Dubia roaches

Live dubia roaches (Blaptica dubia) for sale in four sizes, Small to XL, in boxes of 100 to 1,000. Dubia are the staple feeder roach for bearded dragons, leopard geckos and other insect-eating reptiles. They are meaty, slow and easy to keep. They can't climb smooth plastic, rarely fly, don't chirp and give off little odor.

Dubia roach sizes

• Small, 1/4 to 1/2 in. Hatchling bearded dragons and young leopard geckos.
• Medium, 1/2 to 3/4 in. Juvenile bearded dragons. Measure an adult leopard gecko's eye gap to choose between Small and Medium.
• Large, 3/4 to 1 in. Subadult and adult bearded dragons.
• XL, 1 in and up. Big adult bearded dragons.

Pick a roach no longer than the gap between your reptile's eyes, and go smaller when in doubt. The dubia roach size chart for bearded dragons shows how to measure and which size fits at each age.

Dubia roach nutrition

Subadult dubia measured 57.8% moisture, 23.1% protein and 13.8% fat as fed in a 2016 study by Kulma and colleagues. That is more protein than mealworms or superworms in Mark Finke's published analyses. Like most feeder insects, dubia carry more phosphorus than calcium, so gut load them and dust them with calcium before you feed. A 2025 Louisiana State University study found that a high-calcium diet turned the roaches' calcium to phosphorus ratio positive. Our guide on how to gut load feeder insects covers what to feed and for how long.

Dubia roaches vs crickets

Dubia last far longer than crickets. A dubia nymph takes 180 to 380 days to mature, and the whole life span can reach 530 days. Adult house crickets live about 120 days. Dubia also make no noise and can't climb out of a smooth bin, so a box keeps for weeks. See dubia roaches vs crickets for the full comparison.

How to keep dubia roaches

Move them into a smooth-sided plastic bin with a vented lid and egg crate for shelter. Keep the bin at room temperature, between about 68 and 86 F. In lab tests, nymphs grew to adults in that range. Give them a dry roach chow plus slices of sweet potato, carrot or orange for water. Skip the water dish, because small nymphs can drown in it. Don't refrigerate dubia. They are a tropical species. The dubia roach care guide covers the bin, food and cleaning.

Shipping and live arrival

Orders ship sometime between Sunday and Wednesday to the lower 48 states and DC. We don't ship dubia roaches to Florida, which lists them as a prohibited import, or to Alaska or Hawaii. Cold roaches can look dead and recover once they warm up, so let the box reach room temperature before you check. If any are still dead, email photos or video within 1 hour of delivery, and we resend a qualifying order once at no cost. Details are on our shipping page.

Subscribe and save on dubia roaches

Feeding dubia every week? Subscribe and save 15% on deliveries every 1, 2 or 3 months. Subscription deliveries of $35 or more ship free, and you can skip, pause or cancel from your account. Pet stores and breeders can apply for a wholesale account.