Dubias vs. Crickets?

[chameleoman]

what are benefits from having dubias instead of crickets because im considering switching over and how are they as feeder in nutrition wise?
thanks

 

[heartben]

i havent had them yet (going to once my cham is a bit bigger) but the benefits i know of are

they dont stink, they are easy to breed, they dont fly or climb, they have more meat to them ( i dont know the ratio but one dubia is equal to many crickets) they live longer.. they dont make noise.

basically they are better in every way from the sounds of it. im sure someone more experienced will chime in.

 

[SonTigerPantherCham]

BUT THEY ARE ROACHES!!!
not in my house....ever!
They can go outside and catch their own d**m roaches if they want one so bad

 

[wendyeeeo]

I gotta share... I tried the roaches with my last Cham. 1) She wasn't interested 2) They grossed me the #%&*# OUT!! 3) I ended up being stuck with some nasty feeders I wasn't legally allowed to "set free".
(the rest of the story I can't share without legal advice - lol).

 

[Thezillaman21]

Go for the roaches!! :d

i agree they are all around easier than crickets. they wont live if they get out in your house cuz they need alot of heat like 90's constantly. wont attack your cham if left roaming in cage. only thing thats difrent is the water setup and they eat like 5times more food than crickets do. just remember tho they take longer to become adults and breed compared to crickets so its best to wait with about 20-30 in a new colony and let that colony become adults to allow for a larger food supply. either way u do it as long as you keep a few adult females and 1-3males you should have a constant supply of small dubia roaches. (from what iv read its best to always make sure thier slightly smaller than the largest feeder you can safely feed your animal just cuz thier kinda squrmy and could cause them to choke [i ignored this with my snapping turtle so idk if its true])

good luck and remember they breed faster if kept in dark places

 

[SonTigerPantherCham]

Thank you Wendy...again bleck!!!!!

 

[Old World]

According to this http://doubleds.org/contactus.html, dubias have more protein, but otherwise similar nutritionally. B. Dubias are a breeze to breed, which helps offset the cost of keeping chams. But I will admit, my chams seem to enjoy crickets more than any other feeder. Their slow, clumsy manner distinguishes them from common pest roaches, IMHO anyways!

 

[Eltortu]

I like dubias because of no smell, very low death ratio, breed like, uh, roaches, ha! Don't have to cut their hind legs, bins are easy to clean...I still get crickets and feed them alternatively to roaches...my 3 cent input.

 

[Citizen Snips]

My cham is diggin' the dubias Pssh sent me. They aren't that bad. Dubias are like bigger crickets with a backpack. Roaches don't creep me out anymore. Hundrend times better than stinky, hop hop hop, oops I disconnected my leg while it was trapped between the tweezers, crickets.

 

[groki21]

dubia are better imo by a long shot. They are alot meatier than crickets and dont stink. And i put the small babies in a feeder cup for my cham and he loves them. I still buy crickets so i can provide a variety, but I def love dubia and they're easier to breed than crickets

 

[ckmazdaspeed3]

I'm trying to convince the GF to let me switch from crickets to Dubai but so far she has said no. I think her main worry is that if enough escaped, they could create a sizable colony. Is this a legitimate fear?

Edit: Nevermind, phone was acting weird. Just refreshed and like five more responses from last night popped up, with one answering the above question.

 

[jaglon53]

Yes that is a legitimate concern. Dubia can live a very long time and since my Cham won't cup feed I def got worried if a couple get lose and find let's say a comfy spot under your stove they def could multiply. Especially if you get into lateralis roaches. I guess on top of that my Cham shows no interest in them. I have tried multiple times but he has never even eaten one and currently my colony is at like 100 and growing. Hopefully my female will eat them when she gets big enough. But all and all the chances of you getting a dubia infestation is very very slim. Crickets on the other hand I have bought 2 boxes of 1000 in 8months which came to about $35. I just put them in a real big rubbermaid container and put some dirt in a cut in half gallon milk jug and they just continue to breed. So IMHO I think crickets are cheaper.

 

[fluxlizard]

Especially if you get into lateralis roaches.

lateralis are bad news. These are a known pest species, can and do infest, and have no problem with breeding at low temps and surviving cold like snowy weather outdoors.

I deeply regret ever trying them- years later and after extreme weather (snow on the ground for several weeks, temps in the teens at times) I find them outside in my yard and in my lizard building. This is very alarming to me. Thank heavens I never allowed them in my home and they've never turned up in here because I have no doubt they could survive.

They were sold to me as the ultimate feeder roach and perfectly safe. It wasn't until I started having suspicions about them that I looked them up online and learned they are invasive, in-festive, and exterminators deal with them all the time. I destroyed my colonies (fed them out to no survivors) but it was too late. I should have known better the moment I first laid eyes on them- something inside me reacted differently to them than the other roaches I have used.

Dubia are a safe bet and the only species I allow in my home. I also keep lobsters and hissers.

My chameleons and other lizards have never hesitated to feed on any roach I've offered.

 

[mikeduner]

Where can i get a small number of nypmhs, maybe like 10 to see if my cham will eat em. It would be silly to buy 100 bucks worth then find out its pointless. Also do i need to heat lamp them constantly?

 

[sandrachameleon]

what are benefits from having dubias instead of crickets because im considering switching over and how are they as feeder in nutrition wise?
thanks

Please consider using BOTH. Variety is good for your chameleon.

 

[fluxlizard]

Please consider using BOTH. Variety is good for your chameleon.

I agree with that!

 

[jdog1027]

Just something I would like to add to what Fluxlizard touched on. I now have a building that I raise my feeders in, but for some time I had nowhere to keep them except for my laundry room. In the winter I had to move what feeders I would allow myself to keep into my house- I didn't like doing this but had no choice. The laundry room would get VERY cold. This spring I was doing some cleaning up preparing to move the feeders back into the laundry room, and I found a Dubia in the doorjam that leads outside. I was shocked because according to everything you read, they are not supposed to be able to survive the winter. I live in the south, but nonetheless, there are several times a year when it dips into the 20s. To make things worse, as I was breaking ground to get my feeder room built this year, I had a stump that had to be removed and I found another. They CAN survive winters with significantly low temperatures, and they obviously CAN escape. I think they are a good feeder, but beware.