Cold and feeder problem

[elly]

The nearest place that sells crickets is 30 mins away and the local Wal-Mart just quit selling nightcrawlers. I visited a bait store, but they only sell red worms. It looks like I might need to culture crickets or dubias.

The problem is, I don't know where to put my box of bugs to keep it warm and yet still out of the way. (I live with people who are not big fans of bugs in the house.) I have storage sheds outside that might work, but I can't heat them. So I have no idea what to do. Cold will kill both crickets and dubias, right? No chance they'll just go dormant if they're sheltered?

[AbranV]

I'm not sure how much you need to get you through the winter, but there are some spots online where you can order dubias in big quantities and not stress over breeding them.

Another option would be to place a smaller tub inside a larger tub and place crumpled newspaper, foam insulation, packing peanuts etc around the inner tub to insulate.

I recently switched from crickets to dubias and I love using the roaches so much more. They're quiet, don't smell, last longer, easier to hand/tong feed, and I swear they are cleaner than crickets, and THEY DON'T ESCAPE which is a big plus.

I split mine up into two groups, feeders and breeders. I have the breeder box on a heating pad, and the feeders by themselves in a fairly cool room, and the feeders have been fine with the cooler temps.

[UncleChester]

Have you tried looking online for nightcrawlers? You can try breeding them as well.

How cold are we talking in the shed? I've kept house crickets at around 10-15C with little problems, but there was no breeding going on at those temperatures. Too cold will kill them, but I'm not sure just how low they can handle. If you hope to breed outdoors in your shed you can set up a little insulated box with a 40 or 60 watt bulb as a heat source.

If you can get it past your housemates, I'd also suggest you keep a mealworm colony going. A little one in a shoe box sized tupperware container would suffice. They aren't a good staple food, but a small colony of them is really easy to maintain and good to keep on hand as occasional feeders or in case of a temporary food shortage (hence a small colony is fine).

[elly]

The shed's pretty well insulated and I could bring the boxes in if it got seriously cold as long as they don't smell. (Though I'm not so sure dubias in the house would be accepted at all.)

I don't really need that many bugs for one (maybe two) frogs, but if I had car trouble for longer than a week right now I'd have to resort to wild insects.

I'll look into mealworms. I haven't considered them before because of impaction risks.

Edit: Nightcrawlers could work though, didn't see that earlier. Not a bad idea.

[Xubby]

If smell is an issue, just go ahead and cross off crickets. They take a lot of space and while they smell isn't overpowering, it's downright unpleasant. I think people underestimate how much space and work it can take to keep a cricket colony going.

Dubias are awesome, but expect to spend a pretty penny if you want to start feeding from your colony right away. Red runners are another option, but are almost TOO prolific and suffer from the whole "box of cockroaches" issue in a way dubias do not. They're great feeders, though. If you can't do a roach species, I think Brian is right on track with the worms approach.

[AbranV]

Elly,

Any chance you have a PETCO near you? I was at mine(Salem, OR) the other day, and saw that they now carry small (half inch or so)dubias in "ready to go" containers. I think there were around 25-30 per container.

I'm really not lobbying for the roach industry, but I'm really impressed with these bugs. My only complaints are that they don't float too well(I have a bullfrog), and getting a colony started is a pain, but that's more if a patience issue rather than a complaint.

So far 200 sm/med roaches has lasted me a good two months with plenty still left. I've had maybe five out of 200 die. I keep the feeders in a small cricket keeper, and the breeders in a 10qt Sterilite container and have had no issues with escapees or smells. They are in a room that's currently around 50-55 degrees, with only the breeders on a heating pad. Still no problems or die offs(so far) for the non-heated roaches. You can leave the top off of the container for a bit without them climbing out, where as crickets will jump out first chance they get. The juveniles don't look like a typical roach, more like a large pill/sow bug. If they escape, it would be very difficult for them to breed without proper conditions.
Let's see what else is there? They are kind of intriguing to watch, but that just may be me being a dude and all(we don't mature, just get older).

Now that I've realized how nerdy I sound towards roaches, I'll leave before I get too out if hand...

P.s. I ordered mine from West Coast roaches, they had the best deal for me at the time

[elly]

Can't breed without proper conditions? You mean temperature or something extra like a tray of substrate?
Also, thanks. I decided to get a box of dubias.

[Strider18]

They can't breed without high temeratures, I believe that they can only breed in temperatures over 75 F and they can't live below 65 F

[badkelpie]

Dubias will live through anything that doesn't freeze them solid. My house is COLD in the winter. 50 - 60 degrees usually, sometimes dropping close to 40. The roaches usually have heat, but sometimes I turn it off and they pretty much stay dormant. They don't grow or breed without heat, but they'll live through it.

[Strider18]

I many the tropical roaches Dubias still need higher temperatures to breed

0.1.0 Psuedacris regilla