Dubia Roaches for Sale - Free Shipping

Table of Contents

How do we Ship Dubia Roaches?

With care and thoughtful consideration.  Our team has years of experience breeding, rearing, and packaging live dubia roaches for our buying customers.  Whether you are located in frigid Minnesota, or blistering Arizona, our team will package and ship your order to account for the weather.  Temps too cold?  We will add a heat pack.  Heat wave in the forecast?  We will request the post office to hold your package.  

Either way, you can buy your dubia roaches from The Critter Depot, knowing they are packaged with the highest probability that they will arrive in excellent condition for your pet's satisfaction. 

How Do We Package Our Dubia Roaches? - Unboxing Video

It's no secret that dubia roaches are amazing feeders.  But receiving them in the mail can be both exciting and frightening.  Sure, your leopard gecko will love it.  But how do you store 100's of dubia roaches so your pet can enjoy them for weeks?  Our dubia roach video will show you what it's like to receive them in the mail, and how to set up a temporary habitat that let's them live for a few weeks for the benefit of your pet.

Which Carrier Do We Use?

Dubia roaches are shipped with the United States Post Office.  Some may cringe at this thought.  However, USPS provides cost effective solutions, which helps us keep these exotic feeder insects more affordable, so that more pet parents may buy them for their amazing pet.

Where do we ship from?

We are lucky enough to have multiple facilities, strategically located to minimize shipping time and cost.  We ship from our locations in Pennsylvania, Louisiana, the west coast, which greatly reduces transit times, and helps get your dubia roaches in your hands faster.  

Are the dubias you sell guaranteed?

Yes, we have a conditional live delivery guarantee.  If your order does not arrive in great condition, please email us at contact@thecritterdepot.com.  And we will promptly get back to you with a resolution. 

When do you Ship?

Dubia roaches ship on Mondays and Tuesdays.  We try to minimize how often we harvest them, because it disturbs their breeding cycle.    

Why Should I Buy Dubia Roaches? (hint: Nutritional Value!)

There are a few reasons why bearded dragons love dubia roaches.  First, it's because they're packed with hearty, meaty protein.  This protein is lean, which means they won't get too chubby if they eat a lot of them.  They would get chubby if they ate only superworms.  And although a chubby bearded dragon is an amusing site, obesity is never a healthy way to live, especially for a bearded dragon.

But they also enjoy dubia roaches because they have very low amounts of chitin.  Chitin is a tough, fibrous material that normally makes up an insect's exoskeleton.  Mealworms and adult crickets are notorious for chitin.  And chitin is a big reason why reptiles suffer from impaction.  So, always find the feeder insects with low amounts of chitin.  

Dubia roaches have 2 phases in their life cycle: nymphs and adults.  And if you're looking for dubia roaches for sale, you'll want the nymph stage of the dubia roach life cycle.  But no matter which stage, dubia roaches are well known for their nutritional value.  Firstly, they have a lot of lean protein.  Protein is critical for growing reptiles, and the amount of lean protein they offer is comparable to crickets.  But dubia roaches are much more user-friendly than smelly crickets (not factoring in their allergy-inducing frass).  

Dubia roaches also offer more calcium than crickets and superworms.  Calcium is critical for bearded dragons and leopard geckos, because it helps prevent metabolic bone disease.  MBD is very painful, and can be fatal.  If your pet is suffering, please take him/her to a reptile vet near you.   Although dubias do offer more calcium than crickets and superworms, black soldier fly larvae are the undisputed leaders in calcium supplements. 

Dubia Roaches vs Crickets?

Crickets and dubia roaches are the most popular feeder insects for bearded dragons and other reptiles.  They are both good feeders.  However, they do differ in a few important areas.  Read our dubia roach vs cricket guide, and learn which feeder insect offers the best nutritional value for your amazing, scaly pet.

Dubia Roaches vs Superworms - Do Superworms Have the Edge?

Carnivorous and insectivorous reptiles need a lot of fat and protein in their diets.  The protein helps them grow, and recover from injuries.  And the fat provides with energy to get them through the day.  Although amazing, dubia roaches don't satisfy the fat-needs for many reptiles, which makes the superworms a valuable feeder insect option.

Although they shine with their fat, superworms do not have nearly enough calcium to neutralize the phosphorus in their composition.  This means they will require much more dusting than dubias.  Overall, both are excellent feeders, with different benefits.  Learn more about both superworms and dubia roaches in our comparative guide.

