tank. Now I *think* that they might have pushed open the lid OR because this is a replacement lid and its a reptile tank that should have a snake proof lid on it, they might have gotten out by a tiny opening between part of the lid and the glass. but last night something woke me up that sounded like someone dropping the lid on a tank..I turne don the lights and nothing was moving. So to be on the safe side I just rigged up a block for the tiny space between the lid and glass AND put some heavy books on top of the lid. I just hope that it was only these 2 that got out. I dont want to be finding adult dubias under everything in my room...at least the bug man comes tomorrow or friday..even though my room is not generaly sprayed I think I will walk with him and let him spray part of it...*sigh*


Missina

 

[missinasworld]

i havn't had any more escapes since i re-roach-proofed the tank. and here are some new photos of the buggies. still no nymps though..and the humidty in my room isn't so high now and its driving me crazy. I might have to put coco fibers in there..which I really REALLY dont want to do but misting is not helping for the long run. and some of my roches have hard spots of "stuff" on them....you can see it in the photos.
at least I have 2 bins of crickets that are just exploding....but I would rather not have to continue with the crickets at all...
see the roach in the middle towars its head has some kind of crud on its head..its hard..I tried to scrap it off and it didn't want to come off and I didn't want to injur the bug.

i still havn't tried oranges but they reall LOVED this peach I gave them. and I have also been giving them pears.

and you can see more of that crud on the back of the one in the lower left.

other then that I think you guys are right and I'm having some adults die off just becaues they are old. myself and a friend of mine both got colonies from the same guy but he already had some roaches and this just added to his collection..his buggies are doing fantastic..I want mine to start doing fantastic to!


Missina

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

Put a reptile heat mat under the bin. And make sure they're getting plenty of protein in their foods.

 

[missinasworld]

I have a heat bulb on the tank. its at a nice 85F at the bottom and as the crates go up it goes up to about 90F.

Missina

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

I keep mine in rubbermaid tubs with cypress mulch substrate and a heatmat on the bottom. As long as they have proper food, temps, and humidity, they should breed like crazy. So, it's reasonable to assume that one of those three factors is off if you're not getting results.

 

[viktor]

Have you actually measured the temperature and humidity in various points of the dubia enclosure? I would throw in a couple of data loggers or at least take readings with a temp gun to make sure you are in the high 80s. For my dubias, I have a heating mat underneath the enclosure,and I also have a 30W infrared heater heating from the top. Also, make sure the top is solid to keep the humidity up. In this regard, they are the opposite of crickets (but not pinheads), who need low humidity.

Like Riverside said, make sure they get enough protein. Veggies are not enough. Either buy roach food or make your own. Try not to use soy. I use a combination of whey and various high protein grains and veggies, such as teff, amaranth, quinoa, broccoli, beets, and yams.

I don't think mold is a huge problem. Roaches will breed in truly nasty conditions. They are roaches, after all.

 

[missinasworld]

1. food: is a mix of dry cat food, dry marshall farms ferret food, tropical fish flakes, and high-calcium fluckers cricket chow. I do mix in some calcium suppliment as well. i mix a 1 gallon containers worth at a time..it last about 2 to 3 weeks between the roaches and crickets.
2. heat: I have 2 digital thermometer in the tank. 1 near the top of the egg crates in the 29gallon tank and 1 on the bottom. so temp is measured. not with a temp gun but I dont think it really matters as long as the temp is accurate.
3. Humidty...ok here is an issue. I have the left and right parts of the top of the tank cover, covered but leave the middle part open for th eheat bulb..Im going to be redoing this part tomorrow on my day off to try to make it more..humid and good at trapping that awsome wet feeling.
4: Bedding: I was having an issue here with flies and also little tiny beetles living in the bedding. when I got the colony it had coco fiber in it. it was nice but way to difficult to keep clean and after not even a month of having the roaches, the colony wasn't really producing and it started to stink which to me was a sure-fire sign something was wrong.

Thanks for the suggestions. Im going to try to make the humidy stay up..and with luck i will...and then maybe I will be up to my eye balls in roachs..

Missina

 

[catevala]

Dear Missy, I think you are worrying too much. It is typical of anyone doing something new to over-think it and to over-do it. Relax. Blaptica dubia roaches are super easy. But you have to be patient. It does take them a few months to get old enough to breed if you start, like I did with some mid-range aged animals. Also, I do not raise the humidity in my roaches home at all. They don't mind it dry and mine is very dry. I also do not use alot of fruits, some but often will go days without any. I just keep in the corner on the floor Fluker's cricket food. I have had no deaths. Now be careful, when these roaches molt, what they leave behind when they throw off their old "skin" looks like a dead roach! Really. Also I tried the vertical egg cartons approach and also some that were horizontal. My roach gurus all touted the vertical but my roaches eschewed that arrangement and went for the horizontal. Roaches have a love for tight places. Having egg cartons laying horizontally on top of each other with hardly any room between them is what they LOVE! They like to squeeze into very small spaces and they love to hang out together. You can almost NOT overcrowd them. I have mine in a medium sized Tupperware bin like is sold for storing stuff. Like maybe 30 gallons? Never an escape and my lid is always loose. Dubias cannot climb. And yes oranges are very good. Be sure they have water in form of water pillows or sponges. What else? They eat very little so don't freak out if you don't see food disappearing. But mainly just relax. Keep them warm like you're doing; not so humid; try different carton arrangement and be patient. You might want to purchase a few younger animals too if you think you had or have senescent adults. Breck

 

[missinasworld]

I know I tend to over think things..but I do believe that there as and possibly still is, wrong with my colony. And please, PEASE do not ever refer to me as "missy". not being mean..but thats a sucker punch to me.

