Reptile & Amphibian Forums

what is a good begginer roach? what does it eat? how much space does a small colony require? will i need a permit to keep said roach? what are its humidity and tempeture requirnents? what kind of substrate does it need? how deep does the substrate need to be? what should one do with a surrplus of roaches? is there any other info i should know?

Well, it depends on if you want them for pets or feeders. Hissers (Madagascan Hissing cockroaches) are great for both, but I could never use them for feeders (I love my boys Hamlet and Laertes to death. They have a surprising amount of personality for insects!). Hissers are also the most commonly kept roach, as well as one of the most commonly kept invertebrates (they're also much better suited for captivity than hermit crabs), so they're easy and cheap to get on the internet or in some pet stores. A small colony (1-5 roaches) only needs a 10 gallon tank, and as long as the temperature is between 65 and 85 degrees, they'll be fine (though if you want them to breed I think they need it to be around 80 degrees or more for rapid breeding and healthy babies).

As far as permits go, the only state that has any laws about hissers is Florida (though I think as long as you're not in southern Florida, you can still have males shipped to you). You might want to check more into that if you live there.

They can eat many different kinds of food, but they always need a source of protein and veggies/fruits. For protein, I use dry cat food (since I also have a cat) but dry dog, mouse, fish, or even hermit crab food should work fine. Though I would recommend either grinding it up or wetting it to make it easy for them to eat (though wetting it makes it smelly, but only if you have your nose right over the tank). And veggies, I usually give them organic Romain lettuce, and sometimes thin organic carrot slices and rarely fruit (fruit tends to attract fruit flies which can be annoying). But whatever veggies you give them, ALWAYS make sure they're organic, and change the food every few days (I give them new food when the lettuce is wilted and the catfood doesn't look so fresh). And if the veggies/fruits have even some pesticide residue on them, it can put the whole colony at risk.

As for water, I just use a mister and mist around the tank and food dish a couple times a day (also keeps it somewhat humid too, like the rainforest the species comes from), but there are many other ways to provide them water. The only way not recommended is a water dish, because it puts the roaches (especially the babies) at risk for drowning.

As far as substrate, I use this brown papery clumpy stuff I found it the Wal-mart pet isle. It doesn't smell, is cheap, dries quickly if it absorbs water, and is non-toxic. Though I know that you should NEVER use pine and possibly cedar shavings as they are toxic. The depth of my substrate is about an inch or two, so that should be fine.

As for a surplus of roaches, I'd first get separate tanks for the males and females to cut down on unwanted breeding (hissers are VERY easy to sex; males have two big "horns" on their head plate, females have slight protrusions if anything at all. Google it if you need pictures). If you do get some unwanted babies, ask around! I know the PETCO near my house will take them as long as I'm not trying to sell them to PETCO (they can only buy from licensed breeders, though they told me they can take them off my hands if I'm just trying to get rid of them). You can also ask family, friends, etc. Even though many people are squeamish about bugs especially roaches, just tell them the real facts about hissers. They have little, if any odor, and they are extremely easy to care for. So easy that they are and excellent starter pets for children (the only thing a kid would need help on would be changing the bedding if they get a glass tank, though that only needs to be done about once a month). They are also completely harmless and VERY slow-moving (that's why they hiss; it's their only defense), and they are disease-free (I'm sometimes silly and kiss one of my boys on his back, and I've never had anything happen. They usually don't seem to mind it either). As far as hissing goes, they won't usually hiss when handled if they are used to it (unless you startle them), though if you have more than one male in a tank they do tend to emit quiet hisses when fighting at night (only males fight, and when they do it's just about intimidating each other and definitely not about hurting each other). They can live a full, happy lifespan of 2-5 years in captivity, they're fun to handle, and kids love them as a neat, exotic pet! I'd recommend them over hermit crabs any day (I could go on for days about why hissers make better pets then hermit crabs)! Though if you absolutely cannot find babies homes, then the only thing you can really do is euthanize them in the freezer (something I could probably never do myself). NEVER release them into the wild. It's not their natural habitat and would be a problem if they survived and became an introduced species.

Well, that about sums up what I know from experience and research about hissers. Can't really help you if you decide on another roach, though hissers are always a great choice for starters. Good luck!

hissers are awsome but i like something with a longer life span such as Macropanestia rhinoceros, but i have no idea where to find them. do you have any idea to convince parents? they are the only obsticle. what are some other roaches that make good pets and are easy to find? do domestic roaches spread disease like wild ones?

I wouldn't recommend trying to get M. rhinoceros unless you live in Australia or are willing to shell out 300$ for a pair (the price on the only US-based site that I've seen carrying them). The reason they're so pricey is because in most cases it's illegal to export native Australian wildlife outside of the country/continent (it can be done, but it probably takes months of legal hoop-jumping to do). Not to mention that they are slow breeders because they take 3-4 years to reach sexual maturity. Judging by your situation, I'd definitely go with hissers. And I don't think their lifespan is too short; it's about as good as a Betta fish, and definitely better than most hermit crabs. And in case you want more, you might be able to have some controlled breeding if you get maybe one or two males and a female, get two tanks to separate males and females normally, though when you want them to breed put a male and female together in a medium-sized container. Unless the female is pregnant when you get her as most are. I suggest if you get a female, don't let her near any males for a few months to make sure she's not already preggers. Hissing cockroaches have a surprisingly long period gestation period of 60-70 days, and in a good year a female can have three or so broods. To keep breeding to minimum, it would probably also help to keep the temperature less then 80 degrees.

