Dubia Roach Breeding Questions!

[GpBp]

Hi all! So, I'm planning on breeding dubia roaches for my two cresties Pocket and Bea. I've never bred any insects before, so this is a first for me! I've been feeding them dusted crickets every two weeks, but I just feel like they should be getting so much more protein and stuff.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I think I'm gonna go with JoshsFrogs for the roaches. Do 5 adult males 10 adult females and 100pk small-mediums sound good to you? I think it's good prices too-

-5 pk adult males $4.95
-10 pk adult females $17.50
100 pk small/mediums $12.99

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As for setup, I'd get a bin with JoshsFrogs cococradle (left-over from my bio-active kit) substrate, and a couple egg flats on one side. On the other side I'd have food and a container holding those water obsorbing crystals (so the babys don't drown). Over the side with egg flats I think I'll put a very low wattage bulb to get the side up to low-mid 80's, as my room is usually high 70's.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now my questions...

1. Whats some good things to gut load with? I was thinking like oranges and bananas, but what do you guys have success with? I want to make sure it's healty for the geckos
2. Should I still dust roaches before I feed? I know dubia roaches are high in calcium, and the geckos eat Pangea, so I don't wanna go overboard.
3. How often do you feed? Like every night or every month? And how much? Both of my geckos are a bit small, I hope they grow eating these!
4. Do they attract any other critters? Fruit flies/Mice etc.
5. I heard they don't smell, is this true?
6. It seems like adult roaches are WAY too big to feed. Can I... cut them up..? Or just stick to feeding babies/meduim-ish sizes?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you!

 

[GeckoLeen]

I have an adult gargoyle, he is about 30g. (I have an adult crestie too, but he shows no interest in bugs.) My gargoyle, however, goes NUTS over the roaches. So I just started keeping a small colony as well. I am currently buying small bags of dehydrated fruit from the grocery store and soaking them - strawberries, bananas, and peaches. Also, dandelions are starting to pop up in my yard, and since we don't spray the lawn, I'm putting one or two of those in the "roach motel" every couple of days as well.

I feed my gargoyle 3 adult roaches every Wednesday and Saturday. I also have a Bauer's chameleon gecko, and I feed that one 3 small roaches, same days. My gargoyle had a huge growth spurt once he started eating roaches!

Yes, I still dust them before feeding. The roaches you feed should be no bigger than the widgth between your gecko's eyes. I think a couple of mine have been a little bit bigger than that, but my gargoyle gulps them all right down with no problem, so it doesn't have to be exact. I buy mine from Josh's Frogs as well, and have had good luck with those so far - always healthy, and they are breeding, so a success so far!

The roaches are in a closed container with small holes punched in the top, and they do not attract other critters. They don't smell, and they don't make noise. MUCH easier than crickets!

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

As for setup, I'd get a bin with JoshsFrogs cococradle (left-over from my bio-active kit) substrate, and a couple egg flats on one side. On the other side I'd have food and a container holding those water obsorbing crystals (so the babys don't drown). Over the side with egg flats I think I'll put a very low wattage bulb to get the side up to low-mid 80's, as my room is usually high 70's.

Using egg flats on end lets dubia feces fall to the floor. For moisture I place 2 layers of paper towels on top of the egg flats. Once a day I thoroughly wet the paper towels and then squeeze out excess moisture. That eliminates water crystals.

Chopped high calcium, low phosphorus, leafy greens also provide moisture.

For a 10 gallon tank dubia setup I use 5 egg flats trimmed in height a little.

Here's how I keep my dubia:

Blaptica dubia Care & Breeding​

2 August 2017 update​

Keeping and breeding Blaptica dubia roaches is easy! All you need are several adult females and several adult males to get started. Then the following:

• ~70ish*F (21ish*C) room
• + a 15 watt incandescent bulb right above the dubia enclosure 24/7 winter and summer
• 10 gallon glass enclosure with a screen top
• 8.5 inch or 10 inch diameter Fluker's clamp lamp
• 5 egg flats trimmed a bit so they fit standing up. Alternate the egg flats front-to-front, then back-to-back, and so on so that your Blaptica dubia can hide.
  • When you place the egg flats upright, roach poop falls to the bottom of the cage.
  • Get free egg flats from restaurants and bakeries
• Keep the dry food dry!
• Keep finely ground Zoo Med's Natural ADULT Bearded Dragon Food or Pro Gutload in a lid off to one side. Jif Peanut Butter lids work especially well.
  • Click: 1 lb Pro Gutload - Professional Reptiles
  • Click: Food & Water :: Insect Food
• You can feed dubia finely ground poultry food as long as the poultry food does NOT contain Diatomaceous Earth!
• Add chopped high calcium, low phosphorus, veggies in a lid off to the side: collard, mustard, turnip greens, pesticide-free dandelion greens and flowers.
• Provide additional moisture: lay 2-3 paper towels on top of the egg flats. Spray the paper towel(s) daily with tap water or moisten paper towels under the faucet and squeeze out.