Dubia Roaches vs Black Soldier Fly Larvae - Can't Deny the Power of The Fly

One can't deny the popularity of the dubia roach.  They offer an excellent amount of protein, low chitin, decent fat, and good fiber.  But one area where they lack is the calcium to phosophorus ratio.  They offer a respectable 1:1 calcium to phosophorus ratio.  But reptile experts recommend 2:1 ratio.  So you'll still need to dust your roaches to satisfy your reptile's nutritional needs.

Or, you can buy black soldier fly larvae.  Because are maggots, the black soldier fly larvae body is loaded with vital minerals that they need to help them go through metamorphosis.  And bearded dragons and leopard geckos can take advantage of them, because they offer a 2:1 calcium to phosphorus ratio.  This means that your pet will get all the nutritional value they need, without requiring a dusting.  So before you start looking for dubia roaches for sale, consider the very comparable black soldier fly larvae, which offers superior mineral content.  

Dubia Roaches vs Mealworms - It's not even close

Both dubia roaches and mealworm have a respectable amount of fat and protein.  These are critical nutrients for any bearded dragon, leopard gecko, and other reptiles.  But these alone aren't enough for reptiles and amphibians.  Just as important is the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.  This ratio helps pet parents know how much dusting they need to do with their feeders.

Dubia roaches have a respectable 1-to-1 calcium/phosphorus ratio.  This means that owners should still dust them.  But mealworms have a terrible 1-to-14 calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.  This is a horrible ratio, which should alert every caring pet owner.  Providing a diet of only mealworms to your pet can lead to metabolic bone disease, because the phosphorus neutralizes the calcium.  So although mealworms might be ok in moderation, do not make them the most common feeder for your pet.

Dubia Roaches vs Hornworms - Hornworms fall short on Fat 

If you have a juvenile pet that's eager to get some protein in her gut, then you can't go wrong with hornworms or dubia roaches.  Hornworms pack nearly 58% of protein, which makes them a great snack.  But they are only a great snack.  Because their deceiving squishy bodies don't offer enough fat for reptiles and amphibians looking to plump up.  Dubias do have a higher fat content, which makes them a preferred stable feeder compared to hornworms.

Additionally, hornworms are on the higher end of fiber.  This extra fiber makes it more difficult for your pet to digest its food.  Which means that dubia roaches are a better staple feeder, because they have less fiber.

Dubia Roaches vs Silkworms

Silkworms don't compare very well at all against dubia roaches.  Silkworms have a terrible calcium:phosphorus ratio, which means that you'll need to dust them adequately.  And they offer comparable protein and fiber.  

The only real benefit to using silkworms is they have very little fat content.  So if your pet is obese, then they may be a good consideration.  But exercise is always preferred over an insufficient feeder insect.  Here's a more detailed breakdown that compares dubia roaches vs. silkworms.

Dubia Roaches - Discoid Roaches

The debate between dubias and discoid roaches is ongoing.  Dubias are superior in important areas like fat content and chitin.  But discoid roaches offer a better calcium:phosphorus ratio, more protein, and they are legal in the state of Florida.  

It's really a toss up.  But you can read for yourself the differences between dubia roaches and discoids.

How Many Dubia Roaches should I buy for my pet?

Dubia roaches have many nutritional benefits over other feeder insects.  And this one of the largest reasons so many bearded dragon, leopard gecko, and other reptile pet parents desire them.  The average insectivorous reptile will need a healthy amount of fat and protein; which are plentiful in dubia roaches.  But dubias roaches come in a variety of sizes.  And your pet varies in age and metabolism, which means that not all pets need the same size and quantity.  Here is a thorough guide we wrote on how many dubias to offer your pet.  

How Many Dubias should I buy for My Bearded Dragon?

• Young Bearded Dragon (1-3 months old) = 30 - 50 small dubias roaches (1/4-inch nymphs) three times per day. Twice per day is acceptable, but your dragonwill grow more slowly.  Make sure to have about 1,000 roaches on hand per week.
• Juvenile Bearded Dragon (3-9 months old) = 25 - 50 medium roaches (1/2-inch nymphs) twice daily. 
• Maturing Bearded Dragon (9+ months old) = 3-5 adult roaches (1" adults) almost daily.  Dubia roaches have a higher fat content than crickets.  Which means that obesity may be a result if the beardie is fed adult roaches 7 days per week.  Skipping a day or even two may be needed.

