Are discoid roaches or silkworms better for bearded dragons?

They do different jobs. Discoid roaches are the better everyday staple — high protein, cheap, easy to breed, and they store for ages. Silkworms are a soft, hydrating, calcium-friendlier treat that's excellent for picky eaters, juveniles, and gravid females, but they're pricey, fragile, and short-lived. I keep discoids as the base and rotate silkworms in.

Do silkworms have a better calcium ratio than discoid roaches?

Somewhat. Silkworms sit close to a 1:1 calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, which is better than most feeders, while discoids are clearly phosphorus-heavy. But 1:1 still isn't the ~2:1 a dragon needs, so dust both with calcium. Silkworms reduce the calcium gap; they don't erase the need for supplementation.

Which is easier on a bearded dragon's stomach?

Silkworms. They're soft, water-rich, and have no hard exoskeleton, so they're very easy to digest and great for hatchlings or a dragon recovering from illness. Discoids are also soft and low in chitin, but silkworms are the gentlest of the two.

Why are silkworms so expensive and hard to keep?

Silkworms eat almost nothing but mulberry leaves or mulberry-based chow, grow fast, are disease-prone, and have a short usable window before they spin cocoons. That fragility and specialized diet is why they cost more and can't be casually bred at home the way a discoid colony can.

Can I feed silkworms as a staple instead of roaches?

You can, but it's expensive and impractical for most keepers. Silkworms are nutritious, but their cost, short shelf life, and fragile care make them better as a frequent supplement than the foundation. A staple roach plus rotated silkworms gives you better nutrition and a far lower bill.

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Bearded Dragons

Discoid Roaches vs. Silkworms for Bearded Dragons: Staple vs. Soft Treat

By Matt Goren · Updated June 25, 2026

People often frame discoid roaches versus silkworms as a winner-take-all choice, but after years of keeping both, I think that's the wrong question. These two feeders are good at completely different things. One is a workhorse staple; the other is a premium soft treat. The smart move is knowing which job each one does and using both deliberately. Let me break it down.

What they are

Discoid roaches (Blaberus discoidalis) — sometimes called false death's head roaches — are a tropical, flightless roach. They don't climb smooth walls, they're nearly odorless, they're live-bearers, and a colony is genuinely easy to run at home. Their low-chitin body makes them easy to digest, and they come in every size from nymph to two-inch adult.

(One bit of cleanup, because the old web gets this wrong constantly: discoids are Blaberus discoidalis, not "Blaptica dubia." Blaptica dubia is the dubia roach — a different, related species. If a care sheet uses those names interchangeably, be skeptical of the rest of it.)

Silkworms (Bombyx mori) are the larva of the domesticated silk moth. They're soft, pale, slow, and water-rich, and they live almost exclusively on mulberry leaves or mulberry-based chow. They're prized as a gentle, nutritious feeder — and they're notoriously fussy to keep alive.

Nutrition, honestly

Here's the realistic as-fed picture. Numbers shift with diet and source, so use the relationships, not the decimals.

Feeder	Protein	Fat	Moisture	Calcium:Phosphorus	Best role
Discoid roach	High (~20%)	Moderate (~6–7%)	~60%	Phosphorus-heavy	Everyday staple
Silkworm	Moderate (~9–13% as-fed)	Low (~1–3%)	High (~75–80%)	Near 1:1 (better than most)	Soft / hydrating treat

Two things worth correcting from the usual write-ups:

Silkworms are not a protein bomb. You'll see "63% protein" quoted — that's on a dry-matter basis. Silkworms are mostly water, so as-fed they deliver moderate protein, not roach-level protein. Their real strengths are softness, hydration, and a relatively low fat load.
Neither has a "favorable 2:1" ratio. Discoids are clearly phosphorus-heavy. Silkworms sit near 1:1, which is genuinely better than most feeders — but a dragon's target is closer to 2:1, so you still dust both with calcium. Silkworms shrink the calcium gap; they don't close it. (The Merck/MSD Veterinary Manual explains why the calcium-to-phosphorus balance drives bone health and MBD risk.)

Digestibility

Both are easy on a dragon's gut, but silkworms win this one outright. With no hard exoskeleton and high water content, they're about the gentlest feeder you can offer — ideal for hatchlings, picky eaters, and a dragon bouncing back from illness or impaction. Discoids are also soft and low in chitin (much easier than crickets or mealworms), but a silkworm is gentler still. The flip side: silkworms' high moisture can loosen stools if you overdo them.

Keeping, cost, and availability

This is where discoids run away with it for the everyday keeper.

Discoids breed at home with almost no fuss — warmth, egg flats, a protein base, and rotated produce — and they live for a year or two, so a colony becomes a self-renewing, near-free supply. If you'd rather buy than breed, they're cheap in bulk and ship well. (For the full colony build, see my discoid roach keeping playbook.)

