lecole4 Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 So I was putting some fresh cabbage in my breeder bin today, and I noticed some little pools of water collecting in the corners. What in the world could be causing this? I've never noticed it before. Husbandry details to make help easier: 18 gal opaque plastic tote with vertical egg crates Polyacrylimide gel, baby carrots, collards, and cabbage as water sources Ground alfalfa meal and oatmeal baby cereal as food Is this a stress reaction? I know roaches will produce foam or water from their mouths when frightened. Any help is appreciated! I don't want to lose my colony to mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptanner Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Is there any condensation on the sides of the enclosure? How much does the temperature outside and inside of the bin fluctuate? If there are moisture-producing things in the bin and the temp outside it drops, that could create condensation that runs down the inside and pools. Same idea as a glass of water forming condensation on the outside during a warm day, only opposite. I notice it on some of my vivariums when the room temp drops at night but the temp inside the enclosure remains the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lecole4 Posted April 2, 2015 Author Share Posted April 2, 2015 Yes, so, when I checked at night and in the morning, no condensation in the bin. Got off work half a day today, and guess what, it's veritably soggy in there, on the opposite end from the heater. I've had my colony three years and never had this problem before. Any tips for nixing this? The lid of the bin is already around 60 percent screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptanner Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 The only thing I can think of would be to empty the bin, clean it out, and set it back up with all new egg crates or whatever else you have in it. Is there any way you could upload a photo of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smiley Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 I'd try Insulating the bin or using less heat. I had the same problem and just lowered the tank heat a bit. Think of a cold glass on a summer day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lecole4 Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share Posted April 8, 2015 Cheers, guys; reduced heat has done the trick! Thanks so much, ptanner and Smiley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubiadudes Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Cheers, guys; reduced heat has done the trick! Thanks so much, ptanner and Smiley. lecole4, I was just wondering, what was the temp when pooling and how much did you lower it to stop this effect? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lecole4 Posted April 22, 2015 Author Share Posted April 22, 2015 dubiadudes, it turned out my UTH was malfunctioning and peaking around 100 degrees F. I just nixed the heat altogether for now. They're back to a cozy 75 degree room temp. Problem solved! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubiadudes Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 dubiadudes, it turned out my UTH was malfunctioning and peaking around 100 degrees F. I just nixed the heat altogether for now. They're back to a cozy 75 degree room temp. Problem solved! lecol4, Wow, yes, 100F is a danger zone for sure even at a peak. I've done many tests with Dubias with concern to temperature. One that really wasn't a test, but may surprise many, so I will explain in a bit more detail. We live in Northern Arizona about 7,000 feet up, so yes, it does snow in Arizona A couple of years ago we had a package of 2,000 mediums that were returned to us "Undeliverable as Addressed", now even though we had all the proper marking on the outside of the box and heat packs inside the box, the mail lady still left the package outside our home, next to the front door, but in the snow. The package had been out of our hands for nine (9) days and we were not home for an additional two (2) days. The 2,000 dubias had been in this box for 11 total days. When we opened the box we expected to find everyone dead, but, other than moving really slow everyone was alive, not a single dead roach in the bunch. Now, I didn't do this test on my own, but I still call it a temperature test because it really was one As far as the normal temp we keep our little guys at, around 82F, we have found that this and good humidity of about 20-40% is perfect. Glad to here your colony is back to cozy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tongue Flicker Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Fresh cabbages and other semi-succulent leafy veggies transpire a lot inside bins for some reason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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