Can You Feed Crested Geckos Dubia Roaches?
By: Jason
Last Updated: February 22, 2023
Different insects are part of the natural diet of crested geckos, but not all insects are good for them. What about dubia roaches? Can crested geckos eat dubia roaches?
Crested geckos can eat dubia roaches. Dubia roaches are one of the best staple live feeder insects for crested geckos. They have a balanced nutrient profile, don’t cause digestive issues, and are easy to keep.
There is more to learn about buying and storing dubia roaches and how to get them ready for your crested gecko. Keep reading to get all your questions answered!
Species Overview
Dubia roaches (Blaptica dubia) are medium-sized cockroaches native to Central and South America.
They are sometimes called the orange-spotted roach, the Argentinian wood roach, or Guyana spotted roach.
Life cycle
Female dubia roaches carry eggs until they are ready to hatch and then give birth to live young. These young insects are called nymphs.
At 5-6 months of age, they reach adulthood. At this stage, they are about 1 1/2″ long and are sexually mature. Males have wings, while females look like longer nymphs.
Females can produce 20-40 offspring at a time, once every two months.
Females live about 24 months, while males live about 18 months.
Diet
Dubia roaches are scavengers that can eat almost anything. Wild dubia get most of their nutrients from vegetables and fruits.
Dubia roaches can survive a long time without food.
Other Notes
Dubia roaches are quiet. They don’t chirp like cricket, squeak like beetles, or sing like cicadas.
These insects are social. They prefer the company of other dubia roaches for protection.
Dubia roaches don’t bite. They are harmless to you and your pet.
While adult males do develop wings, they are not good fliers. They don’t often attempt to fly out of their container.
Dubia roaches are not legal to ship to all states. Some states, like Florida, require a state-issued permit to receive them.
They need higher temperatures and humidity than most houses provide to breed. That means that if one (or more) escape, they will not infest your home.
Nutritional Value
It is vital to consider the nutritional value of any food you feed to your pet.
The size of an insect and how it was fed and cared for will change its nutritional composition. If you look around, you will find a range of results online.
For dubia roaches, older and larger ones have less moisture, more fat, and more protein. The average of those results is below.
Dubia Roach
- Protein – 21%
- Fat – 8%
- Fiber – 4%
- Moisture – 66%
- Minerals – 1%
- Calcium – 560 mg/kg
- Phosphorous – 840 mg/kg
Dubia roaches are one of the best overall feeder insects. They are high in protein and low in fat. Their Ca-P ratio is poor but in line with other insects (besides the calcium-packed Black Soldier Fly Larvae) and managed with calcium dusting.
Dubia roaches are the standard that all other feeder insects are measured. While other species can win in each category, none can outdo the overall package.
Feeding Instructions
Size
Crested geckos need to be fed insects shorter than the distance between their eyes.
Dubia roaches start small and grow up to 1 3/4 inches long. The smallest ones for sale start at 1/4 inch long. A typical adult is around 1 inch long.
The range in sizes is one of the strengths of the breed. You can get whatever size you need.
As with any food, the size of the dubia roach should never be longer than the distance between the crested gecko’s eyes.
Many keepers give their crestie the longest insects they can first. Why? Because you need to feed fewer live feeders to your crestie if they fill up on big ones. Also, fewer will “outgrow” your pet if you use them at the right time.
Gut loading
Dubia can live a long time. Before you give them to your crested gecko, they need to be “gut-loaded.”
Much of the nutritional value comes from what is in the insect’s stomach when your pet eats it. Typically, we look at the 12-to-24 hours prior. Too soon or too long, and your pet gets fewer nutrients.
A dubia roach’s digestive system is different from many other insects. The nutrients in their system last up to three days later. A pet lizard that eats dubia roaches that were gut-loaded two or three days earlier will likely have added benefits.
To ‘gut-load’ your dubia roaches, you can either feed them a premade gut-loading diet or give them a dark green leafy vegetable, a grain, and a piece of fruit. Some beet or mustard greens, a few grains of rice, and a slice of banana or sweet potato are perfect!
Dusting
Immediately before serving up the dubia roaches to your crestie, you’ll need to add supplements. The most crucial dietary mineral they have is calcium, but many also include other vitamins and minerals.
Find one that comes in an ultrafine powder. These do a better job of sticking.
First, place the insects in a small container. Then, sprinkle some powder on them. Gently swirl the cup to get the dust to coat them evenly. Now they are ready to give to your pet!
Don’t apply powder to any insects you are not offering up right away. It is easy to dust more dubia roaches if your crestie eats up its first serving and is looking for more!
Where do I feed the dubia to my crestie?
There are a few options for how and where to give the dubia roaches to your crested gecko.
Many keepers will put insects directly into the enclosure with their crestie.
This method is simple and direct. It maximizes the hunting experience and allows your pet to each when it wants. Dubia roaches, unlike some other insects, won’t bite or harass your crested gecko if left uneaten. They don’t burrow into the substrate, either. The biggest downside of this approach is that you don’t know how many your crested gecko ate.
