Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches

Madagascar is an island off the coast of Africa. This island is home to fascinating insect, named after the island, Madagascar hissing cockroaches. The minute some one mentions 'cockroach' people feel goose bumps running down their skin, women screaming, men running after the cockroaches with their shoes as the ultimate weapon to get rid of this pesky creature. But, the Madagascar hissing cockroaches are somewhat different from their other brothers, yet do not lose their irking appeal.

Physical Appearance of Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches
Madagascar hissing cockroaches are wingless insects, shiny brown in color. They are oval shaped and have a single pair of antennae. It is approximately 2 to 4 inches in length and weighs ¼ to 7/8 ounces. The roach exhibits white coloration immediately after molting. Once the coat hardens, it turns back to brownish or black color. Madagascar hissing cockroaches live in colonies of roaches of all ages and sexes.

The male Madagascar hissing cockroaches are larger than the females. The males have pair of horns on their head. These horns are used to fight other males. The compititors ram their horns against one another and hissing continuously. The winner is the one who hisses more than the losing roach. The hissing sound produced by these insects is used during mating and also startle predators. The air is forced out of the abdominal air holes known as spiracles. You would be surprised to know that the hiss is 90 decibels. This is equal to the sound produced by a lawnmower!

Life Cycle of Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches
The Madagascar hissing cockroaches have a strange way of giving birth to its young. The females carry a cocoon-like case known as ootheca. They carry their eggs in this ootheca and also their neonatal nymphs inside their body. The nymphs are pushed outside the body by the females after they hatch. This gives an appearance as if the she is giving birth to live young. The roaches have a gradual metamorphosis stage, that is, development as eggs, nymphs and final adult stage. There are six nymphal molts and it takes 6 months for a nymph to develop into an adult.

Breeding Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches
Madagascar hissing cockroaches can breed for 2 to 3 years or longer. They comonly have two to three broods a year. If you are planning to breed Madagascar hissing cockroaches, then the following instructions may prove to be helpful.

Choose a plastic bin or glass tank to house your Madagascar kissing cockroaches. Smear about 3 inches wide strip from the top with Vaseline, olive oil or any bug stopping product. This is because these roaches are glass climbers and you don't want your exotic pet to escape. Flatten cardboard egg holders and place them in the bottom of the tank or bin. You can also use wood chips, bark, pine shavings, crushed corncobs as covering for the bottom of the tank or bin. The Madagascar hissing cockroaches enclosures does not stink like cricket enclosure. It requires little housekeeping as compared to cricket enclosure.

Provide the roaches with a high protein diet. You can use roach diet products or dry cat food. Place water in the bottom of the tank in form of water gel. This will not stink as the wet sponges and prevents young roaches from drowning. Carrots, apples, oranges, leafy vegetables, fruits, etc. can be given to the roaches once a week. Do not let the unconsumed food material lie in the tank for more than a day or so. This may lead to growth of mold that may be fatal to your colony.

The temperature of the colony should be not be kept lower than 66°F as they tend to become sluggish. These tropical cockroaches need a warm climate and the day temperature can be maintained at 85-95°F. The roaches breed at temperatures higher than 85°F. Thus, make sure you give the ample temperature is you want to breed roaches.

Pick the roaches gently around the thorax region. These Madagascar hissing roaches have have feet with sticky pads and hooks that grip tightly. Thus, make sure you do not pull the roaches out to prevent any injury to the insect. If you observe tiny light colored insects walking on your roach, it means your Madagascar hissing cockroaches are infected with mites. These mites do not harm humans or live on humans. Thus, if you observe such mites, just pick the roach up and put him in a bag of flour. Shake the bag, this results in the mites falling off the roaches.

Know more about How to raise and breed Crickets.

Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches as Pets
Madagascar hissing cockroaches can prove to be great pets. Unlike the other cockroaches, Madagascar hissing cockroaches do not infest human habitats and are not pests. They survive on the jungle floors hiding under the leaves, logs and rocks. They are active during the night as these are nocturnal creatures. These scavengers do not bite and an easy-to-care for pet. They slowly walk on your hand and do not harm you in any way. You can even train your roach to run a maze or step on a lever. During the active period, use food or water and train him to do such simple tricks.

These exotic pests are no way similar to the other members of their species. Cockroaches are considered to be the most primitive creatures of the word. They have not changed much in over 250 million years. The Madagascar hissing cockroaches are important nutrient recyclers of the Madagascan forests. So the next you chance upon a Madagascar hissing cockroaches, do not squirm, try picking one in your hand instead!