Young bearded dragons need a lot of protein to serve their high metabolism and growth rate.  And dubia roaches offer an excellent amount of protein.  This protein will help the bearded dragon reach maturity at the proper rate.  But it's also important to note that roaches don't provide the calcium levels that reptiles need.  So it's important to dust your roaches with calcium dust to avoid lethal diseases like metabolic bone disease.

What Else Does My Bearded Dragon Need to Eat?

Younger bearded dragons are almost strictly insectivores.  Which means they want that delicious protein that can be abundantly found in dubia roaches.  This is why it's important to dubia roaches for sale, so you can feed younger dragons plenty of muscle-building protein.  

As bearded dragons get older, they are more dependent on vegetables.  If properly fed, a bearded dragon can easily live longer than 15 years.  These are some critical vegetables that should be offered for older dragons:

• endives
• radicchio
• chicory
• turnip greens

Although young dragons are always hungry for dubia roaches, they do need the nutrients and vitamins that are abundant in these vegetables.  Younger dragons are notoriously difficult and pick with vegetables.  Which is why it's important to gut load your dubia roaches.  This will help ensure the roaches have all the nutrients, vitamins, and protein a growing dragon needs.

How many dubia roaches should I buy for my leopard gecko?

The best time of a day to feed your leopard gecko is the in the evening, when they naturally start hunting. 

• Young Leopard Geckos (0-4 months old) = 4-8  ¼ inch roaches every day.
• Juvenile Leopard Geckos (4-10 months old) = 6-10 1-inch roaches 5-6 days a week. 
• Maturing Leopard Geckos (10 months and older) = 14-16  1.5-inch roaches every other day. 

The length of roaches and other insects to feed will be around 1/4" inch for hatchlings and babies, 3/8 inches for juveniles (4 months and over) and 1/2 to 1 inch to adult leopard geckos (10-12 months old).

Leopard geckos are strictly insectivores.  This means that they only want to eat bugs, like dubia roaches.  The have an extremely short digestive track, which means they are not able to digest the fiber in fruits and vegetables.  Therefore their source of nutritioun comes from insects.

It is still important to gut load and dust your dubia roaches.  Leopard geckos are reptiles, and need to get calcium from supplements.  So be sure to dust your dubia roaches with calcium dust to avoid metabolic bone disease.  

It is important to gut load your roaches.  However, do not gut load theme with additional protein.  Too much protein can cause internal problems for the leopard gecko, causing grout and even death.

How Many Dubia Roaches should I buy for my Veiled Chameleon?

• Young Veiled Chameleons (1-3 months old): Feed (5) small roaches three times per day. 
• Young Veiled Chameleons (3-6 months old): Feed 4-5 small roaches twice every day.
• Juvenile Veiled Chameleons (6-10 months old): Feed 10-15 medium sized roaches every day.
• Maturing Veiled Chameleons (10 months and older): Feed 4-6 large roaches every other day and skip the weekend.

Offer the feeder roaches in a cup. This way they cannot burrow into the substrate and disappear.  Too often, some keepers will assume that their chameleon ate the dubia roaches.  But what actually happens is the roaches got away.  So make sure to offer them in an escape-proof dish. 

How Many Dubias for a Maturing Female Veiled Chameleon?

• 3-6 months: Feed 4 food items every other day, and alternate between crickets and dubias.
• 6+ months: Feed three food items every other day and skip the weekend.

Something to be mindful of if you have a female veiled chameleon is that too much fat can be life-threatening.  When living in excess, female veiled chameleons will store extra fat deposits in their casque, and internal fat pads.  When these fat deposits accumulate, your female veiled chameleon will develop a pillowy look.  This is a sign that you need to cut back on fat-enriched feeders like dubia roaches, and switch to lean protein sources like crickets.

Another sign is an obese female will produce more eggs, and those eggs will be larger.  This is when obesity becomes life threatening, because the built up fat reserves and the large eggs can bind her eggs, which can be lethal.  So if your female veiled chameleon looks pillowy, then quickly switch to a more lean protein like crickets.  

How Many Dubia Roaches should I buy for My Tokay Gecko?

