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Roaches
Nov 17, 2011 8:26:42 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2011 8:26:42 GMT -5
No, not the disgusting things that scurry around in nasty places. I am attempting to breed a tropical species of roach called Dubia. They are common feeder insects for bearded dragons, leopard geckos, and more. My colony is small right now but I plan to breed them to the point of selling some for profit to local herp keepers.
Feeding them today, I got to thinking about whether I should give my ferrets a roach to try. I know for reptiles, they are safe and very good nutrition. Since people sometimes feed things like mealworms, crickets, and other insects to ferrets as treats, I was wondering if this species of roach was safe to feed.
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Roaches
Nov 17, 2011 10:31:05 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2011 10:31:05 GMT -5
I don't know much about roaches, but do they bite? My concern woul be them biting the ferret while they're trying to eat them.
Insects are usually fine as treats and some can even produce enrichment (crickets can be popped in the freezer to slow them down and fed live to ferrets).
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Roaches
Nov 17, 2011 10:35:32 GMT -5
Post by Sherry on Nov 17, 2011 10:35:32 GMT -5
I really don't know I'm assuming there's nothing toxic in them to repel predators? I just checked them out on wiki, and nothing like that is mentioned, so I would think they'd be safe to give.
While weasels DO eat insects in the wild, they don't consume a lot so keep it to once a week or so.
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Roaches
Nov 18, 2011 8:48:33 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2011 8:48:33 GMT -5
I figured only as treats, and they don't bite. I handle them all the time (Call me crazy) and I don't think they would be able to harm a ferret even if they did bite. A cricket would probably hurt worse.
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Roaches
Nov 18, 2011 10:37:45 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2011 10:37:45 GMT -5
Well let us know how it goes! My ferrets will often chase roaches if one is in the ferret room but they never kill them or eat them (just put their paw on it to stop it, and then let it go and repeat  ). |
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Roaches
Nov 18, 2011 10:48:25 GMT -5
Post by Sherry on Nov 18, 2011 10:48:25 GMT -5
Brand new toy ;D  |
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Roaches
Nov 18, 2011 10:50:09 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2011 10:50:09 GMT -5
Haha yes (too bad for the roachy ). Now if only they would actually KILL the roach so they don't come near me  (wishful thinking with my spoiled brats). |
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Roaches
Nov 18, 2011 11:00:58 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2011 11:00:58 GMT -5
Much as I HATE the nasty things, Damia LOVES them! and she does eat them  |
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Roaches
Nov 18, 2011 11:33:33 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2011 11:33:33 GMT -5
See Dubias are not all that bad. They don't make any noise, don't smell, and cannot climb or fly. I just feed them oats, crushed up dog kibble (grain free) and give them veggies and fruits for water. I started off with 30 adults and within a few months I have over 300 and some of the babies are about half grown. It takes them a few months to grow into adults and then as adults can live up to a year.
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Roaches
Nov 18, 2011 12:26:57 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2011 12:26:57 GMT -5
No, not the disgusting things that scurry around in nasty places. I am attempting to breed a tropical species of roach called Dubia. They are common feeder insects for bearded dragons, leopard geckos, and more. My colony is small right now but I plan to breed them to the point of selling some for profit to local herp keepers. Feeding them today, I got to thinking about whether I should give my ferrets a roach to try. I know for reptiles, they are safe and very good nutrition. Since people sometimes feed things like mealworms, crickets, and other insects to ferrets as treats, I was wondering if this species of roach was safe to feed. In one of the rooms we used to rent at someones house there were tons of roaches, Im talking the nasty kind. This was back when we had Kahlua and just got Mojito. The people didn't use any pestisides on the roaches cause they had 8 chihuahuas and small kids- they didnt want to hurt the chis and the kids. Mojito used to love to hunt roaches and I can't tell u how many times they would get in the ferret cage and I'd catch him chewing on one.... I don't know about that species but to my understanding, roaches that aren't bad if they haven't had any contact with pestisides. |
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Roaches
Jan 25, 2012 0:15:46 GMT -5
Post by otto on Jan 25, 2012 0:15:46 GMT -5
Insects are supposed to be one of the best sources of protein. I once watched this documentary on people who eat whole live insects as their main diet and swore by it. I would think insects are more of a dietary choice for rodents than they are for mustelids, but for sure have good protein for ferrets (and not only protein): "Insects can be a good source of not only protein, but also vitamins, minerals, and fats. For example, crickets are high in calcium, and termites are rich in iron. One hundred grams of giant silkworm moth larvae provide 100 percent of the daily requirements for copper, zinc, iron, thiamin, and riboflavin. Ants can also contain protein depending on the size of the insect. The smaller the species, the greater the chance of it containing minimal or no protein. Grubs of the sago palm weevil (a staple in Papua New Guinea) are laden with unsaturated fat. Many insects contain abundant stores of lysine, an amino acid deficient in the diets of many people who depend heavily on grain."
From wikipedia on "Entomophagy"
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(wishful thinking with my spoiled brats).