Just started a dubia colony!

[elly]

I'd be a little concerned about fire because of the dry eggcarton and roach droppings. However, I managed to keep one of the All Living Things pads on a plastic bin when I was quarantining my frogs and nothing bad happened. I'd say keep an eye on it and if there's somewhere warm you could put the roach bin I'd move it there.

[daybr4ke]

Thanks for the advice! I'm less worried about having a heating pad on there, and more worried about the fact that there are 2 heating pads on it...first one was the All Living things, which didn't get too hot. I added a second, my exotera mat, plugged into a rheostat. Both are 8w, and it seems fine so far, but I'm kinda wishing I got a ceramic heat bulb, seems like a lot less trouble in retrospect.

[daybr4ke]

And the 2 heating pads problem solves itself...The All Living things UTH came off the bin on it's own.

[daybr4ke]

The roaches now have a lamp and heat bulb rather than a heating pad. I've been meaning to add the following for a while, but kept forgetting: Dubia roaches are often marketed as"Quiet". I have found this is not entirely true, as they produce a skittering sound. If you fall asleep easily, this probably won't bother you at all, but if you are like me, it may keep you awake. For me especially, the nature of the sound keeps me awake, and I have to drown it out with a large box fan at night. It's kinda funny to me, considering crickets don't really bother my sleep with chirping, only occasionally bothering me by jumping and hitting the top/sides of the tank.

[Hypnofrog]

Dubia roaches are often marketed as"Quiet". I have found this is not entirely true, as they produce a skittering sound.

Last night I woke up because I distinctly heard someone snapping their thumb, but it was just the Dubia's being weird. They talk to each-other too!


Your bin looks good! I'm jealous of your heating set up.^^
Is that all the egg-crates they have in that image? The females get stressed easily and won't produce much if there aren't enough hiding places, mine seem to separate from the other roaches to have babies, paper-towel tubes work great too, and crumpled napkins can be used as a burrowing substrate that makes them easy to find (just pick up a piece and shake).

Edit: And I just realized this post is crazy old..woops