My dubias

[piranhaking]

I got my dubias about 6 and a half weeks ago. A day or two ago, my first adults finally molted out . I got one male and one female. Two of my adult females that came with the order are swelled up like they're about to pop, so I'm hoping they're gonna drop some babies soon. I think one of them might have had a litter before I seperated my adults from the others (I wanted to be able to keep up with production). I do have one question though, after they molt into adults, are they sexually mature then, or is it still a while before they begin producing?

[suzuki4life]

I got my dubias about 6 and a half weeks ago. A day or two ago, my first adults finally molted out . I got one male and one female. Two of my adult females that came with the order are swelled up like they're about to pop, so I'm hoping they're gonna drop some babies soon. I think one of them might have had a litter before I seperated my adults from the others (I wanted to be able to keep up with production). I do have one question though, after they molt into adults, are they sexually mature then, or is it still a while before they begin producing?

how are you determining they are adults?

curious because I just read a sale ad elsewhere claiming their dubia were one shed away from adulthood but only 7/8" in length. Must be one heck of a shed.

[piranhaking]

The adults have a different body form. The nymphs all look the same except for size. Once they are adults, they get their wings (the males large wings, the females small stub wings), and the body color darkens quite a bit. I'll try to get a good picture of the difference tomorrow.

[suzuki4life]

The adults have a different body form. The nymphs all look the same except for size. Once they are adults, they get their wings (the males large wings, the females small stub wings), and the body color darkens quite a bit. I'll try to get a good picture of the difference tomorrow.

I know what adults look likr...females become "shiny"...

males have wings prior to breeding.

[cinderbird]

I wouldn't seperate the adults from the nymphs for long. The newborn nymphs feed off the frass (poop) of the larger roaches until they start eating regular food. They can also take a RIDICULOUS population density. its awesome.

I've had my colony going since january.

Adult males have full wings but can't fly.
Adult females have small wing nubs and can't fly. They have shiny black bodies. I can get some pics if you'd like.

[jfreels]

Here's an update for you, Gary.

Just this weekend I separated my adults into their own tub. I've probably only fed off about 2 dozen nymphs. Some of the larger nymphs will probably be adults in their next molt or two, they nearly look like adults now.

I've seen with my dragons, they will eat 2-3 large nymphs as opposed to 20 crickets. My plan was to let them eat 20 or so small nymphs, but by doing the math, they will go a lot further and feed more animals if I let them get bigger....duh

They are really an awesome feeder....other than the play dead thing. That's the only thing I don't like about them right now.

[suzuki4life]

Here's an update for you, Gary.

Just this weekend I separated my adults into their own tub. I've probably only fed off about 2 dozen nymphs. Some of the larger nymphs will probably be adults in their next molt or two, they nearly look like adults now.

I've seen with my dragons, they will eat 2-3 large nymphs as opposed to 20 crickets. My plan was to let them eat 20 or so small nymphs, but by doing the math, they will go a lot further and feed more animals if I let them get bigger....duh

They are really an awesome feeder....other than the play dead thing. That's the only thing I don't like about them right now.

glad they worked out for you...

[piranhaking]

Yea, the play dead thing is a little frustrating. They seem to do it more if they land on their back. My leo is starting to recognize them as food whether they move or not though They hit the bottom of the tank, and they are GONE. I also have several more that I expect to do the adult shed soon

[piranhaking]

Had another adult male shed out I think the next few to emerge should be females (judging by size)

[piranhaking]

Finally got BABIES. There are about thirty tiny little guys running around in the tub with my starter adults The female that had them looks like a flat tire . Now I know for sure my other two females are getting ready to drop theirs too. They are both way thicker than that one is. All three of my feeder colonies are now producing (just got baby super worms a day or two ago, and my first generation of mealworms is starting to pupate). I was starting to wonder if something was wrong, but apparently all is well