Feeding Dubia Roaches

[Sheac88]

Try to put a few crickets in the cup with the dubias. You could also try to put some on the screen and see if he goes for them. Don't give up lol!!!

 

[bob351]

We avoid gutloading with dog/cat food because of the ANIMAL protein, not because it just has generally higher protein content. Animal protein plus the added vitamins geared toward larger animals and digestive enzymes which are meant to help mammals, just don't bode well for either the insects or the reptiles that eat them. It's not normal food for them at all.

I don't know who deemed it suddenly ok to gutload with dog/cat food. It makes no sense when you look at it logically, it's just a quick and cheap fix to feed a huge colony.

Its the purine content not necessarily animal vs plant proteins, cat food wouldn't be too bad depending on the type of fish. Im not recommending it but for arguments sake it could be done. Not that you should even be feeding feeders high protein diets anyways. The real reason I see high protein diets (like dog and cat food) as bad for feeders is because it increases their uric acid content of the feeder on top of being a horrible gutload, roaches don't excrete uric acid so the higher their protein content of their diet the worse it will be (crickets don't either).

Regardless, the bugs are consuming whatever you give them, be it an animal or vegetable protein source, this doesn't change the fact roaches have a higher content of protein and fat, you could feed both insects an identical diet and you would see this.

So the higher protein content in the roaches by percentage would IMO be less attractive to chameleon owners who worry about gout issues.

Also where did you hear crickets or roaches don't have the necessary enzymes to break down flesh. Unless they are strictly herbivores they have the enzymes, correct me if I am wrong somebody.