Can Leopard Geckos Eat Dubia Roaches?

As responsible pet owners, we want to ensure that our pets never go hungry. Here are a few things to consider when trying to feed Dubia Roaches  to Leopard Geckos.

As Pets, Can Leopard Geckos Eat Dubia Roaches?

Yes, Leopard Geckos can eat Dubia Roaches. These fat and protein-rich bugs make an excellent food source for Leopard Geckos. Full of carbohydrates, minerals, and water, Dubia Roaches make nutritious and healthy snacks for your Leopard Gecko. Also, since the Dubia Roaches are not excellent climbers, cannot fly, make no noise, and are easily chewed and digested, these make it all the more satisfying for the Leopard Geckos (and their humans as well).

Nutritional Value of Dubia Roaches for Leopard Geckos

Dubia Roaches are excellent sources of nutrition for your Leopard Gecko, and their nutritional breakdown is as follows:

Moisture/Water	61 %
Fat	7%
Protein	36%
Calcium	200 mg per kilogram

Benefits of Eating Dubia Roaches for Leopard Geckos

Because of their high protein content, Dubia Roaches help your Leopard Gecko stay active and healthy. When bred and raised properly, Dubia Roaches offer over 20% more protein and calcium than the Leopard Gecko’s other food sources. 

Dubia Roaches are also very easy to breed, and grow in size very rapidly. This means that with the right breeding habits, you can provide your Leopard Gecko with a relatively unlimited food supply. Because they come in all shapes and sizes, then these are perfect for Geckos regardless of their stage of development. The fact that these Dubia Roaches are odorless add to the advantage as a pet owner.

The Downside to Leopard Geckos Eating Dubia Roaches

Though there are no known nutritional hazards to a Leopard Gecko eating a Dubia Roach, the food source is harder to find in pet stores, which makes it harder to start breeding them and feeding them to your pet Leopard Gecko. Because roaches in general are thought of as dirty or disgusting, pet stores do not always have them ready for sale. Additionally, these also make Dubia Roaches relatively more expensive compared to Crickets or Mealworms.

Preparing Dubia Roaches to Feed Leopard Geckos 

As responsible pet owners, we need to provide the best nutrition to our pets. We also need to lower any health risk posed to our pets. Knowing the right size of food to feed our pets is a crucial practice toward lengthening their lifespan as kept animals. For Leopard Geckos eating Dubia Roaches, the rule of thumb is to ensure that each morsel or bite size fits within the space between the lizard’s eyes. 

For juvenile and hatchling geckos, you may need to find smaller roaches or assist the gecko by cutting up the roaches to fit. However, adult Leopard Geckos should not have a problem swallowing full sized Dubia Roaches.

Dubia Roach Diet for Leopard Geckos

Based on the size and development of your Leopard Gecko, you can determine the frequency of feeding. For adult Leopard Geckos, they need to eat once every other day. Juvenile and hatchling geckos, however, need to eat once every day. 

Their meal sizes, however, are based on the actual length of the lizard, and not the stage of development. The rule of thumb is to feed the Leopard Gecko with two Dubia Roaches for every inch of its length. Three-inch geckos should be fed six roaches for each meal, while bigger nine-inch lizards should be fed eighteen roaches.

In Summary : Leopard Geckos Love to Eat Dubia Roaches

Leopard Geckos favor these bugs as their food source for their fat and protein. Along with other nutrients, Dubia Roaches also provide a relatively unlimited food supply if bred and raised well. They offer little to no challenge to your Leopard Gecko because they are poor climbers and the females of the species don’t have any wings. 

Because of its abundance once made available, it’s easy to overfeed your Leopard Gecko, which may lead to complications in the long run. To avoid this, always follow the rules of thumb regarding meal size and quantity, and everything should be great.