​Can Dubia Roaches Bite?

As a large dubia roach breeder, one of the most common questions that people have when they enter our facility is “Do they bite?!” Our favorite answer is “if they have a mouth, they can bite!” All jokes aside, one of our favorite things about dubia roaches is that they very rarely bite. Some people claim that they are completely harmless and we agree to an extent.

Dubia roaches, in general, don't have much of an interest in biting. They are mostly interested in eating and finding what they are going to eat next. On some occasions, we have been bitten by roaches if we pick them up after handling food. Even so, the bites don’t hurt and as soon as the roach realizes that you aren’t food, they stop trying to eat you!

The same goes for your beloved pets! Although it is best to remove any uneaten feeders from your pet’s enclosure, you can rest easy knowing that if you miss any roaches, they will not wind up harming your pet. The same cannot be said about mealworms, superworms and crickets! These feeders are known to nibble on, not only us, but our pets as well! Their bites don’t hurt a ton but can lead to many issues for your pet. Crickets and different types of worms tend to target sleeping reptiles and bite them repeatedly. Feeder bites that go unnoticed or untreated can become infected and cause a lot of issues for you and your pet. Untreated infections can even cause death in more serious cases!

Dubia roaches have a very docile nature and don’t seem interested in causing pain to anyone or anything. The main way that you can be hurt by a dubia roach is from getting poked by their spurs. Dubia roaches have barbs on their legs that help them with many things like climbing, digging and protecting themselves from predators. Occasionally when we pick up adult roaches, we will get poked by their little legs. This doesn’t typically hurt bad but tends to be more surprising than anything. These pokes don’t have any additional adverse effects like insect bites do.

As you can see, the fact that they don’t bite is just one of the many reasons that we love dubia roaches so much! It gives us a piece of mind knowing that our pets are not going to be hurt in any way by their feeders. It also makes it much easier for us, as owners, to feel comfortable feeding our pets without being bitten. Dubia roaches are, all around, an amazing feeder to have in your pet’s meal rotation!