Quote Originally Posted by iguion View Post
well he said he wasn't feeding the dubia's so they have been feeding off the dead ones in there for a really long time. i have her tank set up the hot side is at 95F 50humidity the cool side (side with water bowl) is 90F and 50humidity. I live in southern california so its pretty hot here year around

what I meant by working on the temps in her tank was adjusting the lamps and such to get good readings.

I'm a little strapped for cash is there a way to get her the protein she needs on a budget until I can get on my feet? possibly something i can store in bulk
So, with your temps, your hot side should be a couple degrees warmer but it's not horrible. You need to drop the cool side by at least 10 degrees. A cool side in the low to mid 70s is preferable but you need to bring it at least down to 80. She has no chance to cool off right now and that's not good. Move the heat lamp as far away from the cool side as you can and get it dropped down.

You're going to have make a decision on the dubia. She needs protein. If it's a choice between nothing and those dubia, I'd give her the dubia. I don't think their feeding off each other will necessarily spread parasites but it will deplete their nutrition. Gut load them with scraps. Give them vegetable scraps, fruit scraps, and carb scraps (stale bread, etc). I don't give any gel to my colonies, they get their hydration from fresh vegetables and this will jam pack them with nutrients.

There's really nothing you can store in bulk protein-wise, fresh and live is the best. You can keep some mealworms and waxworms in the fridge which shouldn't be a primary food source but would be great to supplement with. If you can provide inexpensive food and hydration to your dubia, you'll have awesome protein. If you're worried about potential parasites, go to a pet store and get a couple dozen crickets for a couple bucks.