colony Q

[Maverick]

Can anyone tell me why my dubia roaches are dying?this is the setup

[SCF]

What are your temps/humidity? What are you feeding? I can tell by that picture, you have insect bites in there it appears. Have you experienced any mold growth on food items? What do they look like when you find them dead?

[XDragonFrogX]

you probably need more egg crates too for more places to hide... and i dont think they like clear enclosures(not that I think that is what killed them though)

[SCF]

you probably need more egg crates too for more places to hide... and i dont think they like clear enclosures(not that I think that is what killed them though)

Good suggestion as well! The clear would only prohibit breeding if it was kept in a high traffic area or/and in lighted areas.

[nirotorin]

I'm not sure I trust those bug bite things. I don't know anything about them though, other than being used in those prepacked cricket containers.

Also it doesn't look very humid, or warm in there, bit it's hard to tell from just that pic.

[SCF]

I'm not sure I trust those bug bite things. I don't know anything about them though, other than being used in those prepacked cricket containers.

Also it doesn't look very humid, or warm in there, bit it's hard to tell from just that pic.

They have always worked well for me in the past with crickets.

[nirotorin]

Yeah they keep crickets alive, but I've never heard of them being used as a diet for roaches.

[SCF]

Yeah they keep crickets alive, but I've never heard of them being used as a diet for roaches.

I've used them before with roaches, no problems as well.

Edit, actually the whole container I've used without any issues.

[nirotorin]

Oh well guess that's not it then. Maybe the heat and humidty then. Could also be a contaminate. Like idunno some kind of chemical, soap, or air freshener got in there.

How did you use a whole container SCF?

[SCF]

I fed it off in increments.

You are definitely on the right track with your suggestions and questions, it's like a puzzle we will never be able to solve, unless we get more info from the OP.

[nirotorin]

Well Maverick is a 100 post member. I'm sure we'll get some answers whenever he gets off work, or whatever.

[Maverick]

haha im 14 and i got a new pic

[Maverick]

No mold and i thought humidity wasn't needed.

[XDragonFrogX]

No mold and i thought humidity wasn't needed.

they need humidity for proper shedding

[demon amphibians]

Ok lets start from the top give me a list of everything you have been feeding them, How long have you had them. Are the ones dying adults that you purchased? What are your temps and humidity? Lack of space will be a problem but from the looks of it for as many roaches as you have that should not be an issue. They will get a lot of light in that enclosure but it wont kill them it will only significantly slow breeding. Do you offer any type of moisture or water such as water crystals or fresh fruit and veggies? I have over 100,000 dubia and the largest reason for deaths in my colony have been high protein foods, lack of moisture, and adults dying of old age.

[demon amphibians]

I'm not sure I trust those bug bite things. I don't know anything about them though, other than being used in those prepacked cricket containers.

Also it doesn't look very humid, or warm in there, bit it's hard to tell from just that pic.

The bug bites will not hurt them however they are not particularly fond of them. If you should use them, use them to gut load before feeding off. as far as roaches go that is. I can not speak on behave of crickets.

[Maverick]

iv only had them for almost 4 days they are in a tv stand with doors that close and yes i bought them as adults when i bought thema few were already dead.and i just give them bannanas,apples,cricket food,and little bites

[Maverick]

why dont they eat the food that i put out?

[unkempt1]

why dont they eat the food that i put out?

Hello! It doesn't look like you have very many, so they are probably eating it but there just aren't enough to put a dent in all that food you have. When I first got mine it didn't look like they were eating a lot, but now that I have 500-600 roaches (if not more) they cut through an entire orange in 36 hours.

In regards to them dying, it's hard to say. The pics you have provided don't paint the whole picture, and your setup is not optimal from what we can see.

All I can say is go with the basics. Opaque Rubbermaid bin, human heating pad, hole cut in the top with mesh screen glued on, and duct tape around the top to prevent escapees. Egg crates, water crystals, veggies/fruits, and an appropriate number of roaches. For a frog you could probably get away with having 30 females and 5-10 males. Some of the males will fight with that ratio, but its better than having 5 and three die in a month.

Edit: Also, how many have died? How many did you start with? If you had 40 and 3 died, that's very possible. If you had 40 and 30 have died, that's another story!

[Maverick]

i cant go with a bin yet and im thinking the pet store didnt give me a well started coloney bc when i bought them 5 were already dead.im gonna go to the other pet store tommorow and get them from ppl that actually know something.The guy at the pet store didnt even know the diffrence BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE.