# Wet Dubia Colony



## Taxi Phil (Jan 15, 2013)

I having a go at breeding Dubias and having opened the tub this morning I have found that the underside of the lid and the floor of the tub is very wet.

I have a heat mat underneath the tub, egg cartons inside etc.

Not sure what I am doing wrong.

Please help..


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## Paul112 (Apr 6, 2007)

You will need to drill/solder holes in the lid, or replace part of the lid with mesh, to provide more ventilation.

Dubias don't seem to mind reasonable humidity, but it can and will lead to mold and fungal issues.

Best,
Paul


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## Emma30 (Apr 18, 2008)

Yep as above same as what paul says :2thumb: can even lead to mites and these are a bugger to get rid of, so I would get drilling asap


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## stienbabe (Sep 21, 2008)

I keep my dubia very dry and just spray once a day. They will go without water for weeks, so no need for any water supply in the tank. I keep mine with no lid on, which is fine as long as you don't have cats/little people to worry about.


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## marijan2 (Mar 2, 2013)

stienbabe said:


> I keep my dubia very dry and just spray once a day. They will go without water for weeks, so no need for any water supply in the tank. I keep mine with no lid on, which is fine as long as you don't have cats/little people to worry about.


you do realise if you don't keep them in at least medium humidity(60-70%) you will have ALOT of bad ooths right?


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## vandal (Aug 7, 2010)

stienbabe said:


> I keep my dubia very dry and just spray once a day. They will go without water for weeks, so no need for any water supply in the tank. I keep mine with no lid on, which is fine as long as you don't have cats/little people to worry about.


I'd advise you to get a lid on them asap. When I 1st started out I didnt use a lid either,that was untill I woke up 1 morning and found 2 males in my room,1 on the window seal and 1 at the foot of my bed staring at me:gasp:


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## benjo (Oct 31, 2007)

i have never used a lid, and never had problems with escape's or low birth rates.


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## jarich (Mar 23, 2012)

stienbabe said:


> I keep my dubia very dry and just spray once a day. They will go without water for weeks, so no need for any water supply in the tank. I keep mine with no lid on, which is fine as long as you don't have cats/little people to worry about.


Im sorry but this is not very good advice. They _can_ go for quite awhile without water, but it is not good for them or for them as feeder prey to do so. Either fresh veggies or a water source are recommended at all times. They are also adapted to the forest floor in South America. In other words, they come from a hot, humid environment, and should be kept that way if you are looking to keep them optimally and breeding well for you. You're lucky as you live somewhere humid already, otherwise what you describe would leave you with a very minimally breeding colony.

To the OP, as said above, just increase your ventilation a bit and watch for mold. A bit of condensation isn't a big deal though.


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## Taxi Phil (Jan 15, 2013)

Thanks for all your advice.

I removed the lid and replaced with mire mesh which hopefully will do the trick.


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## Emma30 (Apr 18, 2008)

I do half and half on the lid, 1 side has drilled holes in and the other side has mesh :2thumb:


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