Dubia Roach Care

Dubia roaches are one of the most nutritious feeder insects for reptiles, they come in multiple sizes, are very active, and easy to care for. Here is what we have found works best for raising them. 

Enclosure- Depending on the size of your colony a 10-30 gallon smooth sided plastic container works well. A 30 gallon bin can hold several thousand roaches. We recommend the container to be opaque to prevent light from entering the sides of the bin. Inside the bin you can use egg flats or cardboard stacked upright for the roaches to climb on. 

Heating- One of the most important factors for getting dubia roaches to breed successfully is heat. You want to keep the bins above 80 degrees and have a hotspot of 90 degrees towards the back or middle of the bin. The simplest way to do this is with a small heat mat placed underneath of the enclosure. 

Substrate- We do not use any substrate for our dubia roach bins that way it is easy to spot dead roaches or old food that needs to be removed.

Lighting- They prefer to have little to no light, and you will find they are most active in the dark.

Water and Humidity- The best source of water for these insects are water crystals, which are a small plastic polymer that expands when wet. The roaches can drink from this without the risk of drowning. Also they can be disposed of once dirty which helps to keep a healthy and clean colony.  The water crystals also help to provide ambient humidity for your enclosure, the sweet spot for humidity is around 60%. The crystals are available on our website.

Feeding- Some of the favorite foods of these tropical roaches are bananas, citrus, and carrots. You can offer many varieties of produce like, green leafy  vegetables, sweet potatoes, and apples. In addition to the fresh produce we always have a shallow dish of dry roach food available. We use our own custom made food which we sell on our website.  

Once you have everything setup and in place you can develop a weekly schedule of removing dead roaches, sheds, and old food from the bin and replacing the water crystals, produce, and dry food. The maintenance for a small colony is minimal and can be a great way to feed your reptiles.