How to Take Care of the Store-brought Dubia Roaches for Your Reptile

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Dibia roaches, the staple food for lizards; can often die in captivity. In this article, you will get tips on how to keep them alive till you fed them off

Keyword: Dubia Roaches

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As you already know, Dubia roaches are suitable for a lot of reptiles. You can feed them to iguanas, geckos, and some other reptiles like alligators or snakes. The dubia roaches or Argentinian cockroaches are one of the best food options for your reptile pet. But why?

Because it is larger and comes with a lot of nutrition. Hence, a single or two dubia roaches can be enough as the daily meal of your reptile pet.

If you buy the feed from a pet store, then you might have already have faced the hard truth. Often the roaches die within or get damaged.

In most situations, the seller sells them with some of their primary foods. But, the packaged may not be hydrating enough. The truth is dubia roaches are cockroaches and often survive without food for a long time. But, they do not survive without water. Hence, they might be dead.

Additionally, the roaches become stressed without water and synthesis a lot of uric acids during dehydration. That means, if you feed your pet these dehydrated roaches, they may not get proper nutrition. That means you need to take full care of the insects to ensure your pet gets enough protein and diet from the roaches.

Additionally, you also need to take care of the longevity of the feeder for your pet. It is necessary. A lot of reptiles do not eat dead insects. Instead, they prefer to hunt for their prey and eat them alive. If your pet has such habits, you need to take extra care.

The main question is how to increase the longevity of the dubia roaches?

  1. Give Them Proper Hydration   
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As it has been told before; the feeds often die because of dehydration. Hence, you need to provide them with a hydration source if you intend to keep them alive for a week. In general, the sellers pack the roaches in a plastic bag and sell you. Here, you can do one thing that is to invest in a proper insect container. Any simple square container with some holes for ventilation will be enough. The easiest way to provide the hydration to the roaches is to place a bottle cap filled with water inside the container. It will be enough for keeping them alive for seven days without any problem. If you want a better solution, you can buy the gel-based hydrating substances. They are often called bug-gels and come with enough moisture to provide them hydration during their captivity. The gel-based hydrators are popular because they are typically no-fuss items. The roaches will not get drowned inside these gels. But, you need to use a flat bowl to keep these gels.

  1. Provide Them Food  
  2.                                          Provide Them Food

Yes, it is also essential. The roaches are typically tough insects and can survive without food for a long time. But, they lose their nutritional value at this time. Hence, it would help if you took care of feeding the roaches so that they become a whole source of nutrition for your pet. The insects can easily eat oats, barley, or small grains in their captivity. Additionally, take enough care about gut feeding. Gut feeding refers to loading the live foods with protein and vitamin supplements for some extra nutrition to your pet. If your pet eats live food, make sure to gut load the roaches for at least 24 hours. It is necessary.

  1. Keep Them in a Proper Environment
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If you want the roaches to be healthy for a healthy pet, a suitable environment for them is essential. Yes, you c keep them inside a package for one or two days. But if you need to keep the roaches for more than this period, transfer them to a flat square container. The container needs to have a mesh covering to prevent the insects from escaping from their captivity. Additionally, you need to maintain a healthy environment for them. In general, dubias prefer warm and humid climate. Hence, please keep them in a place that is warm enough.

If you need some guidance on how to increase the longevity of the dubia roaches, ask the storekeeper. The sellers know a lot because they often bread the insects by themselves. Hence, they might have some helpful tips for you.