I just purchased my first shipment of 100 dubia roaches

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Shidohari

Hatchling Member
Just purchased my first shipment of 100 dubia roaches from amazon.com. The supplier is DBDPET who is currently closed due to the effects of Winter Storm Gregory til Later today at the earliest. I also reached out to them to find out if their expedited shipping is through USPS as they have keys to access the interior foyer to my condominium building. I should hear back from them later today or next week due to the weather as most shipments won't arrive til Jan 9-12th at the earliest.

The weather in northern Ky is frigid cold right now that's why i reached out to them. DBD's website stated that they don't breed very easily as they're tropical roaches, which i hope is the case as i lived in a condominium building with about 8-10 units inside it.

Any tips on keeping them stored once they get here since this will be a trial run for me with them as my beardie never had any love for anything but belgian endive, zucchini squash or meal worms this far? Again i'm trying to do everything possible to ensure they don't escape. I admit the veg i keep on hand are ones i'd use myself if they start looking like they will start to go bad soon.

Also my beardie likes having their bugs placed in front of them or visible on his basking 'rock/cave' one by one so that they eat them individually before i put the next one down. I use the feeding tongs for this. Would that also work for the dubia roaches? I ordered 100 Medium sized ones.
 

KeyBlu422

Juvie Member
Feeder tongs should still work. Don't worry, they aren't capable of total infestation. Worst case scenario, a gravid(pregnant) female gets out, dumps the babies, they live out their lives, then die(assuming the Roaches were somehow able to breed without a heat source). Scared of escapees? Usually it's the nymphs that climb out. To prevent this, use packaging tape or a climb resistant bug product that Josh's frogs offers(forgot what it's called). Some claim to use Vaseline but I'd be least confident in that method if I had a large roach bin hanging around.
Personally, I'd give some vegetables like carrots or potatoes and maybe the occasional collard green leaf but also use Flukers cricket diet(not all in one cube form, the dry one, dubia diet is ridiculously overpriced compared to flukers cricket diet. Petco prices have been the best for me). And then for water crystals, don't use soil moist or other home made water crystals as the flickers calcium hydration cubes(or normal, calcium doesn't play a big role in the feeder insects diet) is cheaper. again, petco prices are the best. Unless you buy the 6 pound jar versions on amazon of course( normal flukers dry cricket diet is 11.5 ounces and flukers pre made water crystals are 16oz). Also, mist the container they're in to keep humidity up.


Hope to have helped. If you have any more questions, I'm here.


Edit : Some people are calling water crystals and dry gut load dangerous(though they're yet to have given me a good reason as to why it's dangerous)but personally, I've used them for three years without a problem. Ultimately though, it's your choice, if you don't feel like the commercial diet, you can use only vegetables instead.
 

Shidohari

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Unfortunately, and I should have asked this before I ordered them, due to the condominium HOA policy I will not be allowed to keep/use them. I have a local pet store that will accept them when they arrive as I'll be taking the shipment to them. It's actually the one I use for my fish needs for my ten gallon.

So thankfully my bearded dragon is old enough to eat the mealworms twice a week, and I primarily have them on vegetables as main food. I need to get some vitamin powder though as right now I only have calcium powder.

Wish I could have used the roaches but that's the rules of the hoa sadly...again I should have checked that before I ordered. Also unfortunate that my beardie doesn't like crickets.
 

KeyBlu422

Juvie Member
Ah, that's a pity. As for multivitamin, rep cal herptivite is the best(and unfortunately the most expensive). Why it's the best is because it uses beta carotene instead of synthetic vitamin a(reptiles can dispense of excess beta carotene but not synthetic vitamin A. So, in the rare case that the reptile actually receives too much synthetic vitamin A, vitamin A poisoning could occur. In the case of staples, have you tried Phoenix/repti worms? They can be used as a better staple than mealworms as they are soft bodied, high enough in calcium that dusting usually isn't required, and intrigue a good feeding response. Since my bearded dragon's almost six, I'm using superworms as a staple(with some wax worms and crickets when I can). However, superworms can't be used as a staple for young ones and juveniles as they, while having benefits including good feedings response compared to mealworms, larger size than mealworms, and softer chitin than mealworms, are too high in fat and their protein is average/slightly below average so to get adequate protein,a growing beardy would need to eat many which result in obesity. Also, Calci worms can't be used as a staple since the diet they're given makes them too high in calcium for regular consumption.



