Discoid Roaches for Sale - Free Shipping

Table of Contents

Unboxing Discoid Roaches - VIDEO!

What are Discoid Roaches?

Discoid roaches are a highly nutritious, soft-bodied, low-chitin feeder insect for your beloved bearded dragon, leopard gecko, or other insect-munching friend.  They naturally live in tropical environments, and prefer dark, humid, and hot environments. 

Scientifically known as Blaberus discoidales, these roaches are one of the few roaches that are legal in the state of Florida. Florida residents know all too well that the popular dubia roaches are outlawed in their state.  But they can sleep peacefully, knowing that discoid roaches are an excellent alternative.

Bullet-Point Benefits of Discoid Roaches

• No Odor - unlike crickets, discoid roaches have no odor
• Easy maintenance - because they don't stink (unlike crickets), discoid roaches don't require bedding material in their housing tubs
• Terrible Climbers - Housing them in your mother's Rubbermaid container is the perfect environment.  They cannot climb plastic or glass surfaces, and will remain in the tub.
• They don't fly - Discoid roaches less than 1" in length don't have wings.  And the only time they will get wings is when they become adults.  
• Faster than dubia roaches - Discoids are often compared to dubia roaches.  But they are faster, and can trigger your pets natural attack mode.

Are Discoid Roaches Legal in Florida?

Yes!  Aside from their excellent nutritional value, discoid roaches are excellent feeders because they are legal in the state of Florida.  Florida are denied the honor of feeding dubia roaches to their beautiful reptiles.  But they can offer the same nutritional value with discoid roaches, without the fear of introducing an invasive species in the ecosystem.

What is the Nutritional Value of Discoid Roaches?

Discoid roaches are a lean feeder, comparable to crickets.  But what makes them a superior feeder is that they offer a higher amount of calcium.  Calcium is important because it helps prevent metabolic bone disease, a terminal disease that affects many reptiles who do not receive a proper amount of calcium and vitamin D.  Although studies have yet to confirm the actual amount, it is generally believed that discoid roaches offer a similar amount of calcium as dubia roaches.  Which is twice the amount you'll get from crickets.  

Additionally, they have less chitin compared to crickets.  Chitin is the hard, fibrous material (usually an insect's exoskeleton), that is difficult for many reptiles to digest.  The more chitin an insect has, the more likely a reptile can suffer from impaction (which is why mealworms aren't recommended for bearded dragons).  

And not only do they offer less chitin, they also offer more meat.  This meat means your reptile pet can be satisfied faster, needing less insects (which is why we can offer small quantities of 25 and 50).  

How do Discoid Roaches differ from Dubia Roaches?

Discoid roaches and dubia roaches are more similar than different.  Which means that you really can't go wrong with either roach.  However, discoid roaches have a few key advantages that you may want to consider if you're trying to decide between both discoid and dubia roaches.

Discoids Have Higher Moisture Content

Discoid roaches have a slightly higher moisture content than dubias.  Moisture content may not sound like a big deal.  But if your pet suffers, or is likely to suffer, from impaction, then you'll want a feeder with higher moisture content.  Because these are easier insects for them to pass.

Discoids Have Higher Protein Content

Everyone knows how important protein is for growing pets.  And yes, both dubias and discoids have an excellent amount of lean protein.  But discoids do have more protein than dubias.  So if your young bearded dragon or leopard gecko is growing quickly, you'll want to offer them as much protein as they can get.

Discoids have a better Calcium-to-Phosphorus Ratio

Every reptile owner knows that calcium is critical for every reptile.  And if you don't know this, then you better learn why calcium is critical for reptiles.  Both dubias and discoid roaches offer a decent amount of caclium.  But what makes discoid roaches so appealing is that they have less amount of phosphorus.  Phosphorus pretty much neutralizes the positive affects that reptiles need from calcium.  So even if your feeder insect has a surplus of calcium, it won't do any good if there's an equal amount of phosphorus in its body.   

How to Breed Discoid Roaches?

Discoid roaches are prolific breeders.  And if offered the right conditions, can provide you a reliable supply of feeder insects for your bearded dragon, leopard gecko, and other insectivorous pet.  Listed below are basic steps, but here's an indepth article on how to breed discoid roaches.  

