# 2/3 month old Dubia Roach Colony help please



## DawnLeo (Dec 27, 2009)

I started off with 100 mixed adults about 2 months ago. I keep them in a fish tank with a blue low wattage light fitting inside and a heat mat beneath connected to a stat. I have covered all round the outside of the tank with black cardboard and the lid is ventilated. I feed them carrots, salad, bug grub, fish flakes and water gel. They live in vertical egg flats with wheat bran as a substrate.

Me and my son decided to clean them out today and do a count (which was very awkward!) We have 61 of the original live adults left (mostly female), the rest dried up dead. From the original roaches we found 97 babies 

However, my mathematical probability skills etc... are rubbish so based on the fact that 39 adults died and we got 97 babies in about 2 months, what are the chances of a successful feeder colony in say another 2 months as I can't use these babies as feeders as they will be the next generation of breeeders.

I'm confusing myself now, lol I've added 20 juvenille roaches to the colony today that I bought from elsewhere so hopefully this will help.

Just wondering really if all this is a waste of time/resources? and when should I expect to beable to use any of the colony to feed my 3 leos and 2 beardies.


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## madavies65 (Jan 21, 2009)

Your roaches are not breeding as well as should be expected.... its probably due to them being subject to light, I would recommend removing the light fixing on the inside in favour of your heat mat, and if possible get them a black tub as well... These critters love the dark and will breed faster if they have it.

Also make sure their temps are good (high 80's) ... males also have a shorter lifespan than females so that could be why you have a higher percentage of females. though as to feeding out of your colony, I would not recommend it yet


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## imginy (Jun 14, 2009)

Yes they should not be dying off that much normally if I find one or two dead I look to see what the problem is and normally its either temps are to low or dying dew to shedding issues from not enough humidity.

I have been breeding them for about a year now and I have to say I think you are better off with out the water gel and just put fresh greens in every day instead. You don't want to much ventalation as this will give you low humidity and they will start dying when trying to shed. The temp you want is around 30-32c any lower and they will take for eva to get going and any more you risk leaving females infertile.

I give mine chicken mash every day which gives them protien and helps them breed faster then I put fresh greens and fruit in every day but be careful as to not over feed them and wasted food creates mold.

You want lots of egg crates and card board tubes for them to hide in as they breed better when they feel safe also this helps them regulate there temperature climbing up and down the cardboard.

Also don't poke about with them to much just a little look in there every day to put food in a make sure they are ok.

Then I normally clean mine out once every 4 months or when eva I start seeing regular deaths.

So things to look at temps,cardboard,diet,humidity,no water gel,no poking around plus cleaned out ever few months.
Hope this helps giny : victory:


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## TaniaBaker (Nov 14, 2009)

It is best to NOT completely clean them out tho, as the nymphs eat the frass (poo) ... I also find that fish flakes are a very good food. Mine are breeding prolifically


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## DawnLeo (Dec 27, 2009)

Thanks everyone, I forgot to mention that I'd covered all round the outside of the tank with black card already. So it seems I may be cooking them possibly by using a heat light as well as a heat mat and perhaps not enough humidity. I'll switch the light off and see how warm it gets with the heat mat. Should I be measuring the air temperature or the floor temperature with the digital thermometer? Thanks again. Dawn


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## Sollytear (Aug 7, 2008)

Ive been breeding two years now. 
These are my check list:
1) water in their diet
2) protein content of food they eat
3) humidity
4) temps
5) disruptions

Right, I do it differently to everyone else it seems. I put an inch or just less layer of cat bisuits down, egg crates on top, and heat mat under the box. I do not use a stat or a thermometer. If they are too hot they climb. Too cold they dig. The babies can hide easy. Now every week or so (well tbh whenever i do my weeks shopping) I buy a pack of cheap oranges (or other like fruit), cut them in half and place a couple of halves in the box. If the next day the oranges are bone dry I add another one. Until i find it takes them over a day to eat all the orange, in which case i figure they are all filled. Tbh, I play it by ear. 
As for humidity, I beleive in dry! I have found that high humidity kills them. Remember england is a humid country. I have tights as a lid for my tank, and this is perfect ventilation. I 

Disruptions... 
I have two tanks of roaches. One is for my breeders and the other is for my babies. I move the adults that appear in the youngsters box into the breeders every week. What i have noticed is that every time I move babies from the breeders box I loose LOADS of females and my breeding slows. Because of this I clean my cockroaches every 15weeks or so. (Im at uni, so my terms at in 10weeks and I do it at the end of every holiday).


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