DerangedLeech Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 I believe I have mentioned before how my Gromphadorhina portentosa puzzled me for a while with their seeming shift in appearance, but I never posted any pics. So might as well now. Some looking let me know that this is apparently normal, for them? I imagine it is diet related. The below pic might show why I was so surprised, however. The smaller male on the bottom is one of the original 10 adults I got from Fluker's Farms (A poor old chewed up man from a previous issue that has been resolved, who I moved to a separate tub since I wanted the older, slower roaches to avoid the larger, younger ones), and the one above is one of his offspring. Makes me wonder exactly how the company cares for theirs vs my care for mine. Pardon if this is the wrong forum to post this in as well, I was unsure where exactly to place it and here seemed appropriate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bamboo Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 It's always expected for the hobbyist to have better results with healthier animals as oppose to wholesale companies... Keep doing what you're doing, the offsprings look great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hisserdude Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 Yup, companies care less about the overall care and size of their roaches, so it is normal for your new adults to look better than your original individuals. Good job, looks like you are taking really good care of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salmonsaladsandwich Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 Yup, that's what happens when you keep them undercrowded and feed them well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
varnon Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 I noticed this is some other research I was working on with hissers. Some of my males from flukers farms were only 4-5g. My second generation males could be 10-12g! The difference is substantial. I imagine it is a life history strategy of the species. Many species are different in physiology or behavior because of differences in early life. I wouldn't be surprised if the smaller males have different mating strategies. Based on other species, I wouldn't be surprised if they just tried to sneak in and mate, while the bigger males are competing and trying to hold territories (frogs do this kind of stuff a lot). Its even possible the small males pass on some epigenetic information to their offspring that changes the offspring physiology or behavior because of the father's early environment (it has been documented in other invertebrates). There is a whole world of things to discover with these roaches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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