Falling in Love with Roaches

Sammy Grigio

Sammy Grigio

Avid Member
My boy Jimmy has absolutely no interest in Dubia roaches. This was much to my surprise as I ordered a hundred of them thinking that he would blow throw them in no time. He hasn't eaten a single one. So I've had a hundred roaches that have been living in a bin under my bed now for about two months.

Amidst the chaos of moving Jimmy to my friends house temporarily as we moved into a new place because our house got condemned on account of a mouse infestation, the roaches were forgotten about and went without any food or water for about two weeks. On top of that, I left them overnight in my car accidentally on a night where tops dropped down to about 10 degrees.....I left all the bugs out in the car that night including crickets, hornworms and superworms. All of the bugs died, of course, however the roaches they did not. They survived 24 hours in painfully frigid conditions in spite of natures attempts to end their life. Roaches really will survive a nuclear event of that I am convinced.

Their mind boggling hardiness and generally cute nature and appearance has made me very fond of them - as pets and not merely as food for my pet. I have grown rather attached to them and despite my wife's relentless pleas to just get rid of them, I can't and I wont. I love those little guys. So now I have a colony of roaches as pets. At this point I don't even think I could feed them off to Jimmy even if he would eat them.

I have fallen in love with roaches. I think they are adorable and don't even try to change my mind!
 
Sammy Grigio said:
My boy Jimmy has absolutely no interest in Dubia roaches. This was much to my surprise as I ordered a hundred of them thinking that he would blow throw them in no time. He hasn't eaten a single one. So I've had a hundred roaches that have been living in a bin under my bed now for about two months.

Amidst the chaos of moving Jimmy to my friends house temporarily as we moved into a new place because our house got condemned on account of a mouse infestation, the roaches were forgotten about and went without any food or water for about two weeks. On top of that, I left them overnight in my car accidentally on a night where tops dropped down to about 10 degrees.....I left all the bugs out in the car that night including crickets, hornworms and superworms. All of the bugs died, of course, however the roaches they did not. They survived 24 hours in painfully frigid conditions in spite of natures attempts to end their life. Roaches really will survive a nuclear event of that I am convinced.

Their mind boggling hardiness and generally cute nature and appearance has made me very fond of them - as pets and not merely as food for my pet. I have grown rather attached to them and despite my wife's relentless pleas to just get rid of them, I can't and I wont. I love those little guys. So now I have a colony of roaches as pets. At this point I don't even think I could feed them off to Jimmy even if he would eat them.

I have fallen in love with roaches. I think they are adorable and don't even try to change my mind!
Click to expand...

They are pretty cool.

My Chams didn’t take to them at first. It is because they don’t move so much. They have to learn. Look up climbing feeder. Basically a plastic with side cut out. Something on the background the roaches can climb. He will see them move and bam. Mine were used to me, so I just kept swishing the cup to make them scurry.
 
Sammy Grigio said:
My boy Jimmy has absolutely no interest in Dubia roaches. This was much to my surprise as I ordered a hundred of them thinking that he would blow throw them in no time. He hasn't eaten a single one. So I've had a hundred roaches that have been living in a bin under my bed now for about two months.

Amidst the chaos of moving Jimmy to my friends house temporarily as we moved into a new place because our house got condemned on account of a mouse infestation, the roaches were forgotten about and went without any food or water for about two weeks. On top of that, I left them overnight in my car accidentally on a night where tops dropped down to about 10 degrees.....I left all the bugs out in the car that night including crickets, hornworms and superworms. All of the bugs died, of course, however the roaches they did not. They survived 24 hours in painfully frigid conditions in spite of natures attempts to end their life. Roaches really will survive a nuclear event of that I am convinced.

Their mind boggling hardiness and generally cute nature and appearance has made me very fond of them - as pets and not merely as food for my pet. I have grown rather attached to them and despite my wife's relentless pleas to just get rid of them, I can't and I wont. I love those little guys. So now I have a colony of roaches as pets. At this point I don't even think I could feed them off to Jimmy even if he would eat them.

I have fallen in love with roaches. I think they are adorable and don't even try to change my mind!
Click to expand...

You can continue loving the roaches and it is actually good for your chameleon. They are generally very rich in uric acid and its salts and overfeeding chameleons with them leads to renal damage and gout.
 
PetNcs said:
You can continue loving the roaches and it is actually good for your chameleon. They are generally very rich in uric acid and its salts and overfeeding chameleons with them leads to renal damage and gout.
Click to expand...

Roaches are only high in uric acid, when they are fed animal proteins or rather excessive proteins. They store the excess animal proteins as uric acid.

