Discoid roaches?? Good feeder vs dubia?

Ultum4Spiderz

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I was wondering how good Discoid roaches work as feeders.
I Have been using dubias for a year or two though. :o_O:

Are Discoid roaches larger or meatier for T food or about the same?

---------- Post added 10-21-2014 at 12:34 AM ----------

Anyone use these roaches?
 
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MrCrackerpants

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I was wondering how good Discoid roaches work as feeders.
I Have been using dubias for a year or two though. :o_O:

Are Discoid roaches larger or meatier for T food or about the same?

---------- Post added 10-21-2014 at 12:34 AM ----------

Anyone use these roaches?

I keep discoid roaches as pets. They are about the same size as dubia. My dubia reproduce better for me. The dubia are also pets. I have a huge collection of predatory arthropods (spiders, centipedes, arachnids, scorpions) and I just feed red runners to everything. I use red runners for everything from small scorpions, to dwarf tarantulas to my large tarantulas like Lasiodora parahybana (Brazilian Salmon Pink Birdeater Tarantula) and Theraphosa stirmi (Burgundy Goliath Birdeater Tarantula).
 

Introvertebrate

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I've heard that Discoids are better than Dubia in one respect. They're more active. They're less likely to play dead.
 

Ultum4Spiderz

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I've heard that Discoids are better than Dubia in one respect. They're more active. They're less likely to play dead.
Discoids are bigger? Do u think they would be good alternative for dubia picky Ts? And larger 7"+ Ts

I cannot keep red runners as they can breed if loose, any loose home breed-able Roach is X'd not on my list!!! :bruised::angelic:
 

Ultum4Spiderz

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Maybe Ill just split my dubia colonly in half for , 2 larger ones later on. I guess Discoids are nothing special for T food :( I need something bigger than dubia for larger Ts. They have endless appetite.
 

Ultum4Spiderz

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Since I can't own dubia, I have no way to compare.
Yeah O well, I was hoping for a larger feeder roach than dubia, but hissers shell is too hard & Discoids are fatter but got no proof they are better than dubia.
Bigger Ts eat Dubia roaches like beef jerky, takes a lot to fill a big female T.
 

MrCrackerpants

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Discoids are bigger? Do u think they would be good alternative for dubia picky Ts? And larger 7"+ Ts

I cannot keep red runners as they can breed if loose, any loose home breed-able Roach is X'd not on my list!!! :bruised::angelic:
They will not breed in your house (unless you have a ongoing serious inside water leak and they can lay their ootheca near it). If a female gets loose and drops an ootheca in your house it is just going to desiccate and the embryos will die. The nymphs will never emerge. The egg cases need to be moist. This species lays its egg cases in root bundles under the ground. I live very close to one of two military bases where this species was brought in to the U.S. They live in all of the root bundles of all of the plants in my yard. They wander in during the spring and fall but are never able to reproduce inside.
 

xkris

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i dont have discoids, so i cant tell you about that. i hear they are a bit larger. could be a good feeder.
lots of my T are huge and i want them to have a substantial meal.

i do have hissers, and no matter what you hear, hissers make a good feeder. for a adult, you'll need a big T, 14cm+ (6,5-7inch+). their shell is a bit harder, but its nothing a grown up T isn't designed to handle.
dont know if you ever feed mice to T? they can puncture a rodent skull with no trouble. (bird, frog, snake skull also) small hissers also make a good feeder. they start as just a tiny bit bigger than dubia and even slings can eat them.
so if your looking for a big meal, hissers are worth considering. only minus to them is that they climb, climb real good, but are not really fast moving. infestation is not so huge deal with them. but if they escape, they will crawl into anything they will fit into.

consider other blaberus species also, they are all nice big meaty roaches. like craniifer or colossus or giganteus. none of them climb. i have craniifer, they are way faster moving than dubia, its uncanny for such a large roach to sprint so fast:) they also sort of fly/glide and jump really well. male and female have wings. giganteus are huge and a arboreal roach, they fly real good. craniifer can sort of fly/glide. giganteus can lift off and fly, but dont do it often.
 

Ultum4Spiderz

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I have fed mice a few times before , but large species of roaches seem a lot cheaper in the longrun. My LPS charges $1.70 ea mouse.

Dono which of those huge roach species are easiest to care for but blaberus, craniifer or colossus or giganteus might be hard to buy are they real expensive?
Hissers are a bit pricey also but cheaper than mice, less messy cleanup also.
 
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xkris

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you're right about that, in the long run a large roach species is the best way to go. i also occasionally buy mice. my cats do bring me dead ones every once and a while, (they also eat them:) but i dont want to use that. they could have gods know what not.

out of all these you mentioned, hissers are the cheapest and the easiest to get here.
if you want to talk about the ease of keeping all of these, its about the same. no extra special requirements, except giganteus need more vertical climbing spaces. all blaberus appreciate some kind of substrate.
and hissers climb. also all of them need protein in their diet, dont forget that.

you might be able to find craniifer, be careful about light wing hybrid. it breeds a bit faster, but is smaller than black wing pure one. also people are really really really against hybrids.

i my self would love to find giganteus, but they are rare and expensive here, like they are made of gold or something.


if you can, get one of these huge roaches, give them some time and let nature run its course, you'll have plenty in no time. its way cheaper in the long run that way.
i assume breading mice is out of the question? its out of the question for me too. some things i just dont want to keep:)
 

Ultum4Spiderz

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Mice can injure a tarantula pretty bad. Stick to invertebrate prey.
Baby pinkies/ fuzzies 2" or under body size really die instantly, adult mice 3.5"+ however are dangerous!!
Hissers might be better choice, now I gotta find a cheap deal someday. Mice got teeth , can injure a undersized T.

Less cleanup w/ roaches!
 
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