Again, it's a pity that you're not allowed to have dubia Roaches but hey, it's not a life or death situation anyway(also, is the pet store you're giving the Roaches to paying you for them or did you just give it to them?).
I'm here if you have any more questions ?


-Blu
 

Shidohari

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
The local petsmart sells waxworms if I need to go that route. I will check what brand of calcium powder I'm currently using and see if I can find the vitamin powder you recommend through amazon as I'm a prime member.

As far as the dubia roaches go I did advise the person I was going to give them to who actually owns the store that I had already paid for them. Whether they decide to pay for them or not is up to them.
I'm not going to force them to as it was my error for not checking the HOA rules before purchasing them.

My two primary veg for my beardie as they're the ones I've seen him eat most are Belgium endive and zucchini squash. Given those two if you think there's something else he'd like along those textures let me know. I have tried him on orange bell pepper and banana before but he didn't really go for either.
 

KeyBlu422

Juvie Member
As for calcium, don't worry about having same brand calcium and multivitamin if you're container's not finished. Right now I'm finishing my national geographic calcium and using herptivite, though I will start using rep cal for calcium and multivitamin. As for ordering from Amazon, I'm also a prime member and have found that most post that are selling herptivite are more expensive when compared to a pet store like pet smart. As for the Dubia roaches, that's pretty admirable that you're willing to take responsibility and don't expect a fee for an accidental purchase before discovering the rules of your living area. As for the veggies, I do give banana as a treat but not as a staple fruit due to the fact that it isn't the best for beardies. Also, if you're using Belgium endive because you looked at the beautiful dragons food chart, it's referring to the leafy green endive. So, I would suggest changing and experimenting with say collard greens, dandelion greens, mustard greens, or turnip greens. I do, however, like the squash idea(I've only given butternut squash but I know that other squashes can also be used as staple veggies). Also, kale can be used with other leafy greens just not as the only one as the oxalates within in aren't super high like spinach they're just not optimal. Lastly, I wouldn't worry too much if you feed a beardy a veggie that you later find out isn't supposed to be a staple. In fact, I myself used to give kale for the longest time with no ill effects before finding out collards and whatnot are better, I now primarily use collards and carrots but also sometimes give butternut squash, Apple, a slice of banana, and I plan to give other veggies once my collard greens and kale is out(yes, I do still used kale when I have it). But never give any kinds of lettuce unless your bearded dragon's severely dehydrated,though I'm sure there are better methods to hydrate beardies such as misting your veggies like I do. Also, as for water, don't bother with Repti safe. Just leave whatever's holding your water in the sun with the lid off for 24 hours(it's just as effective just takes patient, Source for reassurance : Goherping).
 

KeyBlu422

Juvie Member
When you said waxworms, were you referring to Calci worms like i find at my local petco? If you are, you can't use either as staples as waxworms are mainly fat and Calci worms contain too much calcium(though Calci worms can be given to mbd stricken bearded dragons as a staple for a short while as sometimes it can reverse the effects of mbd partially or fully). On backwater reptiles, you can order 200 large Repti worms for $16 with overnight shipping. Repti worms can be stored in wine coolers/fridges and maybe fridge butter shelves(though I haven't tried that yet). Waxworms(since you can't give more than a couple to each animal for the week/weeks that you have them), can be left at room temperature and will last for 2 maybe three weeks(though they tend to last a little bit longer in a wine cooler/fridge or a butter shelf in a fridge(though I was worried they might die in the butter shelf so I took them out after a short while) and contain more fat since the ones at room temperature are relying on fat reserves. Lastly, if your beardies 2+ years old or done growing at quick rates, you can give superworms as a staple considering your temps are right(mine aren't exactly ideal but my beardy tends to do just fine digesting with minimal shell even though his temps are slightly lower than he should have, so I will be gettint a stronger bulb when I can).
 

Shidohari

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
The calcium suppliment that i have is Zoo Med's Repticalcium. I still need a vitamin suppliment so may see if i can find the one that you recommended online.

