Zephyr Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Do B. discoidalis consume their shed exoskeletons? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosenKrieger Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 I think most roaches do to a degree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted August 2, 2009 Author Share Posted August 2, 2009 The reason I bring this up is because I believe the problems I was having with my discoidalis colony a few months ago was because I was overly cleanly with their enclosure. I removed the shed skins/frass (they were mainly whole or crushed fragments) weekly during the winter months. By the time the babies born during that time were subadults, molting problems became apparent. I remember at the international science fair talking to a professor from the University of Georgia about cockroaches. He said that one of his students did an experiment with P. americana and post-ecdysis skin consumption. The student found that the roaches that consumed their shed skins had thicker pronotums than those that didn't. Maybe this correlates to the whole exoskeleton as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allpet Roaches Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Blaberus generally don't eat their sheds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted August 2, 2009 Author Share Posted August 2, 2009 See, that's what I thought. My B. boliviensis definitely eat their sheds... I've never seen my craniifer's sheds either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibiscusmile Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Very interesting, I wonder if long ago this became a survival regiment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allpet Roaches Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 See, that's what I thought. My B. boliviensis definitely eat their sheds... I've never seen my craniifer's sheds either. Strange, I have never seen B. craniifer touch their sheds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted August 3, 2009 Author Share Posted August 3, 2009 The only ones that I thought don't touch their sheds whatsoever were B. giganteus and B. discoidalis. My other Blaberus species (Aside from my fuscas, but I just got those and haven't observed any molting yet) never have old sheds laying around. Parts of them, like legs, yes, but not the whole thing. Maybe babies nibble on the sheds? It would make sense, seeing as the exoskeletons of the young in most species are noticeably thinner than the adults. (Prime example; G. portentosa.) One of the things I noticed in my mis-molting discoids was that the front half of the roaches were getting out while the abdomens were stuck it. It looked like their abdominal plates didn't have the split running down them that you'd notice on a molting roach. Also, the whole group looked "thinner" and a lot different than the earlier generations. I kept the diet the same and actually added a lot more fruits than I had before. The humidity was sky-high; I had phorid flies all over in their enclosure. Any other input on this shed-consumption theory? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibiscusmile Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 what did u think of mine, Orin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OBJ Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 What is your observation regarding hissers?? I have only seen it seldom - has many perfect sheds. Maybe they should be left...? BR/ Ole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 I have no experience with discoids, but my craniifer like to tear up their sheds. They will be perfect for hours or a day after shedding, and then I'll find pieces of the exuvium all over the area. I don't know if this is just a byproduct of burrowing or if they are actually eating some. My hissers usually eat their sheds, but if there is enough other food at the time, they ignore them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted August 3, 2009 Author Share Posted August 3, 2009 What is your observation regarding hissers?? I have only seen it seldom - has many perfect sheds. Maybe they should be left...? BR/ Ole I never see small hisser exoskeletons laying about. Sometimes bits and pieces of the larger ones, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BugmanPrice Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Same here. I do know when my B. giganteus they didn't eat the sheds BUT I didn't have babies at the time... I never see small hisser exoskeletons laying about. Sometimes bits and pieces of the larger ones, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roach-mite Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 My hissers almost always eat their sheds. At least, partly. But what about B. craniifer and Opisthoplatia orientalis, they usually leave them. rarely saw them eating sheds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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