Dubia roach question

I am about to order some roaches (120 mixed and one adult pair). I am wondering how big a container I need for them for now. I have a decent sized critter keeper with crickets in it right now (cant wait to get rid of those noisy things). Its the same size as the big one at petco with the two black tubes in it, but without the tubes(about 6.5X7.5X10 inches). Would that be big enough for now?

Not at all.

Maybe get a small tub?

6.5 quart shoe box (it's a plastic tub at K-Mart)?

~ Mac

I got about that many to start with and just started out with a storage tub. In my opnion it is worth it to just start with what your going to use for an extened period of time so that you don't have to go throught the hastle of switching them from smaller to larger.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sadistic Serpent

Not at all.

Maybe get a small tub?

6.5 quart shoe box (it's a plastic tub at K-Mart)?

~ Mac

---

Kinda odd that you'd say not at all, then suggest a 6.5 quart box, when the container that i mentioned is 8.4 something quarts . . . . .

Well, I just got my roaches ordered. I went with 125 smalls with one adult pair, and 75 mixed with one adult pair. I figured that way I would have two pairs already breeding, and some that would be mature a little sooner to get things established a little faster. They ship out monday. :)

I use a nice tall tub so there is no way they can get out. I know they can't climb smooth surfaces, but every once in a while one will make it halfway up a side. My tub is roughly 18"L x 12"W x 18"T. I started with a mixed colony of 200 and now I have at least 500 even though I feed them off almost every day. Keep them nice and warm and they will breed faster for you. I use a 11x11 Ultratherm heat pad from ReptileBasics http://www.reptilebasics.com/ultrath...th-11-x11.html on full power. The inside bottom of the warm side of the tub get up to 92-95 degrees with an ambient around 83-85.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lmartelli77

I use a nice tall tub so there is no way they can get out. I know they can't climb smooth surfaces, but every once in a while one will make it halfway up a side. My tub is roughly 18"L x 12"W x 18"T. I started with a mixed colony of 200 and now I have at least 500 even though I feed them off almost every day. Keep them nice and warm and they will breed faster for you. I use a 11x11 Ultratherm heat pad from ReptileBasics http://www.reptilebasics.com/ultrath...th-11-x11.html on full power. The inside bottom of the warm side of the tub get up to 92-95 degrees with an ambient around 83-85.

---

exactly this.

I keep mine in a tall 64quart container. Their egg crates stand on end stacked so the frass (poop) falls to the bottom. I've got some heat tape on it and it keeps the hotspot around 96 degrees and gives them a gradient. They breed like mad. I think i started off with 400 in February. Theres a few thousand in there now. They can also take a ridiculously high population density. Probably 5x what i have in there now and they'd be fine.

My tub for now.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...718002054b.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...718002054a.jpg

I figured the eggcrate would help keep the egg flats out of the waste in the bottom. I just have to make sure it wont hinder the babies from getting around on the bottom to eat.

Dont worry about the frass that falls to the bottom. Some consider it better to have some frass at the bottom. And ditch the water pillow and buy some water crystals. A tiny amount of water crystals will swell up to more than you wanted.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by redstormlax12

Dont worry about the frass that falls to the bottom. Some consider it better to have some frass at the bottom. And ditch the water pillow and buy some water crystals. A tiny amount of water crystals will swell up to more than you wanted.

---

I know the frass is considered important for the babies, I just thought by keeping the flats up out of it a little they would last longer. I already had the pillows, so I figured I'd just use what I have for now. I'm kinda looking into the water crystals and the premade gell you can buy at pet stores. No where around here sells the crystals, so I'm trying to figure out if after shipping its still worth getting them instead of the premade stuff.

Well, it turns out the cricket epidemic has the roach supplier swamped, so my order didn't ship out till yesterday, and some of the orders are just going out today. Anyway, they should finally be here tomorrow morning I hope. Kinda disappointing going to the post office, expecting a package slip in the box, and getting nothing but two newspapers :( .

They're finally here :D
There's about 230 of them (dont ask how I know that)
three adult females, and four adult males.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...0722001026.jpg

I'd post a pic with the egg flats in, but it just looks like the before pics, man those things can hide great :P

The adults are going to be far too big for her to eat for a while, so i'm going to have to make sure i feed my excess male nymps off before they get too big or they'll be useless to me. They aren't very hard to sex after having spent way too many HOURS infront of a disecting scope sexing Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) for genetics.

jeezus if that's what 230 looks like, I must have thousands.