Does dog food attract roaches? You bet it does!
Cockroaches will eat almost anything derived from a living organism, including your dog’s protein-packed food.
Roaches spread germs and disease. It’s important to keep them out of your dog’s food bowl.
Fortunately, it is possible to prevent a roach infestation by following a few guidelines for cleaning and storing dog food. In this article, we’ll show you how to keep your dog’s food safe from roaches.
Why do Roaches Like Dog Food?
Roaches are omnivores. They will happily munch on any substance that was obtained from a live plant or animal: sugar, starchy foods, meat, paper, glue, fingernail clippings, and yes, dog food.
Your pet’s food dish is a cornucopia of fat and protein. Cockroaches love it.
Roach antennae can easily detect dog food. Even worse, cockroach waste contains a pheromone that alerts other roaches to the new food source. So if you fail to clean or protect your dog’s food, you could invite a full-blown roach infestation.
Roaches also love easy access. Imagine a dirty dog food bowl left on the floor overnight, maybe in the dark corner of a pantry. That’s happy hour for cockroaches.
How to Keep Roaches Out of Dog Food
Now the good news: owning a dog doesn’t have to mean living with roaches. By adjusting your routine, you can keep roaches away from your dog’s food bowl.
Roaches can survive more than a month without food, but they will eventually get hungry and go elsewhere if your dog’s food is no longer an option for them.
Avoid storing dog food near walls
You may be accustomed to storing dog food against a wall in your pantry or garage.
There is a problem with this approach. Roaches can easily live behind walls. They may enter the storage room through a crack in the wall or baseboard. When you store food close to a wall, you are giving them easy access to your dog’s delicious meal.
To avoid tempting roaches with your dog’s food, try moving the food further from the wall. It may be less convenient but it should help eliminate your roach infestation.
Inspect packaging before purchase
Have you ever gone shopping for dog food and noticed that the dog food packaging was damaged?
If a package of dog food has been punctured or torn, it’s possible that roaches or other pests have already infested and contaminated the food.
Instead of purchasing the item, notify an employee so that the damaged item can be processed appropriately.
Buy as you need
If possible, avoid buying large amounts of dog food in advance.
Every bag of food stored in your pantry increases the chance of a roach infestation and requires more work to secure. Large bags tend to sit longer in storage after they have been opened. This could make them a reliable food source for roaches.
You may want to consider a dog food subscription service such as Nom Nom. Fresh dog food will be delivered to your door, eliminating the need to buy in bulk.
Be sure to use items in the order of their purchase or expiration date. If you decrease the amount of time that any particular package of dog food sits in storage, you will minimize the chances of a roach infestation.
Keep it clean
Try to clean your dog’s food bowl after each meal, or at least once a day before bedtime. Use hot water and soap. Roach antennae can detect residue or crumbs in a dog food dish, even if that dish is otherwise empty.
And if you spill your dog’s food, clean it up immediately before you forget.
Store dog food in containers
Roach antennae can easily pick up the scent of dog food. You can prevent this by storing dog food in an air-tight container. These containers will also keep the food fresh by preventing moisture and humidity.
Put trash outside
Empty dog food containers should immediately be placed in a trash bag. Be sure to secure the bag and remove it from your house as soon as possible.
Roaches will be attracted to any edible substances in the trash bag and can easily gain entry if the bag has not been tightly closed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are roaches harmful to dogs?
Remember, roaches are not picky about cleanliness. They are happy to feast on human waste in the sewer or animal feces in your backyard.
This means that every surface touched by a cockroach in your home is a potential source of dangerous microbes. If a roach crawls through your dog’s food bowl, your dog is at risk of food poisoning, diarrhea, or other varieties of gastroenteritis.
Also keep in mind that roaches may make contact with roach bait and poison. If you plan on setting roach traps inside your home, ensure that the ingredients are safe for pets.
What if your dog eats a cockroach? Are roaches poisonous to dogs? Aside from the contamination concerns mentioned above, roaches themselves are not dangerous for dogs when consumed. They are not poisonous and do not sting or bite.
What about other insects? How do I keep bugs out of a dog food bowl?
Roaches are fairly large, but there are other techniques you can use to prevent smaller insects from accessing your dog’s food.
You can build a “moat” around your dog’s food bowl. This works especially well for ants. You will need a flat container such as a baking sheet or pie tin. Just fill the container with a little water and place your dog’s bowl in the center. The ants will likely drown before reaching the bowl.
If you discover bugs near your dog’s food, clean the area with soap and hot water to remove the scent of the bugs’ trail.
Also look for brown dust accumulating near your pet’s kibble. This may indicate a grain mite infestation. Grain mites can lay hundreds of eggs in a single piece of kibble. Discard any affected food and clean the area immediately.
Can I use a bug-proof pet bowl?
Absolutely! Bug-proof pet bowls are great for preventing spills and deterring pests. These elevated bowls make it harder for roaches to access your dog’s food.
Be aware that these bowls are not 100% effective, particularly for hungry and determined roaches. For this reason, be sure to follow the other tips in this article.
Conclusion
Most people feel disgust when they see a roach in their house, and for good reason! Roaches carry disease and may contaminate surfaces and food. This is a health risk for both you and your pet.
By following the tips in this article, you can prevent your dog’s food from becoming a food source for cockroaches. We hope this helps keep you and your dog healthy.