Tokay geckos are insectivores, and will benefit greatly from dubia roaches.  Hatchlings won't need to be fed until their first shed.  But even at this young age, the dubias may be too large.  Pinhead sized crickets are an adequate replacement until they are large enough to consume dubias.

• Young Tokay Geckos (0-4 months old) = 8-10 ¼-inch roaches three times per day.
• Juvenile Tokay Geckos (4-12 months old) = 4-5 medium roaches once daily 5 days per week.
• Maturing Tokay Geckos (12 months and older) = 8-10  1.5 inch roaches every other day.

Is my Tokay Gecko Obese?

Dubias have slightly more fat than crickets.  And a diet made of only dubias can accelerate obesity in your pet.  Tokey geckos are vulnerable to obesity, which means that a diet of too many dubias could lead to obesity.  A fat tail wider than their body is generally a tell-tale sign that they need a leaner source of protein.  

Also keep an eye on their behavior.  An obese tokay gecko will be lethargic and inactive, which is the opposite a very active, healthy tokay gecko will behave.  

Is my tokay gecko malnourished?

For the most part, dubia roaches almost have all the nutrients a tokay gecko will need.  One area where dubias are lacking is their calcium.  So make sure to dust your dubias roaches before offering them to your tokay gecko.  This will ensure your tokay gecko is getting the proper amount of calcium, which will help prevent metabolic bone disease.

How Many Dubia Roaches should I buy for My Crested Gecko?

• Young Crested Geckos (1-4 months old) = 4-6  3/16 to ¼ inch roaches once per day.
• Juvenile Crested Geckos (4-10 months old) = 3-4 medium roaches 4 days a week.
• Maturing Crested Geckos (10 months +) = 2-3 medium roaches 3 days per week.

Crested geckos prefer hunting in the evening.  Which means this will be the optimal time to release a tasty brood of roaches in your crested gecko's habitat.  But be mindful that dubias roaches are deficient in the preferred amount of calcium for your gecko.  So before releasing them into the gecko's cage, dust your dubias with some hearty calcium powder mixed with vitamin D3.  These are essential nutrients that wil help your crested gecko avoid terminal diseases.  

Is my crested gecko malnourished?

Much of a crested gecko's fat is stored in its tail.  If the tail, and also the body of the crested gecko appear to be thin, then the pet parent will need to supplement their crestie with satisfying, moisture-rich food.  Dubia roaches don't have a lot of moisture content.  So increasing the amount of dubias will not normally replenish your gecko.  There are formulas more suitable for this specific application, and they will go much further in helping your crested gecko recover.  

What Size Dubia Roach Do You Sell?

We sell 3 sizes of dubia roaches: small, medium, and large.  Their sizes have a wide range due to the mechanics of harvesting dubia roaches for sale.  They are raised and rotated based on age.  And the size of their age can be influenced by temps, diet, acclimation in their environment, and a variety of other factors.

• Small - smalls generally average around 1/4".  However they can be slightly smaller depending on those factors.
• Medium - 3/8" - 3/4" - Our mediums will fall inbetween this range.  
• Large - 3/4" - 1" - Our larges will fit inbetween this range.  Once they get over 1" in size, they begin to display their wings or stumps, which indicates if they are male or female, making them great for breeders.

Which Size Dubia Roach Should I Buy?

The rule of thumb is that your dubia roaches should be no bigger than the space between your pet's eyes.  Since dubias are meatier than crickets and superworms, you don't need to feed as many dubias as you would crickets.  So it's ok if your roaches are smaller than the space between your pet's eyes.  

Most reptile pets will need the nymph stage of the dubia roach life cycle.  Nymphs are dubia roaches that are not sexually mature.  Nymphs start out as 1/8" in size, and will grow an additional 1/8" every 3-4 weeks.  They will stop growing when they reach 1.5" in length, which is when they reach sexual maturity. 

How do I Gutload Dubia Roaches I just Purchased?

Dubia roaches will eat anything.  But since you're using them as feeders, you should feed them a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables.  One advantage that dubia roaches have is that their intestinal track is longer and larger than a cricket's.  This means they can hold more gut-loading nutrition, compared to a cricket or superworm.

