Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches

[Redcore67]

A couple questions, I've got two that have lived together for over a year, but have wanted to pick up a couple more at the expo tomorrow, how many can live in a five gallon? I don't want to overcrowd them, so if I can only have two for right now that's fine.
Second, when I upgrade to a bigger cage, I've heard that you can house hissers with other inverts, is this true? What species can you mix? I've always wanted to create a small invert micro environment where I could have multiple species, but wasn't sure if that was possible..

 

[Bugsrcool]

You can keep more then 20 adults in a 10 gallon they can live with other cockroach species as well as isopods and some Beatles. Reply if you want details

 

[ccTroi]

@Bugsrcool I want details!
I have a friend who has a hisser colony, and I want to purchase some. Please be very detailed in your details. Please and thank you.

 

[Bugsrcool]

Well almost all roach species can be kept together if there needs are the same.
Isopods can be kept with roach species but if there are to many they can annoy the roaches. Spring tales can be introduced and help to control mold. Millipedes can be kept with hissers but when done it`s really better to have a millipede tank with roaches. Then the other way around.

It should be noted that your biggest enemy is and will always be the MITE if you overfeed the roaches mites will almost always spring up. To swarm the tank Spring tales and isopods help to eat excess food and I recommend keeping them in roach colones. You should also have lots of hides/crevices. I like cork bark because it light and does not mold easily. The substrate should be damp but never sopping wet. They can cross breed with other hissers Halloween Hissers are my favorite.

 

[Redcore67]

So in a five gallon I could keep up to ten? I was planning on picking up some spring tails at the expo as well, I don't usually struggle with mold, the eco earth I use has stood up pretty well. What do you suggest for beatle species for a ten gallon tank? Any particulars that really pop or amuse more than others

Well almost all roach species can be kept together if there needs are the same.
Isopods can be kept with roach species but if there are to many they can annoy the roaches. Spring tales can be introduced and help to control mold. Millipedes can be kept with hissers but when done it`s really better to have a millipede tank with roaches. Then the other way around.

It should be noted that your biggest enemy is and will always be the MITE if you overfeed the roaches mites will almost always spring up. To swarm the tank Spring tales and isopods help to eat excess food and I recommend keeping them in roach colones. You should also have lots of hides/crevices. I like cork bark because it light and does not mold easily. The substrate should be damp but never sopping wet. They can cross breed with other hissers Halloween Hissers are my favorite.

 

[Lithobius]

I have a couple friends with hisser colonies of various sizes. I only have one hisser myself, an escapee from a friend's colony.

She actually keeps them in a fairly small enclosure, given the number that she has. I don't remember the exact numbers off the top of my head, but its quite a few and they've been breeding a bit, and I don't think her container is bigger than 2.5 gallons. They don't mind piling on top of each other, but obviously its better if there's more hiding places. However if you're getting mixed-sex, 5 gallons for 10 isn't a bad idea since you'll soon have significantly more than 10. Once they start breeding you'll want to coat the top couple inches of the container with vaseline to keep the babies from climbing out.

An expo tomorrow? You don't mean the New England Reptile Expo, do you?

 

[Redcore67]

Yeah in Manchester, me and my wife go every year. I like giving them more space than necessary of they are comfortable with larger spaces. Not tons of room in our apartment but I want to try to make a natural habitat for my bugs so they can exist in a habit that makes them happy..

I have a couple friends with hisser colonies of various sizes. I only have one hisser myself, an escapee from a friend's colony.

She actually keeps them in a fairly small enclosure, given the number that she has. I don't remember the exact numbers off the top of my head, but its quite a few and they've been breeding a bit, and I don't think her container is bigger than 2.5 gallons. They don't mind piling on top of each other, but obviously its better if there's more hiding places. However if you're getting mixed-sex, 5 gallons for 10 isn't a bad idea since you'll soon have significantly more than 10. Once they start breeding you'll want to coat the top couple inches of the container with vaseline to keep the babies from climbing out.

An expo tomorrow? You don't mean the New England Reptile Expo, do you?

 

[Lithobius]

Yeah in Manchester, me and my wife go every year. I like giving them more space than necessary of they are comfortable with larger spaces. Not tons of room in our apartment but I want to try to make a natural habitat for my bugs so they can exist in a habit that makes them happy..

Funny story, I'm going also! I'm going to be helping out at the Northeast Natural History Supply table in the morning.

Hisser roaches are great for apartments. You can fit a lot of them in an environment that makes them really happy without too much effort. They really do like cramming themselves into small cracks, so lots of hiding places will help. There should be some great cork bark at the expo, and probably some driftwood pieces that will do the trick too.

