Your Dubia Roaches Arrived: Unboxing, Storage & What to Do If Some Are DOA

The box is on your doorstep and your bearded dragon is already watching you like it knows what's inside. Nice! The first hour after your Dubia roaches arrive matters more than most keepers realize. A few quick steps help your roaches recover from the trip, keep them healthy for weeks, and protect you if anything went wrong in transit.

Here's exactly what to do, from opening the box to the first feeding.

Quick Checklist: What to Do When Dubia Roaches Arrive

1. Bring the box inside right away and open it at room temperature.
2. Let cold or overheated roaches adjust gradually. No heat lamps, no fridge.
3. Check for any dead roaches and tell them apart from sluggish ones.
4. Short on live roaches? Take a timestamped photo within 3 hours of delivery and email team@dragonsdiet.com.
5. Remove any dead roaches and throw them away.
6. Move the rest into a ventilated, smooth-sided container with egg crate.
7. Add food and water crystals.
8. Give them about a day to settle, then gut-load before feeding.

Let's walk through each step.

Step 1: Bring the Box Inside and Open It

Don't leave the package on the porch, in the mailbox, or in your car while you run errands. Roaches have already been in transit for a day or more, and outside temperatures are the biggest risk to them. Bring the box straight inside and open it right away so the roaches get fresh air.

If you're often away during the day, ask for "hold for pickup" on your next order so the Post Office keeps your package safe until you can grab it. Our guide to shipping Dubia roaches in cold or hot weather explains how, and when to add a heat pack or cold pack.

Step 2: Let Them Warm Up (or Cool Down) Gradually

Dubia roaches are tropical insects, and how they look when you first open the box depends a lot on the weather they traveled through.

• If it's cold out: roaches may be slow or barely moving. That's normal. Leave the container open at room temperature and give them time to warm up on their own. Don't put them under a basking lamp, on a heat mat, or anywhere hot to "speed things up." A sudden jump in temperature adds stress.
• If it's hot out: move them to a cool, shaded room right away. Don't put them in the refrigerator. Offer moisture soon, since heat dries roaches out quickly.

Many roaches that look lifeless at first perk up once they reach a comfortable temperature, so don't write anyone off too quickly.

Step 3: Check for DOA Roaches (Sluggish vs. Dead)

Shipping is stressful for any live insect, so a few losses can happen even when everything goes right. That's why we add extra roaches to every shipment, to help cover any that don't make it.

Here's how to tell a sluggish roach from a dead one:

• Sluggish roaches move their legs or antennae when you gently nudge them, and they get more active as they warm up.
• Dead roaches don't respond to a gentle touch even after warming up. They're often lying on their backs with their legs curled.

Gently spread the roaches out on a tray, paper towel, or the bottom of a clean bin so you can see them all at once.

Step 4: How to File a DOA Claim (The 3-Hour Rule)

If your order doesn't contain enough live roaches for what you ordered, here's our DOA (dead on arrival) process:

1. Take a picture with a timestamp showing the roaches, within 3 hours of receiving your package.
2. Email the picture to team@dragonsdiet.com within that same window. It helps to include your order number.
3. We'll take it from there. When the process is followed, we'll work with you to make it right.

The 3-hour window is firm. If we don't receive your email, picture, and timestamp in time, we won't be able to refund or reship. Live feeders also can't be returned, so this process is the way to get help.

Tips for a good DOA photo:

• Photograph right away, even if some roaches are still warming up. The clock starts when the package is delivered, not when they finish waking up.
• Spread them out on a light-colored surface so live and dead roaches are easy to count.
• Show the whole order in one or two shots, with the container in the frame.
• Use your phone's camera, which records the date and time with each photo, and send it promptly.

Step 5: Remove Dead Roaches

Once you've taken your photo, pull out any dead roaches and throw them away in a sealed bag. Don't feed them to your reptile. You don't know exactly why or when they died, and dead insects spoil quickly. Leaving them in the container can also lead to smell and mold.

Step 6: Move Them Into a Good Storage Container

Your roaches need a simple, clean home for however long you keep them. Here's a setup that works for most keepers:

• A smooth-sided, ventilated container. A Critter Keeper is a great fit. Dubias can't climb smooth plastic, and the vented lid keeps air moving.
• Egg crate. Roaches love to hide in the cubbies, it gives them more surface area, and it makes them easier to grab at feeding time. Stand pieces upright and leave a few inches between the crate and the lid.
• No substrate needed. Bedding just makes cleaning harder.
• Room temperature and low light. Normal room temperature is fine for short-term holding. Keep them out of direct sun.