Just because a fruit or vegetable is healthy for a human, doesn't mean it's healthy for a bearded dragon or leopard gecko.  Our guide to gut-loading dubia roaches discusses which foods should and should not be fed to dubia roaches during gut-loading diets.  And if there's still uncertainy on which foods should used, you can learn about which foods a bearded dragon should and should not be fed.  

Dubia Roach Life Cycle

Dubia roaches have 2 stages in their life cycle; nymphs and adults.  The nymphs are what reptiles owners buy to feed their pets.  And the adults are what breeders buy when they want to start a dubia roach colony.  

Nymph Dubia Roaches

When a dubia roach is first "born," they are about 1/8" in size.  At this stage in the dubia roach's life cycle, they are called nymphs.  Nymphs are what reptile owners feed to their pets.  A nymph dubia roach will grow 1/8" every 3-4 weeks.  A healthy diet and proper husbandry will encourage dubia roaches to grow faster.  

Adult Dubia Roaches

At about 5-6 months, dubia roaches will become adults.  These are the dubia roaches that breeders will want to purchase when starting a dubia roach colony.  At this stage of the dubia roach life cycle, they will begin to display physical characteristics that reveal their gender.  Males will grow wings the length of their abdoment, which will cover their entire back.  Adult female dubia roaches will grow stubs, which are very short, and keep the back of their abdomens revealed.  

How do I breed Dubia Roaches so I don't have to buy them?

Buying dubia roaches every few weeks can become expensive.  So learning to breed dubia roaches, and start your own dubia roach colony is a great way to provide these valuable feeders for your pet on a regular basis.  We wrote an in-depth guide on how breed dubia roaches here.  But for a quick summary, scroll down further:

Start with Females and Male adult Dubias

Your dubia roach colony starts with adult female and male dubia roaches.  The adults are sexually mature, and will be able to populate your bins with baby dubias.  You'll want to start with more females than males.  We recommend 1 male for 3 females.  

Housing a Dubia Roach Colony

Dubia roaches don't like light.  So if you're mindful of their habitat, they'll appreciate a bin that uses black sides.  But if you're not concerned about their feelings or comfort, then you can use clear plastic tubs, or aquariums.  Either option is fine, because you'll need to offer them egg crates, or cardboard tubes as places to hide.  

Temperature and Humidity

Dubia roaches are your typical tropical roach.  This means your dubia roach colony will like it hot and humid.  Their preferred breeding temperatures are in the mid 90's F.  And moisture usually evaporate at these temps.  So be sure to mist the environment with a spray bottle to satisfy their humid needs.

Substrate and Hiding Place

Unlike crickets and superworms, dubia roaches don't need a substrate.  The bottom of the aquarium or plastic bin will be fine.  Some dubia breeders like to use bioactive substrates.  But it's not necessary.  But what is important is that they have plenty of places to hide.  Egg crates, and paper towel tubes are perfect hiding places for them.

Will I become Allergic to Dubia Roaches?

It's not just dubia roaches, but they do get the bulk of the blame.  As roaches grow, eat, and wrestle for space in their habitats, they shed fine particles and proteins.  These particles can become easily airborne if the humidity is low.  And the dubia roach breeder and keeper can easily become exposed.  If the exposure is frequent, his respiratory system can become compromised as his immune system tries to fight off the invasion.  

What to Expect when receiving crickets in the mail - VIDEO

What to Expect When Receiving Superworms in the Mail - VIDEO

What to Expect When Receiving Discoid Roaches in the Mail - VIDEO

What to Expect When Receiving Black Soldier Fly Larvae in the Mail - VIDEO

What to Expect When Receiving Dubia Roaches in the Mail - VIDEO

Conditional Live Delivery Guarantee 

The Conditions

• Customer must be home to receive delivery.  Or package must be held at Post Office.
• Destination temps must be 45 degrees F or above.  No exceptions.
• Customer must provide correct shipping address. 
• Applies to paying customers only.  Winners from the CritterFam contest are excluded from the guarantee.  

If the conditions for the Live Delivery Guarantee are met, Customer must do the following:

• Send us pics of the deceased.  Pics can be sent to contact@thecritterdepot.com
• We must be notified within 24 hours from the moment customer receives package.  

If conditions are met, we will ship a replacement package free of charge. 

Shipping In Winter - Full Disclosure

1. We will not ship when Destination Temps are below 25 Degrees F              
2. Live Delivery is Not Guaranteed when Destination Temps are below 45 Degrees F

If you are ordering crickets, superworms, or any other live product during the winter, you need to be realistic: we’re trying to ship a live product through sub 30 degree temperatures affordably.

