Yummy!

What do you feed your insectivorous herps?

Most people answer this question with crickets and/or mealworms. Sure, crickets and mealworms are ok to feed, but there are insects out there with more meat and less shell that are just as easy to keep and much easier to breed. My favorite alternative feeder insect is Blaptica dubia also known as "dubias", "orange spotted cockroaches" or "Guyana spotted cockroach". These South American roaches are ideally suited to the role of staple feeder insect. They are long lived and range in size from 1/8 inch long to 2 inches long throughout their lifespan. These roaches are highly proliferative and breed readily. They can live on average 2 years and the females produce 20-40 young/month on average. Dubia roaches have a much higher meat to chitin (shell) ratio so they are less likely to cause impaction than feeders such as mealworms.

Dubia are easy to keep and care for. They don't have an unpleasant smell like crickets and they cannot climb smooth surfaces like other roach species. These roaches are also slower than other species and cannot fly (males can glide though). They are sexually dimorphic in both nymph and adult phases (males have wings as adults) and are ovoviviparous (females carry eggs inside themselves and give live birth). Dubia need warm temps to thrive and breed as they are tropical so they are less likely to colonize your home if they do escape.

If you decide to start a colony, it is usually a good idea to get at least 50 adults with a male to female ratio of 1/3-5. Males can become territorial if there are too many and may kill each other. When starting a colony it is advised to offer a high protein diet, most keepers include high quality dog or cat kibble. These roaches are sensitive to high calcium diets so avoid foods like spinach. If you are going to feed your roaches to chameleons make sure they have been on a lower protein diet (no dog/cat food) for a few weeks prior to feeding because chameleons are especially prone to gout if fed high protein feeders. I have included pictures of my Dubia set-up along with my gutload youtube video and a video of a Dubia giving birth. Enjoy and feel free to ask questions!


Dubia live birth vid

Gutload vid

Dubia on Wikipedia

The Roach Ranch (great place to buy some)

A Dubia only Blog