Blaptica Dubia Roaches

[Will wu]

I suggest you keep dubia. I think the cricket will kill each other.
If crickets escaped, and they hide in your room.
In the evening, you will feel to sleep in the jungle...

[Jamie Cooper]

Well I have just placed an order for 50 Turkistan roaches (Blatta lateralis) off eBay for £5 + £2 p+p. I have chosen this species as the majority of my spiders are still way too small to eat the larger Dubia species which I believe has young that are fairly big when born.

I will let you know how I get on breeding them which they say requires similar setup to the Dubia but are supposedly faster breeders.

Sounds like a bargain! You certainly got your money's worth! Best of luck breeding them.

I think I'm going to buy 10 more females to add to my colony. The numbers are pretty even at the moment so a few more females should help to get things going.

Jamie.

[R Thomas]

Well, I read somewhere that the ratio of adult females to males should be 3 to 1 (lucky males once again)

Well, 50 sounds a lot but then again who knows what my success will be like - but I am hoping that within a few months I might be able to avoid the last minute rush to buy crickets only to find they don't have the sizes I want!

Richard

[Jamie Cooper]

Well, I read somewhere that the ratio of adult females to males should be 3 to 1 (lucky males once again)

Well, 50 sounds a lot but then again who knows what my success will be like - but I am hoping that within a few months I might be able to avoid the last minute rush to buy crickets only to find they don't have the sizes I want!

Richard

Hi Richard,

I think the care sheet I read said 4 to 1. (Yes agreed! Lucky males). Either way I need way more females! I'm going to order some more tonight. I think I'll narrow the male population down by using them as feeders every so often.

My problem is the price I pay for crickets is almost doubled by the delivery charge! I live 8 miles from the nearest pet shop and even they rarely have what I want, so I order them online.

Who did you buy yours from if you don't mind me asking?

Jamie.

[R Thomas]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220666608386

This is the latest eBay listing for the guy I have ordered from. He says he has shipped out to me today 50 with a 2 to 1 ratio (and that was without asking for a higher ratio)

So hopeful for good results

Hope this helps

Richard

[Jamie Cooper]

Update: Just put some fresh orange quaters and banana's in with the roaches to find about 10 tiny little babies running around! I wasen't expecting any results this soon, so I'm pretty chuffed with that!

Jamie

[R Thomas]

Congratulations Jamie, I am still awaiting my roaches to hatch from their egg sacks. Have found that the adults do not like kiwi fruit but seem to love courgette slices.

Richard

[Jamie Cooper]

Thanks Richard,

It turns out it's not so hard after all.

Good luck with yours, sounds like your nearly there.

[Eleanor]

85F + is going to be quite hard to maintain during winter, even with a heat mat. None of my tarantulas are kept at that temperature anyway. The temperature in my enclosures range from 72 - 80 during the course of the day. I can't get them higher which is OK because I don't need to. Last winter I struggled to maintain these temps. They dropped to something like 68 - 78.

Jamie, I heat my animal room to around 22-24 degrees and my dubia colonies are exploding - the tarantulas can't eat them fast enough. They can definitely cope with lower temperatures than that too, although they'll breed more slowly. I expect they'll be slower to reach 'explosion' point at your temperatures than the temperatures quoted by others, but don't worry, I'm sure they'll get there.

[Jamie Cooper]

Jamie, I heat my animal room to around 22-24 degrees and my dubia colonies are exploding - the tarantulas can't eat them fast enough. They can definitely cope with lower temperatures than that too, although they'll breed more slowly. I expect they'll be slower to reach 'explosion' point at your temperatures than the temperatures quoted by others, but don't worry, I'm sure they'll get there.

Thanks Elenor, that's comforting to know. I haven't actually been monitoring the temperature, I've just attached a heat mat and left them too it. To be honest I wouldn't mind them breeding slowly, I currently have only 10 spiders. I suppose having a never ending supply of roaches might be a good enough reason to buy a load more T's

Jamie

[R Thomas]

Pity my roaches havent exploded as yet. On the other hand my Bean Weevil Colony has and now I have more than sufficient to feed my 50 odd 'small' spiders without having to buy crickets. My Thanks go out to Colin for supplying me the starter batch. I really hope my roaches start soon but I think I got them a week or two after your roaches and so I hope it is imminent.

Richard

[Jamie Cooper]

Does anyone else have problems with those tiny fruit flies? Whenever I open my tub to replace the oranges and bananas (daily) about 10 of them fly out. Is this anything to worry about?

Jamie.

[R Thomas]

Well finally yesterday I looked in my container where I keep my egg cases and found what must be close on a 100 new baby roaches - so it looks as if my Turkistan colony has finally started to expand.
Must say with the bean weevils and hopefully an expanded roach colony I may not need to buy crickets so often - which cannot be a bad thing!
I feel a bit like I have started a new life of self sufficiency lol Roll on the repeats of 'The Good Life'

I am even trading in my high road fund licence car for a new eco friendly model at the end of the week - you think I am having a mid life crisis?

Richard

[Graham A Bilton]

Dubia roaches unlike certain others ie: lobster roaches do not climb so no need for vaseline around tub rim or bug stop type product etc:
They will thrive happily at a temp of around 80 & will breed once temp is raised to around 90 deg.

A heat mat at one end of tub connected to a mat stat gives tou control of this.
Egg trays are easiest form of " bedding " as can be replaced every month or so.
Diet should consist of some fresh apple/orange/veg offered once / twice per week - remembering to remove all uneaten fruit etc: after 24 hours to avoid mould growth.
Crushed kitten biscuits or a bran flake type cereal is perfect for staple diet.
Food best placed on crix type lid.
bug gel is a satisfactory product for liquid needs.

[Jamie Cooper]

Well finally yesterday I looked in my container where I keep my egg cases and found what must be close on a 100 new baby roaches - so it looks as if my Turkistan colony has finally started to expand.
Must say with the bean weevils and hopefully an expanded roach colony I may not need to buy crickets so often - which cannot be a bad thing!
I feel a bit like I have started a new life of self sufficiency lol Roll on the repeats of 'The Good Life'

I am even trading in my high road fund licence car for a new eco friendly model at the end of the week - you think I am having a mid life crisis?

Richard

Well done Richard!

Mine haven't added any more babies since the first batch.

Jamie.