male or female

[SCF]

To break it down with numbers...

I'm not sure the ratio of females to males that your 15 adults are, but for the purposes of this break down I'm just going to assume that you have 9 females and 6 males, a 3:2 ratio. Hypothetically, if you have average birth rates of 30 nymphs per female, you would have 270 nymphs to start off with your first batch.

Now take into account that after the first batch, there's about a month of gestation period, so the second month you won't have a new batch. By the third month, you'll have another 270 nymphs if the rates remain the same (all hypothetical). At this point, assuming you have not fed off any nymphs, whatsoever, you should have your 15 adults, 270 two-month old nymphs and 270 1/8 inch new nymphs.

BUT, the first day I got my recently purchased pyxie (approx. 3 weeks old at the time), it ate 29 dubia nymphs. The days thereafter, it varied anywhere from 27-33 nymphs at each of its dubia feedings (I like to vary its diet). Now, let's assume that you feed ONE of your frogs 30 dubia nymphs (1/8 to 1/4 inch, or newly-born to 1 month old) every third day in a week. That's 90 dubia nymphs a week.

However, you have three frogs, so that's 270 nymphs a week. So you'll just about annihilate everything you just produced yourself in your colony. But what about the other three weeks of the month? And not to mention that you now have no future dubia generation to continue to expand your colony. AND don't forget to factor in your dry month of gestation.

Oh, and your dubia will take 5 months to become adults. And you can't disregard that your frogs are going to continue to grow and the tiny dubia will eventually not be enough for them.

Just to reiterate, these are hypothetical numbers, other things factor into breeding and how much you can produce, i.e. foods, temps, humidity.

Hope this helps.

[NialR35]

To break it down with numbers...

I'm not sure the ratio of females to males that your 15 adults are, but for the purposes of this break down I'm just going to assume that you have 9 females and 6 males, a 3:2 ratio. Hypothetically, if you have average birth rates of 30 nymphs per female, you would have 270 nymphs to start off with your first batch.

Now take into account that after the first batch, there's about a month of gestation period, so the second month you won't have a new batch. By the third month, you'll have another 270 nymphs if the rates remain the same (all hypothetical). At this point, assuming you have not fed off any nymphs, whatsoever, you should have your 15 adults, 270 two-month old nymphs and 270 1/8 inch new nymphs.

BUT, the first day I got my recently purchased pyxie (approx. 3 weeks old at the time), it ate 29 dubia nymphs. The days thereafter, it varied anywhere from 27-33 nymphs at each of its dubia feedings (I like to vary its diet). Now, let's assume that you feed ONE of your frogs 30 dubia nymphs (1/8 to 1/4 inch, or newly-born to 1 month old) every third day in a week. That's 90 dubia nymphs a week.

However, you have three frogs, so that's 270 nymphs a week. So you'll just about annihilate everything you just produced yourself in your colony. But what about the other three weeks of the month? And not to mention that you now have no future dubia generation to continue to expand your colony. AND don't forget to factor in your dry month of gestation.

Oh, and your dubia will take 5 months to become adults. And you can't disregard that your frogs are going to continue to grow and the tiny dubia will eventually not be enough for them.

Just to reiterate, these are hypothetical numbers, other things factor into breeding and how much you can produce, i.e. foods, temps, humidity.

Hope this helps.

Scary man....I really want to start a colony because I need to save money on feeding these guys. I wouldn't mind buying night crawlers and breeding Dubias for a variety.

By the way SCF, clear your inbox so I can respond hahah!

[SCF]

I keep clearing it (not completely), I talk too much to people though.