Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi. I'm a seventeen year old girl who recently bought three male hissers. I'm really wanting a female, though, so I can have some babies. However, I don't want them breeding out of control, so I want to separate the males and females in different tanks. Is there a way to sex hissers before they are sexually mature? Also, my I suspect my biggest (Sid Vicious) is also old. Are missing joints and no antenna a sign of old age? And tonight I heard some noise, turned on the light, and found one of the others (Hamlet) pushing Sid out of a toilet paper tube. It worried me, because I'm wondering if they could hurt each other. Is it possible for males to hurt each other? Thanks.

The male hissers have two "horns" or protruberances on the thorax. I believe these "horns" develop prior to sexual maturity, but I've never paid attention to which instar phase the difference can be detected. The "hisser" group of roaches are sexually dimorphic.

The males are very territorial & the alpha-male tends to push the other males around; however, I haven't seen any male roaches damage another. They usually will butt their heads & push each other around which more or less indicates to the subserviant males to move out of the area. The more structures & hiding spaces provided, the less these "battles" occur. It's also proportional to the caging dimensions & the quantity of egg-crating or other cage furniture used.

Generally, when the mature roaches lose parts of their legs & antenna, it is due to wear & tear from old age. Also, there is a possibility that lack of humidity or moisture availability can cause the joints in these appendages to break. I always supply fresh or relatively fresh fruits, greens & vegetables for internal moisture of the roaches. Too much environmental moisture with the lack of good air circulation can cause mite outbreaks.

PS--I like the names of your Hissers.

Ah, thank you!