Why B. Dubia?

Alot of people question why I feed all of my reptiles Blaptica Dubia roaches almost exclusively. B. dubias are one of the healthiest and easiest to feed insects out in the reptile community. Most of the problems associated with it come from peoples own stigma about roaches. Most people cringe at the thought of roaches and think they will infest your house. I have been breeding B. dubias for roughly two years and they have never infested my house.

Adult male and female B.dubia

Lets go over why they are the best feeder around:
- B. dubias cannot climb smooth vertical surfaces.
- Only the males have wings and they sill cannot fly.
- They do not have a pungent odor like crickets/mealworms.
- They have the highest meat to shell ratio among the other non roach feeders.
- They run around the cage, stimulating natural hunting behavior.
- They can also be tong fed without any problems.
- They will not escape your reptiles enclosure or harm your reptile if left uneaten.
- Any escapees will die a few days without the proper humidity and food.

Blaptica Dubia also do not look like your typical city roach. They have a hooded shell (much like pill bugs) and are colored black with varying degrees of orange. They have a high protein need which does not let them last long outside without food. All of mine are fed fresh fruits and vegetables along with dried dog food to supplement their high protein needs. I will be offering these guys for sale on a weekly basis soon so anyone interested can contact me and we can work out an arrangement.

Leopard Geckos: Basic Care

Leopard geckos are one of the best and easiest reptiles to own and care for. They have basic care and are forgiving to mistakes. This was my first species of reptile that I worked with and is still my main as well as my favorite. I will go through what I have tested and what I find works with these guys. Everyone has their own differences in setup but most of the care is similar.

Housing:
For a basic setup for your leo you will need a ten gallon or larger tank. Leos can be housed together as long as they are similar size. Never house two male leos together once they become sexually mature they will begin fighting with one another. A male and female can be housed together but the female must be monitored as the male may harass her to try to mate. There is also the risk that they will mate, bringing on the problems associated with breeding. Two females housed together has the least risk but both must still be watched in case of bullying and that they are feeding properly. For each additional gecko you should add 5-10 gallons to the size of the tank. So for two geckos it is recommended that you get a 20 gallon tank. You also must have extra hide to the number of geckos. If you have 3 leos you need 4 hides at the least. This will allow them to get away from one another and hide.

Hides:
A single leopard gecko needs at least two hides per setup. One hide must be what is called a moist hide. This hide spot can be any hide but must be misted regularly. The moist hide eases shedding on the geckos and reduces the chance of having shed stick to their finger and toes, which can lead to digit loss. You can add a medium to the hide to help keep its humidity up.  Good mediums to use are paper towel, sphagnum moss, vermiculite, perlite, or peat moss. Paper towels dry out the soonest but are the easiest to change out. The others last longer and are more toward the owner’s preference. The other hide can be any other hide placed on the opposite side of the setup the leo can use if it desires.

Heating:
Leos need a temperature gradient of 70-90. You can accomplish this by placing an under tank heater under one side of the tank. This will allow your gecko to move from the hot or cold side as it desires. You can monitor the under tank heater with a thermostat if desired.
Do NOT use hot rocks for your leo or any reptile. Hot rocks emit an inconsistent temperature and may get too hot and burn your reptile. 

 
The other option for heat is a heat lamp. I do not use these as leopard geckos are nocturnal and having it on at night will disturb its natural cycle. You can use blacklight or red bulbs but I find the under tank heater the most efficient. Leos need belly heat to digest and heat lamps are designed for sun bathing reptiles.

Feeding:
There are a few good choices with feeding leos. They are insectivores but can eat pinkie mice if fed to them. This is usually done before a breeding season as an extra boost to the gecko.

Crickets are the most common feeder used and can be found in most pet stores. They are very easy to find and cheap, but are very noisy. If left uneaten the cricketing will drive both you and your leo insane throughout the night. They have been also known to chew on your sleeping gecko if they are not fed. I find crickets repulsive and have not used them for quite a few years now.

Mealworms are the second most common feeder used in pet stores. They are easy to care for but have a high chitin content and if they escape feeding will pupate and turn into beetles. Mealworms are fairly convenient to use and can be stored in the refrigerator, making trips to the pet store much less frequent. I stopped using these about a year or two ago after i had obtained the next feeder.

Blaptica dubia roaches are what I find to be one of the top feeders for your leopard geckos. They are very nutritious and are very easy to maintain. They also do not have such a pungent smell as the other feeders. The downside to them is that they are fairly expensive in terms of feeder insects. Not many pet stores carry these and may have to be bought in bulk and kept alive for a month or so. This means you would have to care for them as well as your geckos. The other option is to create your own colony which still requires you to care for them but saves you money in the long run.
My babies are feed one or two small roaches every day, dusting them with calcium powder a few times a week. Adults are fed a large roach ever day or every other day with dusting once or twice a week. This is a general feed schedule I use but each specific gecko may be on a different feeding schedule as necessary.

This is just some basic care for leos, in the spring I will probably go over breeding and egg incubation in depth. I will also add to this post and make changes as my own husbandry 
evolves.

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