Where to Buy Discoid Roaches: A Buyer's Guide to Finding Healthy Feeders

Once you've decided discoid roaches are the feeder for you — and for a lot of keepers, especially in the South, they're the obvious choice — the next question is simply where do I get good ones? That matters more than people expect. A healthy, well-started discoid colony from a clean source will run for years; a cheap batch of stressed, mite-ridden roaches can crash on you or import problems into your setup. This is the practical buyer's guide: legality to check first, where to actually buy, how to judge quality, what's a fair price, and the mistakes to avoid.

Start with legality — before you order

Discoid roaches (Blaberus discoidalis) are popular partly because of legality. The headline case is Florida, where dubia roaches are restricted but discoids are an accepted feeder — which is exactly why so many Florida keepers use them. Florida and other warm states regulate non-native insects that could establish breeding populations if they escaped, and discoids and dubia are treated differently under those rules.

But "legal in Florida" is not "legal everywhere," and these rules change. Some states and municipalities regulate which roach species you can keep or have shipped to you. Before you buy, confirm your own state and local rules — don't rely on a forum post about someone else's state. Your state agriculture department or land-grant university extension service is the reliable, non-commercial place to check; the University of Florida's entomology and nematology department is an excellent resource for feeder-insect and invasive-species questions. A reputable seller will also know which regions they can legally ship to and will tell you.

Where to buy: your real options

Online specialty feeder suppliers — for most keepers, this is the best route. The advantages:

• ◆Selection and sizing — you can pick exactly the size (small nymphs through adults) and quantity you need.
• ◆Bulk pricing — buying 50, 100, or more drops the per-roach cost significantly.
• ◆Live-arrival guarantee — reputable suppliers ship in insulated, ventilated packaging and replace dead-on-arrival orders.
• ◆Consistency — a good feeder supplier keeps clean, well-fed colonies, so you get healthy stock every time.

This is where I'd point most people, especially for starting a breeding colony or feeding a collection. All Angles Creatures sells healthy, well-started discoid roaches in sizes for both colonies and direct feeding, with the kind of clean husbandry that makes a colony succeed.

Local pet and reptile stores — convenient for a quick top-up and you can inspect the roaches in person, but stock is inconsistent, sizing is limited, and many general pet stores don't carry discoids at all (they default to crickets and mealworms). Reptile-specialty shops are a better bet. Ask whether they stock them regularly or can special-order.

Reptile expos and shows — genuinely good for finding reputable breeders, comparing sellers, and inspecting roaches before you buy. Check local event calendars. The downside is they're occasional, not on-demand.

What a quality discoid roach looks like

Whether you're inspecting in person or evaluating a shipment on arrival, the signs of healthy stock are the same:

• ◆Active and alert — healthy discoids move with purpose and react when disturbed. Lethargy can mean disease, stress, or old age.
• ◆Glossy, intact exoskeleton — no visible mold, discoloration, injuries, or missing limbs.
• ◆No mites, no foul smell — tiny tan specks (grain mites) or a bad odor signal a poorly kept source. A healthy discoid colony is nearly odorless.
• ◆A range of sizes (for a breeding colony) — a mix of adults and nymphs reaches steady production faster than all-adults or all-nymphs.

If a shipment arrives mostly dead, lethargic, or smelling bad, that's a quality problem — contact the seller about their live-arrival guarantee rather than trying to salvage it into your setup.

Fair pricing

Discoid roach pricing varies with quantity, size, and seller, but the shape is predictable:

• ◆Bulk discounts are real — per-roach cost drops sharply at 50, 100, or more.
• ◆Adults cost more than juveniles — they're feeding- or breeding-ready, so they command a premium.
• ◆Breeding stock costs more than feeders — a curated mix of healthy adults selected for reproduction is priced above a bag of mixed feeders.
• ◆Online vs. local — online often wins on per-roach price for bulk, but factor in shipping (live insects need insulated packaging, especially in temperature extremes). Local skips shipping but may charge more per roach for small quantities.

Don't shop on price alone. The cheapest roaches are often the false economy — stressed or mite-ridden stock costs you more when a colony struggles or you import a pest problem.

