Happy Inverts
Blaptica dubia
Blaptica dubia otherwise known as Dubia roaches or the orange spotted cockroach, are a tropical species of cockroach found in Central and South America. They are one of several common feeder insects kept by invertebrate and reptile keepers around the world.
Sexually dimorphic these creatures are easy to tell the genders with, as the males have fully developed wings while the females do not. They are easy to breed though require higher temps then some species of roach but can manage in lower humidity more readily then other species as long as they are provided high moisture diets.
This species is my preferred feeder due to the fact that they are quiet, do not smell bad when properly kept, and easy to breed. I keep mine in a tub with some soil and strips of bark for them to climb and seek shelter in. Utilizing Dermestid beetle larvae for a clean up crew I have yet to run into any troubles. I give them a mix diet of lettuce and grapefruit, occasionally adding random fruit and veggie cuttings I may have left over from cooking.
Because they only eat fruits and vegetation there is no worry should one of these creatures happen to be in the enclosure with a molting tarantula. One of the many upsides to utilizing them as a feeder as there is no danger in leaving them in the enclosure long periods of time like other feeders such as crickets, mealworms, superworms, and a few roach species.
The primary downside I have faced with these is the fact that they do play dead and bury themselves in the substrate to avoid predators. In fact sometimes I have to cut off the heads to keep them from burying themselves and to keep moving around to trigger a feeding response from my G. porteri. Outside of this fact though they are perfect as a feeder in my opinion.