# dubia roaches for a boxie?



## lismar79 (Jan 29, 2015)

I have a friend who is starting a colony of dubia roaches. Are these good for my three toe and do you have to cut head or smash them because I'm a sissy about that kinda thing.....


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## Tom (Jan 29, 2015)

Mine had a tough time catching them. You can hold them with long forceps if you want. I found it easiest to smash the head and leave it upside down on the food tray. They still wiggle for quite along time that way. As soon as Millie saw that wiggle she'd come a runnin'.

Millie was a Gulf Coast Box turtle by the way.


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## lismar79 (Jan 29, 2015)

Thanks, will the roaches harm the turtle if left alive in there @Tom ?


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## wellington (Jan 29, 2015)

Good luck with them. I have a colony started for my chameleon. They still creep me out. I have a hard time holding them in the tongs and I have not been able to touch them yet. The bad part, they seem to stay still when not being bothered or in the day light. My chameleon being so slow, they stop moving by the time I get his attention with them. Hopefully Toms way will work for you. I might have to try it, but yuck, it sounds gross.


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## wellington (Jan 29, 2015)

Oh and no they won't harm them.


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## Tom (Jan 29, 2015)

lismar79 said:


> Thanks, will the roaches harm the turtle if left alive in there @Tom ?



No. That is one of the benefits of roaches over crickets. They also won't survive for very long outside the enclosure unless they find food, water and a tropical humid environment somewhere else in your house.


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## leigti (Jan 29, 2015)

Tom said:


> No. That is one of the benefits of roaches over crickets. They also won't survive for very long outside the enclosure unless they find food, water and a tropical humid environment somewhere else in your house.


Crickets can harm the box turtle if left in the enclosure?


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## lismar79 (Jan 29, 2015)

leigti said:


> Crickets can harm the box turtle if left in the enclosure?


I read that crickets will eat at a turtle if there is no other food source..... I had a few which multiplied unchecked. Now I have to get them out so I am trading crickets for roaches to my friend with a bearded dragon!


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## leigti (Jan 29, 2015)

lismar79 said:


> I read that crickets will eat at a turtle if there is no other food source..... I had a few which multiplied unchecked. Now I have to get them out so I am trading crickets for roaches to my friend with a bearded dragon!


Yikes! now I'm glad I haven't put any crickets in the enclosure for a very long time. I could never keep them alive long enough to feed them to my Boxturtle  I almost bought some of those roaches at the reptile show I went to, but I hesitated. worms don't bother me, super worms are okay but roaches are just crossing a line.


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## wellington (Jan 29, 2015)

But, roaches is a very good food source. Yes, crickets will chew on tortoises, however, I had an explosion of them once in my leopards pen, when he was a babe and because he always had food available, they never bothered him. And I mean I had an explosion of them


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## lismar79 (Jan 29, 2015)

I have been inspecting my boxie daily with no issues but like you said, there is always food in there. I now have a ton of them and a ton of pill bugs. Can't grow a plant to save my life but bugs, no problem


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## wellington (Jan 29, 2015)

lismar79 said:


> I have been inspecting my boxie daily with no issues but like you said, there is always food in there. I now have a ton of them and a ton of pill bugs. Can't grow a plant to save my life but bugs, no problem


Yep, I hear YA. Same over here.


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## leigti (Jan 29, 2015)

I wish my pill bugs would multiply like crazy.


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## Tom (Jan 29, 2015)

Crickets will sometimes chew on a sleeping reptile. For a little guy like a baby beardie, small chameleon or small leopard gecko it can be quite dangerous. I suppose it could be a problem for an adult box turtle if there were enough crickets and they got into its eyes or the soft skin where the legs meet the body.


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