We take extra measures during the winter to try and increase their chances of survival.  However, history has proven that customers are 4x more likely to receive perished crickets when shipped in the winter.  This is fact.

Shipping in the winter has always been our biggest challenge.  And every other crickets vendor has the same problem.  No one wants to send you dead crickets. We want to provide you with excellent service, because we know you care about your pet. But the reality is we can’t control the weather. And there’s only so much packaging we can do before we have to increase our costs.

We still have success shipping in the winter.  

If you decide to order for a winter delivery, here's what you can do on your end to ensure you receive happy, healthy live products:

• You MUST be home to accept the delivery.  The live product cannot be left outside in the freezing temperatures, or it's certain they won't survive. 
• If we ship with the Post Office, we highly highly highly recommend that you communicate with your post office.  And that you ask them to hold the package for pick up.  
• If there is a problem, we must be notified within 24 hours of receiving the live product.

We only ship Live Products on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays

Before YOU and every other customer collectively sends us disgruntled emails on Monday asking where your order is, please know that we only ship live products on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.  And this isn't because we're lazy.  It's because we need to be proactive, and make sure the live products don't get stuck in transit over the weekend.  If they get stuck over the weekend, there is an increased probability that they will not survive the transit.  And perished animals in your mail box don't do either of us any good.  

When Will My Order Ship?

Great question.  In fact, it's too great of a question.  This question makes up 80% of our incoming emails!  And all we can think of in the office is what better things we could do with that time.  So here's the nitty gritty breakdown for when your order will ship:

• If order was placed on a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday then your order will be shipped on the following Monday.

• If order was placed on Sunday, or Monday then your order will be shipped on Tuesday.

• If order was placed on a Tuesday then your order will be shipped on Wednesday.  

And please know that these shipping schedules can change depending on Post Office holidays.  But if you still have questions about your shipment, please do not hesitate to email us as contact@thecritterdepot.com.  

Ok Bug-Boy.  But What about The Tracking?

Great question.  We will upload tracking information within 36 hours after the order has shipped.  So if your order ships on Monday, the latest we would update tracking information for your order is by Wednesday morning.  

And What About DOA's?

DOA's (dead on arrival) are a part of the business.  It's not profitable for us to send out deceased animals.  So please know that we take every possible precaution before shipping.  

But we care about our customers, because you're the ones putting us in business.  And we guarantee live delivery as long as specific conditions are met.  So if your order does not arrive alive, please let us know.  As long as conditions are met, we will have another order reshipped free of charge on the next shipment date (this excludes winter reshipments, which will be reshipped at our discretion).  

We Ship with The Post Office and with FedEx

We ship with the post office for a few reasons.

1. They keep their packages inside their climate controlled buildings.  This is a game changer.  Instead of leaving the packages out on a dock, they are brought inside the building.  Which can drastically increase the survival rate for the crickets and superworms.
2. They Deliver on Saturdays. Since they deliver on Saturdays, we're able to ship on Wednesdays.  Most packages are delivered within 2-3 business days.  So if we ship on Wednesday, that 2-3 day window falls in the same week, which avoids any Sunday transit delays.
3. Cost Effective. And one reason why we're able to keep our prices so low is because we use the post office.  USPS Priority mail is a great, and reasonable priced service.  And any savings we gain, we pass right back to the customer.  

The post office is our preferred shipper.  But depending on your proximity & time of year, we may upgrade your shipping service to FedEx for these reasons:

1. The Post Office is unreliably slow during holidays.  The drawback with the post office they don't guarantee delivery dates.  They will advertise 2-3 days for their Priority Mail shipments.  However, the don't guarantee you package will arrive in 2-3 days.  And this becomes painfully obvious during the holidays, specifically between Black Friday and New Years.  Which puts us in a tough spot because our preferred shipper with climate controlled facilities is no longer dependable.  So we'll ship with FedEx for this reason.
2. Faster Shipping/Shorter Transits.  Faster shipping and shorter transits have obvious benefits.  The live product will get delivered faster, and in a preferred habitat.  And FedEx does guarantee their delivery dates, which is beneficial for the customer.  

