This listing is for 1 male and 1 female Hissing Cockroach. These insects are easy to breed and make great pets!
WE CANNOT SHIP HISSING COCKROACHES TO FLORIDA, DUE TO STATE LAW!
Defining Characteristics:
Name: Hissing cockroaches (Gromphadorhina portentosa), also known as Madagascar hissing roaches or hissers, are relatively large insects that are known for their ability to make noise and their ease of handling. Hissing cockroaches make ideal insect pets, as they are easy to care for, inexpensive, and make interesting captives.
Recommended Vivarium Size & Setup: Hissing cockroaches are very easy to house—they certainly don't need much room! 1-2 hissers can be housed in something as small as a 1/2 gallon container, as long as it has adequate ventilation. A group of hissing cockroaches should be housed in a 10 gallon or large habitat.
A screen top is a must, in order to prevent escapees—these roaches can easily climb glass. Some may prefer to place a layer of petroleum jelly along the top inside rim of the enclosure, to keep the hissers from reaching the top.
At Josh's Frogs we use coconut fiber, kept slightly damp, as a substrate. We also provide a piece of cork as a hide and climbing obstacle for the roaches. Coupled with a small food and water bowl, your hissing cockroaches are sure to thrive! We strongly recommend housing your pet hissing cockroach in a Josh's Frogs Hissing Cockroach Kit.
Temperature (°F): Hissing cockroaches are fine at room temperature, but will grow and breed much faster if kept warmer, up to 95°. You may wish to use a heat pad or heat lamp in order to provide them with warmth.
Humidity: We recommend keeping hissing cockroaches at 50%+ humidity. Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches will survive at lower room humidity, but will thrive in the 60-70% humidity range. Keep your substrate damp, and mist frequently.
Size: Hissing cockroaches start life as 1/4 inch nymphs (baby roaches), and can reach adult size at 5-6 months of age under the proper conditions. Large adult males may measure up to 4 inches in length, and weigh almost an ounce!
Hissing cockroaches will grow throughout their lives, and shed their exoskeleton when they do so. Young roaches will shed much more frequently than older animals. After your pet hisser sheds, it will be soft and white for several hours. The hissing cockroaches sold by Josh's Frogs are about 2-3 months old, and from 2-4 inches in length.
Age: Hissing cockroaches typically live 2-3 years, but can live up to 4 or 5 years with excellent care. The hissing cockroaches sold by Josh's Frogs are about 2-3 months old, and range from 2-4 inches in length.
Feeding: Hissing cockroaches are not too picky about their diet. We recommend Josh's Frogs Roach Rations. Fresh fruit, such as banana, should be offered a few times a week.
Sexing: Male Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches have large horns on their heads, while females have a much more round head. The sexual dimorphism is visually apparent at 3-4 months of age.
Social Behavior: Magagascar Hissing Cockroaches do fantastic when housed in groups. Adult males may fight with each other, but this will just result in more hissing, and not any physical damage to the insects. Often, a pair will slowly become a colony as offspring grow up.
Breeding: Well, you put a male and a female together and...they have babies! There really isn't much to breeding hissing cockroaches. Hissers can reach sexual maturity at 3 months of age, although 5-6 months is more typical.
A female will have up to 3 litters a year, with each litter consisting of 2-3 dozen little nymphs. The female holds eggs inside her body until they hatch, about 60 days after the hissing cockroaches mate. Josh's Frogs recommends keeping hissing cockroaches warmer (80-90°) if you wish to breed them.
Natural Range: Hissing cockroaches are from the island of Madagascar, where they live in a tropical/subtropical climate in rotten logs and the leaf litter on the forest floor.
Links of Interest:
Still not sure if Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches from Josh's Frogs are the right pet invertebrate for you? Read the reviews below and see what other customers are saying!
This product ships to your doorstep. Most orders placed before 2pm ET on business days will ship out the same day.
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I ordered a pair of Madagascar hissing cockroaches and what a surprise! The male had chewed a hole in his shipping bag and escaped into the packing box. (I'm glad they take their time moving around and don't scurry like native roaches!) He hissed up a storm until I got him out of the box and into his new home with some fresh veggies-then he calmed down. The female looked dead while she was in the shipping bag-just laying on her back perfectly still. I thought I was unpacking a creature that didn't survive the trip but once I opened bag her antenna started moving and then she crawled toward the opening. I got her out and into her new home where she seemed pretty happy but she didn't move around much. I've read somewhere that this is common for females. She went down into the leaf litter an hid. The male continued to explore every inch of the enclosure! He continues to crawl around at times during the day and then he joins the female in the leaf litter after patroling the entire vivarium.
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