Dubia Roach Colony: How To Build An Enclosure! (Easy)
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- Опубликовано: 5 янв 2025
- Dubia Roach Colony: I'll show you how I build an enclosure to breed roaches so we can feed our bearded dragons!
Just a quick overview of the parts needed, and a build video on how to start your own Dubia Roach Colony.
Got a question? Ask away in the comments!
Here are links to the parts I used:
Hefty Hi-Rise PRO Storage Bin - www.lowes.com/...
New York Aluminum Screen - www.lowes.com/...
HVAC Aluminum Tape - www.lowes.com/...
6 Ft Extension Cord - www.lowes.com/...
Slide Dimmer - www.lowes.com/...
11" wide Heat Tape - www.bigappleher...
Rubber Insulating Tape - www.bigappleher...
Egg Flats - cheapeggcarton...
Food Bowls - Upcycled Peanut butter lids
Music:
Oh La La by dyalla / dyallas
Music promoted by Audio Library • Oh La La - dyalla (No ...
Propeller - Silent Partner • Propeller - Silent Par... 
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You gotta love those DUBIAS!!! Thanks for sharing, I'll show some TuberSupport and Subscribe # 23. Feel free to check us out sometime
Kripke The Chameleon & Friends
You Rock! Thanks so much....I’m headed over to check out your page and subscribe right now!
Thank you! Great video, very comprehensive! I’m picky about odors so I’m trying an experiment…. Granulated activated carbon (found in aquarium section of local PetSmart) added to bottom. I will use no other substrate and will clean at intervals depending on “odor busting” results. 😊
So I built almost the exact same enclosure! I used the same tub, mesh, hot glue and egg crates. Basically the only differences is that I made a single large hole in the top and I just purchased an adjustable heater pad that I actually put inside the tub. It just rests against the inside of the wall so they can't climb on it but it nicely heats them up.
Nice, yeah it gets tedious making the holes with a hole saw and then gluing around each one. I've considered modifying it to single large opening on each end just to simplify. How did you cut your holes?
you should put the egg cartons in a zigzag pattern so they get more ventilation while hiding. i’ve heard lots die from not having enough ventilation in the egg cartons
Beautiful bearded dragon 😊
That's A hella of a set up brother, thanks for sharing!!!!
SEMPER FIDELIS Thank you!
Love the idea of gluing the crates together.
I would think by glueing the crates together it would be hard to get them out to sort them?
Will a plastic bin melt if I use a heat mat? Also will 1 (eventually 2) colonies breed enough to support 2 adult veiled chameleons?
I'm sure it will for being enough. Its possible for it to melt plastic but its have to get really hot. It's unlikely but possible yes
I have had this same question. I tried placing the heat mat under one end of the tub with a this piece of glass between it and the tub. I can’t get the inside temperature above 79 -82 with the heat mat set to 115. Im going to try moving it inside with the heat mat facing the center of the colony and glass against the plastic to see if my results improve. Cheers!
Hey, I know this video has been posted for so long, still I found it really helpful and the rock music at 3:00 was really good! may I know the artist and the name of the song?
edit: i found it. Thank you so much for putting it on the description!
I want to see the sorting video...can you link that?
I got that same tote but the green lid was gone I got a.crappy brown one
@JM That big Apple Herp does not show any of the things you used for heating, I got roaches on the way and I’m trying to gather everything needed to build one of these, I’ll grab a soldering iron but can you link me what would be a good heat mat to order and a good thermostat to order so I can connect to this, I have everything else but need direction in what heat tape/thermostat to get to maintain the nice temp for breeding. Thank you!
My colony is in a smaller bin but getting bigger and this is how I'm gonna upgrade their living space, thanks mate!
You're welcome Lorena. What are you feeding your roaches to?
JM I got several tarantulas and my husband seems to like the gargoyle geckos or my 9 yr old might talk him into getting a bearded dragon, you never know.
Nice!....you've certainly got your food supply in order if you ad more mouths to feed.
Question I cant find anywhere.
