Dubia Roaches for Tomato Frogs?

[Mikae3000]

I've been reading up on Dubia Roaches, and they seem like a much better alternative to crickets in terms of being more nutritious, easy to breed, quieter and not so smelly. I have some questions though--specifically related to feeding them to tomato frogs. Or perhaps there's a roach species better suited for tomatoes.

1) Appropriate for wait and pounce frogs? Will tomatoes go for these roaches? Will the roaches hide and run away from the frogs so they can't eat them? And can these roaches bury into substrate?

2) The shells. Roaches have more shell than crickets do; so, can this affect frogs over long term usage? Can the frogs become impacted like if they eat too many mealworms?

3) Staple food? Can roaches be safely used as a staple food for frogs with other insects as supplements (crickets, worms, etc)?

4) Do they bite? Not just the frogs... but me too.... Are they biters?

5) Anything else I should know?

Thank you for your time. =)

[toxxxickitten]

I've been reading up on Dubia Roaches, and they seem like a much better alternative to crickets in terms of being more nutritious, easy to breed, quieter and not so smelly. I have some questions though--specifically related to feeding them to tomato frogs. Or perhaps there's a roach species better suited for tomatoes.

1) Appropriate for wait and pounce frogs? Will tomatoes go for these roaches? Will the roaches hide and run away from the frogs so they can't eat them? And can these roaches bury into substrate?

2) The shells. Roaches have more shell than crickets do; so, can this affect frogs over long term usage? Can the frogs become impacted like if they eat too many mealworms?

3) Staple food? Can roaches be safely used as a staple food for frogs with other insects as supplements (crickets, worms, etc)?

4) Do they bite? Not just the frogs... but me too.... Are they biters?

5) Anything else I should know?

Thank you for your time. =)

1) I have a tomato frog and I feed him both crickets & adult male dubia roaches. Dubias are known to dig down in the substrate, so putting them in a glass bowl may help with feeding, however for whatever reason...my dubias don't bury into the substrate when I put them in. Sometimes they just don't have the time before Salsa (my tomato frog) gobbles them up!

2) About the only thing on a roach that frogs seem to not digest thoroughly are the wings of the males. I have had no problems otherwise.

3) Yes, roaches make a MUCH better staple then crickets. Just make sure to gutload them before feeding.

4) I have never had a dubia bite me, but anything with a mouth can bite.

5) Nothing that come to mind besides if kept dubia warm and fed oranges they multiply like mad!

[KingCam]

I've been reading up on Dubia Roaches, and they seem like a much better alternative to crickets in terms of being more nutritious, easy to breed, quieter and not so smelly.

All of those things are true! I breed dubias, also.

1) Appropriate for wait and pounce frogs? Will tomatoes go for these roaches? Will the roaches hide and run away from the frogs so they can't eat them? And can these roaches bury into substrate?

They usually run around for a bit when you drop them in a new area before trying to dig. If it becomes a problem just put a glass bowl down into the substrate and place the roaches in that.

2) The shells. Roaches have more shell than crickets do; so, can this affect frogs over long term usage? Can the frogs become impacted like if they eat too many mealworms?

As mentioned by Kitten, the wings are typically the only things left undigested. I like to find roaches that are white and squishy from a fresh molt to feed my critters whenever I can. I have never heard of roaches causing impaction.

3) Staple food? Can roaches be safely used as a staple food for frogs with other insects as supplements (crickets, worms, etc)?

Absolutely a staple food! MUCH better choice than crickets.

4) Do they bite? Not just the frogs... but me too.... Are they biters?

No. Roaches don't bite. Crickets are the ones you have to worry about! (Of course, one should never say never, but in this case I think it's okay to say roaches never bite.)

5) Anything else I should know?

There is a distinct odor that dubias produce, but it's not strong and you can really only smell it if you're right next to their bin. Your dubia colony will take a while to get going, they are not as fast to reproduce as say red runners or lobster roaches. Once they do get established they will reproduce very quickly. The hotter the temperature the faster they will breed. Don't exceed 95F. If temperatures are below 75 breeding will slow down, and possibly stop completely.