Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
Gromphadorhina portentosa (Blattaria: Blaberidae)
Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches are unusual insects. These large, wingless roaches hiss loudly when disturbed. The hissing noise is made by pushing air through the spiracles (breathing holes) on the abdomen. Hissing roaches are extremely easy to care for and will eat anything: fruit, veggies, bread, etc. Fish food is a favorite. However, if males and females are mixed, they will reproduce profusely. They bare live young, and inseminated females will continue to have babies in the absence of males (many insects are able to store sperm in their bodies for long periods of time). This is why I haven't mixed my males and females. Males are differentiated from females by the large horns (which females lack) on their pronotums. Hissing roaches live for several years and can grow to over 7 cm.
Captive Requirements
| Housing: | Cage size depends on number of roaches |
| Communal: | Yes; can also be housed with millipedes and other roach species |
| Diet: | Fruit, veggies, bread, dog food, fish food, etc. |
| Substrate: | Several cm of soil or peat moss |
| Decor: | Cork bark, plants, food & water dishes |
| Temperature: | 23.9 to 29.4° C (75 to 85° F) |
| Humidity: | Moderately high |
| Temperament: | Docile |
| Considerations: | Some people develop roach allergies |
***Hissers***
UPDATE: Penny and Dime both died in 2005. Penny was about 5.5 years old!! The others picture here are dead of course too, but I still have more :)
I got Penny as a young roach in October of 2000 and she got me started collecting all sorts of other exotics. Penny has dropped ootheca twice, which is very odd; she has never mated and furthermore, these roaches supposedly bare live young. I have collected many more roaches over the years; the rest of them came from my school. I've been keeping the males and females separated.
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| Penny on my bed | Penny Feb. 26, 2001 | Penny Mar. 19, 2001: After a molt | ||
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| Penny Mar. 21, 2001 | Dinner time? | Penny | Penny Oct. 2001 |
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| Tosa, Kinky,
Hissy Feb. 26, 2001 |
Kinky Feb. 26, 2001 |
Tosa eating popcorn Apr. 2001 |
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| Kinky & Hissy May 26, 2002 |
Port, Penny, Dime May 26, 2002 |
Penny, Dime,
Dorhina Feb. 6, 2004 |
Copyright © 2001-2006 By Emily Tenczar
LINKS:
Madagascar Hissing Cockroach caresheet (Petbugs)
The Hissing Cockroach, Gromphadorhina portentosa (Schaum) (Bullington)
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