Simple solution. Don't feed animal proteins, or too much protein.

Feeding too much protein to the point of the uric acid issue, is also harmful to the roaches.

https://dubiaroachdepot.com/guidance/dubia-roaches-dietary-protein

Roaches are by far more nutritional than Crickets.
 
Last edited:
cyberlocc said:
Roaches are only high in uric acid, when they are fed animal proteins or rather excessive proteins. They store the excess animal proteins as uric acid.

Simple solution. Don't feed animal proteins, or too much protein.

Feeding too much protein to the point of the uric acid issue, is also harmful to the roaches.

https://dubiaroachdepot.com/guidance/dubia-roaches-dietary-protein
Click to expand...

Roaches store excess animal proteins as uric acid?
This sentence has no meaning and is totally wrong. Biochemistry does not work like that.
 
PetNcs said:
Roaches store excess animal proteins as uric acid?
This sentence has no meaning and is totally wrong. Biochemistry does not work like that.
Click to expand...

It 100% does work like that.

Why don't you try reading the link, that I provided.

Here is a summary excerpt.

"Most animals excrete excess uric acid, but cockroaches are unique. In most of the species studied, researchers find that protein roaches consumes beyond their immediate needs is converted into uric acid, which is then stored in an organ called the “fat body”. The fat body functions as a roach’s energy reserve much the same way the liver does in mammals. When the roach doesn’t get enough protein from food in its environment, the uric acid is converted back into protein."

https://dubiaroachdepot.com/guidance/dubia-roaches-dietary-protein

The link again as well :).

Sure, I used a more laymen's way of saying it still the message is the same.

Uric acid is only the problem with roaches fed excess protein, they store the acid and convert it back to protein source for later, in essence storing the protein, however in it's stored in the form of uric acid.
 
It of course does NOT work like that.
Please read rhe text yourself and if tiu take the linerty to always be the su
cyberlocc said:
It 100% does work like that.

Why don't you try reading the link, that I provided.

Here is a summary excerpt.

"Most animals excrete excess uric acid, but cockroaches are unique. In most of the species studied, researchers find that protein roaches consumes beyond their immediate needs is converted into uric acid, which is then stored in an organ called the “fat body”. The fat body functions as a roach’s energy reserve much the same way the liver does in mammals. When the roach doesn’t get enough protein from food in its environment, the uric acid is converted back into protein."

https://dubiaroachdepot.com/guidance/dubia-roaches-dietary-protein

The link again as well :).

Sure, I used a more laymen's way of saying it still the message is the same.

Uric acid is only the problem with roaches fed excess protein, they store the acid and convert it back to protein source for later, in essence storing the protein.
Click to expand...
oe
cyberlocc said:
It 100% does work like that.

Why don't you try reading the link, that I provided.

Here is a summary excerpt.

"Most animals excrete excess uric acid, but cockroaches are unique. In most of the species studied, researchers find that protein roaches consumes beyond their immediate needs is converted into uric acid, which is then stored in an organ called the “fat body”. The fat body functions as a roach’s energy reserve much the same way the liver does in mammals. When the roach doesn’t get enough protein from food in its environment, the uric acid is converted back into protein."

https://dubiaroachdepot.com/guidance/dubia-roaches-dietary-protein

The link again as well :).

Sure, I used a more laymen's way of saying it still the message is the same.

Uric acid is only the problem with roaches fed excess protein, they store the acid and convert it back to protein source for later, in essence storing the protein.
Click to expand...

Why do you not read it properly and not twist it in a way that is meaningless?
If you want to play always the supersmart that corrects everyone, at least read what you write and understand what you are saying.
I insist the sentence you write is absolutely wrong. You can not say it like that. The approach that it is a layman Way how to say it is absurd. You can do simplifications but uou must not lie.
No proteins are stored as uric acid.
Period
 
PetNcs said:
It of course does NOT work like that.
Please read rhe text yourself and if tiu take the linerty to always be the su
oe

Why do you not read it properly and not twist it in a way that is meaningless?
If you want to play always the supersmart that corrects everyone, at least read what you write and understand what you are saying.
I insist the sentence you write is absolutely wrong. You can not say it like that. The approach that it is a layman Way how to say it is absurd. You can do simplifications but uou must not lie.
No proteins are stored as uric acid.
Period
Click to expand...

Okay, so you accuse me of "acting supersmart" critique my way of layman's wording it, for simplicity.

Yet, you are overlooking the fact that you are once again spreading complete and utter fallacys.

Your statement was WRONG still is, which you have not addressed, would rather attack wording used.

