Species Profile & Temperament

Nutrition & Gut-Loading

The Golden Rule of Feeders: An insect is only as nutritious as what it just ate. If you feed your reptile an empty insect, you are starving your reptile.

What is Gut-Loading?

Gut-loading is the process of feeding your insects a highly nutritious diet 24-48 hours before feeding them to your pet. When your pet eats the roach, they digest the nutritious food inside the roach's stomach.

Best Gut-Loading Foods

• Commercial Diets: Zoo Med Cricket Care or Fluker's Orange Cube, used as the label says.
• Vegetables: Squash, sweet potatoes, carrots.
• Dark Leafy Greens: Collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens.

Foods to Avoid

• Avoid: Dog/Cat food: DubiaRoaches.com says to avoid high-protein foods such as dog or cat food and meat.
• Avoid: Citrus: Can be toxic to certain reptiles (like bearded dragons) if gut-loaded into feeders.

Hydration

• Water Source: Use gel or water crystals, or moisture from fresh vegetables (carrots/squash).
• WARNING: Avoid open standing water. Dubia roaches, especially small nymphs, are incredibly clumsy and will drown in even a few millimeters of standing water.

Housing & Storage (Short Term)

If you are just keeping them alive for a few weeks to feed off:

Enclosure

• Type: A smooth-sided plastic storage tub or a glass aquarium. Because they can't climb smooth surfaces, you often don't even need a lid if the walls are tall enough (though a ventilated lid keeps out pests).
• Substrate: None. Do not use dirt or bedding. Keeping the floor bare plastic makes cleaning incredibly easy.
• Hides/Surface Area: Cardboard egg crates stacked vertically. Roaches need surface area to feel secure. Stacking them vertically ensures their frass (poop) falls to the floor.

Environment

• Temperature: Ordinary room temperature is fine for simply keeping them alive. They will grow slowly and live a long time at this temperature.
• Humidity: Ambient room humidity is fine.

Culturing & Breeding (Long Term)

If you want to establish a self-sustaining colony to produce your own feeders:

The Breeding Setup

• Enclosure: A large, opaque plastic storage tote (they prefer the dark).
• Heating: Dubias need extra warmth to breed. Use a reptile heat mat, always on a thermostat, set per the heat mat and thermostat makers' instructions. Ask our team about the setup.
• Ventilation: Drill holes in the lid or sides and hot-glue metal screen mesh over them. High heat without ventilation will cause condensation and mold, which will kill the colony.

Breeding Behavior

• Sexing: Extremely easy. Adult males have full wings that cover their entire back. Adult females have no wings (only tiny little stubs) and are wider and bulkier.
• Reproduction Method: Females give birth to live nymphs, so there is no egg tub to manage.
• Be patient: A new colony takes a long time before you can feed from it heavily. Ask our team how many roaches to start with.

Maintenance & Cleaning

• Frass (Waste): The floor of the bin will eventually fill up with dry, sandy "frass" (roach poop). When it builds up, move the roaches and egg crates to a temporary bin and dump the frass. (Fun fact: Dubia frass is incredible fertilizer for houseplants!)
• Mold Prevention: The #1 killer of a roach colony is mold. Always remove uneaten fresh vegetables before they rot. Ensure your bin has adequate cross-ventilation.

What We Use & Recommend

These are products we use and recommend for this feeder. Stock varies by store, so ask us what we have in store today.

Last updated: 2026-08-04

How We Keep Them at Critter Cabana & Gresham Pet Supply

• Dry Bins All Year: Oregon furnaces dry the air from October through April. We keep dubia bins dry and well ventilated, with a bare floor, egg crate stood on end, and gel or water crystals for water. Never a water dish, because nymphs drown easily.
• Room Temperature for Holding: Dubias can survive at room temperature, so a feeding batch needs no extra heat. Breeding colonies need extra warmth. Any heat mat must run on a thermostat. Ask us before you set one up.
• Shopping at Newberg & Gresham: For enclosures, cork bark, substrates, springtails and feeders at Critter Cabana (Newberg) and Gresham Pet Supply, ask us what we have in store today.

Common Questions (FAQ)

How do I keep my Dubia Roach warm and humid enough during an Oregon winter?

For a feeding batch, ordinary room temperature is fine and the bin should stay dry. Use a bare floor, egg crate, and gel or water crystals. Never use a water dish, since nymphs drown easily. If you breed them, add a reptile heat mat on a thermostat and good ventilation.

What size enclosure does a Dubia Roach need?

A smooth-sided plastic tub, a Critter Keeper or a glass tank with a ventilated lid. Dubias cannot climb smooth surfaces. Stand egg crate on end inside so frass falls to the floor.

Can I put isopods in a Dubia Roach bioactive enclosure?

No. Keep dubias in a dry bin with a bare floor. Damp soil leads to mold, and mold kills roach colonies.

Where can I find Dubia Roach, cork bark, and feeder insects in Oregon?

Ask us what we have in store today at our two exotic animal stores: Critter Cabana in Newberg (514 E First St, 503-537-2887) and Gresham Pet Supply (2185 NW Burnside Rd, 503-665-7606).