Mini Dubia Roaches

Product Description

Mini Dubia roaches are tiny, but they pack a big nutritional punch. Though small, these diminutive feeders contain huge nutrition for your animals.

At about a week old and ³⁄₁₆-inch, Minis are the youngest and smallest of our Dubia roach nymphs. Though small, they contain all the same nutrition as their older, larger peers. In fact, ounce for ounce, they may have more.

This is because in order to double their size in the coming days and weeks, Minis have paper-thin, flexible exoskeletons. Dubia roach exoskeletons are made of chitin, which is indigestible. The older they are, the thicker and more developed their shells become. Therefore, younger Dubia with thinner shells have more nutrition per ounce than their larger peers. The younger they are, the more nutrition they have per ounce.

In addition, Dubia roaches are born with nutritional reserves to carry them through any food scarcity they may encounter early in life. This evolutionary strategy benefits the roaches, but it’s also a big a plus for the young insectivores that eat them. They too are growing, and growing animals have greater nutritional needs. Young animals also tend to have tender digestive systems that appreciate the easy digestibility of Mini dubia roaches.

To sum it up: Mini Dubia roaches are the smallest Dubia roaches we have. They are high in protein and minerals, and they’re soft and tender compared to other feeder insects. They are also easier to digest than larger roaches, which means more nutrition, ounce for ounce.

Mini Dubia Roach Sizing Notes

Mini Dubia roaches generally range between ⅛ inch and ¼ inch.

Minis are larger than small crickets in the pinhead to ⅛ inch range. They grow very fast, so their size varies from roach to roach and batch to batch. However, they generally measure under ¼ inch. By weight, they are about half the size of our quarter inch Dubia roach nymphs. They also tend to be smaller and flatter, though this may depend on feeding status.

If you find that Minis are too big or small, you may be able to modify them to fit your animal. You can increase (or decrease) their size by double (or half) by offering plenty of healthy foods (or withholding food and water) for a few days or a week.

We ship our Mini Dubia roaches fully fed. This means they may shrink during shipping, depending on transit time. If they’ve shrunk, you can restore their full size by providing food when they arrive. We suggest apples, bananas, carrots, or similar moisture rich fruits or vegetables for the quickest recovery.

Because they’re so small, Minis will grow substantially over the course of a week or two if you provide proper conditions and unrestricted feeding. If you don’t want them to grow, keep them around 60°F to 70°F.