Another option is to feed the crested gecko in a separate enclosure. This secondary feeding tank can be an empty plastic container or glass tank without any decorations or substrate they might ingest accidentally.
Doing it this way makes hunting very easy. The dubia have nowhere to hide and won’t bother your crestie. You also know how many bugs they ate in 15 minutes.
The third approach is to hand-feed them with long tongs. You pinch the dubia roach in the tongs and put it near the mouth of the crested gecko.
Sadly, this way doesn’t engage the hunting instinct. But, if you need to introduce live feeders to a younger crested gecko who isn’t jumping at the chance to chase an insect for dinner, consider feeding them by hand first. Once they get used to it eating live insects, try one of the other options mentioned in this section.
How often can I serve them?
Insects are a once-a-week food.
Ideally, your pet should mostly eat powdered gecko food with some live feeder insects and occasional fruit. This mix will provide them with all the vitamins and minerals they need.
On the day you feed your pet insects, they aren’t likely to eat much else. You can leave some CGD in the tank just in case they get hungry, but they are likely to avoid it.
Serve a variety of foods for optimal health.
How many should I give?
You want to feed as many dubia roaches as your crested gecko can eat in fifteen minutes.
For hatchlings, this is often just one or two small ones. Adults can eat many more, sometimes seven or eight a night.
Dubia roaches tend to be more filling than some other live feeder insects. Don’t be surprised if your pet gets full faster on these guys!
Dead or alive?
Most crested geckos prefer eating live insects over dead, freeze-dried, or canned ones.
Dubia roaches are available canned and freeze-dried. They keep for a long time, are easy to store, and help keepers looking to avoid live insects (like, for a pet sitter). But, the price per insect goes up a lot, and not all crested geckos will eat them.
The other downside is behavioral. Hunting live prey stimulates a pet gecko, which is just as valuable as the nutrients in the food.
There are good reasons to serve dead dubia roaches, but try to use live ones when you can.
Buying & Storing
Price range
The price for dubia roaches varies by size and count.
Since most large chain pet stores do not carry dubia roaches, online shopping is the norm. Most use a similar price model.
50-count containers range in price from $7-$18 ($0.14 to $0.30 per), while 200-counts range from $25-$44 ($0.12 to $0.22 per), depending on the size of the insect.
The price for dubia roaches is a little misleading. Because they live a long time, you can buy more at once than you could with crickets. And because they are more nutrient-dense, you don’t need to feed as many dubia as you would other live feeders.
Where can I buy the best dubia roaches?
Several great companies sell dubia roaches.
How do I keep them?
Dubia roaches usually come in small plastic cups with holes in the lid. You can keep them in this container and add food and water.
Dubia roaches are comfortable in temperatures between 50 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. A dark, quiet space between 62 and 72 degrees is perfect. If you want them to grow, keep them in warmer temperatures, between 70 and 90 degrees. They can survive colder temps but will become dormant.
The food and water needs of dubia roaches are easy to meet. In addition to the menu under the “gut loading” section, you can use premade products, like Dubia Dew and Roach Chow, with all the nutrients the dubia roaches need. Dubia roaches need hydration (like any other living thing). They can get the water they need by eating fruits, vegetables, or water gels. Avoid water dishes as dubia roaches may drown in them.
Dubia roaches prefer to be kept in darkness. If you feed them off quickly, this isn’t too important. Too much light is stressful.
Cleaning out the container every once in a while will keep the insects and your pet healthy. Since they live so long, you might have to clean their cup before they are all gone! Transfer the live insects and cardboard to the second container. Then, discard any dead insects, shed skins, and feces. Rinse the container with hot water and let it dry out completely. Move the colony back to its original cup. That’s it!
How long do they live?
Dubia roaches live for 18-24 months.
With their long lifespan, many keepers have more trouble with the insects outgrowing their crested gecko than with uneaten bugs dying. To address this, you can start with smaller dubia than you need, expecting them to grow. Or, you can keep them at cooler temperatures (the low 60’s) to slow their growth rate.
Do All Crested Geckos Like Dubia Roaches?
Just like with humans, each crested gecko has preferences. Not every person enjoys the same foods, nor does every crestie.
Can you think back to a time you tried a new food? Maybe you took only a little taste and then stopped and tried again later. Just like humans, crested geckos need to warm up to new things.
If you’ve offered dubia to your pet and they weren’t interested the first time, don’t worry. Try offering these bugs a few times, maybe with tongs first, to help them try it out.
Conclusion
Dubia roaches are one of the top live feeder insects for crested geckos.
They have a high nutritional value, with lots of protein and some, but not too much, fat. Unlike the higher protein options, Dubia roaches are easy to digest.
Gut load up to three days before serving to your crested gecko. Dust them with high-quality calcium powder just before giving them to your pet.
Dubia roaches are easy to keep. They prefer small containers at room temperature with no light. They eat small amounts of leftover green leafy vegetables, grains, and fruits. They don’t bite, smell, or make noise.
What about other insects? Can Crested Geckos Eat Hornworms?