Dubia roaches are excellent feeder insects for your reptile and any other insectivorous pet. It is because they are full of nutrition.
If you need to provide your pet with the best meal, opt for breeding roaches to get a constant food supply. How to breed dubia roaches? Read this article till the end.
Housing the colony
For housing dubia roaches you need to use compartments or boxes with smooth dividers. It will keep cockroaches from getting away from their captivity. In general dubia roaches do not fly, but they crawl. Hence, using a cage with smooth walls ensures you do not need to worry about roaches escaping.
If you are starting with dubia roaches, a 10 gallons plastic container or the water tank is sufficient to begin a thriving colony. You have to cover the container with n3ts and mesh coverings to prevent roaches from escaping and also providing them with air. You can likewise use 10 gallons square aquarium for rearing dubia cockroaches.
Dubia roaches live in colonies. But, they also need their hideouts and resting places. Hence, you need to create different layers and sections inside the cage so that every roach gets to live freely. You can use egg containers or carton boxes that offer them enough space to stand, wander and cover-up or even lay eggs.
Egg crates are affordable and sustainable and you do not need to invest a lot. It is smarter to put the crates vertically for a better design and structured colony. Furthermore, ensure the ventilation space is right and the boxes have enough space between them.
If you are using egg cartons, you do not need to use a substrate at the base of the enclosure. But, if you’re not using them, you can opt for a base layer made of papers. But, for substrate, make sure to replace that after one or two weeks to maintain the hygiene of the colony.
How to maintain the ideal environment?
Dubia roaches come from the subtropical environment of Argentina and South America. They live in an environment with a little higher temperature with damp air. Dubias, being a type of cockroaches can live in any condition, however, for a flourishing province that provides healthy feeder insects your pet, keeping up the warmth and humidity is the most ideal decision.
As a rule, the cockroaches flourish best in a spot with a temperature of 90-95 F with a humidity level of 60-70%. In colder climates, you can utilize a warmth producer or heat cushion or artificial heat lamp on the head of the colony cage to give warmth to the dubia insects. You should design the enclosure in such a way that it has enough space to produce abundant heat.
If you need to maintain the temperature, you can use a thermostat as per your choice.
As the subtropical weather is humid, you need to make sure that the cage contains enough humidity. You can spray water in the cage once in a while. Or, you can also use water crystals to maintain the water level in the air. The water crystals are great and offer hassle-free maintenance.
What to feed them?
Dubia roaches love surgery and slightly rotten food items. They can eat anything except potatoes.
For young nymphs, you need to include grass. It is because the young roaches eat grass. You can give them food grains like rolled or uncut oats, wheat, and barley as per your choice. You can also provide them fruit pulps and fruits. Dubia roaches live sugary fruits like bananas or tangerines. They also eat apples, broccoli stalks, etc. Please make sure that you do not provide them with something that is in high protein.
Dubia roaches produce uric acid with high protein food and his uric acid can be harmful to your pet.
If you do not want to go for such hassles, you can also provide the roaches with roach chow or ready-made food available in the market. It is a complete food that you need to provide the roaches. For water, it is better to provide them water crystals instead of water bowls as they can drown in the water bowl.
You need to clean the uneaten food and remove them to ensure there is no mold infestation in the colony.
