Firebrat Feeders: A Keeper's Guide

Quick answer: the firebrat (Thermobia domestica) is a small, fast, heat-loving relative of the silverfish, mottled grey or brown with darker patches and about 12 to 15mm long as an adult. Some keepers culture it as live food for small insectivores such as dart frogs and small mantises, though females lay eggs only above about 32°C, far warmer than most hobby setups.

Firebrat Feeders: What UK Keepers Need to Know

Firebrats (Thermobia domestica) are a niche feeder insect used mostly by dart frog and small reptile keepers in the UK invert hobby. PostPods doesn't currently stock firebrats - we focus on isopods, springtails, cockroaches, millipedes, and other inverts - but worth covering them briefly since they come up occasionally in bioactive setup discussions.

What Firebrats Are

Firebrats are small, fast-moving insects in the order Zygentoma, closely related to silverfish. Key features:

• Size - about 12 to 15mm fully grown, with a scaly body that is mottled grey or brown with darker patches on the back, rather than the even silver of a silverfish
• Habitat - heat-loving (unlike their silverfish cousins which prefer cool damp). Naturally found near ovens, hot water pipes, warm industrial environments
• Diet - omnivorous, eat almost any organic matter
• Lifespan - sources differ: Virginia Cooperative Extension gives a female 1 to 1.5 years, University of California entomologists about 2 years, and the University of Missouri a potential 3 to 4 years
• Movement - quick darting motion with brief pauses (triggers feeding response in predators)

Some keepers prefer them to mealworms or crickets for delicate insectivores.

Who Actually Uses Firebrats?

In the UK hobby, firebrats are used mainly by:

• Dart frog keepers - for froglets and small adult species
• Mantis keepers - small to medium species
• Tarantula slings - for very small juveniles
• Some small gecko species - particularly mourning geckos
• Assassin bug and predatory invertebrate keepers

They're NOT relevant to isopod keepers - isopods feed mainly on leaf litter and decaying wood, with dried or dead food for protein, not live feeders. For PostPods's main customer base (isopod and bioactive cleanup crew keepers), firebrats are outside the scope of normal husbandry.

How They Compare with Other Feeders

For UK keepers considering firebrats vs alternatives:

Versus Crickets

• Quieter - no chirping noise
• No jumping - easier to contain during feeding
• Less cannibalistic - more stable populations
• Lower mortality - hardy in established cultures
• But: harder to obtain in the UK, more demanding heat requirements

Versus Fruit Flies

• More substantial nutrition per insect
• Don't fly - better for ground-dwelling species
• Longer-lived cultures - less constant refreshing
• But: not as widely available, more setup complexity

Versus Dubia/Other Cockroaches

• Smaller size options - better for tiny species
• No odour - cleaner cultures
• But: PostPods stocks cockroach species suitable for many keepers. Browse our cockroaches collection for the practical alternative we actually carry

Basic Husbandry If You Decide to Keep Them

If you've decided firebrats are right for your setup (and sourced them from a UK breeder - they're not in our range), the basics are:

Temperature

The defining requirement - firebrats want HEAT:

• Optimal breeding - 32-40°C
• Below about 32°C - nymphs still grow, more slowly, but Virginia Cooperative Extension says females lay eggs only above about 32°C
• Cooler - they'll survive at room temperature but won't breed effectively

Worth knowing: this is much warmer than most UK hobby setups. Requires dedicated heating (ceramic heat emitter, heat cable, or warm cupboard arrangement) with thermostat control.

Humidity

Moderate:

• Target - 50-60% relative humidity
• Close to the drier end of an isopod tub (most isopods are kept at about 50% there, rising to about 70% at the damp end)
• Humidity gradient - mist one corner weekly, rest of enclosure stays dry

Container

• Size - plastic tub 30-40 litres minimum for a starter colony
• Smooth-sided - they aren't great climbers but escape attempts happen
• Ventilation - important to prevent stagnation
• Internal structure - corrugated cardboard sheets stacked vertically (provides surface area, hiding spots, egg-laying sites)

Diet

Simple:

• Dry base - rolled oats, fish flakes, nutritional yeast, wheat germ mixed
• Vegetables - small amounts (carrot, sweet potato) for moisture and gut-loading
• Calcium - vegetables dusted with calcium powder before offering

Worth noting: gut-load the firebrats for 24-48 hours before they go to your target animal.

Why PostPods Doesn't Stock Firebrats

The short answer: our customer base is primarily isopod and bioactive cleanup crew keepers. Firebrats serve a different market (live prey for predatory inverts and reptiles) that's well-covered by other UK suppliers. We focus on what we do well rather than spreading across every invert category.

If you're a UK keeper wanting feeder insects, our cockroaches collection offers practical alternatives for many species. For isopod and bioactive setup essentials, browse our accessories collection or main isopods collection.

In Summary

Firebrats are:

• Niche feeder insects - useful for specific species, not general-purpose
• Heat-demanding - require sustained 32-40°C for breeding
• Easier than crickets for some keepers (quieter, no jumping, hardier)
• Not in PostPods's product range - sourced from other UK suppliers
• Not relevant to isopod keeping - isopods are given dried or dead protein, not live feeders

If you've ended up here while researching feeders for your inverts or reptiles, worth being clear: this isn't our specialty. For PostPods's actual focus areas see our other inverts collection, isopods collection, or our isopods in bioactive vivariums article for our core hobby content.