Dubia Roaches/heat mat?

[steest]

Ohh, at bigapple they said that you need to run electrical across wherever it is cut, because there it is exposed, and can short circuit.

Well actually I'll just bring the video here haha! at about 6:45 he talks about electrical tape..

[MonsterPyxie]

thanks for posting, I will check it out when I get home from work.

It could have been something that simple. I plan on using the tape style stuff when I get a "rack" to house the new snakes im getting. But when i do...... I will be very careful.

I still have the bin that has the hole burnt in it, sitting in my garage, I could snap a picture, its a big nasty hole!

[Sublime]

Yeah this tape is widely used for python racks for it's flexibility and low cost. I obviously want to use it for different purposes though because I'm not into snakes. Rob save your money for more pixies or pacmans please, lol. I want to see more frog collection. Not snake collection.

[MonsterPyxie]

Yeah this tape is widely used for python racks for it's flexibility and low cost. I obviously want to use it for different purposes though because I'm not into snakes. Rob save your money for more pixies or pacmans please, lol. I want to see more frog collection. Not snake collection.

haha, I want more pyxies, but I'm looking for breeding projects right now. Boa's are really peaking my interest!

I did find a 55gal lid for $15 that I bought for the 55gal tank I already have. Going to use that for the Pyxie. So i'm making strides for the good of the pyxie's haha.

Debating if its safe to house a few of them together in the 55gal like a few other members have done.

then again a half grown male is probably too big for a 55gal

[Sublime]

You could try housing them together when they're not babies. Around juvenile-adult size and age. Reason being, the babies have been known to be more cannibilistic then older ones. As long as they're being well fed, same size, keep a close eye on them and you should be fine once they adjust to each other. I should note that you should have them in a quarantine tank for a period of time before moving them both in together. A half grown male is definitely not too big for a 55 gal, not even a grown one. That is plenty big for several, they will use all the room you give them. Burrowing, large water source, and what not. What are the dimensions on the 55 gal? Good to know you're making an attempt at adding pixies to the collection . An adult male with an adult female is a little risky because of the size difference, unless it's breeding season and you're making an attempt to breed them.

I don't know, get someone elses opinion or experience if they've housed a female and a male together. I just know they should be relatively the same size if you're going to house them together so they don't make an attempt to make a meal out of one.

[MonsterPyxie]

It's a old 55gal. it was made in like 1987 I think the sticker on the side says. The glass is super thick, and it has to weigh close to 180lbs. I would have to measure it, but i'm pretty sure its a typical 55gal size.

i was thinking of having about 6" of dirt to burrow, and then on the other side 6" of water, separate the dirt and water with acrylic, and also have some sort of insert that I can divide the tank if need be. would also like live plants, and water plants, with fish if possible. Make it really nice looking to show off

I'll worry about hosing them together later. thats a ways down the road, but I wouldn't do it unless I thought it was safe for them. Wouldn't wanna find one hanging out the mouth of another!

[Sublime]

A 180 lbs? **** dude, I ain't lifting that. That's no joke, lol durability right there. Never heard of people doing it with acrylic, sure it would probably do the same job. I've seen people using plexiglass or glass though. Just make sure when you do a divider like that for half land and water that the edge of the acrylic or whatever you're using is beveled or rounded so it doesn't hurt the frog. Live plants couldn't be planted directly in the soil, these guys will just burrow it out (Need to be potted). Fish choice is also really important if you decide to do that. Yeah all that sounds cool. 55 gal is huge for one pixie, although I'm sure he or she would love the extra space.

[Kreamcheese]

Alright guys, got some of my roaches, ordered a bunch more. I have a neck/back heater on the bottom, it's something like 12" by 8". Then I have 2 50-60 gal zoo med heat pads wrapped around the sides of my 30 gallon bin. Both of the zoo med heaters are on the zoo med rheostat on max. The bottom of the bin is very warm from the heat mat on the bottom. But my temp says 75 for my bin. What can i do? Like I said I cant keep them anywhere but the garage. Can I have a heat lamp hovering a few inches above the metal mesh cut out I have on top? Feel like no matter what I do I cant get the right temp.

[Sublime]

What are you using to check the temperature? All those heat pads should be plenty enough, try setting the bin above the ground floor in the garage. Like on a table or something with a blanket underneath so the heat doesn't escape underneath. If you are using like a gauge that's planted on the side of a bin, that's not going to work.. You need to measure the flat bottom where most of the heat is to get an accurate temperature, the heat dissipates fast. How big is the cut out on the top of your bin? Does it take up the whole top? Yeah you can use a heat lamp hovering over, but that shouldn't be necessary. I can only keep mine in the garage and I live about an hour from you. They're on a card table off the ground with a 30-40 gal zoo-med uth on the bottom and that's it with a zoo-med rheostat set almost to max. Temperature should be way higher for you than me... doesn't make sense.