Unfavorable Shipping Conditions

Temperatures are a big consideration when packaging and shipping live products.  And at any time, we may decide to postpone deliveries if we feel the live product will not survive the transit.  If that is the case, we will make our best effort to contact the customer so that can make other arrangements if desired.  

But if the temperatures are too cold, we can package the crickets with heat packs.  And if they are too hot, we can package them with cold gel packs.  But these alone doesn't guarantee live delivery.  

But either way, we need to keep a close eye on the weather when we get into the extremes.  So please keep that in mind when expecting deliveries.  

Winter Shipping Policy

1. We will not ship when Destination Temps are below 25 Degrees F              
2. Live Delivery is Not Guaranteed when Destination Temps are below 45 Degrees F

If you are ordering crickets, superworms, or any other live product during the winter, you need to be realistic: we’re trying to ship a live product through sub 30 degree temperatures affordably.

We take extra measures during the winter to try and increase their chances of survival.  However, history has proven that customers are 4x more likely to receive perished crickets when shipped in the winter.  This is fact.

Shipping in the winter has always been our biggest challenge.  And every other crickets vendor has the same problem.  No one wants to send you dead crickets. We want to provide you with excellent service, because we know you care about your pet. But the reality is we can’t control the weather. And there’s only so much packaging we can do before we have to increase our costs.

We still have success shipping in the winter.  

If you decide to order for a winter delivery, here's what you can do on your end to ensure you receive happy, healthy live products:

• You MUST be home to accept the delivery.  The live product cannot be left outside in the freezing temperatures, or it's certain they won't survive. 
• If we ship with the Post Office, we highly highly highly recommend that you communicate with your post office.  And that you ask them to hold the package for pick up.  
• If there is a problem, we must be notified within 24 hours of receiving the live product.

 Remember...

Dead crickets or superworms don't do you (the customer), or us (the cricket grower) any good.  So let's work together to ensure your live product survives the transit.  

We can only ship Live Products on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays

We want to get your products delivered quickly just as badly as you do.  But the reality is that shipping live products isn't the easiest task.  And that means we have to be disciplined and strategic when we ship.  Otherwise, there's an increased probability that perished crickets will show up on your doorstep.  And that doesn't do any good for the customer or shipper.

We Ship with The Post Office and with FedEx

We ship with the post office for a few reasons.

1. They keep their packages inside their climate controlled buildings.  This is a game changer.  Instead of leaving the packages out on a dock, they are brought inside the building.  Which can drastically increase the survival rate for the crickets and superworms.
2. They Deliver on Saturdays. Since they deliver on Saturdays, we're able to ship on Wednesdays.  Most packages are delivered within 2-3 business days.  So if we ship on Wednesday, that 2-3 day window falls in the same week, which avoids any Sunday transit delays.
3. Cost Effective. And one reason why we're able to keep our prices so low is because we use the post office.  USPS Priority mail is a great, and reasonable priced service.  And any savings we gain, we pass right back to the customer.  

The post office is our preferred shipper.  But depending on your proximity & time of year, we may upgrade your shipping service to FedEx for these reasons:

1. The Post Office is unreliably slow during holidays.  The drawback with the post office they don't guarantee delivery dates.  They will advertise 2-3 days for their Priority Mail shipments.  However, the don't guarantee you package will arrive in 2-3 days.  And this becomes painfully obvious during the holidays, specifically between Black Friday and New Years.  Which puts us in a tough spot because our preferred shipper with climate controlled facilities is no longer dependable.  So we'll ship with FedEx for this reason.
2. Faster Shipping/Shorter Transits.  Faster shipping and shorter transits have obvious benefits.  The live product will get delivered faster, and in a preferred habitat.  And FedEx does guarantee their delivery dates, which is beneficial for the customer.  

Unfavorable Climates

Temperatures are a big consideration when packaging and shipping live products.  And at any time, we may decide to postpone deliveries if we feel the live product will not survive the transit. 

Often, the live product will only survive extreme temps if they are held in an air conditioned post office for pick up.  At any time, we may have the package marked "Hold for Pick Up."  In these situations, the package will be held for pick up and the customer will need to make arrangements to pick up the live product.  

But if the temperatures are too cold, we can package the crickets with heat packs.  And if they are too hot, we can package them with cold gel packs.

But either way, we need to keep a close eye on the weather when we get into the extremes.  So please keep that in mind when expecting deliveries.