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Madagascan Hissing Cockroach Caresheet

   These creatures are found in Madagascar. Contacts who have observed them directly in the field report finding them clustered under rocks, living in agaves, and in large groups in hollow logs. Though some may prefer bare tanks, we prefer to keep ours in as natural a setting as possible, in the belief that this is not only pleasing to the eye, but also minimizes stress and possibly increases reproduction.

   We keep this species in 10 to 29 gallon aquariums, depending upon the size of the colony. Higher temperatures in the 80 - 95 degree range seem to be important and likely increase rate of reproduction. We have found only one keeper who was successful at breeding these at colder temperatures, and many with no results at all. We also keep them entirely covered by a sheet of plexiglass, maintaining a humidity level of at least 90%. This not only provides them with condensed water droplets to drink, it also appears to assist molting.

   Though some keep these in bare tanks, we use a 2 inch substrate of soil mixed with leaf litter. In addition to the leaves providing hiding places, they are also consumed in large quantities, sometimes to the exclusion of other foods. These animals, particularly the males, are quite territorial. We use cork bark arches, stacked in layers, to provide additional surface area and therefore territories. A male who has no territory does not mate. Increasing the number of available territories can therefore increase reproduction. Similar to the agaves they live in, snake plant a.k.a. Mother-in-law's tongue can be added to the taller tanks. This plant requires little light and provides excellent hiding places and vertical territory and satisfies the nymphs' tendency to climb.

   One common misconception is that when keeping this glass walking species, escapes are inevitable. We had our share of escapes initially, though the escapees did not survive long in a household environment. It has been suggested that a layer of Vaseline applied heavily around the upper 1 inch of the sides of the tanks prevents escapes. We have not tried this as it simply sounded too messy. What we have found works extremely well is sewing machine oil. It is a colorless, odorless oil. A light coating of the top inch of our tanks is just about invisible and has made no mess thus far, with zero escapes. We would feel confident in keeping the tops off of our tanks were they not necessary for proper humidity levels.

   Many keepers report feeding their hissers a diet of fruits and vegetables. This can be successful, however, we gear our diet for maximum reproduction. The diet consists of good quality dried cat food, calcium powder to aid in exoskeleton production (dried milk will do) and the aforementioned leaves (oak in our case). When any of our cockroach starter cultures is slow to begin reproducing or reproduces slowly, we add a bit of olive oil to the cat food. Though not backed by any formal research, this has worked quite well for us on several species.

   Water for large colonies can be supplied by a chick waterer or one of the plastic cups with sponges available at office supply stores. The sponge in both cases prevents the nymphs from drowning. With the cup we frequently shaved 1/4 inch or less off of the sponge for easier access by the roaches. Due to the high moisture level of our substrate and the resultant condensation on the sides of the tanks, we have lately had good results providing no additional water. Those keeping their roaches in bare tanks and/or lower humidity must be sure to provide adequate water.

   Some crickets found their way into one of our tanks. They thrive there, alongside the hissers. Between the roaches and the crickets, we can provide all of our feeder needs. Be sure that you will always want the crickets there before introducing them, as they will be almost impossible to remove later. We have also found that the addition of a few common pill bugs a.k.a. wood lice a.k.a. 'rolly pollies' helps keep the possibility of being overrun by mites or gnats at a minimum.

   Males can be distinguished from females by the hornlike pronotum. Males use these to joust, establishing a breeding hierarchy without harm to the animals. Breeding with the females soon follows. The roaches breed end to end. A few days after this the female can be seen with the ootheca (egg case) protruding almost all the way out of her body, frequently causing panic in novice keepers. This is normal behavior and, as long as the animal has not been unduly stressed, the ootheca will be retracted and held to term, with the female giving birth to about 12 to 36 young nymphs. The young molt through several instars (stages) and under the conditions we have outlined, begin reproducing as early as 3 months of age. As such, a colony started with a good number of individuals and left to establish itself for a few months can grow to enormous size and satisfy most anyone's feeder needs. Most important is starting with sufficient initial stock.

   These animals make exceptionally good pets, even for young children. A freshly molted Madagascan cockroach is a pristine white as if they were an ivory miniature, a sight not soon forgotten.