I tend to keep belgium endive and zucchini in the house for beardie because i would more likely use them myself if they started going bad before all of it got to beardie. I actually have used baby spinach leaves if i was unable to get down to a kroger that has the belgium endive. the only ones i see in the stores are the bulb shaped ones though the outermost leaves look like the are open at the end of it. It is the white to light green colored version.

My water i have a big water dish in the 40 gallon for him. It's the pet smart larger rectangular dish that is supposed to be big enough for a turtle to sit in with a ramp on it. I never added anything to the water i just take it straight from my tap once daily for him (more than that if he leaves a gift in it). The water dish is directly under his UV bulb it's a 22 inch T5 fixture. The veg i cut up once daily and put it on a white paper towel in the habitat. I'm in northern ky so it's not feasable especially with the way my deck is set up as it got the fake brick finish instead of the slatted finish that allows sun through when the building was built.

And actually my beardie really didn't care for the wax worms the one time i got them from petsmart. I was thinking about the reptiworms aka phoenix worms aka all the other stuff but again there's that chance of something escaping or turning into final form and escaping.

I will probably continue giving meal worms twice to three times a week until my beardie is old enough to graduate to superworms as it's the only insect i've had luck with.

Tried collard greens once, didn't really go for it if i recall. and I didn't like the taste of them so it was a sad turn of events. I think i also tried cale. Haven't tried carrots yet. I think he's probably old enough for shreds (the ones sold in bags at the store pre shredded) thrown in alternation with the zucchini and the endive as long as I make sure they're cut small enough.

If you think of anything else please let me know.
 

Shidohari

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Found that vitamin suppliment at my local petsmart so scheduled it for instore pickup when they have it available.

Thanks for the suggestion regarding the vitamin suppliment as it was something i didn't have.
 

KeyBlu422

Juvie Member
Ah, I used to have a water bowl but my beardy would only poop in it so I just misted his vegetables more and took out the water bowl. I also used to just give normal water. Nothing happened I'm just trying to play by the book as my beardy is 5 and I read that they usually live 6-10+ years so I'm trying to extend his life as long as possible. As for vegetables, seems like you have a pretty picky beardy, mine has eaten everything I've given him except for bok choy and black beans. As for the multivitamin, I used to not give multivitamin either, now that I do though, he seems to be slightly more perky/active. As for Phoenix worms, they can become black soldier flies but usually only when you buy large, even then it's rare though. Plus, black soldier flies are edible(for beardies, just not as calcium rich when compared to larvae form), only live 5-8 days, don't feed on waste like house flies do, don't have workable mouthparts, don't bite(since they don't have operational mouthparts) don't carry pathogens, and, breeding them is a bit hard when compared to dubia or superworms and involves a rat source at 95 degrees along with certain foods. So, on the off chance that a Phoenix/repti worm becomes a fly, nothing will most likely happen. If you want to prevent the larvae becoming worms, just pick the darkest ones as they're nearest to becoming a black soldier fly. As for vegetables, while the choices you provide aren't the best, I understand that convenience is also a factor to consider and how picky your beardy is plus the fact that beardies are quite hardy, I suppose the Belgium endive can work. At least you're not feeding him lettuce. ?

Also, while mealworms aren't the best, I have given them In the past without any issues and considering the rather fragile leopard geckos can handle mealworms, I guess they really aren't too bad. At least you're providing proper supplements, lighting, protein, etc. You're doing great! Lastly, how big is your cage, length of your beardy, and substrate(bedding) you use? Just out of curiosity of course...
 

Shidohari

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Lighting is a 22 inch T5 fixture and a exoterra 150 basking bulb. I used to use the Exoterra 100 basking bulb but when I got my 40 gallon Reptile aquarium like enclosure (forgot what brand it was so that's why i'm calling it a 40 gallon 'aquarium' i upped the wattage to 150 as the enclosure was bigger. My beardie last time i checked was i believe 9 inches and prefers their enclosure to being held. Though last night as I was holding him in my hand a couple minutes while changing his food and water he decided to jump onto the table from my hand where my tv is.

Since i don't want him getting lost i took him from where he landed as quickly as possible and put him back in his enclosure.

