some questions about keeping dubias

[sheri85]

so i've tried crickets, and don't care for the smell. plus the rare escapes scare the crap out of me (i don't do well with things that hop). i was wondering about keeping dubia roaches. from what i've read it seems like a good idea to keep dubias as feeders, but i'm hit or miss with dealing with bugs and i don't know if roaches will fall into my OMG I CAN'T DO THIS category. could that issue be solved with feeding tongs? i'm okay with feeding my beardie reptiworms, and i'm even okay handling them, but i'm not sure how i'll handle the roaches.

what should i expect with keeping dubias? do they need special lighting if i'm not interested in breeding them, or are they fine in a rubbermaid tub?

how old (or what size) should my beardie be before offering dubias? (my beardie has a little over half an inch of space between his eyes right now).

i'd like to learn as much as possible about dubias. i don't know if i'll actually get them as feeders since i do like the convenience and low ick-factor of the reptiworms, but i'd still like to know about different feeders and know what the other options are.

 

[Sherri]

Reptiworms are a great feeder but a variety is always a good idea

The small dubia are 1/4-1/2" in size so perfect for your little guy.

The small ones look like *rollie pollies* (as we called them as kids...pill bugs actually) and are easy to keep. I keep a couple thousand of them in a clear rubbermaid type bin that is just a bit larger than the shoe box size. I keep them with a few toilet paper tubes...and feed them whatever I feed my beardie (greens, carrots, sweet potatoe, various fruit etc.) plus other things like a slice of bread now and then.

I keep them in a drawer and do not use a lid, they have never gotten out on their own I do not use the water crystals, they get water from the veggies and fruit and I always wet the greens before putting them in as well.

I get 1,000 small dubia from Kyle (search Kyle here on the forum and you will find him) for $50 which includes shipping.

I started a colony about a month ago and it is booming, way more babies than I can count. Breeding them is super easy once you get it set up if that interests you

I planned to use Reptiworms as a staple and purchased a wine cooler and 5,000 Reptis but our guy hated them :roll: So I ended up giving them away. I would love to have used them as a staple b/c they are SO easy! But I would still have purchased other feeders ie; hornworms, silkworms, dubias for variety

 

[Gail]

Dubia really aren't that bad. They are slow and not creepy like wild roaches are. You can feed your baby appropriately sized dubia now, the young ones are plenty small enough for a baby dragon.
Tongs would probably work ok but small dubia are softer, they might squish easy if you aren't careful. You would probably get used to handling them after awhile.
They don't need or like light, breeders need to be kept warm but since you won't be breeding, you can keep them in a tub at room temp. Supply with food/water and you are good to go.
Try a small order to see how your dragon likes them and if you can deal with them, I'm sure you can. Personally I'd rather have dubia crawling all over me then touch a reptiworm, maggots gross me out.

 

[sheri85]

thanks for the info. i've got the rubbermaid tub from when i kept the crickets so i can use that. if they really are slow and similar to rollie pollies i can learn to be okay with them lol. i didn't like the reptiworms at first either but now i can pick them up and handle them when i need to.

 

[lauraj1055]

Um, I wouldn't say they are slow by any means.. they are super fast!! I have trouble catching them every once in awhile when I lose control of them from my tongs... Fast enough to where they were able to run, land on the floor, run some more, until I finally caught it with my hands... They used to gross me out, but now 2 months later am totally fine with them.. well, the smaller ones anyway. The males still kind of gross me out.

 

[sheri85]

lol. well, i'll have to think about it then. especially since my boyfriend wasn't too happy with keeping crickets in the house, so i'd imagine he'd be less thrilled about me keeping roaches.

 

[lauraj1055]

lol. well, i'll have to think about it then. especially since my boyfriend wasn't too happy with keeping crickets in the house, so i'd imagine he'd be less thrilled about me keeping roaches.

Honestly, I have never touched or desired to use crickets.. I love dubias as feeders, because they are so much better for them, and 1 dubia is = to 6 crickets on the meat/shell ratio... so you use less.. and all you have to do is feed them, and keep them in a bin. They don't climb, jump, stink, or escape... I wasn't trying to talk you out of them... because trust me, you will love them once you get used to them.. I was just saying, they aren't really slow.. lol In fact, I have 100 waiting for me when I get home...

Someone posted this in a thread I read earlier.. very interesting, and you can see why a lot of people have switched over to dubias.

http://www.reptilerevolution.com/reptile-feeders/reptile-feeders.html

 

[Gail]

They are slow, they don't run any faster then a cricket can. Red Runners are a fast roach, much like the German cockroach.

 

[lauraj1055]

They are slow, they don't run any faster then a cricket can. Red Runners are a fast roach, much like the German cockroach.

Really? If these guys are slow.. I dont' want to see a fast roach! Maybe because I'm thinking when you say slow, I'm thinking like reptiworm or superworm slow.. I've never tried crickets, so I can't compare them

 

[Sherri]

With the young dubia I just keep the toilet paper cardboard tubes in the bin and shake a few off into the bin until I have the amount I want in the dish...then I tap the tube into the dish and off they come But I always chase the freshly molted ones around the bin to give as a treat and I usually have to dig deep into a pile of them to get it LOL Does not bother me at all

Total shock to me was when my husband started doing it as well! These guys get in your heart for sure and you find you can do anything for them after all :wink:

I started a colony about 5 weeks ago and for the first 3 weeks I kept pacing pacing pacing waiting for the babies LOL
Now all of a sudden the past 2 weeks I have more babies than I thought I would...way more :mrgreen: Whenever I check on the bin I find at least 2 or 3 females laying more! Kinda cool really.

My guy is really sick right now, but once he is ready to eat dubias again I am set for years LOL Now, the big ones *could* creep you out, but you don't need to touch them really if you do not want to.

 

[sheri85]

well, maybe i will order some and give it a try. i like that they don't fly. when i was a kid i had a huge roach fly at me and land on my shirt. scared the crap out of me.

thanks for that link lauraj1055. i'm reading it now, and am leaning toward trying the dubias out. i mentioned it to my boyfriend, and he said okay, but he was distracted so who knows if he actually heard me. lol. oh well. he'll find out when there are suddenly roaches in our house. i probably won't be concerned with breeding them, at least not right away.

do i need to keep them so warm if i don't want to breed them?

 

[Sherri]

well, maybe i will order some and give it a try. i like that they don't fly. when i was a kid i had a huge roach fly at me and land on my shirt. scared the crap out of me.

thanks for that link lauraj1055. i'm reading it now, and am leaning toward trying the dubias out. i mentioned it to my boyfriend, and he said okay, but he was distracted so who knows if he actually heard me. lol. oh well. he'll find out when there are suddenly roaches in our house. i probably won't be concerned with breeding them, at least not right away.

do i need to keep them so warm if i don't want to breed them?

No, you do not need extra heat...room temp is fine for feeder dubia. I keep them in a clear bin in a drawer lol.

 

[sheri85]

okay thanks! i just don't want to bother with breeding if i'm not even sure i want to keep them around.

 

[anderous]

hmm, i think there crazy slow, i used to keep Lobster roaches and those things move like the wind, but dubia are so slow i can grab a whole handful and none will get away. they dont flatten themselves out so you cant grip them either, i think they are the easiest most trouble free feeder you can get

 

[sheri85]

well i talked my boyfriend into being okay with the dubias (told him what i was spending weekly on reptiworms, and he caved). i think i might create an environment for them to breed. i have an under the tank heater that neither of my reptiles is using, could i use that under the dubias' tub?