Questions about starting Dubia

[VerriKerri]

Hello everyone! I haven't posted in a while mostly because everything has been going well with my beardie! Dixie has been going into brumation frequently (which I figured was due to our ridiculously long winter) and it made me a little worried there might be an underlying issue so I made her a vet appointment for a check up. The vet said she is beautiful! Her colors are great and she has no signs of bone, calcium, or iron problems! He said all her toes but one look good but he told me what to do for it and her tail is nice. He said her belly and everything else looks good. So, He asked me about feeders and I told him she eats mostly crickets and caliworms and greens. He asked if I've ever looked into Dubia and that I should consider it even if it's not all the time as it would be a good variety for her.

So, I have looked into them but I cannot keep them in my house. I have 2 very curious cats that would destroy the bins and a very squeamish fiance. Truthfully I am not a big fan of them but I know they will be better for her so I want to try.

I am just looking for advice on which size would be good for her? I don't want giant ones. I can tolerate the nymphs and how they look since they're small but the big ones creep me out. Usually what I do with her crickets is keep them in the fridge so they can't jump around the tank and I have no issue poring them in. It's when things could jump or fly on me that I freak out. Could I do that with the roaches? What are some experiences you have had with them? Any help and advice would be appreciated.

 

[CooperDragon]

I'm glad to hear everything has been going well. Since she's an adult (yes?) she can handle any size dubia. If you want to feed the smaller nymphs that's fine. She will likely want a bit more but she still probably won't go through too many overall. She should get maybe a couple of feedings per week all she wants which may vary. My guy usually goes through about 6 or 7 large dubias every few days.

You can keep them in a bin with some cardboard tubes or egg crates to live in. Just put in some veg scraps for them to eat and they should be happy campers. They don't require much in terms of care and are much hardier than crickets. If you don't want to start a colony, you can just order them as needed and feed them off until they're gone. It's more expensive that way but isn't a problem.

 

[VerriKerri]

I'm glad to hear everything has been going well. Since she's an adult (yes?) she can handle any size dubia. If you want to feed the smaller nymphs that's fine. She will likely want a bit more but she still probably won't go through too many overall. She should get maybe a couple of feedings per week all she wants which may vary. My guy usually goes through about 6 or 7 large dubias every few days.

You can keep them in a bin with some cardboard tubes or egg crates to live in. Just put in some veg scraps for them to eat and they should be happy campers. They don't require much in terms of care and are much hardier than crickets. If you don't want to start a colony, you can just order them as needed and feed them off until they're gone. It's more expensive that way but isn't a problem.

Thank you for your reply! Yes, she is an adult she's 4 years old.

Should I put them in a bowl just like I do with her crickets now? Will they crawl out or should I feed her in a separate tank? What are they like? I am so nervous to see them lol

 

[CooperDragon]

The nymphs are like roly poly bugs. They can crawl but not too quickly. They can't climb glass. I'd offer them, dusted with calcium supplement, one at a time for about 10 minutes or until she loses interest or appears full.

 

[VerriKerri]

Okay, thank you very much! I will try them out. I'm sure she will like them she's not very picky. Hopefully they won't creep me out too much!

 

[hounder02]

Hi, we have 2 Dubia colonies. Its true that your dragon is old enough to offer him/her whatever they want. If you aren't able to raise your own Dubia, it can be expensive when ordering online if you order small sizes (they eat more). It sounds like the beardie can handle a medium to large size. We gut load our Dubia, protein and calcium added to their food. Yes, we do give them veggies as well. They love oranges. Dubia's are tropical so they won't keep in the frig. If you have a laundry room, that would be a good place to put a tub with a colony. They do require a heat source to breed. Best of luck to you.