Got Dubia, setup temp q's

[fish4all]

I got my dubia today, thank you demon amphibians. I set up their cage with plenty of egg crates, water crystals, dry food and carrots to help them recover from shipping. (Everything seems to take an extra day to ship to me). For as cold as it is they arrived in good shape, a little lethargic but the heat, water and carrots has them scurrying for cover anytime I try to look at them.

First and maybe most important: The heat is left on all the time, right? I don't turn it off at night or should I? Room temp in my house is 68-70 at night.

I put a heating pad under their cage and have some temperature questions:
The temp between the heat pad and the plastic is 105-106.
Temp on plastic inside 100-102
Temp mid way up in container is 81-82.
Heat pad set on lowest setting.
House temp is 68-74

I know the range from all the advice I have gotten here. 85-95 is what I am shooting for. I plan on turning the heat pad up tomorrow to see where that takes the tank temperature.

What I really need to know is that temperature gradient about right? The entire container is over the heat pad. The egg crates are the same temps as the open with the same gradient. This should give them the ability to heat and cool themselves right? They are all in different levels of the egg crates, most nymphs are lower down with larger ones mid way up the crates and a few walking around the upper part of the crates until they see me and then they scamper for cover.

I don't plan on using the heating pad for long. Only until I can find the right light and dome to heat them from above.

On a side note, don't put the water crystals right on top of the heat source! I had a nice little fog machine going with the entire inside all steamed up from condensation! Probably not a bad thing for the roaches until mold gets going from the dampness. Water is now on top until I get the light I need.

[yoshimi]

are you trying to breed them i take it? if so, the temp seems maybe a little high, and try putting heat pad on just one side of bin. that way they can mosey over to cool side and i've found that my breeders like to go over there to molt. but as long as they can cool off, should be ok i'd think. just don't want to cook em.
if it's hot enough, and you have water crystals and veggies in there, humidity should be fine on it's own. make sure you have good ventilation. i had a problem with water buildup on cool side til i made more holes and made old holes larger. mold kills. if you do continue with the heating pad, and it heats equally on both sides, some styrofoam underneath works to divert heat where you want it. they hate light, so best not to waste money on a heat lamp. also remember of course that heat rises, so heating from underneath is more efficient. my 2 cents, but i just got started trying to breed them. i've got preggo roaches tho, yay! just waiting for babies. if you're not breeding them, and when you separate the nymphs, they don't need heat at all. your house temp is just fine, and no heat keeps them from growing too much. tho i don't know what you're feeding so maybe you need them big. anyway, good luck! oh, and someone will surely tell you to try oranges. they are not wrong.

[fish4all]

For now I am solely breeding. I just got my starter batch and I want to see at least a couple batches of babies before I start to take out smaller ones to feed my frogs.

The temp quickly drops when you get off the bottom of the enclosure, first inch it drops to below 95, then quickly drops to above 82 mid way up.

All it really does is give a place for them to go if they want to be warmer than 80.

[yoshimi]

the thermometer in my roach bin never really gets higher than 82, and that's taped mid-way up (so they can't reach up and climb it. i was worried mine weren't warm enough, but some experienced folks told me 80 is just fine, and to maybe turn my heat pad (it's one for people) down from high so that they don't cook. my bin is also right near heat vent. i just got in the mail an actual reptile heating pad with adjustable thingy yesterday. the only reason i can see to switch them out is so the one for people doesn't short out from being left on all the time. every day i turn it off and restart it, which probably does nothing to make it safer.
your temps sound good, i'm sure someone more experienced will be able to tell you more.
how many do you have? are they are fully molted? i have 24 females and 10 males, would be 25 but one immature lady died early on. i figure since one is preggo, others are too, so i can start feeding off the babies almost right away.
it sounds like you're doing fine tho.

[badkelpie]

Those temps are about right. My bin has one hot spot, and the rest is cooler. Works well for me, they breed like crazy.