I assume you're probably still in your teens judging by the parents comment. Being a 17 (though going to be 18 on the 29th) year old girl who lives with her dad still, I had to do a bit of explaining to my dad before I got the okay to get the boys. What I suggest is read about all the good things about hissers in my first post and showing it to them, as well as showing them all the websites that have facts on them and promote them as pets (easily found on Google). Try to reassure your parents that they are extremely easy to care for and you will do it all by yourself. Of course, you have to live up to your end of the bargain and actually take care of them all by yourself, and if you have to be away for a few days you have to find someone willing to give them food, water, etc, in your absence (my dad does that for me on the occasion I spend the night over at a friend's house).

As for other roaches, there are things like Giant Cave roaches, but they don't live as long and males can be very dangerous to each other from what I've read. Not the mention they're a bit harder to find and might be a bit harder to care for than hissers (I've never had them, but that's the impression I got from various care sites). And I know for a fact that hissers, along with any other pet roaches DO NOT carry disease any more than a something like a fancy rat, bird, cat, etc. Heck, I'd say cleaning out my cat's litter box is much more of a health hazard then caring for my roaches! After all, if they carried disease, I should have gotten sick long ago from kissing them (see my first post for an explanation of that) and cleaning out the tank! Fact of the matter is, it can even be said they think *we're* dirty. If you have one on your hand long enough, it'll eventually start to clean its feet because it doesn't like all the oils and grim we humans have on our hands.

If you can get them, I'd recommend you start out with 1-3 males, so there's no breeding until you feel more comfortable with caring for them. Yes, they will be aggressive and fight, especially at night, but the fights are more about intimidating each other then anything else. The most damage they can do do each other is bite off antenna a bit (something that happened to Hamlet recently, though I try to break up fighting when I see it to keep it from happening further).

Also, I ordered my boys from www.flukerfarms.com, by the way. I originally ordered three males, but the biggest one (Sid) died in January, though I'm almost certain this is because he was old when I got him (he could barely get around, had almost no antenna, and was missing much of his legs). Other then then that, my remaining boys are healthy and the service and shipping was pretty good. However, they (Fluker Farms) changed the way you order hissers so now you have to order at least 10 of them. Since I still haven't gotten a female and want only one, I'm going to order a mixed group of 10 but I'm going to donate nine of them to any of my high school's science teachers that want them as class pets. Of course I made it a point to ask around before school let out and have at least two teachers that are very interested! But if you can't do that, there are other sites and sellers you can find that will sell you a smaller number. I think there's one seller known as "roach girl" or something who sells them individually for 50 cents each (they're 75 cents each on Fluker Farms), and I'm sure you can specify what gender you want as well.

I hope things turn out for you! Remember, just show your parents my posts and other good info and reassure them you'll be the one caring for them. On a side note, many of us who have had experience with both hissers and hermit crabs (such as myself) could rant for days about how much more suited hissers are for being pet animals than hermit crabs are. I won't get into that now, but if your parents need more convincing I just might make a post solely about that subject. Good luck!

thank you for all your hlep. and if you only want a couple of females why don't you go to an exotic animal swap. once i saw someone with a bin full of them. they may not be there all the time but i have seen them at swaps. may you please tell me why roaches are better than hermit crabs. is it due to attitude, care or something else? it may not be so hard to convince my parents after all. they are very accepting on what pets we have EX. my 4 millipedes

You're very welcome! As for getting them elsewhere, I kind of got those teachers excited about the roaches. Plus I already have an account on Fluker Farms and thought they were pretty good. Also the reptile expo here isn't until November, and I want them before then.

As for hissers being better than hermit crabs, there are many reasons. First is that hermit crabs require quite a bit more care than hissers unless you want them to die a very early death (hermit crabs are supposed to live 30-40 years in the wild, but rarely live beyond one in captivity due to most people's ignorance). Any water they get has to be dechlorinated, they have to be "bathed" weekly, the substrate they require (sand or coconut fiber) tends to make a mess, they need a special tank to molt in, and the humidity in the tank has to be at least 70% all the time, just to mention a few things. Hissers just need fresh, organic food, a safe source of water (no dechlorination necessary), an escape-proof tank with some things to hide in, and if you want them to stay people-friendly, a bit of handling and touching. Another thing is that while hissers breed readily in captivity, all hermit crabs have to be caught from the wild (they need the ocean to breed). And of course, hermit crabs smell and pinch while hissers do not. I'm not saying that no one should own hermit crabs ever, I'm just saying that for a low maintainence starter pet, hissers are a much better option. If someone has their heart set on a hermit crab however, I'd say visit sites like www.hermit-crabs.com and do lots of research and planning.

And if they let you have millipedes, hissers shouldn't be a big deal at all in my mind. After all, the only thing that makes most people not like them is that they have the word "cockroach" in their name. Other than that, they make excellent pets for many people!