# Question about the dangers of Dubia's



## DrJonnyD (Sep 30, 2010)

Before I get told to search, I have to let you know I have and can’t seem to find the right answer.  
My question is this:  You always hear about removing any uneaten prey from the enclosure to decrease the potential of the prey becoming the predator.  I was wondering about Dubia Roaches.  My understanding is that they don’t bite.  If my T does not get the Roach right away or if (like what is my current situation) the roach gets away from me and the T and is in a position that would require the destruction of the enclosure to get at it, is it OK to leave the Roach in the enclosure indefinitely.  Wouldn’t it just be a snack for the T when it finally does come out? Or is it better to take my tank apart to save a potential problem?

Reactions: Like 1


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## WARPIG (Sep 30, 2010)

Just crush their heads, end of worries. The T will eventually find it.

Regarding roaches, they also have the ability to bite. I have never seen prey food eat or harm a T, however a sick or molting T may no be able to get away from a hungry roach.

Just use caution.

PIG-


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## Offkillter (Sep 30, 2010)

Agreed I usually crush the head.But I just learned today of a possible threat to a molting T.I lost a super worm in my ornatas tank a couple of weeks ago while he was in pre molt,thought nothing of it.went to feed him a dubia today he wouldn't eat so I dropped it in the cage for later,came back to check on it and that meal worm had come up and was destroying this somewhat alive dubia.tearing that thing up! So I fed it to another hungry T.I guess I'll start crushing the super worms heads too.Any one else had any problems with supers getting to T's?


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## NikiP (Sep 30, 2010)

I randomly picked up super worms up, before I realized how disgusting they looked. I started squishing heads when the first one about disappeared in the substrate within seconds.

I love my lats  They just run run run!


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## BillyG (Sep 30, 2010)

i don't think dubia dangerous for T,sure not.actually when t preparing to molt you better not throw anything in it's habitat,include yourself.


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## Terry D (Sep 30, 2010)

Imop you're safest with no feeders in with a t for pre, during, or at least a few days after a molt. I notice that some keepers feed their dubia dog or catfood= protein. I seriously doubt, unless it's pre-killed, that a dubia would turn it's nose up to a freshly molted t. That being said, I'd take it out.

Crickets on the other hand will make short work of a molting t. I found this out firsthand with a little P irminia sling. The cricket was only about a fourth of the size of the irminia, merely a largish pinhead, and killed/partially ate the irminia.


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## mma316 (Sep 30, 2010)

*beetle larva*



Offkillter said:


> Agreed I usually crush the head.But I just learned today of a possible threat to a molting T.I lost a super worm in my ornatas tank a couple of weeks ago while he was in pre molt,thought nothing of it.went to feed him a dubia today he wouldn't eat so I dropped it in the cage for later,came back to check on it and that meal worm had come up and was destroying this somewhat alive dubia.tearing that thing up! So I fed it to another hungry T.I guess I'll start crushing the super worms heads too.Any one else had any problems with supers getting to T's?


I had one of my P. cancerides slings devoured by a small mealworm! I forgot to take it out, after an unsuccessful feeding. I woke to check on it, only to find the mealworm feeding on the abdomen of the sling:wall:! a week later it molted into a black beetle.


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## Midknight xrs (Sep 30, 2010)

I've had a dubia that i thought was eaten in my Aphonopelma Chalcodes container all through the molting process.  Didn't harm it and it was ate as soon as the T was ready.


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## DrJonnyD (Sep 30, 2010)

First let me say thanks for the responses. I was hoping to hear that Dubias were only dangerous pre during and post molt. It just seems like it might be cool not to have to worry about something left in the enclosure that my T can eat at her leisure if she wants or when she can catch it.  The only down might be that I dont get to watch it eat, but if she is happy and safe, that is all that maters. Thanks again.


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## Ictinike (Sep 30, 2010)

DrJonnyD said:


> First let me say thanks for the responses. I was hoping to hear that Dubias were only dangerous pre during and post molt. It just seems like it might be cool not to have to worry about something left in the enclosure that my T can eat at her leisure if she wants or when she can catch it.  The only down might be that I dont get to watch it eat, but if she is happy and safe, that is all that maters. Thanks again.


The only danger I see in that, post molt, is if where to somehow spook the T into biting.  They have a harder exoskeleton than say lats or crickets and quite possibly break or damage a "soft" fang.

I kinda go by the 2h rule.  If I place a roach into the enclosure and it's not instantly picked up I let it go 2 hours and search again.  Typically if the T finds the prey during this downtime you'll come back to see that it's eating and then you have no worries but if it's not then I try to find it and remove it.

I also, not sure why, don't replace the prey back into the bin or move it to another T.  I guess I'm thinking possible pathogens from one T's enclosure to the next or contaminate the bin.  I'm sure I've overly cautious and in most cases I "pre-stun" the prey with a tong crunch anyways so if it's still there it's on the way to dead box (small container I use for these feeders gone bad as well bollus' so I can ensure I don't throw them out and possibly infest.  I typically put it all in a baggie and burn in the barrel outside.  LOL Paranoid huh?  It sounds even worse now typing it


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## Cowin8579 (Oct 1, 2010)

I had a missing expensive scorpion sling, and the only thing in the container was a young dubia roach.  Slow molt = danger.


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## BillyG (Oct 1, 2010)

Just one second ago I read this thread again and I went to take the dubia out of my Avicularia Huriana(which I think she' preparing to molt these days)'s habitat,and the dubia was really tricky so I have to broke a part of her web,I felt so sorry but my baby girl went recover it immediatly.


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## Stopdroproll (Oct 1, 2010)

No problem. I believe there is a rogue dubia with my C. darlingi and he has gone through 2 molts just fine.


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## WhiskyTrekker (Oct 1, 2010)

crickets, superworms and mealworms = danger if not eaten quick!  When i started years back, i ended up with a $30 mealworm that ate a small B. smithi...learned my lesson right off the bat.  lats and lobsters have proven to be a pretty harmless option...always fun to read other people's stories...even the horror stories...it's how we all learn...


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## ZergFront (Oct 2, 2010)

After seeing what superworms could do to a hard, wooden desk I never allow one to burrow and be left behind. If the T doesn't get it, it's gone in another way. Coincidentally, the Psalmos love getting the soft, freshly shed (the white ones) superworms. You can hear a big one pop.

 I feed harmless waxworms to a tarantula hardened after a molt. If it takes that, I will feed the crickets and superworms to them. Closer to premolt, it's back to waxworms again.

Wow I'm paranoid.


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