Discoids live in the tropics of South America and in captivity in many American homes as pets. They are very low maintenance, wonderful and fascinating pets. Their main requirement is access to fresh water at all times. You can go for a month or two between cleanings of their habitat. They have very low to no odor. They are not picky eaters. I feed mine ground dry dog food, fish flakes, low sugar cereals. They also love fresh fruits and veggies. It is important to remove any left overs the following day. If it has a chance to mold it will wipe out the colony.
Discoids are a very quiet pet. They are nocturnal and they do not bite. They can grow up to be 3 inches long and can live up to 2 years. You can control their breeding by controlling their temperature. Anything above 75 degrees F will most likely promote breeding. 65 to 75 degrees F. will reduce chances of breeding significantly. I have never let mine reach temps below 65 degrees because it is not recommended.
Baby Discoids are called nymphs. Their mother incubates her eggs in a brood under her belly for about 3 months. Approximately 30 babies will hatch. They are a tad bit smaller than a lady bug. Nymphs do not have wings until they reach adulthood, approximately 6 months of age.
The adult male Discoids have long wings the length of their body and the females have shorter stubby wings. They can not fly. They can not climb walls or smooth surfaces. My habitat does not have a lid on it and I have never had one escape. Should one escape, he will die do to lack of a water source.
Discoids shed several times during their life. After a shedding they are soft and ghostly white, but within a few hours they harden and become a shinny root beer brown.
