Madagascar hissing cockroaches

Madagascar cockroach is a large tropical specimen belonging to the family Blaberidae. Latin name Gromphadorhina portentosa. There are about 20 species. Some individuals reach 10 cm. The homeland is the island of Madagascar. They live on trees, bushes, eat vegetation, fruits. Madagascar cockroaches are bred around the world as pets, prepare exotic dishes, used as food for other animals.

Appearance

This view is included in list of the largest cockroaches. The largest representative reaches a size of 6-10 cm. Females are always larger. The body of the imago is painted in light brown, dark brown, almost black. Divided into segments. Nymphs differ from adults in body size, darker color. The rest look identical.

On the head, a long mustache - pheromone receptors. Peculiar antennas help you navigate in space, find food, the opposite sex. Well-developed sense of smell. They know how to hiss. A photo of the Madagascar cockroach is presented below.

Lifestyle

In the wild, live on tree trunks, large shrubs. They hide during the day, intensify their activities in the evening. They feed on vegetation, fruits. Life expectancy in the wild is not more than 2 years. In captivity, insects live on average 3 years, but there are long-livers - 6 years.

On a note!

Madagascar cockroach hisses. The formation of sound occurs due to a sharp contraction of the abdomen, the passage of air through the spiracles. Males hiss during a fight with rivals, to attract females, females in this way inform about the danger.

Home breeding

Madagascar hissing cockroach perfectly lives in captivity. Breeding does not require significant effort. They buy several pairs - females and males, and then wait for the completion of the family.

Maintenance at home requires a sufficiently large terrarium or insectarium. They create a climate as close to natural as possible. The temperature is between +25 - +30 degrees Celsius.

Important!

At lower rates, insects do not die, but neither breed. Exceeding degrees above +30 leads to dehydration, death may occur.

Insects live well under room conditions with moderate humidity. Periodically, you can spray the walls of the insectarium. The abundance of water causes decay of the litter, the growth of mold, pathogenic bacteria. Terrarium is located in a room where there is no direct sunlight.

Keeping, caring for Madagascar cockroaches is very simple. Cleaning in the terrarium is carried out once a week. It consists in removing the old litter, food debris, replacing with new ones. Necessary care - maintaining cleanliness in the terrarium, timely feeding.

Arrangement of insectarium, terrarium

If you need to create an exotic corner in the apartment, buy a large glass terrarium. If only cockroaches are important, they can be kept in a regular aquarium with a lid, a food container, a plastic terrarium with ventilation holes.

A prerequisite is the absence of large holes, crevices, cracks. The optimal size of the house for 10 adult Madagascar cockroaches is 20 * 20 cm. Ventilation holes should not be more than 2.5 mm in diameter.

On a note!

If the structure is without a cover, the walls are lubricated with 5 cm of petroleum jelly or vegetable oil on top. When trying to escape, insects will slide down.

There should be litter in the insectarium. Use sawdust from the pet store, napkins, coconut substrate, granular filler for rodents, cardboard, egg packaging. Madagascar eagerly eat cellulose, so cardboard, paper will become a refuge and food. A drinking bowl is a piece of wet washcloth or cotton wool. You can’t install a container of water, insects can drown, especially small cockroaches.

Feeding

The domestic Madagascar cockroach is an omnivorous creature, but with its own individual tastes. You can feed fruits, vegetation, protein foods.

Diet of Madagascar cockroach:

• egg white;
• meat;
• cottage cheese;
• diet sausage;
• fresh fruits, vegetables;
• cookies;
• dried fruits;
• bread crumbs.

To ensure proper nutrition, pets are offered cucumbers, bananas, apples, lettuce, pear. They are served tangerines, pineapples, crackers, bread, boiled chicken. A huge mute swarm is not gluttony. Food in the terrarium is eaten for a very long time, so periodically it needs to be cleaned, put fresh products.