Update me with some pics of your setup, by the way your neck/back heater does it have a thermostat that shuts it off after a certain temp? Does your wall outlet not support the amount of wattage you're using an have a socket limit?

[steest]

It would also suggest against the heat lamp, as lights really make them skittish, (more than normal haha) and if you want them to breed the best i would say no to heat lamp. Another thing that I saw which looked kinda cool are heat ropes, and I have heard that they are pretty effective at pumping out good heat.

Also another thing is how big is your bin? Dubia actually prefer to be cramped, for better breeding it is advised to not keep them in huge bins, unless you have thousands. I moved my dubias from a 35 gallon, into a 20 gallon. It is then easier to heat, because there is less area in the bin.

[Sublime]

That's true, I think invertebrates are sensitive to red light or uv light. Red light being an infrared heat night lamp, so don't use that or any other type of light source. The minute I pop open the bin they get so agitated and run for cover. Yes, dubias are a social roach and prefer to be crammed, thus saving you room and money. What are these heat ropes you are talking about steest? Good information by the way to help him out.

[Kreamcheese]

Mark, tomorrow I will post up pics of my setup so you can see what I'm dealing with. I have them up on a wooden desk and there is a blanket under the bin, which the back heater is sitting on. The top cut out is about 6" by 10", and I covered up some of it to try and keep the heat in. No worries for a socket limit, and the back heater doesn't have a regulator/auto shut off. Also if needed I'll buy an 18 gallon or even smaller container until I have a well established colony. It does seem like there is WAY TOO much room right now. Granted I only have about 80 in there right now, but I do have another 400 ish coming soon. I still think a smaller container might be better, and much easier to get to an ideal temp.

[Sublime]

Actually a black (purple light) for general heating purposes would be fine. I don't think it would disturb them since this light spectrum isn't visible day or night.

@Andrew, that is very strange that your temperature is not getting hot enough. Everything you said sounds fine, except what do you check the temperature of heat with? You might need to build an insulated box in a shelving unit since where ever you're putting it is not holding the heat at all.

[steest]

Well, actually I have heard the opposite, that red light is actually ok.


This guy has to keep his dubia out in the garage, and this is how he did it, kind of overboard, but still some good ideas.
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/foo...pic-heavy.html

Another great idea i have seen is that people will actually put foil insulation in the bins, so that heat is not lost through the plastic.

As for the heat rope, you can buy it at a whole ton of different herp suppliers. Since I bought my stuff through bigapple, I will link them.. Actually I will just have him tell you hahaha, it looks very useful and has many applications, it will for sure be my next purchase!




Here is a good overview for anyone about who isnt familiar
Breeding Blaptica Dubia

HERE IS ALL THE WAYS YOU HEAT YOUR ROACHES
Heating Roach Enclosures


^^^ CHECK IT OUT!

[Kreamcheese]

Using an electronic temp/humidity gauge. I do have two wall mounted gauges but figure those are trash anyways. I place the electronic gauge on the bottom above the back heater spot and I'm getting about 84 at night. other side where there is food and water crystals is about 75 at night.

[Sublime]

Nice find steest. Foil insulation is a good idea, never would of though of that. If it's on the ground though, doesn't it bother the roaches? Thanks man for showing me, good guides for newcomers approaching dubia breeding.

@Andrew, I was just going to suggest using internal heat mats in the bin instead of outside for your case. Heat Tape would be a good purchase and is flexible enough to make it work. Just hook it up to the rheostat.

[Kreamcheese]

That link that steest put makes me want to try the "bin inside a larger bin" idea. Should I do the foil like he did or just attach my heaters to the bottom of the inner bin? I think that would be really good at containing the heat in my cold garage.

[Sublime]

My mistake, I read the guide wrong. The foil insulation is in the bottom of the outside bin, I'm on my phone so it's hard to tell perspective wise. Cool guide none the less.

[steest]

@mark This guy here did it, and I dont think it would bother them, also, this stuff would make it really nice and toasty in there. You can buy it at menards... Idk if they have menards everywhere, but if not Lowe's or home depot.
Here is what I was thinking. Bearded Dragon . org - Website is not Temporarily Offline

edit:wow as soon as I post it the site goes down for maintenance


@andrew I believe why he put the foil down because aluminum is such a good conductor of energy (heat in this instance) that it in effect makes his heating pads larger and covers more surface area. Another Great thing about the double tote that I can see is that if a roach gets out (which would never happen because they cant climb, still im paranoid cause I rent a aptment) It would actually have another whole tote for them to go through. Also if you were pulling them out and accidentally dropped one outside of their bin, it would just fall in the larger bin.

[Kreamcheese]

Yeah I can't believe I never thought of that idea. So simple yet clearly effective. I'm gonna have to mess around a bit with the heat mats cause I'm assuming 2 50-60 gallon UTH and a back heater is far too much for an insulated 18 gallon