How many roaches to start the colony? When can I start feeding them the roaches
Vagantur Media, so when I started mine I started with 15 adult females, 5 adult males, and about 100 total small/med/large. I then waited about 3 months before I started feeding from the colony. At the time I was feeding 1 adult Bearded Dragon about 15-20 large Dubias a week. So it’s going to depend on how many and what size you’ll be using to feed with. I can tell you that each adult female Dubia will hatch roughly 20 nymphs/month under the right conditions, and if I remember correctly nymphs take about 6-7 months to reach maturity, so it’s a very exponential curve if don’t keep up with feeding them off.
Where u get the heat tape from ?
What fruits and veggies do they eat
PumpkinBoy25 I’ll usually rotate feeding them dandelion greens, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, and apples.
Hey JM! I am trying to set up an enclosure for dubia roaches and I wanted to know how you attached the extension cord to the heat tape? I am not experienced with electrical work at all so if there any way you could explain it?
I soldered the extension cord wires to the heat tape and then covered them in a specialty rubber insulation tape. They make a kit that allows you to crimp/rivet the connectors to the tape, but the crimpers are pretty expensive from what I can remember.
@@MilneFamilyLightsOkay! Thank you so much!
Any issue with holding temp? Do you only check the surface on the inside adjacent wall or do you check the air temp just inside the heated wall?
Nope haven’t had any issues with holding temps. I typically will check the temps on the egg crate closest to the wall with the heat tape. I get 95f there and a gradient just above room air at the wall opposite. It does get hotter on the backside of the wall, maybe 110f.
where did you get your heat tape?
My concern with heat is accidentally causing a fire. How does the tape react to the plastic?
Also, how do you keep track of genders if you glue the egg flats together?
I've had no issues in the 1 1/2 years of using the heat tape in this manner, and I haven't heard of anyone else having problems with it. That's not to say there isn't any risk, but it has proven to be relatively safe. This tape is made for underfloor heating in houses, so you must use at your own risk.
@@AyeitsAJ167 Great question, the egg flats glued together don't make it convenient to sort roaches, but they do provide a stable base for the roaches to live on. So that being said, I try not to disturb my breeders much other than feeding them every other day, and sorting them every 4-6 months. When I do sort them, I have to pull the egg flats apart. That's ok, because I'm replacing them at that point anyways. I keep another identical enclosure that I keep my smaller feeders in. In that enclosure I still glue the flats together, but I have cut them down to about half their height. This makes it easier to gently shake some roaches out so I can feed to my Beardies.
If I set up my heating mat like yours is it safe to keep it on wooden floor? Sorry for such a silly question
I have kept mine inside a wooden cabinet since day 1 and haven't had any issues. But of course we are using this outside of it's original intended use, so you do so at your own risk!
Have you tried to ship one of these yet? I see it’s been over a year since someone last asked. I’d be interested to see what it would cost. There can’t be too much weight to it, it’s just size.
I haven't tried to ship one yet, but I'm guessing it would be $50-$60 bucks just because of the size. Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to make and ship these out right now. Thanks for your interest though!
I noticed that you never mentioned the tool used. What would the name be? How much would it cost?
I used a 2-1/8" hole saw to make the holes in the lid. Mine came in a set, but if you wanted to buy one individually, I'd guess $15-20.
Remember HVAC tape can be very flammable at the right temp
What is your country's temperature? Amazing for the heater.
Nelson, our indoor temps range 68-79 F throughout the year. Outdoors, winter 40-65 F, summer 80-120 F.
That looks awesome... where are you located? What if I pay you to build me one 👍
I am in AZ...I’ve sold a few locally here, but probably too expensive to ship anywhere.
@@MilneFamilyLights where in AZ and how much to pick up? I'm in Vegas
@@alec3183 Locally I sell the Enclosure alone for $40, and if you want a starter colony with about 250 roaches with the colony, it's $80.
Hi JM,
How can I go about purchasing a starter colony from you? Is it like the one you just made? Unfortunately I don’t have the tools, and electrical knowledge, to put one like yours together myself. I have seen a lot of videos about making one and yours is best one I’ve seen.
