Eggs???

[shopman]

Tony, thanks for the info. Great information.

 

[Tony McAhren]

I will add that my temp probe is sunctioned above the egg crates. I originally put it about half way down in the egg crates but discovered a dubia on top of the bin once. Realized it had crawled up the wire and the lid where the wire came out had a small crack. The temp probe above the egg crates and they can not get to it. No problems since. They do love oranges. They smell one and you can hear the activity level pick up.

 

[Hdrydr31]

lol sneaky bugs yes the oranges are the roach food of love

 

[shopman]

Guys, should I be worried? I have all the food water crystals and oranges in the bin. But I check on them once or twice a day. I am not catching any of the adults in the food, water or oranges. oranges look untouched. Temp is just under 90. I am going to work on getting it up to 95. Should I be worried? Egg flats were just delivered so I will be changing things up inside. Hope that will help. I do see them moving around.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Guys, should I be worried? I have all the food water crystals and oranges in the bin. But I check on them once or twice a day. I am not catching any of the adults in the food, water or oranges. oranges look untouched. Temp is just under 90. I am going to work on getting it up to 95. Should I be worried? Egg flats were just delivered so I will be changing things up inside. Hope that will help. I do see them moving around.

Don't worry they are nocturnal so you may or may not see them eating.. I rarely do every once and a while I will see them in the water crystals...At first it will seem like they are not touching the oranges but don't worry they will
Your temps sound fine like I say I keep mine in the 80's and they are going like crazy..
Once you switch over to your egg flats stop checking on them when I was just getting my colony going I was very careful not to move them around I just opened the lid enough to change out the water, and oranges and top off the dry chow as needed..they really need to be just left to do their business For my original colony it took a good 7 weeks to see them producing nymphs, you'll know if the females are with eggs as she will get quite fat in her body section and as the nymphs develope her "shell" sections will look like they are expanding showing a light tan between them. This is a good thing..

 

[Tony McAhren]

I only check every other day at the earliest. The less you disturb them the better. I add water crystals, chow and an orange. Take out a y peeling and done for a few days.

 

[shopman]

Ok, I'll leave them alone. I swapped out the egg cartoons for egg trays last night. I now have an adult breading bin, adolescent bin and a feeder tank in my sons room. I have to say our little guy/gal loves the dubia's. Last night when I put the try of dubia in his enclosure he jumped down from the highest platform and went to town. Wife is not a fan and she hasn't even see the large bins.

 

[Paarthurnax]

I will be going into my breeder bin today to refill my feeder container. Try and get a 100 or so I don't have to bother them for a week and a half. Seems oranges need to be in the bin for a couple days. Then all of a sudden they are gone over night. I do daily water and chow checks. Replace oranges when required. Temps around 85 dead center of the bin digital tire temp probe so super accurate.

 

[shopman]

Paarthurnax,
Did I mess up by breaking open the drying oranges? Just let them start to dry out and they will take care of the rest?

 

[Paarthurnax]

Not sure of the question. I cut the top off the orange by maybe 1/2". the dubia will climb up and pretty much dig in and hollow out an average orange in a day or two. If I notice after longer than that the orage gets moldy I take it out and put in a fresh one. baby carrots get eaten pretty readily by the dubia as well.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Paarthurnax,
Did I mess up by breaking open the drying oranges? Just let them start to dry out and they will take care of the rest?

I cut my oranges into sections and just leave them be they will eat it to the rind..

 

[Tony McAhren]

When you do it enough you know how fast they go through food. I can go 3-4 days on an orange and a week without more chow. Size of the colony will dictate how often. If you only have 50 or so starting out you can go a week to replace veggies and fruit along with chow and water crystals. If most is gone drop it down a day from previous before checking again. The longer you can go without checking on them the better.

