Can someone tell my husband that dubias are good feeders and that Ringo needs more than just crickets plz.... My husband is afraid that the dubias are going to escape and infest the house... I keep telling him that they wont escape. Then he thinks Ringo only needs crickets. 'sigh'
Can someone tell my husband....
- Thread starter kokom05lb
- Start date
Thezillaman21
Avid Member
Dubia are safe. Unless you live somewhere that is 90 degrees all the time. Anyways dubia roaches can't fly or climb on smooth surfaces. Yes they are creepy to look at but they are non in festive and they are a great staple for chameleons. Rango will most likely eat them as most chams do.
Also if your husband won't let you get them grass hoppers and katydids are good for rango and can be breed fairly easily.
RealIzeRecognIze
New Member
To your husband: Dubia escape far less than crickets, i've never had one escape but i've had plenty of crickets escape.Dubia aren't noisy, they don't stink, and the breed like no tomorrow! Far superior in many ways
There you goo^^ the chance of male and female escaping and breeding inside your home is not very likely. They don't hop so escapes are almost impossible, although I do.have more trouble dusting roaches unlike the crickets.
Oh and he does need the variety to stay happy and healthy
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Slug
New Member
I am going to throw my 2 cents in here as well.
I was recently at a local reptile show in the KC area and a guy had a booth called Feeder Breeders. He has a cool little display set up where he had a cup of about 200 crickets with a vent at the top, and another cup with the same amount of dubia roaches, also with a vented top. He would ask people to smell each cup and tell him what they thought. Everyone agreed that the crickets stink. He was not selling any crickets, but was selling a ton of roaches.
it even convinced me to set up my own breeding colony, and I am getting mine next weekend! I am a convert, though some crickets will still be fed as a variety feeder.
I was recently at a local reptile show in the KC area and a guy had a booth called Feeder Breeders. He has a cool little display set up where he had a cup of about 200 crickets with a vent at the top, and another cup with the same amount of dubia roaches, also with a vented top. He would ask people to smell each cup and tell him what they thought. Everyone agreed that the crickets stink. He was not selling any crickets, but was selling a ton of roaches.
it even convinced me to set up my own breeding colony, and I am getting mine next weekend! I am a convert, though some crickets will still be fed as a variety feeder.
ISA my Veiled
New Member
Honestly since I have been on the forum, all I have heard is people bragging about dubias as feeders, its almost annoying because I cant have them lol I would much rather have dubias, they are easier to breed, do not stink(although I dont let me cricket colony get stinky, so that isnt an issue for me) and they are excellent gutloaders and require little to almost no maintenance besides feeding them really. I would go with a small amount of dubia and see how he likes it and if he is fine with them get more, if he is not just feed them off and look for other options. Hope this helps 
Trillian
New Member
Why can't you get them, Isa? My colony has just started breeding (yay!) but I had to stock up on crickets to fill the gap until the dubias get big enough to feed off. I swapped my dubias from a big bin to a small one, and put the crickets in the big one, so fresh crickets, straight from the store, no dead ones, all clean egg crate, clean food dishes and fresh food, for the crickets and the dubias, and within 3 hours the cricket bin stank of just musty yuck, and 2 weeks later, only changing out the eaten food for fresh stuff, the dubia box has no smell at all. So crickets are banished to the basement... Still, they all smell better than hornworms!
I think that his biggest concern (mine as well), we're moving in November and we dont know where we will be heading. We will be moving with 2 dogs, 1 cat, 1 chameleon, 1 snake, and 1 turtle... my husband, my son, and me all in 1 truck. I dont think that he wants to travel with roaches lol. We're both tired of the smell of crickets. I might just have to buy a starter colony after we move, but I know that Ringo is tired of crickets as well.
ISA my Veiled
New Member
As a college student I live with my parents so I am sure my jerk of a dad wont allow me to have them. He doesnt really support my Reptile obsession in the first place and keeps asking why I cant put all my leopard geckos together in one tank lol...doesnt realize how much effort and research I put into my Chameleons and other reptiles I own. It kinda hurts my feelings at times but I just roll with the punches
Psychobunny
Avid Member
Print this and give it to your husband:
Dear Husband of a Cham lover of good taste,
I am told of your fear and loathing of Dubia roaches (yes, it's that word, ROACHES that does it, isnt it!?).
Well, bear with me a moment here, I absolutly HATED these things to, had never even seen one before, but it didnt matter, they were ROACHES!!
