Dubia Roaches... I am no longer terrified :)

[XoVictoryXo]

Ive had a roach fear for a long time, and by fear I mean petrified. My old apartment was taken over by roaches- and they were the flying type below here aghhhhhhh these bugs are what nightmares are made of. :shock:


I finally had the courage to get acquainted with Dubia roaches...
annnnnnnnnnnd -
They are actually kind of pretty... and not too bad at all! The fact that they have a pattern on their back helps... LOL
I dont like how fast they scurry around as that part is still a bit terrifying so i flip them onto their back when feeding to my leopard geckos. My Leo's really enjoy them!


I havent tried them with my turtle yet but maybe I will try it tonight
Just thought Id share with everyone, getting over your roach fear is super rewarding for your pets!
Question, there are some yellow types in the batch, are they albino or a different species? (probably a dumb question but I love everything albino hahah)

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

I've said for a long time that a lot of the fear that people have of "roaches" is in the name. If you called them "Happy Sunshine beetles", nobody would be scared of them at all. And captive bred roaches are clean, and in general disease free. These are not the same critters that crawl around your kitchen at night.

As for the white/yellowish ones, those are just freshly molted. Their shells will harden up and they'll turn dark again.

Congrats on getting over your fear!

 

[XoVictoryXo]

thank you! That's exactly what I call them, Happy Sunshine Beetles, hahah... It really did help get rid of fear factor!
I think I like them enough to try to breed them as part of their staple diet, they seem a ton more durable and easier to catch then crickets. They also seem to grow quickly, wow!

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

They don't die nearly as fast either. Nor do they chirp or stink like crickets. No jumping. There's a million reasons why roaches beat crickets. People just don't realize how much easier they really are.

 

[smcnearn]

They are a great feeder and I honestly pick animals that take to them because of how convenient they are.

 

[XoVictoryXo]

Aw Xena decided she doesnt like them anymore, she loves her crickets and worms. Ill keep trying though. Maybe I will skip a day of feeding and try with roaches again.
Rex still really loves them whole heartedly though, he actually appears extremely excited when I feed them to him moreso then any other insect, it is fun to watch!

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

You might try B. lateralis. They don't bury themselves and their quick movements really tend to excite the geckos. Like dubia, they are also non-climbers. So they're easy to keep without a lot of escapees.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Aw Xena decided she doesnt like them anymore, she loves her crickets and worms. Ill keep trying though. Maybe I will skip a day of feeding and try with roaches again.
Rex still really loves them whole heartedly though, he actually appears extremely excited when I feed them to him moreso then any other insect, it is fun to watch!

Sounds like Xena does not have Rex's appetite. How often are you feeding these guys? Maybe every other day or 3x per week? Seems like they are ready to cut back on feedings to a schedule like that?

 

[cricket4u]

Aw Xena decided she doesnt like them anymore, she loves her crickets and worms. Ill keep trying though. Maybe I will skip a day of feeding and try with roaches again.
Rex still really loves them whole heartedly though, he actually appears extremely excited when I feed them to him moreso then any other insect, it is fun to watch!

Just curious, so she is eating the crickets and worms, but started refusing the dubias on the same day?

 

[XoVictoryXo]

Yes Xena devours worms and crickets just fine and shows healthy appetite and excitement when given smaller to medium sized worms/crickets, she never attempts large prey (except crickets). She refuses silk/horn worms when they grow larger then an inch.
she pushes her head away when I am attempting to give her a roach with tongs and does not chase them either although watches them run past. She still chases the crickets and attacks worms. I think she is just being finicky and spoiled she is pooping regular and sheds well and has no other issue. What a bummer But ill keep trying with smallest sized roaches.
I feed mondays wednesdays fridays

 

[cricket4u]

You didn't answer my main question.:lol: However, obviously due to your last sentence the answer is yes. Her refusing the larger size is normal; it shows she is smart. If she accepted the roaches before and suddenly refuses them, it's best not to insist. She is eating everything else within normal sizes, there's a reason she started refusing the roaches. Don't worry, this isn't the first time I have heard this.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Yes Xena devours worms and crickets just fine and shows healthy appetite and excitement when given smaller to medium sized worms/crickets, she never attempts large prey (except crickets). She refuses silk/horn worms when they grow larger then an inch.
she pushes her head away when I am attempting to give her a roach with tongs and does not chase them either although watches them run past. She still chases the crickets and attacks worms. I think she is just being finicky and spoiled she is pooping regular and sheds well and has no other issue. What a bummer But ill keep trying with smallest sized roaches.
I feed mondays wednesdays fridays

Appreciate your update, XO.

 

[XoVictoryXo]

LOL my bad for my long and windy post. hahah :lol:
She does seem extremely intelligent, as she probably thinks to herself "this larger bug will probably hurt coming out the opposite end."

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

Try a little bit bigger sized roaches. Many of my geckos won't take prey that think is too small.

 

[XoVictoryXo]

Yay ! I got her to eat a few small ones on Wednesday night ! She seems to be the opposite as she just likes small prey. Roaches are here to stay!
Did I mention how not one roach has died and I have had them for one month!? they are so durable!!
Im so glad I gave them a chance

 

[cricket4u]

Yay ! I got her to eat a few small ones on Wednesday night ! She seems to be the opposite as she just likes small prey. Roaches are here to stay!
Did I mention how not one roach has died and I have had them for one month!? they are so durable!!
Im so glad I gave them a chance

So she ate a few at first, started refusing them, then you insisted and she now is eating them. Same size? You haven't noticed any trouble swallowing correcf?

 

[XoVictoryXo]

Correct. They were not the same size however, the ones she refused were bigger sized. She didnt have any trouble swallowing. the ones she ate are the size of my fingertip.

 

[cricket4u]

Correct. They were not the same size however, the ones she refused were bigger sized. She didnt have any trouble swallowing. the ones she ate are the size of my fingertip.

Xo you are not paying attention to the whole question!:fight::biggrin:

1. She ate them at first correct? size?

2. Then refused.

3. Then ate them again, however they were smaller than then the second time offered. What size was the first time?

I meant if she has ever shown any difficulties in swallowing(twisting) any insects. I just wanted to make sure that there wasn't another reason she only eats very small prey.

 

[XoVictoryXo]

They were both fed medium-large sized ones first.
She began refusing the same sized medium-large roaches BUT ate a few large crickets during the same time frame.
She now enjoys the smallest roaches.

LOL sorry sheesh this is a little complicated for me when my brain is fried from work lmao!!! I hope I answered the question right this time hahah

Maybe I should make a new thread in the Leo section for picky eater Xena, I can better document her eating habits.

 

[cricket4u]

They were both fed medium-large sized ones first.
She began refusing the same sized medium-large roaches BUT ate a few large crickets during the same time frame.
She now enjoys the smallest roaches.

LOL sorry sheesh this is a little complicated for me when my brain is fried from work lmao!!! I hope I answered the question right this time hahah

Maybe I should make a new thread in the Leo section for picky eater Xena, I can better document her eating habits.

That's what I was trying to clarify. She ate the medium sized first, but then rejected it them the second time. Start a thread if you wish. Last question, what do you consider a medium size?