How many to buy

• ◆For feeding only: buy what your animals will eat over a few weeks at the right size. Discoids store well, so a few weeks' supply is reasonable.
• ◆For a breeding colony: start bigger than feels necessary — often 50 or more in a mix of sizes. The classic beginner failure is buying a small starter group, getting impatient, and feeding off the founders before they reproduce, shrinking the colony toward zero. Buy a real breeding base and leave it alone for the first few months.

Buy-and-keep: the first 24 hours and beyond

Sourcing is only half the job — set them up right and they'll thrive:

• ◆Housing: a ventilated, escape-proof plastic bin works well. Discoids can't climb smooth walls, but cover any ventilation with fine metal mesh because newborn nymphs are pinhead-sized and walk through coarse holes.
• ◆Temperature: they survive at room temperature but breed at 85–90°F, so side-mounted heat on a thermostat is the lever for a productive colony.
• ◆Diet: fruits, vegetables, grains, and a quality dry protein base — avoid citrus and anything moldy or acidic. Water via crystals or a damp sponge, never an open dish nymphs can drown in.
• ◆Quarantine new arrivals in a separate bin for a couple of weeks before merging them into an established colony, so you don't import mites or disease.

Shipping: what good packaging looks like

Most discoid orders arrive by mail, and packaging is where a good supplier proves itself. Live roaches are sensitive to temperature in transit, so look for:

• ◆Insulated boxes (foam liner) in hot or cold weather, with heat packs in winter and cold packs in summer as conditions require.
• ◆Ventilation — air holes or breathable material so the roaches don't suffocate.
• ◆Secure internal containment — egg-flat material or crumpled paper that gives the roaches structure to grip and cushions them, inside a sealed inner container so nothing escapes into the box.
• ◆Fast shipping — overnight or two-day service for live insects; slow ground shipping in extreme weather is how orders arrive dead.

If you're ordering during a heat wave or a cold snap, it's worth asking the seller how they handle temperature extremes, or timing the order for milder weather. A good supplier would rather hold an order a few days than ship into conditions that'll kill it.

Red flags in a seller

A few warning signs that a source isn't worth your money:

• ◆No live-arrival guarantee. Reputable feeder sellers stand behind their shipments. No guarantee means they don't trust their own packing.
• ◆No reviews or uniformly vague ones. Look for specific, verifiable customer feedback, ideally from reptile-keeping communities.
• ◆Won't say how the roaches are raised or what size you're getting. Transparency about husbandry and sizing is a baseline; evasiveness is a tell.
• ◆Suspiciously cheap, with no detail. Rock-bottom prices often mean stressed, mixed-up, or mite-laden stock.
• ◆Ignores your region's legality. A seller who'll ship anywhere without a word about restrictions isn't doing you any favors — the legal responsibility lands on you.

Common buying mistakes to avoid

• ◆Skipping the legality check. Confirm your state and local rules first; a seller's willingness to ship somewhere isn't proof it's legal for you.
• ◆Buying from an unvetted source. Check reviews and ask about husbandry. Irresponsible breeders ship unhealthy or mixed-up stock.
• ◆Shopping on price alone. Cheap, stressed roaches are a false economy.
• ◆Starting a colony too small. Buy a real breeding base, not a handful.
• ◆Ordering in extreme weather without heat/cold packs. Live roaches are sensitive to temperature in transit — reputable sellers pack accordingly, but check.

The short version

Confirm legality for your location first (discoids are widely legal where dubia aren't, Florida especially, but rules vary and change). Then buy from a reputable feeder supplier — usually online for selection, bulk pricing, and a live-arrival guarantee — choosing active, glossy, mite-free roaches in a mix of sizes if you're starting a colony. Don't shop on price alone, start a colony larger than you think you need, and quarantine new arrivals. Source well and a discoid colony becomes a quiet, years-long supply of clean feeders.

Ready to keep them? My full discoid roach breeder's playbook covers the enclosure, heat, humidity, and breeding in depth. Comparing feeders for a specific animal? See discoid roaches vs. house flies for blue tongue skinks, or the full feeder insect care library.