Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I've just encountered a big "small" problem with the clan of hissers I've been keeping for several months now.

I've got a mama hisser with her four kids, and all was well until now. Something's wrongwith the youngest one as it is dying. The roaches (all four of them) are actually all the same age, as they came from the same clutch, but although the bigger three have already had their second molt well over a month ago, and one of them has even molted for the third time, the smallest one is way behind, and has only just molted once.

A few days ago, he seemed to be losing his grip on things and getting weaker, although he ate just fine, now he's on his back and seems to be having a seizure. Is it possible that he is dying because he's outgrown his exo and is, for some reason, unable to molt? Otherwise, what might cause him to die?

I've had these guys for several months, all their needs are being met (humidity, food, calciu, temp. ...etc.) and they had always been thriving.

Sorry for making this long, but thanks in advance!

It's difficult to say what's wrong with your nymph Hisser. You would have to be more specific about your parameters.

Food? What type: vegs, fruit, protein, carbs, fats?

Water? How is water given? What kind of water: tap, bottled? Is it provided by vegs/fruit? Or water crystals? Or sprayed onto the glass/plastic? How often is water provided?

Humidity? What's the reading #? Does it vary?

Temperatures? What's the reading #? Does the temp fluctuate? Is there a gradient?

Housing? Eggcrate? Other cage furnishings? Substrate type & thickness? No substrate? Is it dark most of the time or is there too much light? Is cleanliness maintained; ie.( no moldy, fungusy and bacterial laden food )? Air circulation?

Anyway, the list goes on, but these are some of the main parameters that you need to be concerned about when raising roaches & many other arthropods.

I just noticed that your last word was 'calcium'. Too much calcium will tend to kill insects, especially roaches. High calcium foods are meant to be given 24-48 hours as a means for gut-loading. Depending on the age of the insect and species, some will tolerate high calcium foods better than others, but should not be used as a sole food source when rearing insects.

I didn't mention this before, as I was sure they were being kept in an ideal environment, but since you asked, they're kept in a plastic 12.5 x 8.5 inches container, the top is open and covered by mesh. No substrate, but only stacked egg cartons/toilet paper rolls for hiding.
Their main diet is dried dog food, as it provides a complete source of nutrients they need and are occasionally fed fresh fruits, with a regular source of orange slices for water. (all their food is changed every couple of days and their container is kept clean.)
The temp is 77-82, the humidity is moderate (reads 35% on my extremely inaccurate hygrometer), but I mist them almost every day. So is something amiss?
I just wanted to point out that their diet did contain calcium (reasonable amount), protein ..etc for healthy development, since my question was mainly about the smallest one's delayed molting.
I'll try raising the temperature slightly and maybe mist them more often (although the lid is basically open they're kept in a small room so the humidity isn't dispersed), and use leaves for substrate.
Also, the roach was really smelly after it died, I'm not sure if this is normal and it may be a clue to why it died? Any ideas?
Thanks for your response.

I don't have alot of experience with roaches compared to the experts here, but I do think that when you deal with a critter that reproduces in great number that some loss is to be expected (meaning they reproduce in great number because not all are expected to survive.)

I started with 8 newborns and raised 7 to adults - gosh only knows why 1 didn't make it when all were treated and fed the same. The one I lost -while I didn't see it act ill - was like yours; it appeared to have molting issues.

Maybe that particular one was just defective - "survival of the fittest" - so they say.

I agree with MissT. It can be just a weak nymph.

When they die, they will typically smell as they deteriorate with bacteria.

The humidity seems too low, I'd shoot for 50-80%. Your temps should be between 85-95 /- 5 degrees. I would suggest feeding vegs, such as carrots, leafy greens, etc.

Another factor with some species of tropical roaches are that some species are more prone to dessication than others. I've noticed this in Blaberus sp. & Hissers. This mostly affects the nymphs during molting.