 

[shopman]

I am a little concerned for the adults. The oranges I had in looked almost untouched. I put them in three days ago. Seems like most of the food hasn't been eaten. Even the water crystals. I"m prop. just a worried papa. I put all new orange, food and water crystals in last night. Added baby carrots also. Juvies ate those up quick. Temp looks good and they seem active. Last night I decided to try and block the light from the vent holes on top. With the light from the room and heat lamp I thought maybe they aren't getting the the dark conditions they really like. So, it's much darker in the bin now.

 

[Paarthurnax]

ah heat lamp. Yea mine didn't like that much. soon as I bought a heat pad under the rubber maid bin the little buggers took off.

 

[Tony McAhren]

I am a little concerned for the adults. The oranges I had in looked almost untouched. I put them in three days ago. Seems like most of the food hasn't been eaten. Even the water crystals. I"m prop. just a worried papa. I put all new orange, food and water crystals in last night. Added baby carrots also. Juvies ate those up quick. Temp looks good and they seem active. Last night I decided to try and block the light from the vent holes on top. With the light from the room and heat lamp I thought maybe they aren't getting the the dark conditions they really like. So, it's much darker in the bin now.

If you have 50 it will take them a while to eat an orange. I would quarter an orange and put in just one quarter to really guide how much they eat. It may take them awhile in a large incluse for all of the too find it. Get a red heat bulb for the heat lamp. Again I wouldn't even fiddle with it for the first week as they get acclimated. Roaches are hardy. Don't worry. Darker the better though and the heat needed. An orange can mold but they will eat a quarter in enough time before mold sets in. Also just puting in sliced halves they will have a hard time getting to it which is why I cut them in quarters. Start out with 1 quarter and see how long it takes to eat it. It it completely gone after 3-4 days then put 2 and stick with that number until it is completely gone in 3-4 days before adding a third quarter. Even if it does get eaten before you check they still have chow. Remember these are roaches. Typically they are hard to get to die. Since these are tropical roaches as long as you have heat, water and chow you will be fine. The oranges are just to get them going. A year from now you will be looking for ways to thin the herd as you will be swimming in the. That is another topic for another day. Right now you are a mother roach trying to take care of its young and are over protective.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Well said Tony! (sorry I've been offline my big dog had knee surgery couple of days ago and just got her home yesterday and she's needed ALOT of help so I've not been on).
Yep if you have small #'s it will take some time, at first I went thru alot of oranges that looked pretty untouched but that will change as they settle in. mine will eat them down to the rind so just be patient and remember it may look like they've not eaten any but well their mouths are tiny and they suck the juice at first so they don't leave behind signs.. I do it like Tony I quarter the oranges I cut them in half then slice them into 3 slices then cut those in half so a half of the orange feeds both of my tubs each tub gets 3-4 quarters every other day along with a chunk of carrot.
They will soon take off but remember my colony took 7-8 weeks to show signs of production and now I'm trying to slow them down! it will happen pappa roach

 

[Paarthurnax]

I started my colony about the same time as Hdrydr31 and am feeding 70 medium / large a week to Jim. and providing 100 smalls a week to a local fellow baby dragon owner. and these guys are still gaining on me.

 

[Tony McAhren]

After 6 months the numbers start to go up quick. All those little nymphs in the beginning start to produce and then go up. I might have to run some numbers and then post with some assumptions learned.

 

[shopman]

Thanks guys! I did as you said with quartering the oranges. Yes I can see they are eating it. I didn't even think about them sucking the juices out first. My adolescent group is doing real well. But their are more than double the numbers so it's easier to see the activity. Thanks for all the help! Our little guy is loving the new food source. It takes him a little time to eat them but he is on the as soon as I put them in the bowl.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Thanks guys! I did as you said with quartering the oranges. Yes I can see they are eating it. I didn't even think about them sucking the juices out first. My adolescent group is doing real well. But their are more than double the numbers so it's easier to see the activity. Thanks for all the help! Our little guy is loving the new food source. It takes him a little time to eat them but he is on the as soon as I put them in the bowl.

Awesome!! I knew they were you just couldn't see the changes in the orange they love them oranges.. Pretty soon you'll be like us knee deep in Dubia