Nicer setup for hissing cockroaches

[ChileanTaco]

So, I keep hissing cockroaches (as pets, not as food for my dragon - just with the option if they breed too well to feed off the tiny (!) ones, as already done).
So far I keep them more "feeder-style" just out of lack of a setup that is both escape-proof (lid must be clamped down) and made out of glass.
Now likely I get one that should work A big "lock & lock"-style box that has a glass container.
I'll post pictures once I have it and have set it up. It should go next to my desk, I love that because I like big bugs a lot.

 

[xp29]

So, I keep hissing cockroaches (as pets, not as food for my dragon - just with the option if they breed too well to feed off the tiny (!) ones, as already done).
So far I keep them more "feeder-style" just out of lack of a setup that is both escape-proof (lid must be clamped down) and made out of glass.
Now likely I get one that should work A big "lock & lock"-style box that has a glass container.
I'll post pictures once I have it and have set it up. It should go next to my desk, I love that because I like big bugs a lot.

Some how this didn't show up in New post and I missed it.
I see the big hissers now and then in the reptile stores. I think they are cool

 

[ChileanTaco]

I also like them
However, the nicer setup likely won't happen as the person who bought it for me has drastically underestimated the size. I would have to check, but I think I will rather use the glass container with "lock & lock" lid as it's intended: for the kitchen.
Will look up if I can get one with at minimum 5 liter, rather 10.

They really need something escape-proof and we had many escapers - with thinking "okay, this fits tight", "okay, put a stone on top". Only the airtight kitchen containers have worked.
These hissing cockroaches have the pads on their feet for climbing glass.
I also think they are cool, as I love big insects (and arachnids). As a kid, I used to keep large katydids (properly; not the "in a shoebox and forget them" style).
A lot of those large insects and arachnids are not available here (wanted e.g. train millipedes or stick insects), but these surprisingly are. I have them now for close to a year, as I got them as an extra with feeders - just paying a bit more and got 10 "hissers".

 

[xp29]

I also like them
However, the nicer setup likely won't happen as the person who bought it for me has drastically underestimated the size. I would have to check, but I think I will rather use the glass container with "lock & lock" lid as it's intended: for the kitchen.
Will look up if I can get one with at minimum 5 liter, rather 10.

They really need something escape-proof and we had many escapers - with thinking "okay, this fits tight", "okay, put a stone on top". Only the airtight kitchen containers have worked.
These hissing cockroaches have the pads on their feet for climbing glass.
I also think they are cool, as I love big insects (and arachnids). As a kid, I used to keep large katydids (properly; not the "in a shoebox and forget them" style).
A lot of those large insects and arachnids are not available here (wanted e.g. train millipedes or stick insects), but these surprisingly are. I have them now for close to a year, as I got them as an extra with feeders - just paying a bit more and got 10 "hissers".

The praying mantis have had my eye for a little while now, but they don't live all that long and I get attached to my pets so I haven't tried keeping them. There are some really cool ones I see here every spring. If they get inside we just relocate them back outside, same with the little jumping spiders 🕷

 

[ChileanTaco]

I had seen the praying mantis in the wild, but was never able to get some as a pet - I would have loved that. However, everywhere where I lived so far there were not allowed as pets.
As a kid I had large insect-eating katydids, raised them from very small ones starting in spring. They are in their behavior striking similar to praying mantis - same head that quickly moves around, same eyes, same feeding behavior. (The species is a European/German one, if you want to see pictures, look for "Heupferd".)
They only live for a season.

 

[xp29]

I had seen the praying mantis in the wild, but was never able to get some as a pet - I would have loved that. However, everywhere where I lived so far there were not allowed as pets.
As a kid I had large insect-eating katydids, raised them from very small ones starting in spring. They are in their behavior striking similar to praying mantis - same head that quickly moves around, same eyes, same feeding behavior. (The species is a European/German one, if you want to see pictures, look for "Heupferd".)
They only live for a season.

We have huge katydids here to. They make a huge racket at night lol.

 

[ChileanTaco]

What I also had liked is getting a "jungle nymph" - huuuge! But also not allowed/ available where I live or lived. These are so big they rather look unreal, like a model for biology class... and they live 2 - 3 years.

 

[xp29]

What I also had liked is getting a "jungle nymph" - huuuge! But also not allowed/ available where I live or lived. These are so big they rather look unreal, like a model for biology class... and they live 2 - 3 years.

That would be cool to

 

[ChileanTaco]

As this thing with the lock & lock box didn't turn out useful - they bought me a 1.6 liter one and this is "nothing" - I have another plan:
I sometimes can get cheap fish tanks here - just the tank, also no lid, no tank equipment, just the glass thing. I didn't dare using them yet because these hissing cockroaches easily lift lids and squeeze through and even if you put a stone on top, they just bend it a bit to get out.
But, my idea from looking into boxes normally meant to replace the fridge inserts you can pull out (were too small, however): If I make a sliding lid, running in a rail of course, and the rail will be glued down onto the fish tank using industrial-strength glue. This would be lift-off-proof, no gaps to squeeze through remain, and to prevent the roaches from opening it by sliding it, using a pin or lock.
I have absolutely no time for doing such a thing right now, but will have some time off in February, and very likely I'll make that.

