Roach Nymph

pdf Diagam here: ROACHDIAGRAM.PDF

Care

Keep your Dubia between 70ºF and 85ºF if you want them to grow faster. Within this range, the higher the temperature the faster they will grow. Keep them between 60ºF and 70ºF if you want to slow their growth. Dubia roaches kept at 60ºF can take up to 10 times longer to complete an instar (growth cycle) than those kept at 85ºF.

So, if you have more Dubia than you can feed off in a short time and you don’t want them to outgrow your animal, keep them in a cool location. Keep them warm if you want them to grow.

External heat

The ideal temperature for Dubia roaches is about 85ºF. Since room temperature in most homes is lower than this, people often boost the enclosure’s temperature with external heat sources. The most common devices for increasing heat are heat mats, light bulbs, and ceramic heat emitters.

Be mindful of safety if you decide to provide external heat. Always follow manufacturer instructions and warnings. We don’t recommend placing heating devices inside Dubia roach enclosures. Nothing roaches come in contact with should ever be hotter than 90ºF. As a rule, Dubia roaches should be able to escape temperatures above 90ºF. If they can’t, their health may suffer.

Hydration

Dubia roach hydration needs can be satisfied by fresh fruits and vegetables, water, or both.

Fresh fruits & vegetables

To the extent that you can, provide a constant supply of fresh fruits or vegetables that all the roaches in the enclosure can access. Be sure to remove any remains before they become moldy.

Nutritional Note: Consider feeding your roaches plants containing the nutrients you ultimately want your animals to consume. For example, you might choose vegetables with lots of calcium or carotenoids if you think these nutrients will benefit your animals. Also keep in mind that for any animal, dietary diversity is probably better than monotony.

Water

If you don’t give your roaches a constant supply of fresh fruits or vegetables, they will need supplemental water. You can provide water in several ways. Some common watering methods include water crystals, paper towels, and sponges.

To provide water, first find a saucer that all the roaches in the enclosure can access. It is very important that the smallest nymphs can reach the water because they are the most vulnerable to dehydration. A saucer that all roaches can get to is one with a short rim that they can step over, or one with textured sides they can climb. The saucer must retain water without leaking into the substrate below.

Place hydrated water crystals, paper towels, sponge, or whatever substrate you’re using inside the saucer. Make sure there is no standing water at the bottom. Set this inside the enclosure, on the floor. Clean and replace every few days before it dries out, or before mold begins to grow. Dubia roaches can go long periods without water, but this may not be particularly healthy, and young nymphs need water more often than larger nymphs and adults.

Nutritional Note: If you plan on feeding off all of your roaches within a few weeks, water quality may not be important. However, if you keep them longer, you might consider distilled rather than tap water. There are a lot of chemicals in tap water and we know very little about their long-term effects on ourselves – let alone insects, reptiles, amphibians, and the like. What’s in your water depends on where you live, but a few common chemicals include chlorine, fluoride, pesticides, copper, lead, fertilizers, and prescription drugs. We simply avoid all the risks to roaches and herps by using only distilled water in our colonies. Dubia roaches don’t drink a lot so a little will last a long time. And again, they can get enough moisture from fruits and vegetables.

Food

Feed Dubia roach feeders food that contain the nutrients you want your animals to eat. Dubia roaches can survive a long time without food. They also have specialized bacteria in their gut that allow them to live on items with almost no nutritional value like paper and cotton. Since you’re maintaining feeders, you can focus on the end consumer’s nutritional needs rather than the roach’s. The end consumer is of course your animal. This goes back to the idea of gut loading, which we highly recommend.

The bottom line is that while Dubia roaches benefit from a healthy diet, they don’t need much. They are scavengers with the most basic of needs. And this is great news for the animals that eat them. Feed your Dubia healthy foods with the nutrients you want your animals to consume, and they will be superior feeders for your animals.

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