Dubia roaches - are they really better?

[gasteriaphile]

I wanted my title to catch some attention from those who have had experience using Blaptica dubia as a feeder insect. I have been keeping B. dubia for about 3 months now. I still haven't had any reproductions yet, my males and females are still too immature. But I have been buying what nymphs I need to feed my Hispaniolian White-lipped Anole (Anolis coelestinus). She loves them.

But I am wondering if dubia roaches really do have a higher 'meat to shell ratio' than crickets. Does this claim apply to all stages of the roaches life, incl. nymphs, or only the adults, or near-adults? From what I can see of my nymphs, they don't seem to me to be very "meaty". In fact they look so flat in comparison with crickets of similar size, that I wonder if the claim has a real basis in fact.

The size of dubia nymphs that I use for feeding are in the small size category, say 1/2 inch or a little more. My anole can handle those up to about 3/4 inch ok but nothing larger than that.

So, is the higher 'meat to shell ratio' of dubia roaches really true? For all stages of the roach's life, incl. nymphs?

[Pavel]

I also have heard that they are better all around feeders than crickets. Unfortunately I can't answer your Q but will look forward to hearing what "the answer" turns out to be.

[momerath]

From what I understand, roaches in general are better than crickets not so much for their 'meat to shell ratio', but for their calcium to phosphorus ratio. Roaches have more calcium than crickets, and much less phosphorus. I switched to feeding and breeding blatta lateralis to my herps instead of crickets for several reasons, including better nutritional value. It is difficult to find info for specific roach species, but I did find one paper that outlines the nutritional values for many common feeder insects, including common crickets and the american cockroach. I don't know how dubia and lateralis differ from the american roach, but its a starting point anyway.

http://nagonline.net/Technical%20Pap...02MODIFIED.pdf

[osmbr]

it all depends on how u feed the roaches and how often ive been keeping my dubia for about 8 months now and they have reproduced soo much that i had to give some away i couldnt keep up with them and i make aure i feed them alot for my beardie he loves thenm. i feet mine dogfood catfoot and regular flavorless oakmeal and have a heat pad underneath they like heat to reproduce. i also put carrots in there they eat them like crazy dont use oranges it cause lil nats in there and it sucks when they fly around and you have to clean it alot more

[gasteriaphile]

I have no problem raising the dubias at all. The contrary, like you, LOL.
My problem is that the dubias are so sedentary that they don't elicite a feeding response. The fact that they are so slow is their main attraction to me of course. So I can't have it both ways. Alas.

[froggsong]

did you say SLOW? mine are zippy little bastards! lol

I do keep them fairly warm to amp up reproduction though (hotter at the bottom, probably around 90 degrees, getting cooler towards the top of the bin). Do you heat your's gasteriaphile?

[osmbr]

yeahh mine are pretty fast i found the cooler they are the slower they move i also heat mine and it does amp up reproduction. mine is about 95 on the bottom half of the bin they usually like to stay next to that they like heat cause thats what they would encounter in the wilds of africa were they are from thry heating your bin it should work out good for you

[Riverside Reptiles]

Besides having a higher meat to shell ratio, they also have much longer intestinal tracts which means they hold more gut load and for a longer period of time than crickets. They also have a much longer life span. So you don't end up with a ton of dead ones all the time like you do with crickets. And at this point, with the cricket virus happening, the other obvious benefit is that roaches aren't affected. I work with dubia and lateralis and have for years now. I'll never go back to breeding crickets.

[gasteriaphile]

Actually no I don't heat mine, at least now. I have in the winter. My problem with dubias remains their slow, sedentary nature once they are introduced into the vivarium. My anoles do not recognize them as food. I think thru sheer starvation pressure, one of my anoles has begun to eat them, sparingly. They are not his favorite.

As for the faster roaches, I am not even going to go there!

[froggsong]

You must have odd roaches, lol... Mine run away quite quickly when they go in a vive, and MY problem is that they get away too quick and hide! They burrow, then come out at night. This is fine for nocturnal animals, but not my lizards!