What should you know about the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach?
- Background of Madagascar hissing cockroach
- Caring for the Madagascar hissing cockroach
- Signs of a healthy cockroach
When most people think of cockroaches, they immediately think of getting rid of them. These insects have become synonymous with dirty surroundings and disease-ridden insects. They’ve basically become the sign that somewhere near you is incredibly dirty. Because of this, pest control services have always been called upon to eliminate them.
However, there is one species of cockroach that stands out from the rest simply because they act so much like typical pets. The Madagascar Hissing Cockroach is one of the rarer kinds of cockroaches that aren’t afraid of being petted by humans. Check out this interesting species of roaches!
Background of Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
The Madagascar hissing cockroach is one of around 20 species of large cockroaches found in Madagascar—some of which are usually kept as exotic pets. They have no wings, have a relatively hard exoskeleton, and are reddish brown to black in color. To compensate for the lack of wings, they have evolved to be amazing climbers, being able to latch onto glass walls.
Unlike the typical cockroaches that would rather move away from threats such as humans, these are relatively docile and wouldn’t mind being petted or being picked up by hand. They are called “hissing” cockroaches because they hiss in a variety of their activities.
They hiss when they feel threatened, when males fight against other males, or when males court females. Colonies of these cockroaches hiss in unison, though the reason why they do it remains unclear.
Caring for the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches are the type of cockroach that forages for their food. They don’t eat anything rotten, in fact, they usually ignore decaying food. When you see this type of cockroach, keep in mind that they should be fed a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.
You can also feed them pellet foods such as dry dog food. Most of the time, these cockroaches like eating carrots, oranges, apples, bananas, and tomatoes—they seem to like the more colorful fruits and vegetables.
For their water source, make sure that you provide them with a shallow dish that has some absorbent material in the bottom to prevent them from drowning or getting stuck in the bowl.
They should be kept in a habitat where they can comfortably move around and do their day-to-day activities. Make sure that the habitat emulates its natural environment to a certain extent, that means putting in non-toxic plants, a few branches, logs, and cork bark. It is also advisable to prioritize keeping it in a highly humid area.
Keep in mind that these cockroaches are nocturnal and thus they don’t need any kind of lighting. If you want to view them, it’s highly encouraged that you use a nocturnal or infrared light.
Signs of a Healthy Cockroach
Madagascar hissing cockroaches are not your everyday kitchen scuttling roaches. They move slow and eat only fresh plants. They’re hardy creatures, and they almost never get diseases of their own. The only thing that you have to look out for is dehydration.
You can easily see if the cockroach is dehydrated when its exoskeleton is shriveled up. Just bring it some water and let it rest for a while and it can be as good as new.
When it’s your first time seeing one of these cockroaches, one way of checking if they’re healthy is if it hisses at you when you first touch it (as long as it’s not dehydrated). It is great to see these insects in their natural habitat so if you are interested to know more about them or you are just overcoming your fear of cockroaches, then you should consider checking out the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach.
Key Takeaway
It is interesting to know more about the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach for people who are trying to get over a fear of these insects. Given that its behavior will also never cause you to avail the services of pest control, but common cockroaches will! At the first sign that these insects are invading your home, contact your trusted pest control provider immediately.