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Roaches are one of the best feeder insects out there. They’re easy to keep at home, they don’t smell, and they provide a lot of protein for your pet without giving them too much fiber. But if you live in Florida or Hawai’i, it’s a little more complicated than just starting a feeder colony of dubia roaches. As every Florida reptile owner should know, dubia roaches are illegal statewide.
But why? And what alternatives do you have for feeder insects? In this article, we’ll talk about the other roach you should know about, the discoid roach, which is the best alternative for pet owners in Florida.
Why Are Dubia Roaches Illegal in Florida?
As we mentioned, the dubia roach (Blaptica dubia) is one of the best lean feeder insects for reptile pets you can find. They’re very popular, especially for people that want to keep a colony in their own house.
Dubia roaches are native to South America, where they live in temperate forests. They need room temperature, moderately humid conditions to survive. So in most parts of the US, if a dubia roach escapes your enclosure and makes it out into the world, chances are that it will die before it can reproduce.
But that’s not the case in Florida. Florida’s persistent heat and humidity make it a perfect breeding ground for dubia roaches. And that’s a problem, because dubias aren’t native to the United States.
So if dubia roaches were to escape in Florida, they could reproduce on their own, without human assistance. This means they could become invasive, similar to how pet snakes have become invasive in the Everglades.
There’s no way to know how bad that could be. But chances are, if dubia roaches became invasive, they would cause damage to the ecosystem, and there would be no way to stop them.
This is also true in Hawai’i, the other state in the US that has a semi-tropical climate. Hawai’i is one of the largest hotspots for invasive species on the planet, and has had a very bad track record historically of new species taking hold and doing damage to the ecosystem. As you’d expect, dubias are also illegal in Hawai’i.
But not to worry! Florida has its own roach species that’s very similar to the dubia roach, especially in terms of its quality as a feeder insect.
What are Discoid Roaches?
The discoid roach (Blaberus discoidalis) is, you guessed it, another species of cockroach. It lives in the subtropical forests of Central America, the Caribbean, and Florida. Similarly to the dubia roach, it’s mostly ground-dwelling, although it does spend some of its time in trees.
Because of this, its wings are underdeveloped and it is almost totally incapable of flight. It spends most of its time in the leaves and debris on the forest floor, doing its roach thing.
There are a few ways that discoid roaches differ from dubias. For one thing, they’re bigger. One of the main issues with dubia roaches is that large lizards (like bearded dragons) can actually outgrow them. But discoid roaches reach 2” in length, which is large enough for even elderly bearded dragons.
Discoid roaches are also more active than dubias. Discoid roaches are notably more energetic and spend more time moving around than dubias, which is a plus for younger pets that have more interest in active hunting. This is a plus for juvenile pets, but a minus for older reptiles with less energy. But of course, it all depends on the temperament of your individual pet.
Nutritionally, discoid roaches and dubia roaches are pretty similar. Here are the facts and figures for both species:
Discoid Roach Nutrition
Protein: 17%
Fat: 8%
Moisture: 66%
Ash: 1%
Fiber: 3%
Calcium to Phosphorus ratio: 1:3
Dubia Roach Nutrition
Protein: 22%
Fat: 7.7%
Moisture: 60%
Ash: 1.7%
Fiber: 2.9%
Calcium to Phosphorus ratio: 2:3
Right off the bat, the numbers are very similar. Discoid roaches have a little less protein, a little more moisture, and a little less calcium than dubias. These are all very minor differences though, and they still qualify as “high protein” feeder insects.
Both of these roach species have good calcium content, but like with most feeders, you’ll still need to dust them with calcium supplement. Most reptiles need a ratio of 2:1 calcium to phosphorus to stay healthy, so it’s important to dust your feeders even if they have a good calcium content already.
You can also boost their nutritional content by gut loading them. Gut loading works by giving your feeder insects a super nutritious meal just before giving them to your pet. This makes sure your discoid roaches are as healthy for your pet as possible.
But the main detail about discoid roaches that matters for you is their legality.
The Legality of Discoid Roaches
As we mentioned, you can’t get dubia roaches in Florida because they could become invasive. But because discoid roaches already live in Florida, they don’t pose any significant threat to the environment. If your discoid roaches were to escape, they would just join all the other discoid roaches in the neighborhood. No big deal.
So if you’re in Florida, discoid roaches should be your first choice. They’re a perfect stand-in for dubias.
But we also mentioned that dubia roaches are illegal in Hawai’i. This is for the same reason as Florida; Hawai’i’s tropical climate is perfect to allow dubia roaches to become invasive there.
However, as you probably noticed, discoid roaches aren’t native to Hawai’i either. So discoid roaches are at the same risk of becoming invasive in Hawai’i that dubias are. As you might have guessed, both discoid roaches and dubias are illegal in Hawai’i.
I wish we had an equally easy solution for pet owners living in Hawai’i, but we don’t. You’re most likely going to have to find another feeder insect, like superworms or even black soldier fly larvae.