Dubia roaches contain a high amount of protein, which is one reason they are considered better feeder species for pets. These insects are less noisy and smelly than crickets and easy to breed. Here we have discussed how to create and maintain your Dubia Roach colony.
Creating Roach Colony
Finding Right Place to Breed
It would help if you found the right place to breed dubia roaches. They can be housed in a large plastic tub or aquarium. These insects can’t climb nor fly, but they need a space to hide. Hence, you need a cover to cover the aquarium or breeding ground. For ventilation, you can make holes in the plastic tub using a soldering iron.
Cut a hole of a minimum of 6”x6” on the cover and glue a cover to it. It will help keep the breeding ground of roaches dry.
Get Heat
Dubia roaches breed well at warmer temperatures. Maintain the temperature of the breeding place around 32°C for the best results. You can achieve the required temperature by using a tank heater or ceramic heat emitter. Don’t forget to use a thermostat; else you will fry the dubia roach colony.
Plug your heater into the thermostat and turn the thermostat dial to the desired temperature. It will take around six hours to reach the desired (32°C) temperature in most scenarios. Use a thermometer with a probe to monitor the temperature and regulate the dimmer accordingly.
Make Some Place for Roaches to Stand
As the colony grows, the dubia roaches need space to stand. Else they will crush each other. You can use an egg crate that comes with eggs you buy. You can stack these egg cartons inside the breeding enclosure. Don’t stack the cartons till the top of the enclosure. Else the dubia roaches will have an easy way to escape.
Provide Roaches with Nutritious Food
There are varieties of foods on which dubia roaches can thrive. Some examples are commercial gut load, roach chow, and cricket feed. Avoid giving roaches chicken mash or dry dog food as a meat-based protein blend does not yield good results. You can also feed the dubia roaches with vegetable and fruit peels like orange, apple, or carrot.
Please don’t keep a dish or water in the enclosure as it will drown the roaches. Instead, keep a wet sponge in a dish. Alternatively, you can use polymer water crystals in a shallow bowl.
Now watch the dubia roaches colony grow fast. Here are some tips for maintaining the dubia roaches colonies in good health.
Maintaining Dubia Roach Colonies
Light
Roaches grow well in the dark. Hence, you need to provide at least 10 to 12 hours of darkness in 24 hours. If the roaches don’t get adequate darkness, they get stressed. Hence, you can keep them in places without light.
Maintain Adequate Food Supply, Temperature, Humidity, and Ideal Male: Female Ratio
Roaches are social animals that don’t harm under normal conditions. However, certain conditions can put the roach colony under stress. Suppose if the dubia roaches colony is under stress, the older roaches will predate on younger roaches and nymphs, which will affect the colony’s overall growth. The colony might go under stress for the following reasons.
- Inadequate supply of food and water
- Temperature not maintained with recommended ranges
- Wrong male and female ratio
You can avoid this by taking necessary precautions like,
- Maintain an ideal male to female ratio. The ideal sex ratio of males to females in a roach colony is 1:3 or lower.
- Provide fresh food and water in adequate quantities as per their growth stages.
- Maintain temperatures inside the enclosure- around 32°C.
To sum up, a dubia roach colony is a profitable business. Ensure you take the necessary precautions and care to ensure better health and a breeding environment for maximum profitability in this business.
