Will not eat large roaches?

[HyperC]

Hi guys, So I have started breeding Dubia roaches almost 2 months ago...Now problem is she will not eat any adult males does anyone else have a problem like this?

 

[jshaffer740]

Hi guys, So I have started breeding Dubia roaches almost 2 months ago...Now problem is she will not eat any adult males does anyone else have a problem like this?

How old is your cham?

 

[HyperC]

7-8 months old...Its so weird cause she just watches them like play mates but and shows no interest in eating larger ones, Is it cause the wings?

 

[pssh]

Unless the chameleon is very big for it's size, the roaches are probably just too big. Some chameleons wont eat larger bugs or are intimidated by them. Remember that the general rule is, the insect should be no wider (from side to side, not heat to butt) than the space between the chameleon's eyes.

For chameleons that are big enough to eat them, I find that if I hold an adult male dubia by the wing and it starts to flutter its wings the chameleons will go crazy for them.

 

[HyperC]

Yeah she probably still has another 1mm left side to side...And I did try that before holding by the wings even in a cup I even made a feeder bottle and she hasn't ate one...Oh well just flushed 6 down the toilet, only time will tell!

 

[pssh]

It's probably that she realizes that there is the possibility of it not going down so easily. Or maybe she just doesn't recognize it as food. Who knows? At least she isn't one of the chameleons whose eyes are WAY bigger than their mouths are.

 

[kgallego]

Hi guys, So I have started breeding Dubia roaches almost 2 months ago...Now problem is she will not eat any adult males does anyone else have a problem like this?

I had trouble getting my females to eat them also. I stuck to feeding the male roaches to my male cham's and nymphs only to the females.

One feeding method you might try - I took a ceramic white breakfast bowl and glued a stick pointing straight up from the middle of it with silicon caulking. The bowl is tall enough that the roaches can't climb out, but they like to climb the stick in the middle, making a great way to present themselves as food to the cham's. This way I was able to leave the roach alone with the cham for long periods of time, and they will move around and be visiable on the stick. I mounted the bowl in the enclosure near my cham's basking spot so that they have no choice but to sit there and watch the roach until it's tempting enough to eat it.

 

[HyperC]

I had trouble getting my females to eat them also. I stuck to feeding the male roaches to my male cham's and nymphs only to the females.

One feeding method you might try - I took a ceramic white breakfast bowl and glued a stick pointing straight up from the middle of it with silicon caulking. The bowl is tall enough that the roaches can't climb out, but they like to climb the stick in the middle, making a great way to present themselves as food to the cham's. This way I was able to leave the roach alone with the cham for long periods of time, and they will move around and be visiable on the stick. I mounted the bowl in the enclosure near my cham's basking spot so that they have no choice but to sit there and watch the roach until it's tempting enough to eat it.

I wish that would work but she does not like any type of bowl, cup or any feeding device in her cage she gets all crazy and avoid that area, I really do not understand her anymore she has gotten very stubborn

 

[azn567]

How big is the chameleon...?

 

[ReptileLove18]

I mounted the bowl in the enclosure near my cham's basking spot so that they have no choice but to sit there and watch the roach until it's tempting enough to eat it.

good idea

I wish that would work but she does not like any type of bowl, cup or any feeding device in her cage she gets all crazy and avoid that area, I really do not understand her anymore she has gotten very stubborn

i think they are likely a bit too big and she is intimidated by them. i would try them again after she grows some more and see how she acts then. in the mean time you could feed her baby roaches if you are hatching them, she might go for those as they are smaller.