# Dubia roaches food



## bigd_1 (May 31, 2011)

so what do you all feed your Dubia roaches as will been starting a group up soon and like to know whats best to feed them have seen people feeding them chicken feed and fish food is this whats best for them ?


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## GavinMc (Jan 9, 2013)

I mostly just feed fresh fruit and veg, mainly veg at about a ratio of 80:20. I also give them a mix of Chicken mash, oats and other cereals. I have never bothered with fish food and I avoid all dog and cat food/biscuits. 

An other thing to think about is the fact that many people seem to feed and recommend a high amount of oranges yet it is advise to avoid feeding lizards citrus fruits. I know you haven't mentioned oranges but when researching what to feed you most definitely will come across them.



Gavin.


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## Jakenicholls (Dec 31, 2011)

It depends on how you are keeping them, if you are keeping all nymphs and adults together, then it is advised that you feed only fruit and veg, kitchen scraps etc. If you are keeping adults and nymphs separate, you have the opportunity to feed the nymphs chicken layer pellets, dog food etc. 

It is important that you stay clear of ANYTHING over 20% protein. This will cause the roaches to die due to the overload of uric acid build up in their system.

Roaches are used to around 4% protein in the wild, unlike most feeder insects they retain all surplus protein and store it as uric acid, and when fed off to reptiles, this uric acid can cause many problems and can lead to gout which isn't nice.

What I have personally found is, if feeding high protein foods such as dog food, layers pellets etc (around 16-20% protein) to nymphs they bulk up and grow much quicker than if they were on a fruit and veg diet. Whereas feeding the same high protein food to adults, they will die very quickly, within days/weeks. 

If you are planning on feeding your roaches off to your reptiles, DO NOT feed them a high protein diet, as this can lead to internal problems in the reptile due to the increased amounts of uric acid. If you still want to feed them high protein food, give them at least a couple of weeks detox on fruit and veg to clear the excess uric acid out of their system before feeding them off. 

The best things to feed Dubia's for perfect health are fruit and veg like potato, carrot, apple, banana, oranges, pears, pineapple, etc. I tend to stay away from foods with high moisture content such as watermelon and things like that as these can cause a build up of humidity and mould can develop quite quickly, especially if it is warm.


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## Beardeddragonowner0 (Jun 19, 2015)

Oats, cereal, fruits, vegetables, dog biscuits.


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## bigd_1 (May 31, 2011)

Beardeddragonowner0 said:


> Oats, cereal, fruits, vegetables, dog biscuits.


specking to a lot of people your best of not feeding dog biscuits : victory:


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## Beardeddragonowner0 (Jun 19, 2015)

Really? Why?


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## bigd_1 (May 31, 2011)

it high in protein what builds up as Uric acid, which can lead to Gout in many reptiles


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## Beardeddragonowner0 (Jun 19, 2015)

K. Thank u!


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