Planning to keep roaches for more than a couple of weeks? Our Dubia roach care guide covers bigger bins, temperatures for holding versus growing, and humidity.

Step 7: Give Them Food and Water

Your roaches will be hungry and thirsty after the trip.

• Food: offer a small pile of Dubia Roach Chow in a shallow dish or corner. It's made from all-natural ingredients like alfalfa meal, barley, wheat bran, beet pulp, and crushed apple. A few slices of carrot, squash, or leafy greens are a nice bonus.
• Water: never use an open water dish, because Dubias drown easily. Use Bug Chug water crystals in a shallow lid instead. They give roaches a safe way to drink.
• Keep them separate: put the chow on one side and the water crystals on the other so the food doesn't get soggy.

Our guide to water crystals for Dubia roaches and feeder insects explains how much to use and how often to replace them.

Step 8: Let Them Settle, Then Gut-Load Before Feeding

It's tempting to feed your dragon right away, but give your new roaches about a day to settle in, eat, and drink first. A roach that just spent a few days in the mail doesn't have much in its belly.

After that, gut-load the ones you plan to feed for 24 to 48 hours with chow and fresh produce so they carry more nutrition to your pet. Our guide on how to gut-load Dubia roaches covers the best foods and timing. Then dust with calcium as usual and feed them to your bearded dragon, leopard gecko, chameleon, or tarantula. For lizards, pick a roach no wider than the space between your pet's eyes. Our Dubia roach size chart breaks it down by age.

A Quick Guide to What's in Your Order

Depending on the size you ordered, you might notice a few different looks:

• Nymphs (Small, Medium, and Large sizes) are smooth, flat, and segmented, with no wings.
• Adult males have full wings that cover their bodies. They can flutter but rarely fly, and they can't climb smooth plastic.
• Adult females are larger and broader, with short wing pads instead of full wings.

All of these are normal, healthy Dubias. Roaches also shed their skin as they grow, so a pale, almost white roach is usually one that just molted, not a sick one. It will darken on its own.

Troubleshooting Your New Roaches

They're not eating yet. That's common for the first day. Shipping is stressful. Keep food and water crystals available, and they'll usually start eating once they settle.

More roaches died a day or two later. A few late losses can happen after a rough trip. Keep the container clean and remove any dead roaches daily. If you see lots of deaths, check the temperature and make sure they have water crystals.

The container smells. Remove leftover produce and dead roaches, and clean out frass (roach droppings) regularly. Healthy Dubias kept clean are low-odor.

I'm worried about escapes. Dubias can't climb smooth plastic or glass, which is one of the reasons keepers love them. Keep a lid on, keep the inside walls clean and unscratched, and they'll stay put.

What to Do When Dubia Roaches Arrive: FAQ

What should I do first when my Dubia roaches arrive? Bring the box inside and open it right away at room temperature. Let the roaches adjust gradually, then check for any that didn't survive the trip.

How do I know if a Dubia roach is dead or just cold? Give it time to warm up at room temperature, then nudge it gently. Sluggish roaches move their legs or antennae. Dead roaches don't respond and are often on their backs with legs curled.

How long do I have to report dead roaches? If your order doesn't contain enough live roaches for what you ordered, take a timestamped photo within 3 hours of receiving your package and email it to team@dragonsdiet.com.

Do you include extra roaches in case some die in shipping? Yes. We send extra roaches with every shipment to help account for any losses in transit.

Can I feed my reptile roaches that arrived dead? No. You don't know when or why they died, and dead insects spoil quickly. Throw them away and feed live, healthy roaches.

Should I feed my new roaches to my reptile right away? It's best to wait about a day so they can eat and drink, then gut-load them for 24 to 48 hours before feeding.

What's the best way to store Dubia roaches after they arrive? Use a smooth-sided, ventilated container like a Critter Keeper with egg crate, roach chow, and water crystals. Keep it at room temperature and out of direct sun.

Enjoy Your New Roaches

A few minutes of care when your box arrives makes a big difference: open it right away, let the roaches adjust, photograph any losses within 3 hours, and set them up with egg crate, chow, and water crystals. Your reptile gets healthier feeders, and your roaches stay lively until feeding time. Running low? Restock your live Dubia roaches in Small, Medium, Large, and Adult Male sizes, and add a heat pack or cold pack when the weather calls for it. Happy feeding!