I've only been able to grow my collection as much once I moved out of an apartment.

 

[Redcore67]

That's great! Will likely see you and will say hello if I remember amongst the excitement

Funny story, I'm going also! I'm going to be helping out at the Northeast Natural History Supply table in the morning.

Hisser roaches are great for apartments. You can fit a lot of them in an environment that makes them really happy without too much effort. They really do like cramming themselves into small cracks, so lots of hiding places will help. There should be some great cork bark at the expo, and probably some driftwood pieces that will do the trick too.

I've only been able to grow my collection as much once I moved out of an apartment.

 

[Lithobius]

That's great! Will likely see you and will say hello if I remember amongst the excitement

If I'm at the table when you stop by, I'm wearing a Spider Man shirt.
Have fun, hope you find what you are looking for!

 

[Hisserdude]

Just be sure not to house different hisser species in the same genus together, as they could hybridize.

 

[Redcore67]

Just be sure not to house different hisser species in the same genus together, as they could hybridize.

I don't plan on mixing Roaches.. Idk if I am going to mix at all..

 

[Hisserdude]

I don't plan on mixing Roaches.. Idk if I am going to mix at all..

Good, because hybrid Gromphadorhina are everywhere now...

BTW, back to the main question, depending on just how much surface area you provide them in the tank, you could probably fit several dozen hissers in a five gallon. Keep in mind though, if you plan on breeding them, they'll likely outgrow a container that size within a year. If you just want a few long lived pets that won't outgrow a 5 gallon tank, I'd get a group of males, no females. They can live up to 2-4 years as adults, and without females they won't fight that much, so they can be kept together safely. I personally got a lot more enjoyment out of keeping a few hisser males as pets than having a huge breeding colony. Plus if you get ONLY males, you can mix and match as many different hisser species as you want, since hybridization won't be an issue, which can make for a very neat display!

 

[Redcore67]

I now have 6 guys, they are a sweet guys. They occasionally fight but it ends up being funny.

Good, because hybrid Gromphadorhina are everywhere now...

BTW, back to the main question, depending on just how much surface area you provide them in the tank, you could probably fit several dozen hissers in a five gallon. Keep in mind though, if you plan on breeding them, they'll likely outgrow a container that size within a year. If you just want a few long lived pets that won't outgrow a 5 gallon tank, I'd get a group of males, no females. They can live up to 2-4 years as adults, and without females they won't fight that much, so they can be kept together safely. I personally got a lot more enjoyment out of keeping a few hisser males as pets than having a huge breeding colony. Plus if you get ONLY males, you can mix and match as many different hisser species as you want, since hybridization won't be an issue, which can make for a very neat display!

 

[Hisserdude]

I now have 6 guys, they are a sweet guys. They occasionally fight but it ends up being funny.

Haha sounds like an interesting dynamic, I hope they all live long lives for you!

 

[Kaixer]

Just be sure not to house different hisser species in the same genus together, as they could hybridize.

What will be the CONS of hybrid hisser?

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

What will be the CONS of hybrid hisser?

On problem is that all Gromphadorhina species, except G. portentosa, require USDA permits. Any hybrids are then regulated, so your supposedly legal hisser colony may actually contain illegal hybrids. This is not a problem for most hobbyists, but it may become more difficult to work with institutions.

 

[Hisserdude]

What will be the CONS of hybrid hisser?

The main con is that people are now selling and labeling HYBRID stocks as pure stocks, and it's becoming exceedingly difficult to find PURE bred hissers... I've got nothing against hybrids so long as they are labeled as such, but many big breeders and even smaller ones who don't know better will slap a species name on hybrid stock, which perpetuates the problem at hand.

 

[richard22]

Add more egg cartons to increase surface area, you might be able to house a few dozen. They like cramming in them so they would do fine with them to my knowledge.

 

[Cuguen]

Well almost all roach species can be kept together if there needs are the same.
Isopods can be kept with roach species but if there are to many they can annoy the roaches. Spring tales can be introduced and help to control mold. Millipedes can be kept with hissers but when done it`s really better to have a millipede tank with roaches. Then the other way around.

It should be noted that your biggest enemy is and will always be the MITE if you overfeed the roaches mites will almost always spring up. To swarm the tank Spring tales and isopods help to eat excess food and I recommend keeping them in roach colones. You should also have lots of hides/crevices. I like cork bark because it light and does not mold easily. The substrate should be damp but never sopping wet. They can cross breed with other hissers Halloween Hissers are my favorite.

If I mix Halloween Hissers with regulars, what would happen? Would they cross? Should I keep them separate? Or if I get a few of each will they mate with each other? I don't want to have two separate tanks.