Dubia Roach Care Guide

We have compiled a comprehensive care guide for Dubia Roach feeders.

First of all, you may find yourself questioning what is required to maintain the health and nutritional value of your Dubia Roaches. Luckily this is very easy to achieve and we are here to guide you through the process.

Table of Contents;

• What to do before the arrival of your Dubia Roaches
• Food
• Water
• Cleaning

What to do before your Dubia Roaches arrive.

Dubia Roaches are a living being. Yes they are incredibly hardy when it comes to feeder insects and can live for months with little food and water, but they still require a specific standard of living in order maintain their health for best possible nutritional value for your loved pet(s) consumption. 

Step 1 - Shelter

you'll need to create a shelter/home for them. This shelter needs to tick the following boxes.

• Size - We recommend a storage tub + lid with a volume of around 60L 
• Smooth-Sided - this will prevent your Dubia Roaches from being able to climb up and escape, no one wants that! 
• Darkness- even though clear containers are perfectly fine, Dubia Roaches are far more active in darker environments. because of this we recommend that you find a black container. 
• Moisture Resistant - You'll want the container to be manufactured using material that is robust and resistant to wear and tear, such as plastics etc. 
• Ventilated - Dubia Roaches need their environment to be well ventilated, the easiest way to achieve this is by cutting a hole in the lid of the container (around 20cm x 20cm will be fine). Once the hole is cut you'll need to cover it with a nylon mesh to prevent any escapees who somehow manage to climb up. 
• Living Space within the container - Dubia Roaches need a place to crawl, hide, explore and socialize in for them to be able to thrive. Luckily we have the perfect affordable solution, Cardboard Egg Trays. 
• Food Bowl -  We recommend that you use a regular plastic Cat/Dog bowl, but you'll need to scuff the surface up to enable the Dubia Roaches to climb up and down the slippery surface to gain access to their food/water. This can easily be achieved with a bit of sand paper and some elbow grease. Ensure the bowl surface has completely been roughened up. 

Step 2 - Temperature targets and how to achieve them. 

Dubia Roaches originate from Central and South America. Their habitat stems from warm, humid tropical rainforest.

You'll have to ask yourself what your goal is, as the amount of heat they receive will dictate the speed in which they grow. 

• Temperature requirements for sustainable feeders (little growth), If you don't want your feeders to get any bigger then we recommend that you keep them in the region of 60 - 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Most houses sit comfortably within this temperature range so no additional heat source is required.
• Temperature requirements for growth, if you want your Dubia Roaches to get larger over time and rapidly then you'll need to introduce a heat source. Dubia Roaches thrive around 80-95 Degrees Fahrenheit 

Introducing a heat source for the Dubia Roaches is very easy to achieve, generally most people will use either a heat mat, ceramic heat emitters or a light bulbs. 

Please follow the manufacturers operation instructions, warnings etc when using additional heat sources, and we strongly recommend that you never put it directly inside the enclosure.

You can keep track and control the enclosures temperatures by using an adjustable reptile thermostat. Do not allow the temperature to rise above 95 degrees Fahrenheit as this will stress the Dubias out and potentially drastically shorten their life. Always allow for a corner of the enclosure to be away from a direct heat source so that the Dubia Roaches can cool off if they need to.

Step 3 - Where to locate their Shelter?

Dubia Roaches prefer a stable environment with little fluctuations in temperature, this means that they are best located within the house and away from areas such as conservatories etc. They also prefer to be away from direct sunlight as they crave darkness. 

You're now prepared and ready for the arrival of your Dubia Roaches! Now what?

 

Food - 

Dubia Roaches can almost eat anything, they are a cockroach after all. However, the goal here is for them to be gut-loaded and consumed by your pet, and your pet has specific nutritional needs. Whatever the Dubia eats is then transferred to your beloved pet.

Here's a general list of fresh foods in which to feed your Dubia Roaches to Maximise the nutritional value for your pet. 

• Sweet potatoes
• Sweet peppers
• Pumpkin (canned or fresh)
• Pears
• Mangoes
• Leafy greens (lettuce, kale, spinach)
• Grains
• Cucumbers
• Corn
• Carrots
• Broccoli
• Berries
• Beets
• Bananas
• Apples

We recommend that you also feed them commercially available "Roach Chow" 

Do not feed them anything that contains high protein levels, such as Dog/Cat food & Meats etc. This could potentially be very harmful to your pet. 

How much food should I supply?

This question is very hard to answer, but basically you increase or decrease the amount of depending on what they can eat in a 24hr period. 

• Too little food  - If the bowl is completely empty when you come to do the next feeding session the following day then gradually increase the quantity supplied in the food bowl until they can no longer consume all of it by the next night.
• Too much food - if the bowl still has food left over when you come to do the next feeding session then reduce the quantity of food supplied in the food bowl until there is pretty much no leftovers by the next night.

Please remove any uneaten food daily, this will prevent mold buildup which is bad for your dubias!

Water -

Dubia Roaches should be able to get all of the moisture that they require from the fresh fruits and veggies that you're feeding them. Generally no additional water source is required. 

If you're unable to feed them fresh veggies for a few days then widely available Water Crystals/Gel can be used as a backup option.

 

Cleaning -

Although hard to believe and against popular belief, Dubia Roaches are incredibly clean and easy to care for. You'll only need to clean their enclosure once every month or two, here's how we recommend to do it.

We strongly recommend this is done in a very well ventilated area as Dubia Roach poop (Frass) can cause skin irritations and allergic reactions