What Can Cockroaches Eat? 20+ Items Answered

Yes, cockroaches can eat paper.

Cockroaches are likely to simply chew through the paper to get to more nourishing food though.

Cockroaches can eat card, yes. Having said that, the answer is very much the same as paper, they will eat it, but they are more likely to chew through it to get to a food supply.

No, a cockroach cannot eat concrete. It can, however, move little bits of broken concrete out of the way to get to something else. But, if the concrete is cured correctly, and has no damage, then it is cockroach proof!

Metal is another thing that is safe from a cockroach! Metal is too strong for roaches to eat, or even for them to chew through.

Cockroaches will happily feast on our dead skin cells, and they have been known to bite humans, but we are not in danger of being eaten alive by one, or even a group of roaches!

No, there is a much higher risk that your can or dog will feast on the roach though. Ultimately, a roach will not eat a cat or dog, but it will eat dead skin or hair from all animals.

This is a gross answer, but yet, cockroaches do eat poop. Poop of all kinds! Unfortunately, this means that cockroaches will wade through poop and then will happily walk over your countertops.

Yes – cockroaches can and will eat each other! Personally, I have trodden on a cockroach only to see another roach stroll out and feast on the dead cockroach while it was still warm!

Yes – and if you are scared of spiders (arachnophobia) then it is good news. Having said that, would you rather have spiders or roaches in your home? Personally, I would rather not have any… but at a push, I would opt for spiders over cockroaches. It is worth knowing that spiders also eat small cockroaches, so you may not be that lucky if you are a spider hater.

Yes – cockroaches eat most insects. They have absolutely no problem with eating insects because they offer everything that a cockroach needs to survive.

Yes – a roach can eat wood. Although, this is the same as paper and card. A cockroach is much more likely to chew through wood to get to another food substance, and will only eat wood if there is nothing else around.

No, glass is another item that cockroaches cannot eat. This is good news because it means you can store food in a glass container without the fear of a cockroach getting in and feasting on your food.

Yes, cockroaches can eat fruit. In fact, it is one of the food types that cockroaches will chew through other items to get to.

Absolutely! Cockroaches love eating sweet stuff. Chocolate is very high on the list of food types that cockroaches like. Always store your chocolate well, because it is kind of depressing going to the pantry and seeing that a roach has eaten it first!

Yes, cockroaches will eat crickets. For a roach to get near a cricket, it will either have to sneak up very very quietly or will need to stumble upon an injured cricket.

Whilst cockroaches opt mainly for organic substances, they do have the ability to eat clothes if they need to.

Yes – a cockroach will eat maggots without any issues at all.

Yes – there are some species of cockroaches that eat garden plants, so if you are prone to a roach invasion, you will want to add some additional security around any plants you are particularly fond of.

Yes, roaches have been known to feast on books! I don’t think they have a preference for any specific author or genre though. It makes sense that they would go for horrors…

Yes, cockroaches do eat nuts. In fact, they will eat pretty much anything… whether it tastes nice or not.

Roaches can eat drywall, which can go on to cause some damage to your home. Not only can cockroaches eat drywall, but they will also poop over them, which makes them look grubby and dirty. You will want to clean that off straight away.

Yes – cockroaches have been known to bite people. They will also eat our dead flesh and cells! Roach bites are not very common, which is good news.