Things your dubia WON'T eat...

[unkempt1]

I see threads from time to time about what to feed dubia roaches, and thought it would be fun (hey and maybe easier :lol: ) to put together a list of things they WON'T eat. I'll start with my experiences and will edit this post as new info is posted. Lets do this!

Things dubia won't eat:
Cilantro
Parsley
Pineapple
Lemons
Limes
Tangerines
Spaghetti Squash (can anyone else confirm? seems odd!)

Things they "accept" if there are no alternatives (thanks Soulwind):
Potatoes
Bell peppers (green and red)
Celery

To be fair I'll make a list of things they go nuts for too: :wink:
Mangos
Oranges
Carrots
Dog treats (the stinkier the better)
Butternut Squash
Clementines
Strawberries
Sugar-glazed donuts

 

[czuber]

Ya I'm proud of my Colony as well. I just got another bin to separate some out. I'm going to put a small starter group in there and not touch them for 3-4 months and see how fast they build up.

 

[Soulwind]

Hate/Won't Eat:

Lemons
Tangerines
Red Bell Peppers
[one of the very few non-bugs I can get Rico to eat, but the Dubia won't touch them]
Celery
[to be fair, they do nibble on the celery, but I think they are using it more for moisture than eating
as they've never finished a piece of celery before I had to throw it out]


Love:

Mangos
Clementines
Oranges
Carrots (but only the middle -- I always end up with hollow carrots)
Squash

Accept:

Just about everything else I've tried so far...

 

[Durke]

They hate:

- Potatoes
- Spaghetti squash


They like:

- Oranges
- Tangerines
- Lettuce
- Apples
- Cantaloupe
- Carrots
- Butternut squash
- Strawberries

My colony used to go nuts over butternut squash, but now they're starting to not like it as much.

 

[unkempt1]

Ok... this is already getting interesting! :twisted:

Soulwind has inspired me to create an "accept" section too, and for more than one reason. First off, it's an awesome idea 8) , but secondly it's because my roaches love red and green bell peppers! I fed them some last night and when I opened the crate today I saw two large nymphs tugging the slice in different directions! The only down side to it, like the dog treats, is that they give off a bad odor for about a day after eating it. I'm going to move bell peppers to the accepted category until we get more info.

I'm also putting tangerines in the love it category (forgot about that one) and going to put potatoes in the accepted section for now, mainly because my roaches eat it up like crazy unless there are alternatives. I'll also add the squash stuff in too.. Very nice observations, guys! :twisted:

 

[Soulwind]

That's so odd, don't you think though?

My colony won't touch Bell Peppers or Tangerines,
your buggies apparently do like Bell Peppers,
and Durke says his like Tangerines....

I guess even roaches have preferences :mrgreen:

 

[unkempt1]

I just added something new under the stuff they go crazy for - donuts. :lol:

I bought a mixed assortment of donuts and Mexican pastries for my team the other day. There were some extras, and someone ate about 3/4 of a sugar-glazed donut (the ones dusted with sugar on top). Seems obvious now, but I decided to put the leftover piece in their bin. I checked in on it about an hour later and it was almost completely gone! I put it in with some mango peels at the same time and those had hardly been touched. :shock:

Edit: I spoke with a roach guy at a reptile convention and he told me he puts corn on the cob in his bin sometimes as a treat. According to him, not only do they eat the corn, but they burrow a hole through the middle to finish it off! He has an extremely large colony so I haven't tried to duplicate this. Can anyone confirm this? :?:

 

[hyperc]

Does anyone find it odd that my dubia barely ate the orange I cut up and left in the bin for over 12hrs?

 

[unkempt1]

Does anyone find it odd that my dubia barely ate the orange I cut up and left in the bin for over 12hrs?

That depends... how big is your colony? Are you keeping any other sources or food in the enclosure? Lastly, how much orange did you put in there?

I ask because I have a colony of about 50 adults and 300-400 of mixed-sized nymphs. They can maybe cut through two orange quarters in about 24 hours, with nothing other than water crystals in the bin. Still pretty impressive. :twisted:

 

[Busted]

Anyone ever use those little fruit cups like this http://aromdoms.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/rpc_949362_fruit_cups_hr.jpg ? I figure the syrup would be something to caution as it might drown them but it would also give it a sweetness, which dubia seem to like sweet things.

 

[unkempt1]

I would think it depends on how thick the "water" is that separates the fruit. I have seen some fruit cups where the "water" is so thick it's pretty much jello. That should be ok and I bet the roaches would love it! It would be like super-sweet water crystals! :lol:

 

[kelii]

I haven't had my roaches very long, but I've discovered the love lettuce, apples, and carrots, but won't eat spinach or mango peels.

 

[dylanravenj]

Mine seem to not like oranges...which I find very odd! They love collard greens though

 

[Wetbee]

Hubby was sick, wanted jello, I figured I would try some for watery sweetness...found a baby nymph stuck upside down, too sticky for them. I cooked some oatmeal put in a jar lid..waited for it to 'harden' over..put in. they loved that. I also put catfood soaked w/ orange juice, they like that too. as well as cooked green beans.

 

[Busted]

That's what I was worried about. Guess no jello will be used. So, they like cooked then dried oatmeal?