I have some of those larger 'river stones' that you can get from petsmart for aquariums in the tank to hold down the repticarpet i use for substrate. One of these days i'll possibly get a piece of ceramic tile to put under the basking 'rock/cave' fixture i bought from petsmart to maybe raise that up a little more so that i could possibly switch back to the exoterra 100 bulb.

I have seen my beardie occasionally drink out of the water bowl, and yes they also do poop in it. I got a bowl that size to allow him to 'bathe' in if he felt like it. He just simply runs through it on occasion. I also do mist my beardie daily when i do his daily feeding at night after i get home from work during the week. I have my timer set for 11am to 1am (as i noticed him eating once after midnight when the normal shut off time is i changed it to add an extra hour for basking.)

I thought about phoenix worms, haven't decided if i am going to get those shipped to me as of yet. You are right my beardie is pretty finiky. And no I will not feed them lettuce. Thankfully i did alot of research on veg before i started converting them to it.
 

Shidohari

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Beardie ate 4 flukers freeze dried gourmet crickets dusted with herpivite today before diving into the cave as it does for most of the day while i'm at work. Only put about 20 of those crickets in the dusting container, the bulk of them still being in the packing container they came in.

Misted the zucchini i put in there last night as well.

Found prepacked cubed butternut squash at Target so got two bags and one zucchini squash for beardie as i didn't make it down to the Union Kroger where the endive is. I know by eye i'll need to cut those cubes down further, probably into quarters before putting them in the habitat. May or may not steam them before using them either.

Hope you had a good night.
 

KeyBlu422

Juvie Member
My beardy is like 18 inches. When my beardy was younger though, when I would try and handle him he jumped off of me and under my table, boy did I freak. I also used to not handle him so much so he is kinda weary of me but our relationship is improving. I used to give him pellets or freeze dried crickets when I couldn't go and get some crickets from the pet store.i use an exo terra basking bulb but I don't remember the wattage, I think it was the lower one which is why I might upgrade soon. I run an exo terra repti glo 10.0 compact, I think it was. Don't worry, exo Terra's fixed their compact bulbs, they're giving off proper UVB now. Though once I am done using my next uvb bulb I'll probably pick up a tube t5 or t10 even though my beardy is sorta lazy and usually only moves when he sees people or is chasing crickets/eating his vegetables. I use calci sand and walnut shells, though I'm going back to only walnut shells since I don't like the smell, I've heard of people's beardies getting their skin stained from it, and it poses an impact ion risk while walnut shells don't(according to goherping). I only used the calci sand since I got it when I bought the 55 gallon aquarium from someone on Craigslist. I know that loose substrates are usually discouraged but, since I noticed my beardy was accurately getting his crickets when he was 2 or 3, I made the switch from repti carpet and he's been fine ever since. I would use tile but the people in my house think that I would be cruel to put him on a hard surface like that so I guess I'm stuck with what I got :/ I usually turn on my beardy's lighting from 7 to 5:30-6 but on weekends I leave it on from whenever I wake up to 6 or later. I know sites suggest 12-14 hours since beardies will sometimes eat later but mine eats immediately after I put it in and then some more an 1-2 later, though I do mist the veggies again if they dry out. Seeing as I'm always giving my beardy several hours to digest, he's fine(as long as you give 2+hours for beardies to digest under the basking bulb and uvb, they'll be fine).
 

Shidohari

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
I don't use shells or any granulated substrate as i feel that would be too messy to keep a handle on. I prefer less mess. That's why I might consider Tile down the line.

The other members of your household may have a point but I don't know if they're weighing the beardie's comfort vs tile also being able to help keep nails trim.

Welp my train of thought just went bust So i hope you have a great weekend and such.
 

VenusAndSaturn

Sub-Adult Member
Keyblu422 He actually doesn't agree to using it. Right after i saw you mention him i tagged him on a server to see exactly what his opinion was on it and turns out he messed up a little on one of his videos. In all honestly walnut shells can cut up the insides of the reptile and messing up their eyes really badly by making them go blind when it gets in their eyes.

And again in all honestly why listen to people who have no idea what their talking about? Just dump the substrate out when no ones around and put paper towels in there to save him from possibly living a risky life and ending up having to go to the vet eventually.

All particle substrates have an impaction risk.
 
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