Missina

Dear Missy, I think you are worrying too much. It is typical of anyone doing something new to over-think it and to over-do it. Relax. Blaptica dubia roaches are super easy. But you have to be patient. It does take them a few months to get old enough to breed if you start, like I did with some mid-range aged animals. Also, I do not raise the humidity in my roaches home at all. They don't mind it dry and mine is very dry. I also do not use alot of fruits, some but often will go days without any. I just keep in the corner on the floor Fluker's cricket food. I have had no deaths. Now be careful, when these roaches molt, what they leave behind when they throw off their old "skin" looks like a dead roach! Really. Also I tried the vertical egg cartons approach and also some that were horizontal. My roach gurus all touted the vertical but my roaches eschewed that arrangement and went for the horizontal. Roaches have a love for tight places. Having egg cartons laying horizontally on top of each other with hardly any room between them is what they LOVE! They like to squeeze into very small spaces and they love to hang out together. You can almost NOT overcrowd them. I have mine in a medium sized Tupperware bin like is sold for storing stuff. Like maybe 30 gallons? Never an escape and my lid is always loose. Dubias cannot climb. And yes oranges are very good. Be sure they have water in form of water pillows or sponges. What else? They eat very little so don't freak out if you don't see food disappearing. But mainly just relax. Keep them warm like you're doing; not so humid; try different carton arrangement and be patient. You might want to purchase a few younger animals too if you think you had or have senescent adults. Breck

 

[T-ReXx]

I would take the above advise with a grain of salt. Humidity IS important to roaches, without it they can have trouble molting and will die. And don't use cricket gutload as the only food, it's not high enough in protein and they may start nibbling on each other. I consider what you are doing to be correct, and if you continue to have problems a disease in the colony may be the issue. Just follow the advise of the majority, especially people from the roach forum, they know their stuff. Just because an individual is not following general protocol and feels he/she is successful does not mean they are doing it right.

Oh, and the reason to go with vertical eggs cartons is too allow the frass(poop) to fall to the bottom. In a horizontal setup the frass will build up and you will have more difficulty keeping things moderately clean.

 

[MauricesExoticPets]

1. food: is a mix of dry cat food, dry marshall farms ferret food, tropical fish flakes, and high-calcium fluckers cricket chow. I do mix in some calcium suppliment as well. i mix a 1 gallon containers worth at a time..it last about 2 to 3 weeks between the roaches and crickets.
2. heat: I have 2 digital thermometer in the tank. 1 near the top of the egg crates in the 29gallon tank and 1 on the bottom. so temp is measured. not with a temp gun but I dont think it really matters as long as the temp is accurate.
3. Humidty...ok here is an issue. I have the left and right parts of the top of the tank cover, covered but leave the middle part open for th eheat bulb..Im going to be redoing this part tomorrow on my day off to try to make it more..humid and good at trapping that awsome wet feeling.
4: Bedding: I was having an issue here with flies and also little tiny beetles living in the bedding. when I got the colony it had coco fiber in it. it was nice but way to difficult to keep clean and after not even a month of having the roaches, the colony wasn't really producing and it started to stink which to me was a sure-fire sign something was wrong.

Thanks for the suggestions. Im going to try to make the humidy stay up..and with luck i will...and then maybe I will be up to my eye balls in roachs..

Missina

"and high-calcium fluckers cricket chow. I do mix in some calcium suppliment as well."

This is one very big problem! Do not use these in your insect food. The Ca content is too high.

Second problem is the lack of enough hydration (humidity is not the same), buy water crystals and provide them 24/7, without proper hydration your colony will suffer. Only provide enough so that it lasts 24 hours or less if you are willing to refresh it at a shorter interval.

Low calcium and hydration!

Your issues will be totaly gone in about 2 months. Until then you are in a recovery mode.

Maurice Pudlo

 

[missinasworld]

"and high-calcium fluckers cricket chow. I do mix in some calcium suppliment as well."

This is one very big problem! Do not use these in your insect food. The Ca content is too high.

Second problem is the lack of enough hydration (humidity is not the same), buy water crystals and provide them 24/7, without proper hydration your colony will suffer. Only provide enough so that it lasts 24 hours or less if you are willing to refresh it at a shorter interval.

Low calcium and hydration!

Your issues will be totaly gone in about 2 months. Until then you are in a recovery mode.

Maurice Pudlo

The guy I traded for the roaches stressed over and over again to add calcium. but you are probably right. I will lesseion it in the next batch of chow becaues Im down to only a weeks worth of bug food now. And I guess I must have forgotten to mention, i do supply water crystals at all time.
And I'm happy to say that keeping the humidy up and sealing the lid to the tank has made MAJOR improvements and I saw my 1st bunch of healthy babies the other day, And the dried looking spots on the roaches are also gone. I have only had 1 adult die of unknown reasons and this time it was a female. but the rest, WOW their color has improved and they almost shine now. They are more active and their desire to eat has improved as well.

So thanks guys, I think my roaches are going to be OK now

Missina

 

[MauricesExoticPets]

I raise dubia, discoids, hissers, lobsters, turkistans, and orangeheads, none have added calcium in their diet and every colony has been producing very well for me for years and years.

The only time i feed calcium to them is in the 24 hours prior to feeding them off, and that happens in another container so the breeders don't get overloaded with it.

Maurice Pudlo