Thanks Kat! Unfortunately I only build and sell these locally in AZ. The cost to ship these, because of their size, would increase the price to the point it probably wouldn't be worth to purchase.
Next Question how much for you to build it + labor = save me time from doing it
Where are you at? I'll make one for you for cheap :)
So why isn’t there a link to the most important material?!? The Dubia roaches
How is the dimmer switch working for you?
It's works great, I usually check the temp of the enclosure when the seasons change, and then make adjustments when needed.
JM nice I'll be picking one up tomorrow then! Do you have any recommendations on a dubia chow mix?
Tommy Ford
I haven’t ever used a commercial mix, so I couldn’t recommend one. I feed plain dried oatmeal as a protein, and I have fresh produce in at all times for moisture. Typically I’ll use dandelion greens, squash, zucchini, carrots, apples, and occasionally oranges and bananas.
JM ok thank you
Whats the temperature 73°F or 73°c??
Any Temps referenced in the video would be Fahrenheit. I keep the inside of their enclosure about 95 F on the warm side.
@@MilneFamilyLights thank you so much for the reply..:)
Brain-Circuit 73 Celsius? That’s 163 degrees.. of course it’s in Fahrenheit 😂
Dude that is awesome where did you get that heat tape that big? Did you sotter and tape the connections to the heat tape?
Hey thanks Curtis! The heat tape I got from www.BigAppleHerp.com. I believe they offer it by the foot in several different sizes. And yes I ended up soldering the connections to the heat tape. You can buy a specialty crimp tool, but I've heard others have issues with intermittent connections. The insulation tape is actually specialty rubberized insulation tape that I also got from BigApple. It is much thicker and stickier than regular electrical tape. I posted some links up in the description that go to the exact parts I used if you are interested!
JM thanks buddy
You didn't mention if you provide a water source for your roaches
Vince Herman
Great comment, many provide water for their roaches but I actually don’t provide a water source. I have always had assorted fruits and veggies in the enclosure at all times as well as dry oatmeal. So far they have thrived getting their moisture needs from the produce.
The fruits actually act as a water supply
Im looking into starting a colony for my Beardie. Do you have any recommendations on what I could use as a water/humidity source if I decide not to give them fruits and veggies all the time? It also gets very dry here and I heard the dry air can give them issues with molting.
Jeff Little but can produce mold from watery frass.
Nice video 👍🏻
Thanks, Plarux!
Nice setup! Im planning on starting a colony soon. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Z!
nice video!
great idea and also subbed you
Could I pay you to make me one ???? And we work out the details???? I really like this !!!!!!!!!!!
Where do you live? Can you ship me one???lol - Not even joking, though. I want one of these, but I'm not handy. 😩😩
If dubia not fed, will he become a canibal ?
Yes if not kept in ideal conditions (adequate food, hydration, etc...) Dubia can become cannibalistic. It's quite common to find some adult males with wings that have been nipped. I keep dry oats in at all times, and fresh fruits and veggies every other day, or once they are eaten completely.
yes I didn't give it two days, and I saw a torn wing. that's why I asked, oh my god my bad.... thank you for your information..
I'm from indonesia
JM can I ask something, my dubia die but why always dubia men.
Hmmm what is a cruel dubia woman ?
@@rizkyputra2235 if you have to many males they will become dominant and fight have more females over males. Like a 5/1 ratio females/males.
40th sub
Woot woot........ Thanks for the support!
I would not glue your cartons together.. going to be a pain to get dubias out when cleaning or sorting...
I've got separate "feeder" and "breeder" colonies, but I still glue mine even in the bin that I feed out of. When it's time to clean/sort for me (every 3 months or so) the cartons are pulled apart and replaced with new ones anyways. If you are sorting more frequently than that, you are correct, it would be hard/impossible to get all the roaches out of the cartons without pulling apart.
im only here because i want a feeder insect to feed to my ants
Or you are like me who watched a lot of videos on cockroaches and then wants some as pets and is only watching the videos for entertainment purposes and to get cockroaches in the future probably
They are very easy to take care of!
Losing all your humidity and those flats are too separate. Noob