I could care less if you like my way of explaining it reality is, Your statement was wrong, my statement was in essence correct. Especially the aspect that was in context of what we were talking about.

Please stop spreading false information, and then attacking people who point it out when you are wrong. It's not pleasant to deal with, and is not productive to the community that you state you aim to help.


I was not trying to attack you, or demean you. Simply clearing up a very common misconception, and then you decided to attack me for it.

Also my statement is not a twist on words really. I said "They store the excess animal proteins as uric acid."

Which is true. They convert protein to uric acid, like most species. However they also possess the ability to change it back. This they store protein as uric acid.
 
Last edited:
cyberlocc said:
It 100% does work like that.

Why don't you try reading the link, that I provided.

Here is a summary excerpt.

"Most animals excrete excess uric acid, but cockroaches are unique. In most of the species studied, researchers find that protein roaches consumes beyond their immediate needs is converted into uric acid, which is then stored in an organ called the “fat body”. The fat body functions as a roach’s energy reserve much the same way the liver does in mammals. When the roach doesn’t get enough protein from food in its environment, the uric acid is converted back into protein."

https://dubiaroachdepot.com/guidance/dubia-roaches-dietary-protein

The link again as well :).

Sure, I used a more laymen's way of saying it still the message is the same.

Uric acid is only the problem with roaches fed excess protein, they store the acid and convert it back to protein source for later, in essence storing the protein, however in it's stored in the form of uric acid.
Click to expand...

I am sticking with roaches.
 
Sorry for the slight derail OP.

On topic, I like my roaches too!

Honestly I like all my buggies. I feel you kind of have to. Alot of keeping reptiles is caring for bugs, so if you don't enjoy the bugs the reptile has got to be less fun.

I keep all my bugs in bioactive natural vivaria. And will handle, them when feeding and such, and sometimes when feeding time. To check up on them.

I keep 2 species of roach E. javanica (Halloween Hissers) and E. prosticus (Orange Head Roach).

The OHs are thought to handle tbh, they run alot, squirm on you, and try to run up your arm. The Hissers are much more calm, and easier to hold.

Even my wife likes the Hissers, she was naming them and talking about the little familys when we first started the colony :p.

They are very pretty as well, I must say.
 
Sammy Grigio said:
My boy Jimmy has absolutely no interest in Dubia roaches. This was much to my surprise as I ordered a hundred of them thinking that he would blow throw them in no time. He hasn't eaten a single one. So I've had a hundred roaches that have been living in a bin under my bed now for about two months.

Amidst the chaos of moving Jimmy to my friends house temporarily as we moved into a new place because our house got condemned on account of a mouse infestation, the roaches were forgotten about and went without any food or water for about two weeks. On top of that, I left them overnight in my car accidentally on a night where tops dropped down to about 10 degrees.....I left all the bugs out in the car that night including crickets, hornworms and superworms. All of the bugs died, of course, however the roaches they did not. They survived 24 hours in painfully frigid conditions in spite of natures attempts to end their life. Roaches really will survive a nuclear event of that I am convinced.

Their mind boggling hardiness and generally cute nature and appearance has made me very fond of them - as pets and not merely as food for my pet. I have grown rather attached to them and despite my wife's relentless pleas to just get rid of them, I can't and I wont. I love those little guys. So now I have a colony of roaches as pets. At this point I don't even think I could feed them off to Jimmy even if he would eat them.

I have fallen in love with roaches. I think they are adorable and don't even try to change my mind!
Click to expand...

What’s funny is mine didn’t start doing well till I started caring for them like pets.
 
I had an issue with Ezekiel ignoring dubia's. Try a different bread, he just loves orange heads.
 
I wouldn’t go so far as to think of roaches as being ‘cute’ in any way, but I too have developed some bizarre affection for my creepy little ones...as long as they don’t touch me though. :eek:
 
PetNcs said:
Roaches store excess animal proteins as uric acid?
This sentence has no meaning and is totally wrong. Biochemistry does not work like that.
Click to expand...

I don't mean to get in the middle of this debate but I couldn't find anything inconsistent between cyberlocc's "layman" phrasing and the content in the article he linked. The article very clearly and explicitly states that roaches convert excess protein into uric acid which they store for later use.

With that said, I understand why this may seem so absurd. I think this snippet from later in the article may clear up the confusion:

"While these questions are reasonable, the answers are not quite so simple. Uric acid itself is not a protein. The roaches rely on specialized bacteria that live in their bodies to handle the conversion. To all us non-roaches, uric acid is a well-regulated waste product that is excreted in the urine. It seems the cockroach is unique in its strategy of storing it for future use."
 
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