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My second ever roach specie I got into and I will always love the bright reds on female javanicas they are definitely such an awesome specie, anyways here’s a nice photo that Allpet roaches actually accepted.

Yesterday when checking in my heavily pregnant female javanica I noticed she was not chunky anymore and thought she aborted her babies but instead I saw many nymphs suffering through the substrate! Finally after many months of no reproduction it has finally happend! (I will post photos if All-pet roaches website lets me)

Finally for my first time in my 2 years of experience of breeding hissers I finally witnessed a roach molt into a big white sub adult!!!

The male in this photo is a awesome freebie I got from Kyle at a reptile expo that happened a few months ago, love the colors on him!

I keep 2 male hissers (g. portentosa), one of which is very active and aggressive and the other of which tends to be relaxed and non aggressive. The aggressive one tends to go after and headbutt the relaxed one and I’m not sure if I should separate them or not? I know it is expected of male hissers to be territorial but I am wondering if it would improve quality of life for the relaxed roach to be separated from the aggressive one. An additional question- the relaxed roach is not able to climb as well as the aggressive one is. When I am holding him and tilt my hand, he tends to slip whereas my other roach is able to stay on my hand, climb glass, and stay upside down on many surfaces. Could this be due to age? I don’t know either of their ages for sure, I got them both as full adults.

Hi, I am new to the hobby and have 4 madagascan hissers annd 2 halloween hissers. I want to put a small watercress plant in their enclosure, i assume this is fine if I grow them (obviously pesticide free etc) but waned to make sure!! any advice is appreciated

Im considering getting some hissers, but i need to secure the tank. Will hisser nymphs be able to escape from this? If so, how can I modify it? Also how to prevent them getting out under the lid? Velcro? 3 sides and the top have the vents. The roach is a female dubia to give an idea of size. The one with the pink lid is much bigger than mine.

Hello everyone. The other day I've noticed horizontal white streaks or wear on the exoskeleton of one of my hissers that was not there before. I have four males and I keep them as pets. I keep a thermostat in their enclosure and hydrometer and all the levels are normal. I no longer mist them as I ran into mold issues. I live near the coast so it's humid enough in my house that the hydrometer has shown their humidity levels to be fine. They're currently on a diet of oranges, carrots, and cat food. They do fight quite often so these white marks I'm noticing might be wear from that, but I'm a bit worried, either that his exoskeleton is injured, there's something growing on his back or he's not under proper conditions. Has anyone noticed a similar thing with their hissers? Is it normal or should I be concerned? here's an image of his exoskeleton: https://ibb.co/DD8f25t i got them from an online breeder (honeybees100) a few months back so he might possibly be a nymph starting to molt? I can't find any pictures of a nymph in this stage that are comparable to this white im seeing on his back. I thought he was pretty large already but this is my first time raising hissers and he might be a nymph after all, but I'm just not sure. Please let me know your thoughts! Just hoping my roach boys are doing okay.

I found my male roach leaning on the wall on his back. I thought he was stuck so I nudged him onto his front. When I did he stayed slightly curled. I think it is very likely he got stuck in his molt. Though he is most likely dead I'd like to know if there is anything i can do to avoid something like this in the future. In the off chance he's not dead is there anything i can do?

So I had a few nymphs moult yesterday, and I noticed one looked... Well... Here’s a picture. Will he be okay? He’s a very solid roach, very fast too. He seems to have no trouble with socializing. In almost 200 roach nymphs, I have never seen a deformation quite like this. Is it a deformation? Or genetics? I’d absolutely love to know. I’m really curious, as he’s quickly becoming my new favorite dude.