I broke down and bought some to feed my chams. I had done tons of research and reading. I knew they are considered one of the best feeders for reptiles besides crickets, which can not be used exclusivly as a feed because a veriety is needed for good health.
I did not want these things in my house!! I had spent enough time trying to get rid of roaches when I lived in appartments.
After having them for a while, I actually got used to them.
They can not climb glass or any slippery surface, they move slow, they and not classified as a pet species, they can not fly, bite, smell, or make noise.
They are surprisingly LAME!! if you flip one over on it's back, it's so stupid, it almost cant right its self!!
If they escape their bin, they will die. They can not just eat any old thing like cockroaches, and they require a high temperature to stay alive.
So any escapes will go dormant to reserve it's energy, then die.
They are very easy to breed, so you only have to buy some one time, then you can have a never ending supply to feed your pets.
Unlike crickets, which are hard to raise, noisy and stink.
Dont let the word ROACH freak you out, they are NOTHING like urban pest roaches, they are an African species.
The fact that easy to breed, and are much "meatier" then crickets makes them extremly economical.
Like crickets, they are excellent vehicles for gut load nutrition.
You can not gut load most worms because they have no veriety in their diet.
Dubia's will eat fresh fruits and veggies, thereby, transferring all those nutrients to your pets.
If I can get over my fear of them, you can too!! it's totally illogical to hate or fear these, and once you have them for a while, you will laugh at yourself for ever feeling that way.
Youve heard the expression, we fear what we dont understand?
Yours Truely,
Psychobunny
Dear Husband of a Cham lover of good taste,
I am told of your fear and loathing of Dubia roaches (yes, it's that word, ROACHES that does it, isnt it!?).
Well, bear with me a moment here, I absolutly HATED these things to, had never even seen one before, but it didnt matter, they were ROACHES!!
I broke down and bought some to feed my chams. I had done tons of research and reading. I knew they are considered one of the best feeders for reptiles besides crickets, which can not be used exclusivly as a feed because a veriety is needed for good health.
I did not want these things in my house!! I had spent enough time trying to get rid of roaches when I lived in appartments.
After having them for a while, I actually got used to them.
They can not climb glass or any slippery surface, they move slow, they and not classified as a pet species, they can not fly, bite, smell, or make noise.
They are surprisingly LAME!! if you flip one over on it's back, it's so stupid, it almost cant right its self!!
If they escape their bin, they will die. They can not just eat any old thing like cockroaches, and they require a high temperature to stay alive.
So any escapes will go dormant to reserve it's energy, then die.
They are very easy to breed, so you only have to buy some one time, then you can have a never ending supply to feed your pets.
Unlike crickets, which are hard to raise, noisy and stink.
Dont let the word ROACH freak you out, they are NOTHING like urban pest roaches, they are an African species.
The fact that easy to breed, and are much "meatier" then crickets makes them extremly economical.
Like crickets, they are excellent vehicles for gut load nutrition.
You can not gut load most worms because they have no veriety in their diet.
Dubia's will eat fresh fruits and veggies, thereby, transferring all those nutrients to your pets.
If I can get over my fear of them, you can too!! it's totally illogical to hate or fear these, and once you have them for a while, you will laugh at yourself for ever feeling that way.
Youve heard the expression, we fear what we dont understand?
Yours Truely,
Psychobunny
Slug
New Member
Honestly since I have been on the forum, all I have heard is people bragging about dubias as feeders, its almost annoying because I cant have them lol I would much rather have dubias, they are easier to breed, do not stink(although I dont let me cricket colony get stinky, so that isnt an issue for me) and they are excellent gutloaders and require little to almost no maintenance besides feeding them really. I would go with a small amount of dubia and see how he likes it and if he is fine with them get more, if he is not just feed them off and look for other options. Hope this helps
Why are you not able to get Dubias? Not available in your area? Just curious. I would be willing to hook you up when I get my colony started, if you want. just PM me.
I also do not let my crickets get stinky, we clean their tubs out all the time, and they just stink anyway! The little ones not so much, but the big boogers...smell like they ate a bowl of death and pooped it out. One of the worst smells to deal with, aside from corpse. (Which I have smelled...I used to work in the casket industry and have dealt with several of the deceased. Fun way to spend your summer before college.)
thats what I got cause my GF said no roaches.
ISA my Veiled
New Member
Thank you a lot man, I appreciate your offer. I will PM you about it.
ISA my Veiled
New Member
lol
mcleodschams
Established Member
They are called banana Beatles in my house lol my wife knows what they are but my kids don't need to be going to school saying we got roaches lol
