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Deformed juveniles, deceased


DerangedLeech

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I have had my madagascar hissing cockroaches for a pretty long while, I'd say... half a year, maybe more? I lost track of time. I started with 10 and now have an impressive colony, but so far twice I have gotten mutated juveniles who end up like this one?

They are in a plastic bin with ventilation, and a water dish, but I do not spritz it because of the gnats that arrive when I do. They are housed on aspen, which I clean once every month or two, shaking debris to the bottom and picking out the molts. They have a humidity box (plastic container with coco fiber bedding that's moist, with egg-crate on top. They LOVE hanging out in it!

They live for a day or two after I find them, then are deceased. This is the second one (bigger than the first, older) and I wondered, is this normal? Is it inbreeding, should I split my colony and get new ones from someone else? Is it humidity? Or is it just natural selection or such? I'd like to right it if it is an issue. (Although, admittedly, these make interesting specimens. And perhaps, by posting/sharing, good lessons?)

post-9431-0-18661900-1456241960_thumb.jpg

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Looks like you need to feed them more, this happens in my Rhabdoblatta formosana colony sometimes if I don't feed them enough, they attack newly molted roaches and partially eat them. Yours has obviously been chewed up, if you give them more food when you feed them then this should stop

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That's strange? They have access to a bowl of cat kibble that is full at all times, and are fed a variety of fruits/veggies that they adore every 2 days, which is about how long they take to eat it. Maybe I should spread it around more to get them to notice it faster?

Thank you for your input, I appreciate it greatly

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That's strange? They have access to a bowl of cat kibble that is full at all times, and are fed a variety of fruits/veggies that they adore every 2 days, which is about how long they take to eat it. Maybe I should spread it around more to get them to notice it faster?

Thank you for your input, I appreciate it greatly

Weird, this typically happens when the food runs out between feedings. Sometimes they will chew on each other when it is a little too dry, perhaps raise the humidity in the cage? Whatever it is, hopefully it will stop soon.

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hi , I think like you Hisserdude; they were attacked by others but I think it isn't because they lack food. I think it lacks a necessary nutrient in their diet.

I do not use a single source of dry food to avoid to the maximum this type of problem. I used a mix of dry food: dry cat food, baby bird food, dry rabbit food, dry milk , cereal flakes.

I read two studies that validate the fact that "some" cockroaches are able to choose the foods to avoid nutritional checklist deficiencies. The small nymphs are probably used like food for the landing of an essential nutrient deficit.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have had my madagascar hissing cockroaches for a pretty long while, I'd say... half a year, maybe more? I lost track of time. I started with 10 and now have an impressive colony, but so far twice I have gotten mutated juveniles who end up like this one?

They are in a plastic bin with ventilation, and a water dish, but I do not spritz it because of the gnats that arrive when I do. They are housed on aspen, which I clean once every month or two, shaking debris to the bottom and picking out the molts. They have a humidity box (plastic container with coco fiber bedding that's moist, with egg-crate on top. They LOVE hanging out in it!

They live for a day or two after I find them, then are deceased. This is the second one (bigger than the first, older) and I wondered, is this normal? Is it inbreeding, should I split my colony and get new ones from someone else? Is it humidity? Or is it just natural selection or such? I'd like to right it if it is an issue. (Although, admittedly, these make interesting specimens. And perhaps, by posting/sharing, good lessons?)

Humidity and poor nutrition sounds like half of it. You need to mist with water, and instead of aspen which might be harmful try lining with paper towels or coco fiber or repti bark wood chips.

They need apples, bananas, romaine lettuce, oranges, moist white bread and cat kibble, mango, watermelon, and oak leaves to eat.

Was that one your holding attacked? Do you have any alive that deformed? I've raised some pretty damaged hissers and all survived and healed I find it fun helping them! What species is this?

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hi , I think like you Hisserdude; they were attacked by others but I think it isn't because they lack food. I think it lacks a necessary nutrient in their diet.