Keep finely ground Zoo Med's Natural ADULT Bearded Dragon Food, Pro Gutload, (Albers) All Purpose Poultry Feed, or Purina Layena Crumbles in a shallow lid to one side of the egg flats. Vitamin A acetate (retinol) is one important ingredient in the dry diet. Retinol can't be found in plant, vegetable, or fruit sources! In a separate lid add chopped collard greens or pesticide-free dandelion flowers/greens. Both are excellent calcium and moisture sources. In a room which ranges upwards from 67 F/19.5 C, I add a 25, 40, or 60 watt incandescent bulb inside either an 8.5 inch or a 10 inch diameter Fluker's clamp lamp/dome.

Aliza (GU's acpart) uses this dry diet from "Professional Reptiles" for her insect and worm food as well as for her mealworm/superworm bedding:

• Click: 1 lb Pro Gutload - Professional Reptiles

 

[GeckoLeen]

Does the damp paper towel on top of the egg cartons make the cartons get moldy? I've had problems with the damp cardboard.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Does the damp paper towel on top of the egg cartons make the cartons get moldy? I've had problems with the damp cardboard.

In my experience I've never had mold. The paper towel is damp (squeezed out).

I leave a 15 watt bulb ON overhead in an 8.5 inch dome directly on top of the 10 gallon tank 24/7.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Now my questions...

1. Whats some good things to gut load with? I was thinking like oranges and bananas, but what do you guys have success with? I want to make sure it's healty for the geckos

• For 148 click: Gutload Ingredients for Bugs & Worms......Olimpia -- August 2013

2. Should I still dust roaches before I feed? I know dubia roaches are high in calcium, and the geckos eat Pangea, so I don't wanna go overboard.

• What kind of geckos will you be feeding? Dubia aren't particularly high in calcium. Feeders ARE what they eat. Crickets should have much the same diet 24/7.
  
  Dubia are significantly higher in protein than crickets. Crickets have a better protein-to-fat ratio.
  
  (\/ click to enlarge)
• 

3. How often do you feed? Like every night or every month? And how much? Both of my geckos are a bit small, I hope they grow eating these!

• How often geckos are fed depends upon their ages. If it's cresties and they are eating Pangea Complete diets, it's good to feed them insects @ 1 feeding per week.

4. Do they attract any other critters? Fruit flies/Mice etc.

• Dubia are a "clean" feeder. In my experience they have not attracted anything.

5. I heard they don't smell, is this true?

• That's correct, dubia don't smell! Crickets really don't smell either when they are kept under ideal conditions.

6. It seems like adult roaches are WAY too big to feed. Can I... cut them up..? Or just stick to feeding babies/meduim-ish sizes

• Stick to feeding younger dubia to many geckos. Maybe birds will eat the older dubia.

 

[GpBp]

Hey! So, I ended up going with Josh's Frogs, and I ordered them this morning I bought 3 adult males and 5 adult females, and one 100pk of small-mediums. They should be here this weekend! I getting this tub-https://www.lowes.com/pd/Style-Selections-18-Gallon-Gray-Tote-with-Standard-Snap-Lid/1000183145
today and I'll post some pics when everything's all set-up. I'm feeding my two cresties by the way, sorry I forgot to mention that! Thank you guys!

 

[Scolipede]

I know you got a lot of info on this post already but!! I wanted to add a couple things!
Dubias respond really well to orange colored foods- so carrots, oranges, you know. Earlier stocks of dubia needed a lot of fruit to help breed, I don't know how true this is for current stock (mine bred fine before I started giving them fruits along with my mixed diet) but you might as well offer it readily! They also have the ability to digest tougher stuff so they may chew a bit on the egg cartons.
As for what to do with your adults it can be kinda tricky if you dont have something big enough to eat them. Adult males can live up to a year while adult females can live for two. I usually just leave all mine in there cause they like the company.