Can You Feed Crested Geckos Dubia Roaches
Do you want to try feeding your leopard gecko Dubia roaches?
Are you confused as to how much you should feed them?
As with any pet, a steady and correct diet is key to a long and healthy life.
Leopard geckos are insectivores, which means they'll eat most insects.
Dubia roaches aren't as common as mealworms or crickets, but they are a good source of nutrients for leopard geckos.
Still, you may wonder how many Dubia roaches to feed leopard geckos?
Leopard geckos eat every other day as adults. In this meal, you should feed them two appropriately-sized insects for every inch they are long. This rule applies to Dubia roaches as well. For example, an 8″ inch leopard gecko will need to eat 16 appropriately sized Dubia roaches for her meal.
Look ahead for more details and answers to commonly asked questions.
Why Feed Leopard Geckos Dubia Roaches?
With crickets and mealworms available, you may wonder why you should feed your leopard gecko Dubia roaches.
There isn't a need to feed them Dubia roaches, but they have some desirable qualities.
These insects have an excellent protein to fat ratio.
Some insects, specifically different worms, will have more fat than protein.
This isn't a good thing.
Though the reptile will love to eat this high-fat insect, too much will cause it to become obese.
This brings in a whole set of health issues.
Dubia roaches don't have this problem.
On top of this, these insects look and feel more like what the leopard gecko eats typically in the wild.
Most reptiles seem to enjoy eating them as they taste good (I'll take their word for it).
As such, the Dubia roaches may be perfect for the picky eater.
Dubia roaches also generally have reasonable amounts of other vitamins and minerals.
However, they won't provide enough calcium on their own.
This is the big vitamin to watch for as reptiles tend to have low calcium in captivity.
This is an easy fix with some sprinkle supplements.
Before every meal, sprinkle the roaches with a calcium powder such as the Rep-Cal Calcium Fine Powder.
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This will help your leopard gecko keep a healthy balance.
The main downside to Dubia roaches comes from their availability and price.
Crickets are popular and easy to care for, so many pet stores carry them in bulk.
This unlimited supply lowers the overall price.
Dubia roaches are a common food but nowhere near what mealworms and crickets are.
Due to this, their price will be higher, and you may find it more difficult to find.
Some people also don't like how gross the Dubia roaches look compared to crickets, so they don't feel comfortable handling and caring for them long enough to feed a leopard gecko.
How Many Dubia Roaches To Feed A Leopard Gecko
To understand this question, you need to understand a proper diet for a leopard gecko.
Adult leopard geckos need to eat every other day.
Juvenile and baby leopard geckos need to eat every single day.
The formula for how many insects to feed the leopard gecko is the same for both cases.
The rule of thumb is to measure how long the gecko is and feed them two insects for every inch long.
For a 3″ inch baby leopard gecko, you would feed them six insects of the correct size.
For an 8″ inch leopard gecko, they would need to eat 16 insects throughout their meal.
This rule applies to any insect you feed them, whether crickets, mealworms, or Dubia roaches.
So in direct answer to the question, feed them 2 Dubia roaches for every inch the leopard gecko is long.
Note: Variety is the spice of life, so this is perfectly fine if you want to mix and match insects.
Your leopard gecko may even like it more.
However, if you mix and match, make sure you feed the healthier insects before feeding the fattier and tastier insects.
Reptiles who eat insects will gobble up super worms like it's nobody's business.
These are high in fat and delicious.
But if you start with these and then switch to Dubia roaches, there's a chance your reptile may refuse to eat it and look for the treated insects instead.
What Size Dubia Roaches To Feed Leopard Gecko?
Now you know how many, but you need to know the correct size.
The rule of thumb for leopard geckos is:
The insect should be no larger than the space between the gecko's eyes.
Smaller is fine, but the closer you get to this space size, the better.
Dubia roaches may not be the best choice for the youngest leopard geckos.
They tend to be larger than crickets and mealworms.
It may be harder for you to find the small ones for the babies to eat.
However, by juvenile and adult size, they should have no problem eating correctly sized Dubia roaches.
There is no hard and fast rule based on age because all geckos will grow at a slightly different rate.
It would be best if you went off of their current size at all times.
If you feed a leopard gecko an insect too large, serious problems may occur.
The food may get impacted and press hard on their digestive system.
The leopard gecko may also begin to choke and possibly die. So take this step seriously.
500 Small Dubia Roaches
- Has more protein than any other insect feeder insect used for reptile food.
- Dubia roaches can't fly, climb smooth surfaces
- Gut loaded and ready to go
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Conclusion
Now you know a little more about how many Dubia roaches to feed a leopard gecko.
Remember the two main rules for insects and leopard geckos, and you'll be just fine.
- Feed them two insects for every inch they are long at each meal.
- Insects should be no larger than the space between their eyes.
Follow these guidelines, and your leopard gecko will be a full and happy critter!
And if you're looking for additional information, check out our post on how much to feed leopard geckos that provides feeding frequency information.
Source: https://oddlycutepets.com/leopard-gecko-dubia-roaches/
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