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  1. #1
    BPnet Veteran GpBp's Avatar
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    Question Dubia Roach Breeding Questions!

    Hi! So, I'm planning on breeding dubia roaches for my two crested geckos Bea and Pocket (3yrs old and 8mo old). I've never bred any feeders before so this is a first for me! I've been feeding them dusted crickets every two weeks, but I just feel they should be getting more protein and stuff



    I think I'm gonna go with JoshsFrogs for the roaches. Do 5 adult males, 10 adult females, and 100pk small-mediums sound okay to you? Prices seem nice too!
    • 5PK adult males $4.95
    • 10PK adult females $17.50
    • 100PK small/mediums $12.99





    As for setup, I'd get a bin with JoshsFrogs "CocoCradle" (left over from bioactive kit) substrate, and a couple egg flats on one side. On the other side, I'd have food and a container holding those water absorbing crystals (so babies don't drown). Over the side, with egg flats, I think I'll put a very low wattage bulb to get the side up to low-mid 80's, as my room is usually high 70's.



    Now my questions...
    1. Whats some good things to gut load with? I was thinking like oranges and bananas, but what do you guys have success with? I want to make sure it's healthy for the geckos
    2. Should I still dust the roaches before I feed? I know dubia roaches are high in calcium and the geckos are eating Pangea, so I don't wanna go overboard!
    3. How often should I feed? Like once a day or, once a month? And how much? Both of my geckos are a bit small, so I'm hoping they grow good!
    4. Do they attract any other critters? Fruit flies/mice etc
    5. I heard they don't smell, is that true?
    6. It seems like adult roaches are WAY too big to feed. Can I... Cut them up..? Or just stick to feeding only babies/ medium-ish sizes?



    Thank you!
    Last edited by GpBp; 05-03-2018 at 08:33 PM.
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  2. #2
    BPnet Lifer Sauzo's Avatar
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    Re: Dubia Roach Breeding Questions!

    Quote Originally Posted by GpBp View Post
    Hi! So, I'm planning on breeding dubia roaches for my two crested geckos Bea and Pocket (3yrs old and 8mo old). I've never bred any feeders before so this is a first for me! I've been feeding them dusted crickets every two weeks, but I just feel they should be getting more protein and stuff



    I think I'm gonna go with JoshsFrogs for the roaches. Do 5 adult males, 10 adult females, and 100pk small-mediums sound okay to you? Prices seem nice too!
    • 5PK adult males $4.95
    • 10PK adult females $17.50
    • 100PK small/mediums $12.99





    As for setup, I'd get a bin with JoshsFrogs "CocoCradle" (left over from bioactive kit) substrate, and a couple egg flats on one side. On the other side, I'd have food and a container holding those water absorbing crystals (so babies don't drown). Over the side, with egg flats, I think I'll put a very low wattage bulb to get the side up to low-mid 80's, as my room is usually high 70's.



    Now my questions...
    1. Whats some good things to gut load with? I was thinking like oranges and bananas, but what do you guys have success with? I want to make sure it's healthy for the geckos
    2. Should I still dust the roaches before I feed? I know dubia roaches are high in calcium and the geckos are eating Pangea, so I don't wanna go overboard!
    3. How often should I feed? Like once a day or, once a month? And how much? Both of my geckos are a bit small, so I'm hoping they grow good!
    4. Do they attract any other critters? Fruit flies/mice etc
    5. I heard they don't smell, is that true?
    6. It seems like adult roaches are WAY too big to feed. Can I... Cut them up..? Or just stick to feeding only babies/ medium-ish sizes?



    Thank you!
    I've been breeding dubias for about 5 years now and my advice is keep it simple.

    1) Gut load with stuff you want your animal to eat. I use stuff like butternut squash, alfalfa pellets soaked in water, carrots, mustard greens, oranges, apples, pretty much any veggie or fruit will work.
    2) Yes, i would still dust. Not sure the required amount needed for geckos but i would probably use calcium with D3 since geckos are nocturnal so wouldnt get the D3 from a UVB bulb like diurnal reptiles.
    3) Again, the amount depends on the geckos requirement. I cant help there as i dont own geckos but for my beardie, i vary her stuff with dubias, hornworms, butterworms, silkworms, kingworms and veggies and fruit.
    4) They personally dont but their food can. If you overfeed them on fruit, it can attract fruit flies. You will learn how fast your colony can eat. At the peak, my colony was polishing off 4+ apples in about 30 mins. They would literally pour out from the egg crates like a wave from a horror movie lol.
    5) They have a unique odor but its not noticeable unless you shove your head in the bin. Some people are allergic to their frass though. But unless you are cleaning the tub, shouldnt be an issue.
    6) My beardie doesnt eat adults. I used to just kill the males off by the tupperware container full or when i was selling off roaches, i would ask customers if they wanted adult males and if they did, i would just give them a tub full for free. I only feed the smaller ones. You want to constantly have them growing up so you can refresh your old breeder females and males. Dont need many males though as they will fight and basically just eat food for no gain.

