Thinking of Switching to Dubia Roaches?

[Quelaag]

So I've read a bunch of benefits on feeding Dubia Roaches. The one that hits me the most is they don't seem as likely to pass on parasites which is a major plus for me personally. Though, I do have some concerns... The main one is I have a slight cockroach phobia and am terrified that they'll somehow get out and infest the house. How likely is that and what are some way I can prevent then from getting out? I can probably get over my fear so long as I don't have to touch them hands on-- I use tongs and tubes to dispense insects currently.

Also are they safe to feed to babies? I think my little guy is a little over two months old judging by the fact that he's almost 10 inches long and still growing so I assume he should be good for small and even some medium sized roaches, but I'm more worried about the shell. Can babies digest them well?

Also, how hard is it to start a colony? What are some things I need and what do I need to know? Links would be great. And while I'm going to look to see who sells them locally, are there any sites you guys would recommend that I buy from? Not to be a cheapo, but affordability would be wonderful~

Sorry if this is a dumb post, my future sister-in-laws beardie recently got infested with Pin Worms and we're thinking that it's possibly from a bad cricket. We're trying to prevent the same fate for my little Haru as well as preventing future infections.

 

[kakequinn]

Dubias are great!They can't climb on smooth surfaces and they don't jump or fly, males can flutter down but that's about it.Even if they were to somehow get out, chances are they wont be able to reproduce or it's very unlikely.Really, all you need to do is make sure the container is smooth and the egg crates aren't high enough for them to touch the lid or anything.

As for feeding to babies, yes you can!They love them!Just make sure they are the right size so they can't choke.I would feed your baby small to medium roaches, normally smalls are baby-baby roaches which will need to be fed in higher amounts.The mediums are bigger and my 10in female can eat quite a few mediums, they wont need as many mediums as they would smalls since they are bigger.The shell, from what I can remember, is a softer shell and my baby has no problems digesting them.

Starting a colony is pretty easy, however you'll need to basically leave them alone for 3-4 maybe 5 months until you can feed from it so you will still need to buy some to feed until then.You should keep them around the high 80s to 90 degrees, I think (not 100% sure).Supply egg crates for them to crawl on and then provide made water crystals and roach food(you can also look into what else to feed, they can have other things like veggies or other pelleted food, I just feed roach food).

I would suggest West Coast Roaches, I buy from them each time since my colony isn't running well I only just got my first two batches of babies.If you have a facebook, that would be great to look them up.They do have a website, however they run auctions for small-medium roaches about twice a day and usually the prices are good.They do put up some grabs on their website though.

 

[Dragonmommie]

Great info as I, too, am switching to dubias. My first order should be here Monday. I have a couple of questions as well...

Do they eat as many dubias as they do crickets?

I got small because I'm scared to death of my babies getting impacted. They're eating medium crickets but I ordered small roaches. I imagine I'll have to order some mediums.

If you start your own colony, how fast do they grow?

 

[unkempt1]

Size-wise they will eat less dubia, typically, as there is more meat vs shell with roaches. You don't need to worry about impaction as long as you keep your dragon hydrated, but that is true with any feeder. Their growth rate is about six months to get to adulthood. Since they have about 20-30 babies a month on average, use that as a guide to how much your dragon will eat vs how many male and female adults you will need.

The reality is, unless you buy more than enough adults to get your colony started right away, you will need to wait a few months for the colony to establish itself prior to feeding.

Truth be told, I had to keep buying crickets and mix it up with roaches for a few months before I stopped buying crickets. Now my colony is huge (and so is my dragon) so now I just feed her 2-3 adult male roaches a day now that she is full grown. Of course, now that she has gone into brumation, I've gotten a little nervous. :mrgreen: I don't know if my gecko, crocodile skinks, and pacman frog can keep the colony in check. Not a bad problem to have. :lol:

 

[Quelaag]

Thank you guys! This is all super helpful. I don't know when I'll be switching to them, hopefully soonish. My little guy eats so much that it feels like he never gets full-- granted I probably should be giving him larger crickets now that he's growing like a weed. I swear, it feels like he's growing a centimeter a day! But I also feel that the Dubia's will also fill him up quick and will be better for it since they're healthy and all.

Thank you all.

 

[diver165]

Yes, they will eat less Dubias than crickets. My Beardie, Elvis, would plow through 15-20 medium crickets and it seemed like he wouldn't be satisfied. He's about 10in long right now. I can feed him 6-7 medium dubias and he's happy. he almost always turns his nose up to the 8th. Just depends on the size really. Dubias have more "meat" per insect than crickets do. I've heard that 1 dubia is equal to 4-5 crickets as far as nutrition. But then again this is the internet and many people don't believe that 911 occurred or we that landed on the moon. LOL. Anyway, their shell also isn't as hard on the digestive system as other feeders like meal worms etc.

Other than the expense of getting a colony started and the fragile nature of having them shipped in the winter, there really isn't a downside to using Dubias (except if you live in FL).

They've been described by a lot of people as the perfect feeder.