Normal Molting Position

[Roachman26]

I was rearranging my one of my hisser tubs today and when I emptied the roaches out of a paper towel roll out popped a big one in the middle of a molt. He gently landed on his back and continued working his way out of the old skin so I left him alone. My question is: what position do they normally molt in? On their back? Right side up? After all these years I've never actually seen one molting. I see them frequently when they are all white, just after a molt, but never during the act.

[Zephyr]

I was rearranging my one of my hisser tubs today and when I emptied the roaches out of a paper towel roll out popped a big one in the middle of a molt. He gently landed on his back and continued working his way out of the old skin so I left him alone. My question is: what position do they normally molt in? On their back? Right side up? After all these years I've never actually seen one molting. I see them frequently when they are all white, just after a molt, but never during the act.

Really? You've never seen one? o_O

They molt right side up in a sort of "sprawled out" position.

[Roachman26]

Really? You've never seen one? o_O

They molt right side up in a sort of "sprawled out" position.

Well the shed was there, but he had moved off. So I guess they can still shed and survive even if they are uncerimoniously dumped out of their tube and left on their back. No wonder they've been around so long.

[Ralph]

Hissers do molt right-side up, but a lot of winged species will molt vertically on their last one. Parcoblatta nymphs often molt on walls too.