    The prices you listed arent bad but you can find better. Check your local reptile group FB page. I'm sure you could find someone selling dubias. I used to sell them locally to people and would just meet them in store parking lots. I also started my colony by buying surplus from a guy with too big of colony for dirt cheap. Picked up like 80 females for $40. Also you can sex dubias. Turn them over and look at the last scute on the end of their butt. If it is one big scute and is wide, it is a female. If it is narrow and small, it is a male.

    Oh forgot to add, i would use no substrate. Let their frass become the substrate. I just use big tubs with a screened hole, egg crates, a dish with water crystals and a CHE for heat. Something simple like that works well and you will have thousands of roaches once your colony gets stabilized and going. generally if you start off with little roaches, you are looking at 6+ months before you can start feeding off the colony. With adult females, you can start sooner. You want to let enough little ones grow up to be big ones to replace breeders like i said. IIRC, one female will produce about 20 young a month, so depending how many your animal eats, you can figure out how many females you need to cover the animal, deaths and letting some grow up to be females for breeding.
    Last edited by Sauzo; 05-03-2018 at 09:33 PM.
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  3. #3
    BPnet Veteran Eramyl's Avatar
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    Breeding dubias is very easy. Make sure the tub you get is a solid plastic color so that light doesn't come through. You don't need a substrate at all, just the egg crates.

    As for gut loading, carrots and Cheerios are what I used. I also used dog food for a while too. Grind it up to a fine powder and leave the carrot in little chunks and you're good to go. Oranges are great too. I had a population boom after feeding oranges a couple times, so I'd say only feed oranges if you need babies.

    Dubias don't have a smell to them. Any smell will come from neglegted food items that will rot. Use water crystals for your water source so the roaches don't drown.

    You can feed a couple every few days, and if the geckos are getting sufficient nutrients elsewhere you don't really need to dust them. I did for my frilled dragon and he did well. They're outer shell isn't as hard as a meal worm so it is easier to digest.

    You probably could chop up the adults for food, I have never tried it, I don't know if it will work.

  4. #4
    BPnet Veteran GpBp's Avatar
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    Re: Dubia Roach Breeding Questions!

    Quote Originally Posted by Sauzo View Post
    I've been breeding dubias for about 5 years now and my advice is keep it simple.

    1) Gut load with stuff you want your animal to eat. I use stuff like butternut squash, alfalfa pellets soaked in water, carrots, mustard greens, oranges, apples, pretty much any veggie or fruit will work.
    2) Yes, i would still dust. Not sure the required amount needed for geckos but i would probably use calcium with D3 since geckos are nocturnal so wouldnt get the D3 from a UVB bulb like diurnal reptiles.
    3) Again, the amount depends on the geckos requirement. I cant help there as i dont own geckos but for my beardie, i vary her stuff with dubias, hornworms, butterworms, silkworms, kingworms and veggies and fruit.
    4) They personally dont but their food can. If you overfeed them on fruit, it can attract fruit flies. You will learn how fast your colony can eat. At the peak, my colony was polishing off 4+ apples in about 30 mins. They would literally pour out from the egg crates like a wave from a horror movie lol.
    5) They have a unique odor but its not noticeable unless you shove your head in the bin. Some people are allergic to their frass though. But unless you are cleaning the tub, shouldnt be an issue.
    6) My beardie doesnt eat adults. I used to just kill the males off by the tupperware container full or when i was selling off roaches, i would ask customers if they wanted adult males and if they did, i would just give them a tub full for free. I only feed the smaller ones. You want to constantly have them growing up so you can refresh your old breeder females and males. Dont need many males though as they will fight and basically just eat food for no gain.

    The prices you listed arent bad but you can find better. Check your local reptile group FB page. I'm sure you could find someone selling dubias. I used to sell them locally to people and would just meet them in store parking lots. I also started my colony by buying surplus from a guy with too big of colony for dirt cheap. Picked up like 80 females for $40. Also you can sex dubias. Turn them over and look at the last scute on the end of their butt. If it is one big scute and is wide, it is a female. If it is narrow and small, it is a male.

