Rushing to the pet store each time you run out of the stock of dubia roaches is irritating. It also costs you money and time.
How about developing a dubia roach colony at your house? Yes, it is possible with proper planning and some efforts. But, why should you breed a colony of dubia roaches at home?
These insects are one of the best nutritional sources for your pets like a chameleon, gecko, etc. Many of you go for crickets, but the irritating smell of those lingers throughout your rooms and household items and makes your life miserable.
Dubia roaches are less noisy and smelly than crickets, so you can develop a colony of these particular insects.
Where to Keep Those?
This should always be your first concern. To keep your dubia roaches, you can buy a 10-gallon aquarium or anything larger than that.
You can also go for 40qt or bigger plastic tub. Make sure the container has a lid so that the roaches stay safe inside. If you are using an aquarium, always use a screen cover.
For proper ventilation inside the tub, you can use a hot soldering iron to make holes at the side of the tub. You can also cut holes around 6’*6’ on the cover and attach screens on it. A proper ventilated container will keep the container dry.
Make Sure Roaches Can Stand
If there is no space for the roaches to stand, those will get crushed. To make sure that the roaches can stand well, you can put egg crates of cardboards inside the bin.
Stack all the cartons in the enclosure to the height that roaches can climb those but don’t get outside and escape. Installing crates is also beneficial as those don’t have any chemicals that will hamper the roaches’ health.
Have Idea about the Food
While growing a dubia roach colony it is very important to know what to feed those. Remember, you are growing the colony to feed your pet like a chameleon, Pacman frog, gecko, leopard gecko, etc.
So, make sure you prepare the roaches nutritious enough to maintain the health of your pet. Gut loading is important for dubia roaches, before giving those to your pet.
You can go for roach chow, cricket feed, and other commercial foods to the roaches. Many people use chicken mash or other protein sources, but dubia roaches can’t consume much protein.
So, it is recommended to be very careful about giving them protein or not giving at all. You can go for fresh vegetables and fruits to maintain nutritional value. Carrots, apple, oranges, etc. are perfect for them.
Providing water is also another tricky thing. You should never put a bowl or dish full of water inside the bin as the roaches will drown in it.
Rather, you can keep a sponge, soaked in water, inside the container or you can also use polymer water crystals and put those in a shallow bowl.
Some Additional Tips You Need to Know Before Developing a Dubia Roaches Colony
Besides all these important matters, there are certain other facts you need to remember before beginning your journey with the roaches-
- Keep more females than males inside the bin as a meal can make numerous females pregnant
- Put a good amount of breeding size roaches. Too young roaches will take time to grow and the old roaches are infertile.
- Don’t forget to keep a certain number of nymphs as those will grow and become the new breeders.
So, here you get to know about the tips and tricks for having a dubia roach colony in your house. While buying dubia roaches, always prefer to buy from reputable dealers.
According to the experts, you can start the colony with a minimum of 20 roaches where five are male roaches with full wings 15 females with wing stubs only. If you start with more roaches, you will get more babies at the end.