cockroaches .. pix added on page 2

[dbunni]

For those who have and work with them, please I have read what little is available. What do you feed? We do a lot of fruits and veggies ... anything I should add? Stay away from?

 

[gamebirdsonly]

why

 

[equine623]

Which kind? Madagascar hissing ones we would feed a monkey biscuit, plus fruits and veggies, as well as spray daily with water. They like to hide in things.

We also had South American flying cockroaches that did not need to be sprayed with water, it damaged their wings and they would routinely shed their exo skeletons (so there would be pale whitish colored ones in there until they hardened back up and that's normal) They ate ground up monkey biscuits, plus fruits and veggies.

Sweet potato, melon, apple, dark greens - try to go with nutrient dense foods not just an apple or lettuce. Also a sponge that is kept damp for water...not everyone agrees with that but if they get yucky throw them out and put a new piece in, ours didn't have any mold on them.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I've always wanted hissing cockroaches, but I'm not sure how my parents would receive them when I'm home for breaks. My mom did let me have mealy worms when I was younger, so perhaps I could get away with it!

What kind of container do hissing cockroaches need? Do they need a tank? What other care is involved?

I know some people breed cockroaches for their lizards too. Apparently they are easy and cheap to breed!

 

[Delmar]

Quote:
I need to stay away from cockroaches! Since I want to stay married, that is! Mrs Delmar will put up with a lot of things, but no cockroaches!

 

[dbunni]

We have both Madagascar and hybreds that will be much larger than the Mads. Currently, the youth of the hybreds are 3x the size of the Mad youth ... born almost on the same day! I try to do a variety of fruits and vegs. Have a sponge which is cleaned regularly (or replaced). They have TP tubes to hide in (halfs) and space to play. Where do you find monkey food?

Why ... my daughter is into "bugs" ... usually on a board! But there is something about the hissers she loves. So here they are ... along with all the other weird critters!

 

[Sumatra503]

I raise Hissers. I got intot hem, because I like unusual things as pets. Plus they are very easy to care for, don't bite or scratch you, don't die if dropped on the floor, don't die if you forget to feed or water them for a day or two, and they don't require any special care or a large cage.

I feed mostly carrots and spinach with the occasional apple as far as fruits and veggies go. I also feed rabbit pellets, dog or cat food, and chicken feed for the added nutrients and some dry feed. I use milk jug klids for my water. They are too shallow for drowning in and they rinse well. I have found that the watter isn't much needed as long as moist veggies are fed daily.

Try to avoid anything that will mold. Strawberries, bananas, things like that. Carrots and apples just dry up if not eaten right away, but those mold and smell.

I use a small critter keeper for my roaches. I taped toilet paper over the vents to keep the nymphs in the cage. I provide them with about four sections of an egg carton to hide in and a couple of small branches to climb on. I use toilet paper or paper towels for bedding. They are easy to clean and the nymphs don't get lost in them.

 

[dbunni]

Processed animal feed? The chemicals in them don't bother the Mads? I know ... they have survived worse! We have all sorts of other animals around here, so pelleted feed abounds! Thank you for the ideas. May try a little kitty feed ... then work up.

They are kool. We lost the big male, he slowly lost portions of his legs? Really weird. But the others are doing great. Eventually i will spearate the hybreds, but they are still smaller than Hissy Big Mama!

Thank you ...

 

[Sumatra503]

The chemicals don't seem to bother them at all. There aren't many harmful chemicals in most of the processed feeds. They really love the rabbit food and tend to ignore the cat feed most of the time. The chicken food went over well also, btu I like feeding the pelleted rabbit feed more than the crumble.

 

[Sumatra503]

The chemicals don't seem to bother them at all. They like the rabbit food the most and tend to ignore the kitty food.

Here's a pic of my hissers. Don't worry it's a miny pumpkin.

dbunni, I have an extra male if you're interested.