Sadly, my large female hisser Cersei passed away from old age a few days ago. She was very healthy, my tank has no mold or grain mites. I’m absolutely devastated, but oddly enough, my male roach Jaime seemed to be depressed as well? Perhaps I’m projecting, but I’ve noticed behavior changes. It’s not due to sickness, because he’s still eating and walking around, he just seems to show no interest in doing anything but that and sitting in the food dish. He has not been very chatty and doesn’t want to be handled. This situation feels unique because I rescued him, then bought her because he seemed very lonely. If you keep up with my posts, they had two broods of nymphs together. He has her last brood in the tank with him currently. Could he be confused about where she went? Or am I just projecting emotions onto my roach? I’d only like to know in case I should get another female for him. I had been trying to start my own hisser colony. If I get a new female, she shouldn’t bother the nymphs from my deceased hisser, right?

Howdy, roach forum! As my nymphs from my thread in “breeding and nymph issues” grow, I’ve been experimenting with their foods to see what they favor! The other night I made a pasta with some sliced baby bella mushrooms, so before bed, I dumped a leftover handful or so of raw mushroom bits in my feeding dish. I woke up this morning and they were all gone! I only found one small piece that has shriveled up slightly as mushrooms do. I know they’re roaches and can eat about anything but I got to wondering.... So are these mushrooms safe for my bugs? They seem to really enjoy it, more than their normal carrots, apples, celery, etc. but I don’t want them to get some type of disease or fungus from the mushrooms. Not entirely sure that could even happen, but well, that’s why I’m here! Can I continue letting them munch on mush? Or should I limit/not allow them to have it at all?

My female hisser has given birth twice this year. I gave most of her first brood away, but I kept two. This was about six months ago, probably. She just had new babies two days ago Today, both of my previous juveniles molted. Or tried. I’ve been keeping the cage very warm and humid. They seem to be only partially molted on their backs... It’s been hours. Is there anything I can do besides put them out of their misery? They’re barely even moving at cage temp around 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit with high humidity... What caused this? The stress of new babies since my colony had been so small? Lack of protein in diet? Just... Birth defects? Something else..? I’m heartbroken, but I want to prevent this from happening again if I can. I can add a picture later if it might help. EDIT: Both of my older nymphs passed away, but I’ve only had one casualty from my current brood. I’m suspecting it was something to do with not getting enough protein... I’m going to look for a dog food with more protein than what I’m currently using. I’m also suspecting my female roach is an oblongata instead of a common hisser. She’s colored very different from my little male.

Im selling some hissing roachs. Im just wanting to get rid of some of mine i have way to many. I'll do like $15 for shipping and like $1 per roach.

For the past few years the Bronx Zoo in New York has been doing a promotional event for St. Valentine's Day where you can name a madagascar hissing roach after your partner as a symbol of "resilient and ever lasting love", advertising the 'cockroaches are immortal creatures' to the public while also going "name a roach after your gross ex" Anyway, they have the Name A Roach certificate that they print and send to you and they also offer little gifts. Last year it was a plush cockroach but this year its hisser socks and a hisser enamel pin. Theres also 'cockroach chocolates' which is just chocolate in the shaoe of a bug. They are very cute (but overpriced in my opinion) and the money goes to helping the zoo. I think it's pretty interesting and the promotional videos are really cute...they has a hisser on Tinder! It was hilarious. The event ends soon (Im in no way sponsored by the Bronx Zoo) but I want to know what everyone thinks! There isnt a lot of cockroach paraphernalia out there and as a roach lover Ive been itching to get the pin, especially since last year I missed out on the plushie. Here's The Website's Link Id love to hear what you guys think! (i apologize if this is the wrong place to post this, I wasnt really sure)

Hello! My female recently had a lot of babies and I can't bring myself to feed them to my turtles so would anyone want them? I'd prefer to have them all together since they're very fast and hard to pick out just a few. Also do I have to wait until they're a certain size to ship? They're about the size of a large roly poly. I'll cover shipping costs I just really need them gone!

