Introduces Yourself

[Allpet Roaches]

Allpet Roaches began in 1980 with a gift of three adult pairs of giant cockroaches. My father worked at the Cleveland Aquarium for a short time that year and the director kept two types of giant roaches as pets, of course he knew his son had a special interest in insects so he brought me them as a surprise gift. The director gave him the hissing roaches for a first roach pet possibly because they didn't have the six-inch wingspan of the other species. Of course I liked the hissers but was far more interested in the giant winged type. The giant winged type were of course, Blaberus giganteus, but I wasn't able to get them nor even see them (I tried to acquire them third party for a few years but I believe the culture was lost in 85' when the aquarium closed since he had to bring them home and could only get the non-winged type through the wife. His hisser colony was donated to the zoo in the late 90s and is still on display at the small insect area in the 'rainforest'). Giant cockroaches and fellow enthusiasts weren't so easy to find a few decades ago without the internet. It took a number of years to find Blaberus discoidalis that were being kept by some local herpers for feeders. Finally in 95', five tiny giganteus nymphs were located. The Allpet Roaches website was set up in 1998 and the original roach message board was set up in 1999.

[Peter Clausen]

That's REALLY interesting...a page out of the "History of the Roach Hobby"!

[Gsc]

Thanks for inviting me over here Orin... I look forward to sharing my experiences and learning from everyone. The roach hobby has grown tremendously over the past decade!

Graham

[Chris Driggers]

Thanks for putting this site together, I have used it quite a bit, and hope to use it for many years to come. I finally found a hobby that I think I can stick with, I never get tired of learning new things if they interest me. This hobby has my interest moreso than any other hobby I have ever been a part of. It was interesting reading how you got into the roach hobby.

Thanks for all of your hard work in getting this site and the roach hobby to the point it is at right now, it is appreciated by myself and many others.

Thanks Orin,

Chris

[Roachsmith]

I found out about the forum from Arachnoboards. It's so cool to be able to chat with other people who keep roaches. There's lots of tarantula people, but not too many who are interested in roaches.

[Bricktop]

I found out about the forum from Arachnoboards. It's so cool to be able to chat with other people who keep roaches. There's lots of tarantula people, but not too many who are interested in roaches.

Exactly! Until recently, i only know of one or two people in the real world who keep roaches, but were it not for the internet i'd never have started my collection. I'm surprised i didn't see this sooner, as I'm familiar with allpet roaches in general.

[Keith]

Allpet Roaches began in 1980 with a gift of three adult pairs of giant cockroaches.

I didnt even know people kept cockroaches way back then. I only thought scientists/laboratories kept them then.