Dubia Roaches

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

Howdy Roach Wranglers!

I have so much fun with my redworms and mealworms, so I decided to give Dubia roaches a try. I'd love to hear feedback on my plans from y'all!

I'll be using a 45 gal rectangular glass aquarium with an under tank heater, scored off craigslist for $40 (sweet!). We're in a desert climate, so I may have gone overboard with the misting system. Check it out! http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/monsoon_rs400.php

I'm planning to keep the floor bare, supply cardboard egg cartons, and provide no artificial light. The colony will be placed in a quiet, spare bedroom with a small window w/curtains.

Do they need water gel crystals, and what is a good online source?

Is a screened terrarium top appropriate? (It was used for a reptile.)

What do you feed your roaches? I've been reading about roach chow recipes, and it looks like dry cat food, rabbit pellets, and layer crumbles (which I have plenty of) would make a good base, plus some sweet breakfast cereal (yuck) and fish flakes. Do you grind it to a powder, or can they eat the pellets as is? And fruits and veggies, though they'll be competing with the mealworms on that.

Thanks, I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

Bryan

 

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

Yay!!!!! They're so cool!

Breeding female



Breeding pair

 

[kellyjo8437]

I know this reply is late but life has been hectic

As far as that http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/monsoon_rs400.php is concerned I'm pretty sure that will make the roach house way too damp even at it's lowest settings.
As far as the screen top that should work as I know for a fact the adults may not climb vertically on smooth surfaces but the little babies sometimes can, and the glue at the corners of the glass on aquariums can give them enough traction to sneak out of the tank.
Some people use a layer of vaseline at the top of the tank so they cannot escape.
I used it for a short while with hissing roaches and found it messy as they would walk up to it, slip and little slithers of slime ended up on the glass.
I buy gel crystals on eBay real cheap. Just put cricket waterer or cricket watering in the search bar and they will come up by the dozens. I mix mine with fruit juice.
I feed all my buggies fresh fruits and also the bird food pellets I feed my breeding parrots. Lots of folks don't like feeding dog and cat food cause it's so processed and many are so low in nutritional value. But if you do feed dog or cat food get yourself a little coffee grinder, it'll make life a whole lot easier, cause yes you need to make it easier for the little buggers to eat it up.
You don't have to provide water though if you provide enough foods that are moisture rich. Just make sure to watch the foods i.e. fruit etc for mold.
Hope this can help