Feeder Insect Care: Keeping Dubia, Mealworms and BSFL Healthy
How to house, feed and gut-load common feeder insects so your reptiles and birds get the best nutrition.
Updated
Why care matters
A feeder insect is only as nutritious as what it ate last. Well-kept, gut-loaded insects live longer, smell less and give your reptiles, birds, fish and amphibians more vitamins and calcium than insects straight out of the box.
Dubia roaches (Blaptica dubia)
Keep in a smooth-sided tub (they can't climb plastic or glass) with a mesh lid for airflow and stacked egg crates for hiding. They thrive at 27–32 °C; a heat mat on one side helps breeding colonies.
Feed dry food such as chick crumble or oats, plus fresh vegetables and fruit for moisture. Remove leftovers within 24 hours to prevent mould. Dubia are quiet, don't smell, and can live for months.
Mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) and superworms (Zophobas morio)
Mealworms live in a shallow tray of wheat bran or rolled oats, 3–5 cm deep. Add slices of carrot or potato for moisture. Keep them at room temperature for growth, or in the fridge door (around 8 °C) to pause them.
Superworms must never be refrigerated — cold kills them. Keep them at 24–28 °C in bran with vegetable slices. They pupate if kept alone, which is how breeders raise beetles.
Black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens)
BSFL arrive ready to use and don't need feeding; they live on stored fat. Keep them at 15–20 °C in their supplied substrate. Warmer temperatures make them turn into flies faster.
They are naturally high in calcium, so many keepers feed them without dusting.
Crickets (Acheta domesticus)
Crickets need plenty of floor space, egg crates, warmth (26–32 °C) and good ventilation. Give water through water crystals or a damp sponge, never an open dish, as they drown easily. Clean the tub every few days to avoid smell and die-offs.
Gut-loading in 24–48 hours
Feed insects nutritious food for one to two days before offering them to your animal. Good gut-load foods include leafy greens (not iceberg lettuce), carrot, sweet potato, squash, apple and a commercial gut-load mix.
Just before feeding, lightly dust insects with a calcium powder (with or without D3, depending on your animal and its UVB setup).
Tip: Feed only what your animal will eat in 10–15 minutes. Loose crickets and roaches can nibble sleeping reptiles.
| Insect | Ideal temp | Approx. protein | Approx. fat | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubia roach | 27–32 °C | ~23% | ~7% | Staple feeder, easy to digest |
| Mealworm | Room / fridge to pause | ~20% | ~13% | Hard shell, use as part of a mix |
| Superworm | 24–28 °C (never cold) | ~20% | ~17% | Treat or larger reptiles |
| BSFL | 15–20 °C | ~17% | ~10% | High calcium, little dusting needed |
| Cricket | 26–32 °C | ~20% | ~6% | Active prey, triggers hunting |
Common questions
Why are my feeders dying?
The usual causes are poor ventilation, mould from old food, drowning in water dishes or the wrong temperature.
How long do feeders last?
Dubia can live many months, mealworms weeks to months, BSFL about 2–3 weeks and crickets a few weeks.