    Oh forgot to add, i would use no substrate. Let their frass become the substrate. I just use big tubs with a screened hole, egg crates, a dish with water crystals and a CHE for heat. Something simple like that works well and you will have thousands of roaches once your colony gets stabilized and going. generally if you start off with little roaches, you are looking at 6+ months before you can start feeding off the colony. With adult females, you can start sooner. You want to let enough little ones grow up to be big ones to replace breeders like i said. IIRC, one female will produce about 20 young a month, so depending how many your animal eats, you can figure out how many females you need to cover the animal, deaths and letting some grow up to be females for breeding.
    Thank you so so much Sauzo!!
    1. Thats great! I thought there were only certain things they should eat. I have guinea pigs and they eat A LOT of fruit/veggies, so feeding them shouldn't be a problem!
    2. I'll still dust lightly then
    3. I guess I'll just experiment. I think maybe twice a week would be good for the geckos! I'll just feed them however much they'd take.
    4. Do you think if I put a lid on their tub it wouldn't attract anything? With mesh on top of course so they can breathe
    5. Awesome! My cousin breeds crickets and... .
    6. I'm not sure what I'll do for the males. Do you think they'd be safe if I cut them up? Bea will eat anything lol, I'm sure I could get him to eat a cut-up adult.

    I'll be sure to check around FB and stuff! I'm hoping to get everything ordered by this weekend!
    I heard 2/5-6 videos I watched say to use substrate. Just thought I'd ask
    20 babies per female a month? Woahh! Awesome. I won't need many at all! Bea eats up to 8-9 per feeding, and Pocket eats 5-6, so honestly like 3 females would be okay!

    Thanks again!!
    ¹.⁰ ᵖᵃˢᵗᵉˡ ᵇᵃˡˡ ᵖʸᵗʰᵒⁿ ⁻ ᵍᵉⁿᵒ
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    ¹.⁰ ᵖⁱⁿˢᵗʳⁱᵖᵉ ʰᵃʳˡᵉqᵘⁱⁿ ᶜʳᵉˢᵗᵉᵈ ᵍᵉᶜᵏᵒ ⁻ ᵖᵒᶜᵏᵉᵗ
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  5. #5
    BPnet Veteran GpBp's Avatar
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    Re: Dubia Roach Breeding Questions!

    Quote Originally Posted by Eramyl View Post
    Breeding dubias is very easy. Make sure the tub you get is a solid plastic color so that light doesn't come through. You don't need a substrate at all, just the egg crates.

    As for gut loading, carrots and Cheerios are what I used. I also used dog food for a while too. Grind it up to a fine powder and leave the carrot in little chunks and you're good to go. Oranges are great too. I had a population boom after feeding oranges a couple times, so I'd say only feed oranges if you need babies.

    Dubias don't have a smell to them. Any smell will come from neglegted food items that will rot. Use water crystals for your water source so the roaches don't drown.

    You can feed a couple every few days, and if the geckos are getting sufficient nutrients elsewhere you don't really need to dust them. I did for my frilled dragon and he did well. They're outer shell isn't as hard as a meal worm so it is easier to digest.

    You probably could chop up the adults for food, I have never tried it, I don't know if it will work.
    Was I thinking this tub? https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-20-G...0408/303198182
    I like the ideas of Cheerios! And I always have lots of carrots laying around! I'll try that, thanks!
    I think I'll try chopping them up, my one gecko, Bea, will literally eat like anything lol

    Thank you!
    Last edited by GpBp; 05-04-2018 at 10:09 AM.
    ¹.⁰ ᵖᵃˢᵗᵉˡ ᵇᵃˡˡ ᵖʸᵗʰᵒⁿ ⁻ ᵍᵉⁿᵒ
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  6. #6
    BPnet Veteran Eramyl's Avatar
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    That tub is perfect. Just cut a hole in top vor ventilation and you're golden. I used screen door material to cover the hole, but they're not likely to ever get put since they can't climb the plastic.

  7. #7
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    Re: Dubia Roach Breeding Questions!

    Good info here - thanks. I'm adding a pair of ackie monitors to my collection and decided to start a Dubia colony. LOTS of info out there.

    Dubia roach depot has some extensive educational material (great for someone like me that's OCD).

    I've got my Hefty 72qt tub, a UTH (if needed), and a shopping list; 100 count starter colony with a 1:5 M to F ratio and assorted nymph sizes, a cleaner crew consisting of Dermestid and lesser mealworm beetles, luffa water dish, and for ease of use their MNERR food mix. I'm sure the last few items are just their way of doing thing but it seems to work for them.

    Hope to have the colony relatively established prior to the monitors arriving, if not I'll be supplementing with crickets and superworms anyway.
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