Madagascar Hissers

[Jerah Teoh Yong Qiang]

So, I got myself 2 pairs of Hissers today!

And here I'm wondering, how long does it take them to start dropping babies? Kinda want to stop ordering them roaches xD
Any particular thing I need to worry about? Humidity at about mid 70-low 80%. Temps at 27-31 degrees Celsius. Feeding currently on apples and fish flakes mixed up with my Pacman's Exo-terra supplements.

Here's the setup:


I know, I know, more display tank than breeding tank but I cannot pass up a good opportunity to build a tank! xD

[JeffreH]

Congrats on the new additions! Incredible roach display = )

Sounds like you have everything they need to thrive. You can probably expect babies in a couple of months... females can have rather large broods of live offspring. Breeding always takes off painfully slow, especially for with a smaller culture. But once it does take off and some of the F1's are breeding you'll have loads of em.

[Heatheranne]

Very nice set-up. Congrats on your new roaches!

[demon amphibians]

oranges may also help speed up breeding. a dark private environment is also very important. good luck!

[Jerah Teoh Yong Qiang]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Also, just curious but are they inactive animals sorta like scorpions and frogs or are they more like dubias and blata latteris, more scuttle about? Mine seem very content to just hide the whole day and not come out even to feed. It's actually rather... disappointing? for lack of a better term

[JeffreH]

I use a 5-gallon aquarium to keep a small group of Malagasy and Javan Hissing roaches in our lab. It seems that they are almost always hiding during the day around their wood structures. I think this reclusive behavior is the result of two things: 1) they are primarily nocturnal and 2) the glass does not offer enough privacy for the roaches to feel comfortable moving about within the well-lit, open environment. They certainly do not have the same amount of energy as Blatta lateralis, however.

Its more exciting as the colony proliferates. As my colony at work grows, new nymphs become adults, and new broods are created, there gets to be more and more activity and interesting opportunities for observation. If you really want a colony at maximum production, you'll want to use a dark, opaque bin (or at least cover all of the sides of the aquarium). But if you don't mind slightly lower reproduction so that you can keep a nice display enclosure, what you have should be fine.

[Jerah Teoh Yong Qiang]

I so wish Malaysia had more herp enthusiasts. It's difficult to find the more exotic stuff around here. Malagasy and Javan roaches, omg, I'd murder to get my hands on them!