How to Start and Maintain a Dubia Roach Colony

The secret is out: Dubia roaches are one of the most nutritious feeder insects you can give your reptiles, and they aren't that difficult to breed at home!

Keeping your own colony sounds intimidating, but it's genuinely one of the simpler feeder setups out there. Here's what you need to know:

What You Need to Get Started

• A container: A smooth-sided plastic tote (at least 10–20 gallons for a starter colony) works perfectly. Dubias can't climb smooth plastic, so no lid is required to keep the roaches in, though it is recommended to have a lid with a large insect screen mesh cutout to keep anything out of your colony.
  
  
• Egg crate flats: Stack these vertically inside the bin to give roaches maximum surface area for hiding and congregating. Egg crate flats give roaches a place to get off of the ground away from their frass, moisture, and food. It is also easy to grab a flat and tap it against a feeding cup when it's time to feed your reptiles. 
  
  
• A heat source: Dubia roaches need warmth to thrive and breed. Aim for 85–95°F in their enclosure. A heat mat on the side of the bin or an overhead heat source both work well. Below 70°F and breeding and growth is much slower. Make sure to put any heat source on a thermostat for safety, and never put a heat mat on the bottom of the tub to avoid being sandwiched with low ventilation which can cause hot spots and is a fire hazard. 
  
  
• Starting colony size: A common beginner ratio is roughly 1 male for every 3–5 females. For a colony that can sustain feeding a single adult bearded dragon, aim for at least 50–100 adult females to start, and 20-40 males. If you can get adults, that is the best way to begin, but if you are starting on a lower budget, raising smaller roaches and/or fewer is more economical but will provide a much slower start. The more adults you start with, the quicker you will be able to start feeding some to your reptiles. 

Feeding Your Colony

This is one of the easiest parts. Dubia roaches are not picky eaters. Offer them fresh foods 2–3 times per week and remove uneaten food within 24–48 hours to prevent mold:

• Leafy greens (dandelion greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens)
• Orange vegetables (Carrots, squash, sweet potato)
• Fruits like oranges (cut oranges in half and leave the peel to contain any moisture, the roaches will eat the flesh in the middle and. the peel will act as a bowl that you can remove when they're done!)
• A dry roach chow or bug burger for a consistent protein base

Remember that whatever you feed your roaches, you are indirectly feeding your reptile. Don't give your roaches spoiled foods or leftovers (like leftover crested gecko diet or partially eaten foods) especially if you have multiple reptiles. If one reptile is hiding an illness, you could indirectly spread it to the rest of your reptiles by giving leftover food to your roach colony; it's not worth it!

24-48 hours before feeding any insects to your reptile, it's wise to separate the roaches you'll be feeding into another container to feed them a specialized gutloading formula like Repashy Superload so your reptiles benefit as much as possible from their food. 

Hydration

Never put open water dishes in your roach colony. Roaches can drown and too much moisture from an open water source evaporating can cause issues as well. Instead, offer hydration through:

• Fresh fruits with high water content (oranges are a great source of hydration)
• Misted leafy greens
• Water crystals (polymer water gel) in a shallow dish
• Soaked sponges or paper towels on a small plate

Maintaining Humidity and Cleanliness

Dubia roaches prefer it dry. Too much moisture leads to mold, bacterial growth, and die-off. A roach colony with too much humidity can smell quite bad and is not good for the health of your roaches. Aim to keep the colony bin well-ventilated and on the drier side. A mesh panel in the lid dramatically improves airflow.

Every few weeks, do a basic cleanout: remove frass (roach droppings) from the bottom of the bin. Frass builds up fast in an active colony and can cause humidity issues if left too long. Some keepers use a mesh screen as a false bottom so frass falls through automatically. 

Cleaning Helpers

Adding dermestid beetles to your colony is a great solution for helping keep roach bins clean. Dermestid beetles are a scavenging insect that are great at consuming leftover food scraps, molts, and dead roaches. They will also breed within your colony and act as a live in housekeeper to aid in keeping your colony tidy and low-odor. There are several types of dermestid beetles, and you will want to get the ones that are marketed for keeping insect tubs clean or for use in taxidermy. Fear not, they are not the same as the pest beetle that consumes carpet/wool!

An Important Note on Safety

It is not uncommon to develop an allergy to roach frass. It is highly recommended that you use gloves and wear a face mask or respirator when cleaning your roach bins. Always clean your roach bins in well ventilated areas and dispose of frass into an outdoor garbage can in a tied bag as soon as you finish cleaning.

Even if you do not have a sensitivity or are not allergy prone, repeated exposure to frass can cause keepers who did not have previous allergies to develop severe allergies to roaches over time. Many keepers will never have an issue, but it is good practice to protect yourself proactively!

How Breeding Works

Dubia roaches are livebearers: females carry an egg case internally and give birth to live nymphs rather than laying eggs. A healthy female produces a new ootheca (egg case) roughly every 30–65 days, with around 20–35 nymphs per batch. You may see females with the ootheca protruding from their vent from time to time, which is normal. It looks like a white/cream colored sack sticking out from their backside.

Nymphs go through several molts over about 4–5 months before reaching adulthood. Once your colony is established and reproducing well, you'll have a continuous supply of nymphs at various sizes which means feeders that are perfectly sized for whatever you're keeping.

Sizing Your Feeders Correctly

One of the most practical benefits of running your own colony is having access to nymphs at all sizes. As a general rule, never offer a feeder insect wider than the space between your reptile's eyes. 

Is a Colony Worth the Upfront Effort?

Typically Yes! Especially if you have multiple reptiles or a larger insect eating reptile that goes through bugs quickly. 

The startup cost for a basic colony is low (a tote, egg crates, a heat mat, and a starter colony of roaches).

After the initial investment, your ongoing cost is mostly just food scraps and a commercial dry/gel gutload. Compare that to going to the store to buy crickets every week, which adds up fast and comes with all of the hassle of dead bugs and chirping, and maintaining a Dubia colony seems like a great investment!

A well-maintained dubia colony is a very satisfying way to feel like you are sustaining your reptiles with home grown food. You know exactly what good food goes into the roaches and therefore you know your reptiles are getting nutritious, clean food.  

Once your colony is up and running, it mostly takes care of itself, and your reptile reaps the nutritional rewards every single feeding day!