Variety

Ghostbirb

Chameleon Enthusiast
I want to get some variety into Nachitos diet, so I'm hoping to get some Dubia Roaches.
I have a few questions about them.
Should I house them with the crickets or in their own bin?
What's the best way to introduce them as food to my chameleon?
Do i put them into a cup for her when putting them in the cage?
And what should the ratio of Crickets and Roaches be for each meal?
 
So I’ve gotten some small roaches! I was wondering, what the average price for them are and is there any good online sites to look at buying them? I’ve look through other threads and the video but can’t seem to figure it out.
 
I want to get some variety into Nachitos diet, so I'm hoping to get some Dubia Roaches.
I have a few questions about them.
Should I house them with the crickets or in their own bin?
Separately.

What's the best way to introduce them as food to my chameleon?
Put a few in a feeder cup and see what happens. If Nachito is still young & growing, I wouldn't force the issue via "eat these or starve". That can work, but I prefer to wait until they're done growing.

When my male panther gets... finicky, I put a few of another feeder insect in the cup at the same time, counting each, and then counting at the end of the feeding day to see how many of what he's eating.

Roaches tend to cluster & play dead, causing some chameleons to ignore them as food (they like it live & moving). Another type of feeder in there can keep them moving, or they may get caught up in the strike for something else. Once in the mouth, they rarely get spit out IME.

Do i put them into a cup for her when putting them in the cage?
Yup. I use an inexpensive cup ($1.50) from Pet—
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And what should the ratio of Crickets and Roaches be for each meal?
I start with even numbers to get a handle on his preferences. If young & growing, he may eat everything. My panther is pretty much grown, so I put a half dozen of roaches & 2 or 3 giant mealworms. He eats what he wants and leaves the rest.

I've found sources vary—often, so I created a small spreadsheet of vendors, prices, quantities, sizes, shipping etc. When it's time to order (2-4X a year for me) I run down the list and click on each for the best deal and availability. Due to availability & sales, I rarely get them from the same vendor twice in a row, but there are several I've done business with more than twice.

So I’ve gotten some small roaches! I was wondering, what the average price for them are and is there any good online sites to look at buying them? I’ve look through other threads and the video but can’t seem to figure it out.
It's good that you got a few to start because some chameleons just won't eat them.

IME, average price depends on size & quantity, and can still vary quite a bit from one vendor to another. Another factor to consider is ordering roaches & other from different vendors; shipping may reduce or eliminate savings.

None of us have it ALL figured out for reasons already stated; it's a competitive market.
That said, some do tend to stick with one particular vendor, which is fine too. I've just found that doing it the way we do usually saves us $20-$40 per order. Over a year, that can pay for other supplies.
 
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