I recently got a hissing cockroach and she was VERY large and i thought she was just a big roach but shes actually pregnant and i didnt want or expect it i cant raise them all to adulthood theres probably more than 30 what should i do

(Im not sure where to put this post so Im sorry if it is in the wrong place) All of my male Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches are seperated into individual enclosures. They have never spent more than a day together (and thats just two at a time during shipping) but their enclosures take up a lot of space in my room (not like a lot but two shelves could have a lot more use) and I want to see if I could put them into the 15 gallon tank I have. I have notes on each individual in terms of behaviors and things like that since I like to learn about them and theyre primarily observational pets for me. I was wondering if there was a way for me to mark them to know who is who after i put all three of them in the enclosure (the fourth seems very old and I dont want them to beat him up lol) I was thinking something like a sticker between their little horns would be the easiest but I don't want to do anything that would harm them so I was just wondering if that would work or if there is something else I could do. Also are there any suggestions to try and limit any fighting that might happen between three males? Thanks!

I apologize if this is posted incorrectly I was literally just approved to use this website(and roach keeping in general) I plan to buy two female gromphadorhina portentosa roaches and keep them as pets. I want to give them the best life that I could possibly offer them. This is what I plan to do and I would like to know if any of it sounds unsafe. My roach enclosure would be in my wooden bookcase that has a section for a medium sized television. Ive been looking at a Exo-Terra Glass Terrarium, 12" L X 12" W X 12" H as the terrarium of choice. For bedding I was recommended Zoo Med Eco Earth Loose Coconut Fiber Substrate but I was wondering if Zoo Med Forest Floor Bedding would be good as well. I was looking at plastic aquarium/terrarium plants that were marked for pets as some cover for the roaches and then reptile wood branches and cork rounds. I want a natural looking terrarium for them. For water I'd give them water crystals or cricket 'water' (also known as 'insect gel') because I feel that it's much easier to monitor instead of a wet paper towel. Food would be a mix of lightly crushed cat food, small amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables, all in moderation and adjusted once I get a feel for their preferences. I know there are cricket 'water' jellies with calcium in them. I live in New Jersey so it gets hot and cold all through the year. I was thinking about a Zoo Med Hermit Crab Heater or a Zilla Under Tank Reptile Heater Mini because the enclosure isnt that large and Im not looking to breed but I dont want them to be cold. I also plan to mist the enclosure and I dont know if I need a water conditioner or not. I dont know what kind of thermometer and humidity gauge to get so that I can have accurate numbers. The most ridiculous part is perhaps that I want to install a curtain over the section of the shelf that theyd live in. I think a sheer, dark colored curtain would help keep out some of the natural light since I know they like the dark but itd also allow them to keep breathing. The little curtains wouldnt be closed all the time anyway. I dont want them to over heat or anything like that so I think thin and sheer would be better than standard, solid curtains. I apologize if this is all crazy but Im very serious about this. Yes, I am this extreme about my other pets. I have several cats and dogs in my house already (they dont go into the room where the roaches would be) and Ive been this crazy with my darkling beetles. (My mother was an elementary school teacher and for many years we kept the life cycle going, we had several generations all from a single 50c cup of mealworms from petsmart) I just want to make sure they can live full and happy lives. If you have any advice, feedback, or criticism please let me know. please note that I have not purchased any hissers yet, I want everything set up and all questions answered before I do. I want to make sure I'm as prepared as possible to give these lovely creatures the best life possible.

I have a 10 gallon terrarium with about 20 Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches (they are my class pets). I placed a jade in a pot (organic soil, no pesticides) in the tank as decoration. Apparently, my Hissers love nibbling on the leaves, as quite a few chunks have been eaten. Question is: does anyone know if it is safe for a Hisser to eat Jade? I do not mind if the plant gets eaten (it grows fast enough), I just wonder if anyone knows if there are any ill effects of Hissers eating a Jade Succulent - I'd hate to find out the hard way. Thanks ahead of time for any input or advice!

