Breeding Dubia Roaches
Our geckos love to eat and sometimes feeder insects can get expensive or hard to acquire during the colder winter months. We are always encouraging our new gecko owners to start their own colony of Dubia Roaches so we decided to write this guide to further support our customers.
*We are not experts when it comes to insects. The following information is how we produce feeders for our geckos. If you have ideas / correction to our methods, please reach out. We’d love to hear from you.
Sexing
Males
Males have long wings that entirely cover their abdomen.
Females
Females have tiny, vestigial wings that are about 1/4″ of her total length.
We recommend maintaining a 1:2 ratio when making a breeder colony, for example, 5 males for 10 females, 10 males for 20 females, 20 males for 40 females, and so on.
Housing
Roaches can be raised in almost any container, as long as they have room to spread out. We prefer large opaque, plastic containers that are smooth sided (Dubias can’t climb).
*Important: you want to keep your roaches in a dark place with only a little exposure to light.
Dubia roaches are terrible climbers and cannot use their wings to fly. So, if your container is in a dark space without light, pets, or children, you shouldn’t have to worry too much about a lid. Roaches will be able to climb surfaces such as wood or brick, so it is not recommended to make your container out of these materials. Plastic is best.
What we use
- Black and yellow plastic tote. (you know the ones)
- Repti Zoo Reptile Heat pad with thermostat
- Zoo Med Digital Thermometer
- Egg cartons cut to size
- shallow plastic lids (food and water crystals)
Heat & Humidity
Dubia roaches like it hot, and humid! They are a tropical species of roach, occurring naturally on many Caribbean islands. As such, they prefer a temperature of 85°F to 95°F (29°C to 35°C) for optimal breeding.
. You may need to purchase a heating pad and apply it to the bottom of the container to reach these temperatures as Dubia roaches will not breed reliably below 85. Remember, as you raise the temperature, you will have to add moisture to keep the humidity consistent.
Dubia roaches prefer the humidity to be around 60%. If the humidity is too low, you may need to add a humidifier to the container to keep it high. Dubia roaches will not be able to molt properly at lower humidities, and lower humidity promotes the creation of potentially allergenic dust.
Lighting
Dubia roaches thrive best in the dark, so minimal or no light is recommended. Alternatively, you may store them in a dark room with the optimal settings. They do not like the light and will hide further in the egg flats or cardboard within the enclosures, which may cause pileup, stress, and possible death.
Substrate and hiding places
For substrate, many breeders choose not to use any substrate to make cleaning easier, but if you prefer a more natural setup, use coconut fiber or paper bedding. Ensure there’s a shallow dish for food and a water source such as water gel crystals, which prevents drowning. Refer to this helpful tutorial for detailed instructions:
Dubia roaches can be raised without a substate to make cleaning easier, but if you prefer a more natural setup, use coconut fiber or paper bedding. You can also soak the coconut fibers with water. This ensures that the humidity will stay relatively high.
*Important: Be careful not to use any cedarwood, this can be toxic.
Your roaches will also need a good place to hide. The classic choice is egg cartons, which are easily obtained. The cartons provide enough surface area for many roaches to hide. The carton material is also good at retaining moisture, which will help your roaches molt properly. You can also use cardboard, toilet paper tubes, or just about any type of carboard to provide hides for your roaches.
Feeding Time!
Compared to other species, Dubia roaches are more fruit-focused. They love fruits of almost every kind including apples, bananas, cherries, and oranges. They will also eat many other kinds of plants, from leafy greens to avocados. You can also supplement the protein in their diet by giving them a grain-based, dry dog, cat, or chicken food. If your females are not producing babies. This is a great way to supplement them with plenty of protein to produce eggs.
*Important: Feeding roaches oranges or other acidic fruit has been shown to bother some leopard geckos stomachs.
What we use
- Bananas
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Apples
- Kale & Spinach
- Water: Food grade water crystals
Gutloading
What you feed to your feeders directly affects the quality of nutrition that your reptile gets.
A dubia roach gutload should be low in protein. Too much protein in a gutload can lead to excess protein consumption for reptiles, leading to gout, which is a very painful disease where a reptile’s kidneys lose the ability to process protein properly, resulting in uric acid crystals getting deposited in the joints. This is a particular concern for insectivorous reptiles like leopard geckos
Breeding Schedule
Female roaches produce live nymphs after a gestation period of 30 to 60 days. They can give birth to 20-40 nymphs at a time, and the young roaches reach adulthood in about 4 to 6 months.
Managing multiple generations in the same enclosure is easy if you provide enough space, food, and hiding places. Rotate egg crates to encourage even breeding. To maximize breeding success, keep the colony warm, feed them nutrient-rich foods, and maintain a clean environment.