Breeding Bins

Discoid roaches will need a tall plastic container, with plenty of ground space.  Something like this would be ideal.  Then place 3-5 adult female discoid roaches, with 1 adult male.  It's good practice to provide plenty of hiding space for them, like egg crates, and cardboard tubes.  

Food and Substrate

Roaches, like crickets, will eat almost anything.  They will readily eat vegetables and fruit.  But just be mindful that the food doesn't sit around for more than a day.  Otherwise, your discoid breeding bin can attract flies, or grow mold.  And mold can wipe out your discoid roach colony.

Keep in mind that you'll want to provide plenty of protein for your female discoid roach.  And although vegies and fruits are great, they're not very protein-rich.  Cat food or dog food is a great way to offer protein, and it's not nearly as expensive as a strip steak. 

One advantage that discoid roaches have over crickets is that they don't stink.  Because crickets smell, we recommend vermiculite for their substrate.  But you don't need any substrate for discoid roaches.  And as a discoid roach breeder, this will make them easier for you to clean.

Breeding Temperatures and Humidity

Like most insects, discoid roaches like hot temperatures.  And it's been observed that the best breeding temperatures for discoid roaches are 90 degrees Fahrenheit.  They will breed in temps as low as the mid 70's.  However, they no longer become prolific breeders at those temps.  So keep their bin hot, and they will maintain their title as prolific breeders.  

The challenge with temperatures this high is that it will force water to evaporate at a greater rate.  So you'll need to mist the discoid bin daily.  Some breeders like to keep a moist paper towel or sponge in the container.  This is fine, but just be mindful that hot, damp objects can promote mold growth.  So water crystals may be a nice alternative. 

Here Comes the Off Spring!

Once the habitat conditions are met, the males will begin breeding with the female.  Unlike crickets, discoid roaches are ovoviviparuos, meaning they store the eggs in their abdomen.  She will hold anywhere between 20-40 nymph discoid roaches.  And in about 1 month, she will give "birth" to these nymph roaches.

The brand new discoid nymphs will hatch out as frail, tiny, white versions of the adults.  After a few days, they will change color into a normal discoid roach.  At this stage, they are great feeders, and average about 1/8" - 1/4" in size.  After a few months, they will double in size.  And then a few months from there, they will grow another 1/4".

What size Discoid Roaches should I order?

The rule of thumb of thumb is that your feeders should be equal to the distance between your pets eyes.  So before you choose your discoid roach, get a measurement of how much space your pet has between her eyes.  This may sound silly, but is important.  Oversized feeders and discoid roaches can cause problems during ingestion, that could lead to death.  So please select the proper size discoid roach.

How do you ship Discoid Roaches?

We ship discoid roaches from our Florida facility.  We package quantities of 25 or 50 in deli cups.  And we ship them with the post office using Priority Mail.

How to Store Discoid Roaches?

Storying them is easy.  Just keep them in the container they are shipped in.  They prefer hot temperatures, and will love you if you keep them at 90-95 degrees F.  However, they are usually breeding temperatures.  For storing them as feeders, you can keep them at about 75 degrees F.  

They are packaged with a fresh piece of vegetable.  That vegetable acts as both a food source, and hydration.  All you need to do is keep an eye on the vegetables.  And when the vegetables disappear, you'll need to replace it with more vegetables.  

Should I Gut-Load these Discoid Roaches?

Yes.  Discoid roaches are scavengers by nature, and will eat almost anything.  But, since you're using that as feeders, you want them to be offered a wonderful diet of healthy vegetation.  Which is why it's important to gut-load your discoid roaches for a minimum of 24 hours with fresh vegetables and grains.  This way, when your bearded dragon eats these tasty discoid roaches, they'll benefit from the additional nutrition.

Should I Dust my Discoid Roaches?

Yes.  It's good practice to dust all your feeder insects with vitamin D3.  Even though discoid roaches provide a decent amount of calcium, you'll still want to dust them.  The process is simple.  Put some dubia roaches in a plastic, zip-lock bag.  Add a table spoon of vitamin D3/calcium dust into the bag.  Then blow up the bag like a balloon.  Then gently shake the bag, so the dust coats the discoid roaches.  Then introduce the roaches to your beloved pet, so they can enjoy a nutritious meal.   

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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.