On another post, a user mentioned that hissers do not burrow. However, one of my new immature Hisser roaches is burrowing into the substrate slightly and hiding himself. Is it possible he's not a Hisser? I mean, he makes noise at me... He was sold to me as a Hisser. I can post a picture if that will help. Is this behavior a sign of something wrong with either the roach or his environment? He doesn't look like he's about to molt and he doesn't seem sick. I saw him eating and drinking earlier. Can I do anything to stop him or is it just something he'll work out on his own, so to speak?

What kinds of hissing cockroaches tend to get the biggest and how big do they get? I am asking because I would like to hybridize them in the future to make a larger hissing cockroach. And yes, I will be very responsible about it.

Hello everyone, I just wanted to get your thoughts on the set up I have for my Gromphadorhina hybrid colony. I apologize about image quality but I am not very tech savy... this took me all morning to figure out My goal is a half pet display half breeding project so I am trying to make the enclosure look presentable and also easy to clean and maintain population. There is a 2'-3' petroleum jelly barrier and the screen lid is secured with metal clamps. The colony started on coco fiber as substrate but I found that it was too difficult to keep track of the nymphs especially during cleanings; I switched to a green pet carpet with several layers of paper towels underneath and a hunk of moss which the nymphs enjoy burrowing in. The heating pad is underneath the enclosure but after reading a few post here I decided to side mount it when I get the adhesive. I am always tinkering with the setup and have a few more plans including covering the sides of the aquarium to make the enclosure feel a bit more closed in. For the water bowl I used to use the the cotton ball method, but I recently came across and article explaining how people can help bees in the wild stay hydrated. The idea is to fill the bowl with marbles giving the insect a surface to walk on while still being able to reach the water. I've also noticed the humidity has gone up a few degrees since I started this, and living in a dry climate like Colorado humidity is hard to come by. I keep between 25-30 adults at a 1:4 male to female ratio with anywhere from 3x to 5x that in nymphs of varying stages. I had many more at one point but cleared out a bunch to reset the colony once I really got into the hobby. The plan was to let them rebuild, but since thinning the numbers I have not seen a single escape attempt in months; I have also noticed most of the individual specimen are keeping their full antennae for much longer. I take this to mean they are happier so I will be experimenting with keeping the population low... How many adult hissers would be too many for a set up like this? I look forward to you thoughts. P.S. I don't know how important this is to the cockroach community but I do not euthanize these guys for population control; they are given to local reptile shops who happily take them and even offer store credit from time to time. This way feels much less wasteful to me.

So; until recently I was one of those people who thought a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach was it; I now know that there are not only different types of hissers but there are even a couple different Genus of them as well. So after some research I have found Gromphadorhina, Ellipthorhina, Aeluropoda, and Princisia; I also hear that the genus will not hybridize with each other. I regularly travel between the 7 or so shops in my area that sell hissers to pick and choose specimen to add into my colony for new blood and color variation; there have been several times I have come across individual specimen of questionable genus. Is there a trait that can be used to tell the Genus from one another or would it always just be a crap shoot? The main one I'd like to identify is Gromphadorhina since I do not want to waste time with one that will not breed with my colony.

I'm a new owner with two young hissers. One just molted for the first time a few days ago (I missed the molt so I don't know how healthy it was, but its shell looks fine and almost identical to its siblings, who also molted maybe a week ago), and yesterday evening I found it upside down and unable to right itself. I took it out of the enclosure and it was too weak to stand and would only "shiver" its legs. I tried to give it some water then put it back into the enclosure inside a hide for the night. This morning, when I checked again, it was "shivering" more violently, as if it has more energy now, but is still unable to stand, grab onto things or right itself. I tried feeding it a bit of orange and water. Its sibling has been in the same enclosure with the same treatment for the entire time I've had them, but is alert and responsive. What's going on? Is there anything I should do? Should I put the poor thing in the freezer (I really don't want to do this)? I'm extremely upset. Please help!