Discoid roaches are one of the best staple feeders you can keep, and one of the easiest. They're nutritious, they can't climb smooth surfaces or fly, and a group will happily tick along on a bit of fresh veg. Here's how to keep them.
What are discoid roaches?
Discoid roaches are a nutritious, easy-to-keep feeder and a genuine staple, not just a treat. Because they can't climb smooth surfaces and can't fly, they're one of the safest and most manageable feeders to work with, no escapees scaling the walls or taking off across the room.
We carry them in two sizes:
- Juvenile — approximately 1/2″+, for smaller reptiles.
- Adult — approximately 1.5″+, for larger reptiles.
How to keep them alive
Discoids are very forgiving, which is a big part of their appeal.
Keep them at room temperature or a little warmer. Around 24 to 29°C keeps them active and feeding well.
Offer fresh vegetables or fruit, changed out every 1 to 2 days. This keeps them fed and hydrated, and swapping it out prevents mould. The fresh produce also gut-loads them, so the goodness passes on to your reptile at feeding time.
That's really it, a warm spot and a bit of fresh veg, and they look after themselves.
Dust them before feeding
Like most staple feeders, discoids are low in calcium, so dust them with a calcium supplement before feeding. Gut-loading them on fresh veg tops up their nutrition, and a light dusting of calcium at feeding time rounds it out.
A note on winter shipping
Discoid roaches don't tolerate cold well, which makes winter shipping tricky. During the colder months we may pause Canada-wide shipping on discoids to protect them in transit, so availability for shipping can be seasonal.
A quick word on freshness
Feeders are only as good as they are fresh. Well-kept, well-fed discoids are active and nutritious, so give them a warm spot and fresh food and they'll be in great shape when it's time to feed.
The short version
Discoid roaches are a nutritious, fuss-free staple that can't climb smooth surfaces or fly, making them one of the easiest feeders to keep. Hold them at room temperature or a little warmer (24 to 29°C), offer fresh vegetables or fruit changed every 1 to 2 days to feed and gut-load them, and dust them with calcium before feeding. They don't like the cold, so Canada-wide shipping may pause over winter.
Ready to try them? Shop our discoid roaches in Juvenile and Adult.
