- Housing/Caging: A dry set up is the easiest way to house dubias. A plastic tub or some sort of suitable container is used. Importantly, it has to have smooth edges. Young dubia can (slowly) climb up aquarium sealant. I do not use a substrate, as this makes ‘harvesting’ the roaches difficult. Cardboard egg crates fill the tub. The roaches will live on these. It is important to place the egg crates alternately so that there are gaps for the roaches to move around. Fresh fruit or veg is provided regularly, but not constantly. Water can be provided with a sponge or with in a gel form. Make sure the sponge doesn’t touch the cardboard, as it will soak up all the moisture and make the culture damp. Water is not essential if there is regular fruit and vegetables. Occasionally the culture can be misted with water, though the culture must not remain damp. I heat these tubs with a heat mat, placed under half of the tub. Generally a thermostat is not necessary, but may save you money during the warmer months when the heat mat doesn’t need to be on as often. If they are all clustered away from the heat mat, then the culture is probably too hot.
- Feeding: Diet: 1. Breakfast cereals make a cheap and easy diet for roaches. It is high in carbohydrates, which the roaches seem to appreciate. Weetabix (and its cheap alternatives) are very conveniently shaped for feeding roaches, as it doesn’t spread all over the tub, which means little food is wasted when cleaning a culture. This can be provided ad lib, but it must be kept dry, otherwise an infestation of mites is inevitable. 2. Bran is a by product of milling. It is a great food, very cheap, but also very nutritious. This can be provided ad lib, but again, it must be kept dry. 3. Poultry feed (layers pellets) is mixture made up of a mixture of grain, soybean, added vitamins and minerals. It is intended as a completed diet for laying hens. It is readily accepted by roaches, is very cheap, and offers a wide range or vitamins and minerals. I use this frequently because I have a constant supply, as I keep a couple of laying hens. Keep it dry.
5. Fruit. Roaches really like to eat fruit. I have no doubt that is makes up a big part of their diet in the wild. Apple and banana are very readily available fruits, which I often use. Most if not all fruits suitable for humans are suitable for roaches. Watch out for insecticides though, which tend not to affect humans, but will affect roaches. Organic fruit is much better for that reason. Try not to have fruit (or veg) available all the time, as this encourages pests such as mites and fruit flies.
6. Vegetables. Again, vegetables probably make up a large part of their natural diet, although the term ‘vegetable’ covers loads of different foods. I use lots of foods such as potatoes and carrots, with smaller amounts of cabbage (and other brassicas, and pretty much any other vegetables. Care has to be taken so that there of no pesticides. This is especially important with leafy veg, but organic if possible.
7. Leaf litter. Leaf litter is much more of a substrate than a food, but they do eat small amounts of it. I usually put a few leaves in each culture for this. I use oak, beech and apple, though most brown leaves are fine. Wash and dry the to avoid introducing any pests into cultures.
8. Leaves. Unlike humans, roaches are able to digest cellulose, using bacteria in their gut (just like most herbivorous animals). Leaves can be added to their diet, such as fresh apple leaves, beech leaves, and grass.
9. Processed pet foods. Many people use dried dog food, cat food, or fish food to feed roaches. These are high in protein. BeforeI thought that this was an unessercery expense, after trying it, the roaches prefer it, and it appears to benefit them. As with all dried foods, they must be kept dry.
10. Kitchen scraps. Roaches are well known for eating scraps of food from the kitchen. This is fine in small quantities, but don’t feed any rotten or spoiled foods, any uncooked meat or dairy.
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