I do not use a single source of dry food to avoid to the maximum this type of problem. I used a mix of dry food: dry cat food, baby bird food, dry rabbit food, dry milk , cereal flakes.

I read two studies that validate the fact that "some" cockroaches are able to choose the foods to avoid nutritional checklist deficiencies. The small nymphs are probably used like food for the landing of an essential nutrient deficit.

I might try mixing in other foods, then. The cat kibble I use is actually 3 old bags that my picky/finicky cat rejected, Science Diet, Blue Buffalo, and another I forget. They had been doing pretty amazingly for a while when in a glass tank and when I shifted them to a bin they still did pretty great until this happened x.x

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Humidity and poor nutrition sounds like half of it. You need to mist with water, and instead of aspen which might be harmful try lining with paper towels or coco fiber or repti bark wood chips.

They need apples, bananas, romaine lettuce, oranges, moist white bread and cat kibble, mango, watermelon, and oak leaves to eat.

Was that one your holding attacked? Do you have any alive that deformed? I've raised some pretty damaged hissers and all survived and healed I find it fun helping them! What species is this?

OK, I might go ahead and dump in the rest of my repti-bark tonight after cleaning it and move the colony, see it it helps. I'll try to make an update on here with progress and see if there are any changes. So far at least, no more roaches have died or had this issue luckily.

They have cat kibble all week but once/twice a week they get a mix of spring greens, squash, yams, orange, apple, banana, carrot, and some brocoli once in a while. Not all at once, but a mix of a few of those that varies. I'll try the other things as well!

The one that I am holding, I am not sure if it was or not? I check them twice daily, and there were no damaged ones but then later, one was damaged and I can't tell if it was a bad molt or mauling or what since they tend to molt in little "groups" and in their humidity box. I take them and put them in a plastic container on paper towels with some hides, water, and food but they died by the next day. I wouldn't mind having a strange hisser on the side with special care if needs be but this one, and the other that had died, don't make it at all. This guy is just a Madagascar Hissing cockroach, Gromphadorhina portentosa.

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OK, I might go ahead and dump in the rest of my repti-bark tonight after cleaning it and move the colony, see it it helps. I'll try to make an update on here with progress and see if there are any changes. So far at least, no more roaches have died or had this issue luckily.

They have cat kibble all week but once/twice a week they get a mix of spring greens, squash, yams, orange, apple, banana, carrot, and some brocoli once in a while. Not all at once, but a mix of a few of those that varies. I'll try the other things as well!

The one that I am holding, I am not sure if it was or not? I check them twice daily, and there were no damaged ones but then later, one was damaged and I can't tell if it was a bad molt or mauling or what since they tend to molt in little "groups" and in their humidity box. I take them and put them in a plastic container on paper towels with some hides, water, and food but they died by the next day. I wouldn't mind having a strange hisser on the side with special care if needs be but this one, and the other that had died, don't make it at all. This guy is just a Madagascar Hissing cockroach, Gromphadorhina portentosa.

I looked closer and it appears to have brown goop and I think that's a sign it was attacked and eaten alive. If you find one not attacked but really weird looking (like that really short abdomen) let me know, share a photo depending on its health I might consider buying one from you. ?

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  • 4 weeks later...

Update: Kicked up how much food they get, giving them more frequent meals even if it is just dropping a handful of spring greens in, as well as changed the tank to have reptibark bedding and since then there are no more of these, so I believe it was them being attacked. I also noticed the number of males in the colony is VERY high, so I made a jungle-gym to allow them to "defend" their lil turfs on more ground, and it has helped the colony relax substantially.

Thank you for all the help!

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Update: Kicked up how much food they get, giving them more frequent meals even if it is just dropping a handful of spring greens in, as well as changed the tank to have reptibark bedding and since then there are no more of these, so I believe it was them being attacked. I also noticed the number of males in the colony is VERY high, so I made a jungle-gym to allow them to "defend" their lil turfs on more ground, and it has helped the colony relax substantially.

Thank you for all the help!

Glad to hear it, hopefully that won't ever happen again. :)

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