Living with Roaches

When I first decided I wanted a Bearded Dragon, I said no thanks to the idea of breeding my own feeders. But then I learned how easy it really is to keep these little guys. Once they're established, you have a food source for life.
They have a larger meat to shell ratio than crickets, they're practically silent (they make noise as they crawl on each other), they don't smell and you can feed less because one Dubia has way more meat than a cricket. I don't know if this is accurate, but someone mentioned this on a forum I found when I googled "dubia vs. cricket". I assume they meant crickets of the same length.

• Newborn nymph- 1-3 crickets
• Small nymph- 3-5 crickets
• Medium nymph- 5 crickets
• Large nymph- 8 crickets
• Adult dubia- 8-10 crickets

Roaches need a 12-16 gallon plastic tub. Dark is better.
A heat source (heat pad, CHE) to keep the tank around 90 with a hot and cool side. 
Egg carton flats or something to hide in (you can order them online or go to your local Denny's after breakfast and ask nicely)
Water gel crystals because sponges stink and babies love to drown themselves in standing water
 A ventilation hole with a screen covering
Slick packing tape to stick around the edges of the bin (Dubias are extremely poor climbers, but the babies can climb the sides by static electricity)

This is what my setup looks like, because I always forget to go out and find some egg flats on weekends. The heated side is on the right and the roaches tend to hang around on that end. Right now I'm using a very small reptile heating pad, but I'm thinking about buying a large one for humans the next time I go to the store.

About a month ago, I ordered a colony of 200 medium sized Dubia Nymphs for $31.50. They arrived in the middle of a heat wave and despite my request they be held at the post office, they were sent out for delivery. I was really concerned they would all be dead, even though it was only 93 that day (102 the day before).

But I opened the bag and they were all alive and happy. I really enjoy checking on them every other day. I like how they go through an orange slice like a bunch of little piranhas and they just lay on top of their roach chow while they eat.

Their chow is half a cup of dog food, half a cup of cat food, half a cup of cheerios and a quarter cup of fish flakes. I mixed it in the blender, but it's old so I didn't get a superfine chop. Oh well. They don't mind. It's important to give them a high-protein diet or they can start to cannibalize each other. They get assorted greens and squashes. Whatever you plan on feeding your Beardie, you should feed to your roachies as well.
They go crazy for oranges. I've been told it's like an aphrodisiac. None of my nymphs are adults yet. Although, when I cleaned out their tank today, I saw one that has lengthened out and looks like it may only need to moult one more time before it's an adult. I am absolutely giddy about this!

Don't underestimate the power of the water crystals. I did and I paid a hefty price. Just one 1/4 cup of crystals makes over a gallon of gel, if not two. I was not aware of this. That gallon is going to last me a year at this rate. I haven't even made a dent in the past month.
I had a really hard time finding this stuff. Lowe's carried a bag that wasn't 100% polyacrylmide for about $13. I gave in and went over to walmart. The crystals are in the gardening area, next to the plant food. This little bag was $7 and will last me forever, I think!

Roaches may give you the heebie-jeebies but over time, you may come to appreciate them. Notice the white one in this picture. It's freshly molted and I think it's absolutely ADORABLE how they still have black eyes, but it's a small line, like they're squinting. Don't ask me why, I have no idea. And when their exoskeleton is just starting to harden, they take on this mottled gray color and look kind of pretty.
I feel like I've been taken over and I just love them. I can't wait for them to start breeding! In the mean time, my future dragon will be getting crickets and phoenix worms. Maybe a male or two every once in a while. Here is a photo comparison I found online. This way you never feed any females.

I hope this has helped you get over the stigma of spending large sums of money on cockroaches and breeding them in your closet. :)