Dubia problems and questions.

[DragoLikesReptiles]

My local herp store just stocked in some dubia roaches. I just decided why not and bought 2, because my cham has never had roaches before. They took so long to get out of the box! I grabbed them by the shell and they are just so slippery! One of them went to the bottom and is just camping out there, and one is just in the tree but I think it fell to the pot and like dug a hole. any advice? I'm so confused. Thanks, Jason

 

[Pharaoh2015]

Do you have a feeding bowl at the top of the cage?

 

[DragoLikesReptiles]

I'm getting one this week, but will it help very much?

 

[Gavinsons]

They cant climb smooth surfaces. I bought 100 a month ago and have fed a few off but think im gonna keep them to start a colony. Just had 6 horn worms bury themselves to pupate tonight. So hopefully in a month ill have moths to breed. Have another 6 im waiting on to be ready to pupate

 

[Rufi0]

Yea it helps if you put them in a feeder cup. They can't climb slippery surfaces so put a mesh or grid in there for them to climb so your cham can see them. The cricket feeders you find on the forums work just as well for roaches. The problem you will find is they like to hide in dark places so sometimes they will hide in the corner of the bottom of the feeder cup and stay there motionless. A good trick is to put a Morio worm in there also, they climb around and annoy the roaches making them move up and down the grid grabbing your Chameleon's attention.

The only other thing i can think worth mentioning is the switch. My chameleon took a while to move off Locusts and try the Roaches. In the end just being patient and continuing to offer alongside what he was used to eating worked.

Good luck.

 

[DragoLikesReptiles]

He actually ate one earlier today, and the other he didn't get (I think) but he seemed very interested in it.

 

[Brassaxe]

If you want to leave them in the cage then just put them in a cricket feeder like others have said or some sort of smooth bowl with holes (too small for them to crawl through) in the bottom.

Personally I have a colony of maybe 5,000 and I feed them by hand. Dubia beetles are incredibly adept at surviving. So if you drop one in the cage don't worry about it... Like, at all.. You'll WILL find it alive and healthy either days or weeks later. Probably in a week or so when the cage gets cleaned. They don't dig, they usually just hang out in the dark.

To feed them by hand just grab the upper section of their back on either side and hold it in front of your chameleon. This makes it easy when your chameleon snaps it up, the beetle will go in head first.

 

[nightanole]

I get a ceramic bowl and make a tee-pee out of wood, they climb all over it.