How to Keep & Store Dubia Roach Feeders

Dubia roaches are common feeders, but they’re also exotic insects. Adults are delicate and temperamental, requiring specific conditions for productive breeding and good health. However, nymphs, by comparison, are hearty and easy to keep and feed. You don’t need anything extraordinary to keep our Dubia roaches as feeders for your animals. The effort is minimal. Just provide food, housing with a few dark spaces to hide, and warmth. In return, they’ll be nutritious feeders your animals will love.

Getting set up to house Dubia roach feeders is just as easy as crickets, mealworms, and other insects, and Dubia roaches are more nutritious. The initial effort is minimal, and the benefits are many. They’re well worth it!

Here’s what you’ll need to keep and store Dubia roach feeders:

1. housing
2. harborage
3. food

Choose housing

First, you’ll need a container to keep your Dubia roaches in. It doesn’t have to be fancy—just a spot to hold them until you feed them to your animals. Dubia roaches can’t climb smooth surfaces like glass or smooth plastic, and most plastic containers will work well.

If you like, you can keep your Dubia roaches in the container they arrived in. It’s reusable, and the lid fits tightly to keep the roaches in. It’s not fancy, but it will work just fine. If you want something more durable, you can use a wide variety of containers in terms of style and material.

We recommend plastic over glass because it’s more durable. Look for plastic that’s see-through and not opaque. Opacity is sometimes achieved by creating a rough surface, and this texturing can sometimes provide a foothold for the roaches. This isn’t always the case, but it’s something to be aware of. If in doubt, find a clear plastic container with smooth walls, then test it out. If roaches climb the sides, you’ll know.

A lid is a good idea, though it may not be required. If you use a lid, drill, cut, or punch some holes in the top. You can cut a section of screen material and glue it over the holes if you like, but it won’t be necessary if the roaches can’t climb the sides of the container, and/or you cut small holes. Screening may be preferable to open-air because it helps keep unwanted items, such as pets, out and prevents escape if the container tips over.

Add harborage

Place a few pieces of egg carton, crumpled paper, or cardboard in the container. These provide a place for the roaches to hide. Dubia roaches don’t like light and prefer to be left undisturbed. They will appreciate it if you give them substrate to crawl around and hang out. If you feed them off right away, a substrate isn’t necessary. If you feed them over a period longer than a week, some harborage will keep them happy.

Provide food

Feed the roaches healthy foods—preferably those containing nutrients you want your animal(s) to consume. This can be apples, carrots, cooked foods like oats or rice, or a specialized Dubia roach chow. What you choose is entirely up to you. Dubia roaches will eat a wide variety of healthy foods, so find one or several that work for you and give them a try.

If you’re curious, here’s what we feed our Dubia roaches.

Just before feeding time, you may consider providing your roaches with a gut load designed for reptiles and other insectivores. Gut loading is a common practice to look into if you’re interested, but it’s not always required.

A note on storage

Ideally, store your Dubia roaches in a warm, dark spot until feeding time. They’ll appreciate it, though it’s not absolutely necessary. You can keep them out in the open at room temperature for about a week without affecting their quality.

However, it’s best to provide them with darkness and warmth if you keep them for more than a week, or if you want them to be comfortable. Room temperature to around 80°F is fine. For darkness, keep the container in a dark spot during the day.

You can read our Dubia roach care sheet for more information, and if you still have questions, let us know!