Silkworms are the opposite: they demand fresh mulberry leaves or specialized chow, grow fast, are prone to bacterial and fungal disease in less-than-clean conditions, and have a short usable window before they pupate into inedible moths. They're among the priciest feeders out there, and shipping live silkworms safely adds cost. Most keepers buy them in small batches as needed rather than culturing them.

Keeping silkworms alive (the short version)

If you do buy silkworms, expect to use them fast. A few realities that catch keepers out:

They only eat mulberry. Fresh mulberry leaves or commercial mulberry-based chow — that's essentially the whole menu. No mulberry, no silkworms.
They're disease-prone. Crowding, moisture on the food, and poor hygiene invite bacterial and fungal infections that can wipe out a batch quickly. Keep them dry, clean, and well-ventilated, and never feed wet leaves.
They have a deadline. Silkworms grow fast and then spin cocoons, after which they're no longer feeders. Buy a size and quantity you'll actually use within a week or two.
Handle gently. Their soft bodies bruise and rupture easily. Move them with care.

This fragility is the whole reason most keepers buy silkworms as needed rather than culturing them — and the whole reason a discoid colony is the low-effort backbone by comparison.

When silkworms genuinely shine

There are specific moments where I actively prefer silkworms over a roach, and they're worth knowing:

Hatchlings and young juveniles. The soft body and easy digestibility suit a developing gut, and the gentle calcium profile helps during fast bone growth.
Gravid (egg-carrying) females. Calcium demand spikes when a female is producing eggs; silkworms' near-1:1 ratio plus heavy dusting helps meet it.
Picky eaters and recovery. A dragon that's gone off food, or one bouncing back from illness or a mild impaction, will often take a soft, hydrating silkworm when it refuses harder prey. The high water content also helps a slightly dehydrated dragon.
Hydration days. In dry conditions, the moisture in silkworms (and hornworms) is a useful supplement to water dishes and misting.

How I actually use both

Discoids = the meal. Dusted and gut-loaded, sized to the gap between the dragon's eyes, fed daily to juveniles and every other day to adults. This is the protein foundation.
Silkworms = the smart supplement. I reach for them for hatchlings, for a dragon that's gone off its food (the soft texture tempts picky eaters), for gravid females whose calcium demand is high, and any time I want a hydrating, gentle change of pace. Their slow wriggle is less stimulating than a scurrying roach, so they suit calmer feeders.

If you want to keep a clean supply on hand, All Angles Creatures stocks silkworms sized for everything from hatchlings to adults — handy precisely because they're the feeder you don't want to try to culture yourself.

How silkworms compare to the other soft feeders

Silkworms aren't the only gentle, specialist feeder, and it helps to know where they sit:

vs. hornworms: Hornworms are even more water-heavy (~85% moisture) and very soft, making them the top hydration treat — but they're lower in protein and grow huge fast. Silkworms carry more substance and a better calcium profile, so I lean silkworm for nutrition and hornworm for pure hydration.
vs. black soldier fly larvae (phoenix worms): BSFL are the genuinely calcium-rich feeder — the rare one that doesn't need heavy dusting to help with bone health. They're firmer and smaller. For calcium specifically, BSFL edge out silkworms; for softness and tempting a picky eater, silkworms win.
vs. butterworms/waxworms: Those are fatty treats, not in the same category — closer to candy. Silkworms are a lean, nutritious soft feeder by comparison.

The takeaway: silkworms occupy a sweet spot — softer and more hydrating than a roach, more nutritious and calcium-friendly than a hornworm, leaner than the fatty treats. That's exactly why they're worth keeping in the rotation despite the cost.

Practical feeding tips for both

Size to the eyes. No feeder wider than the gap between your dragon's eyes, for either insect.
Dust both with calcium. Discoids always; silkworms still benefit, since 1:1 isn't the ~2:1 a dragon needs.
Gut-load discoids; silkworms come pre-loaded. Roaches get 24–48 hours of produce and protein first. Silkworms raised on mulberry are already nutritious.
Feeding style differs. Discoids scurry, so feed them in a smooth-walled bowl or tub. Silkworms are slow and can go straight into the enclosure or be offered by hand or tongs.
Watch the stool. If silkworms loosen your dragon's droppings, ease back — their high moisture is the cause.

The verdict

Discoid roaches are the better staple: cheaper, hardier, breedable, and high in protein. Silkworms are the better treat: softer, more hydrating, calcium-friendlier, and perfect for picky eaters and high-demand dragons — but expensive and fragile. Build the diet on discoids, dust everything with calcium, and rotate silkworms in for variety, hydration, and the days your dragon turns its nose up at the usual. You don't have to pick a winner; you just have to use each for what it's good at.

Keep comparing: discoid roaches vs. house flies, or the full exotic animal care library.

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