dubia roaches
- Thread starter Geecko123
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GeckoLeen
New member
Dubias are very easy to keep. 3 of my 4 geckos LOVE them. (One shows no interest in live food of any kind, but loves Pangea.) Dubias do not cause impaction if they are given in the right size - they should be no larger than the space between your gecko's eyes; and if bigger than that, it's more choking that would be a problem rather than impaction. They have excellent nutritional value, if they are fed a nutritious diet.
Elizabeth has excellent advice on keeping dubias. I hope she will chime in.
Elizabeth has excellent advice on keeping dubias. I hope she will chime in.
GeckoFanboy
Member
Dubias are the best nutrition for your gecko. Crickets are almost as good. Dubias don't stink like a box of crickets. Dubias don't carry parasites. Dubias look like they have very hard shells, but actually they are extremely soft...pick one up and you'll see. I don't recall reading about any impaction from dubias. Actually, the main reason geckos get impacted is from folks using moss, mulch, or sand substrates. But standard feeder bugs should never cause impaction.
I do know my gecko (a little over a year old) can chomp down a full grown, large dubia roach no problem at all. He looks like he's almost gonna choke on it, but he chews it up. Sometimes one large roach fills him up. Geckos can eat fairly decent size bugs. They gulp it down like a snake. Slowly pulling it in and down.
If you only have one gecko DO NOT bother doing a colony. He'll never eat that much. I can buy 24 dubias and they can last a long time. It's best to get in the habit of feeding your gecko a variety of bugs. This way he won't become too picky and he'll be getting a wide spectrum of nutrition.
I do know my gecko (a little over a year old) can chomp down a full grown, large dubia roach no problem at all. He looks like he's almost gonna choke on it, but he chews it up. Sometimes one large roach fills him up. Geckos can eat fairly decent size bugs. They gulp it down like a snake. Slowly pulling it in and down.
If you only have one gecko DO NOT bother doing a colony. He'll never eat that much. I can buy 24 dubias and they can last a long time. It's best to get in the habit of feeding your gecko a variety of bugs. This way he won't become too picky and he'll be getting a wide spectrum of nutrition.
GeckoLeen
New member
Order some small ones from Josh's Frogs. They come in packs of 250, that should last your single gecko quite a long time. They won't breed if you keep them at room temperature, but if it hits 90, they will. It's very easy to get overrun if you do warm them up, so if you do start a colony, BE SURE you can get rid of them (without releasing them into your outside environment) if you have extra. 250 will last you a few months for one gecko.
GeckoFanboy
Member
They also take forever to grow at room temperature. I ordered some from Rainbow Mealworms and they were out of large dubias, so I got the next size down, and IMHO I think they were too small for my gecko. I ordered them months ago and they are still not full grown dubias yet. Dubias also are more resilient...meaning, they live alot longer than crickets. Crickets die very quickly and are more sensitive to temp changes
Elizabeth Freer
Well-known member
I've read negative things about water crystals -- IF they dry out.
Feed dubia 24/7 with a decent dry diet like Professional Reptiles' Pro Gutload dry diet. Chopped collard greens, pesticide-free dandelion flowers and greens, mustard greens, and turnip greens are all high calcium, low phosphorus, and good for moisture! Leave them in a shallow lid for dubia.
Scroll to dubia on this link.
Last edited:
Elizabeth Freer
Well-known member
I have no idea.
Dubia could end up eating the water crystals.
I recommend buying the 1 pound bag of Pro Gutload dry diet to start. Email Cody @ Professional Reptiles. Maybe there are expiration dates on his product.