Breeding process

For the right to possess a female, males arrange deadly battles. In the battle they make terrifying sounds, bite. Madagascar cockroaches mate only strong individuals. The seminal fluid in the body of the female is stored in a special bag, from where it is gradually consumed. In the future, mating is not necessary for the fertilization of eggs.

Embryos develop in a special department - the ooteca. Larvae from the body of the mother are born. Then she drops an empty capsule. Newborns eat it.

55 days pass from the moment of mating until the birth of the cubs. In one brood, up to 30 pieces, but some of them die during molting. After giving birth, the birth of small cockroaches, the female takes care of them for a long time, protects them, hisses furiously when trying to stroke, and can bite her finger.

Lifestyle, appearance of cubs

Madagascar cockroaches are constantly hiding, eating very little. Outwardly they are very small, bright, almost white. After a few hours, the shell hardens and darkens. In the second week of life, the cubs do not leave their mother, some of them climb onto their backs.

Larvae grow, periodically molt. There are 8 links to go to the adult stage. The process is quite complex, requires maximum effort, so not all nymphs survive. The transformation of the larva into an adult takes from several months to 1 year.

Shedding starts from a crack on the back. Gradually, the seam diverges, the insect bends the body in an arc, slowly stretches its head, legs. The entire release process lasts 40 minutes. A cockroach comes out white with black eyes. During the day it becomes the same as other relatives.

Terrarium breeding conditions

Subject to temperature requirements, humidity conditions, insects mate perfectly, give birth, and develop. In one insectarium, adults can be bred, nymphs of different ages, larvae. Madagascar cockroaches do not have cannibalism. You can control the number of insects using temperature.If it is below 20 degrees Celsius, adult individuals feel normal, but do not breed.

On a note!

Madagascar cockroaches brighten before death. If such a nuance is noticed in pets, urgently need to change the conditions for the existence of insects. Otherwise, they will die>.

Differences between a female and a male

Sex can be determined by the appearance of insects, lifestyle, behavior. Females are several centimeters larger, body wide at the end, color brighter, long straight mustache on head. Males have small processes on their heads - horns, mustaches are long but broken, uneven, light brown. A pregnant female has an ooteka in the posterior end of the body, which she periodically protrudes from the anus, allowing the cubs to breathe.

You can distinguish a female from a male by behavior. Females are calmer, hiss only at the sight of danger. Males are aggressive towards each other, periodically arrange fights. You can determine the sex of growing nymphs through several links.

Eating Exotic Insects

Thai cuisine has a delicacy - fried Madagascar cockroaches. The meat resembles ham. As part of a lot of protein, fat is completely absent. A healthy diet dish. Preparation of the delicacy begins with the removal of the cephalothorax, wings. The remainder is placed on a hot frying pan with the addition of vegetable oil. If you have pets, it’s a pity, but you want to try the delicacy, you can clean and fry king prawns. Taste, look identical. Madagascar cockroaches can be consumed with fresh vegetables.

Breeding goals

Exotic lovers breed insects as a pet for the purpose of selling. A small cockroach costs 25 rubles., Large representatives are sold for 300 rubles. The cost of Madagascar exotics from the island reaches 1000 rubles.

In some countries of the world, cockroach races are organized with large Madagascar cockroaches. The winner is the player who first came to the finish line. In our country, such competitions are held illegally.

Important!

Madagascar cockroaches do not help get rid of ordinary prusaks in the apartment, so you should not start them in the hope of getting rid of others species of cockroaches.

Insects are often bred as feed for other exotics. They feed on lizards, snakes, chameleons. Offspring are handed over to pet stores, earning money from it.

Danger to humans

Madagascar cockroaches do not bite, but they can inflict a bite during self-defense or protection of offspring. Before attacking, the insect warns of an attack with a threatening hiss or whistle. If this happens, the wound should be immediately disinfected, treated with any ointment for the speedy healing of the skin.

If you keep your pets in decent conditions, clean the terrarium in a timely manner, prevent mold, rot, they do not spread the infection around the apartment. When kept in a closed terrarium, they are selected into the room only with the help of the owner.