 

[xp29]

As this thing with the lock & lock box didn't turn out useful - they bought me a 1.6 liter one and this is "nothing" - I have another plan:
I sometimes can get cheap fish tanks here - just the tank, also no lid, no tank equipment, just the glass thing. I didn't dare using them yet because these hissing cockroaches easily lift lids and squeeze through and even if you put a stone on top, they just bend it a bit to get out.
But, my idea from looking into boxes normally meant to replace the fridge inserts you can pull out (were too small, however): If I make a sliding lid, running in a rail of course, and the rail will be glued down onto the fish tank using industrial-strength glue. This would be lift-off-proof, no gaps to squeeze through remain, and to prevent the roaches from opening it by sliding it, using a pin or lock.
I have absolutely no time for doing such a thing right now, but will have some time off in February, and very likely I'll make that.

That should actually work pretty good

 

[ChileanTaco]

Luckily, got a fish tank of a proper size - and it was sold in the same shop as a suitcase we also needed (you see, shops can be weird here ) so it was easy to bring it home.
I'll have some weeks off in February, and then I'll make the sliding lid for it.

 

[xp29]

Luckily, got a fish tank of a proper size - and it was sold in the same shop as a suitcase we also needed (you see, shops can be weird here ) so it was easy to bring it home.
I'll have some weeks off in February, and then I'll make the sliding lid for it.

Good deal
It will be interesting to see what ya come up with

 

[ChileanTaco]

Two updates on this:

a) For making the sliding lid, I just got aluminum profiles of a matching size for free (nice thing; otherwise I had bought them from the hardware store, but repurposing stuff is always great). I'll be away for a while (traveling to Germany), but when I'm back the first project I'll do is making the lid.

b) Breeding. I have them now for many months, they look to be adults but were not breeding yet. (I also had a giant adult female from the beginning on, but she died in the meanwhile after becoming slower and weaker and finally dying from old age.) Today i saw a female sticking out their ootheca (I have taken a photo but it's not the best as the bin including lid (they climb and can open lids) I had to chose so far is quite milky and not really transparent (also a reason I want to have the terrarium!)). That one looks perfect.
Who of you doesn't know what this is: It's the egg-carrying organ. Looks a bit like a larvae or a parasite (white, segmented), you can find images online. A week before I found a short segment of "aborted ootheca", that's basically when the eggs don't develop well and the insect is basically throwing them away.
What will happen next is that the female hissing cockroach will retract the ootheca into her body, let the young roaches develop and then stick it out again when they hatch. It will take about a month.

 

[xp29]

Two updates on this:

a) For making the sliding lid, I just got aluminum profiles of a matching size for free (nice thing; otherwise I had bought them from the hardware store, but repurposing stuff is always great). I'll be away for a while (traveling to Germany), but when I'm back the first project I'll do is making the lid.

b) Breeding. I have them now for many months, they look to be adults but were not breeding yet. (I also had a giant adult female from the beginning on, but she died in the meanwhile after becoming slower and weaker and finally dying from old age.) Today i saw a female sticking out their ootheca (I have taken a photo but it's not the best as the bin including lid (they climb and can open lids) I had to chose so far is quite milky and not really transparent (also a reason I want to have the terrarium!)). That one looks perfect.
Who of you doesn't know what this is: It's the egg-carrying organ. Looks a bit like a larvae or a parasite (white, segmented), you can find images online. A week before I found a short segment of "aborted ootheca", that's basically when the eggs don't develop well and the insect is basically throwing them away.
What will happen next is that the female hissing cockroach will retract the ootheca into her body, let the young roaches develop and then stick it out again when they hatch. It will take about a month.

Cool!!! How many do they have at a time? Do they lay eggs or is it live birth? It'll be neat to see pictures when they arrive

 

[ChileanTaco]

Cool!!! How many do they have at a time? Do they lay eggs or is it live birth? It'll be neat to see pictures when they arrive

About 50 - 60, and can be once a year of a few times a year.

It's in between a life birth and laying eggs: The female pulls back in the ootheca and lets the eggs develop internally (I just looked: now the ootheca is pulled in almost completely, I only see approx. 0.5 cm sticking out, before it was really long, approx. 3 cm).
Once the eggs are ready for hatching, the ootheca is pushed out again from which the little ones then hatch immediately. I do not know an animal that does it similarly, only a few that lay the eggs right before hatching and sometimes in the moment they hatch (including some snakes).

If breeding works, I plan to keep a few and feed of the other very (!) young to my dragon.
(I know it's often advised to not feed hissing cockroaches to bearded dragons. This makes sense as they are very large and there is danger to suffocate for the dragon. I would never do that. The small ones however are not larger than an isopod or small dubia. I had already fed such to my dragon - as I initially got a large amount of hissers when I bought them - and it's not different from such as a dubia: soft, not aggressive, easy to be eaten.)