My Hissing Cockroach Just Had a Seizure in My Hand

[Fredericusrex]

I don't know what happened. Today I came to my hisser having a very round abdomen, and it was an unusual sight, and not only that, but when I picked him up he had s SEIZURE in my hands. I don't know what's happening, whether it's a parasite or a neurological disease. WHAT IS HAPPENING!?

 

[Beedrill]

What was the last thing you fed him? Is there even the smallest chance that you fed him anything with Pesticides on it? This sounds a lot like Pesticides...
Has he settled down yet or is it still occurring?

Have you cleaned the immediate area (the room or his tank) with any kind of aerosol cleaner or bleach recently?

Until you can figure out what the issue is, I would place him in a small container with a tight sealing lid and several ventilation holes on the top and sides. Line to container with damp (but not too damp) paper towels.

Try to stay calm. It may not be too late yet.

 

[Fredericusrex]

What was the last thing you fed him? Is there even the smallest chance that you fed him anything with Pesticides on it? This sounds a lot like Pesticides...
Has he settled down yet or is it still occurring?

Have you cleaned the immediate area (the room or his tank) with any kind of aerosol cleaner or bleach recently?

Until you can figure out what the issue is, I would place him in a small container with a tight sealing lid and several ventilation holes on the top and sides. Line to container with damp (but not too damp) paper towels.

Try to stay calm. It may not be too late yet.

I fed him some of the pureed baby food I bought. He seemed to like it in the beginning, but I don't recall feeding him with any pesticides. The baby food was organic, and the banana I feed him always has been washed, and its organic too. I also gave him some fish flakes yesterday.

I don't think we've cleaned the area. The cleaning lady came two weeks ago, and while it might be the exposure to aerosols, he has only begun to seizure now and today.

My grandma did put a paper towel on the top of the critter keeper and it covered the whole thing, so it might be lack of oxygen that caused his seizure.

His seizure is still occuring. He started having another one right now.

 

[Beedrill]

Hmmm. Ok, so it isn't likely to be Pesticides then.
Do you offer him any other form of moisture, or just the baby food puree?
Do you use hand sanitizer often?

If at all possible, have a good look at his mouth parts. Are they opening and closing repeatedly?
Also, has he had any trouble staying upright since the seizures?

Once you get him set up in his "hospital" cage, do a thorough search of his enclosure. Check for any uneaten food, unusual objects, mold, or pest critters like mites.

 

[Fredericusrex]

Hmmm. Ok, so it isn't likely to be Pesticides then.
Do you offer him any other form of moisture, or just the baby food puree?
Do you use hand sanitizer often?

If at all possible, have a good look at his mouth parts. Are they opening and closing repeatedly?
Also, has he had any trouble staying upright since the seizures?

Once you get him set up in his "hospital" cage, do a thorough search of his enclosure. Check for any uneaten food, unusual objects, mold, or pest critters like mites.

He has trouble staying upright, and sometimes when he has them. he arches his back up a lot. I don't use hand sanitizer. I try to add banana to his puree, and fish flakes. He has a water dish with a sponge in it and I mist his enclosure. His mouth is not opening and closing repeatedly now.

ok.

 

[Beedrill]

Ok, the mouth thing is a good sign. Not being able to stay upright isn't too good though. Check up on him regularly for today.

Let me know if you find anything outside the ordinary in his cage.

 

[Fredericusrex]

Ok, the mouth thing is a good sign. Not being able to stay upright isn't too good though. Check up on him regularly for today.

Let me know if you find anything outside the ordinary in his cage.

ok. But maybe the mouth was opening back and forth in his earlier ones though.

 

[Fredericusrex]

Ok, the mouth thing is a good sign. Not being able to stay upright isn't too good though. Check up on him regularly for today.

Let me know if you find anything outside the ordinary in his cage.

He flipped onto his back in my hand, and for the second one he nearly flipped over. I haven't found exactly anything in his enclosure, though that would be unusual.

 

[Fredericusrex]

He just had another one. He flipped onto his back and I helped him up. His mouth does not move though.

 

[Beedrill]

If his jaws were moving involuntarily for long periods of time, it could mean that significant neural and damage has occurred, while if it is only happening during the seizures, it may be OK.
The seizure, on the other hand, are far more complicated to diagnose. The most common causes that I'm aware of are insecticides and head injuries. However, as with any animal, there are likely a plethora of possible causes ranging from external stimuli to genetics.
The fact that he can't stay upright is not good, but it is still possible that he could recover. Are his antennae twitching wildly or are they acting like they usually would?

The best thing you can do for him right now is to keep a close eye on him while he sits in his "hospital" container. If you can, place him somewhere with lower light levels. That could also help. Try not to move him or handle him too mush right now either. Eliminate as much external stimuli as possible.

 

[Fredericusrex]

If his jaws were moving involuntarily for long periods of time, it could mean that significant neural and damage has occurred, while if it is only happening during the seizures, it may be OK.
The seizure, on the other hand, are far more complicated to diagnose. The most common causes that I'm aware of are insecticides and head injuries. However, as with any animal, there are likely a plethora of possible causes ranging from external stimuli to genetics.
The fact that he can't stay upright is not good, but it is still possible that he could recover. Are his antennae twitching wildly or are they acting like they usually would?

The best thing you can do for him right now is to keep a close eye on him while he sits in his "hospital" container. If you can, place him somewhere with lower light levels. That could also help. Try not to move him or handle him too mush right now either. Eliminate as much external stimuli as possible.

ok

 

[Fredericusrex]

this is him

 

[Fredericusrex]

 

[Fredericusrex]

If his jaws were moving involuntarily for long periods of time, it could mean that significant neural and damage has occurred, while if it is only happening during the seizures, it may be OK.
The seizure, on the other hand, are far more complicated to diagnose. The most common causes that I'm aware of are insecticides and head injuries. However, as with any animal, there are likely a plethora of possible causes ranging from external stimuli to genetics.
The fact that he can't stay upright is not good, but it is still possible that he could recover. Are his antennae twitching wildly or are they acting like they usually would?

The best thing you can do for him right now is to keep a close eye on him while he sits in his "hospital" container. If you can, place him somewhere with lower light levels. That could also help. Try not to move him or handle him too mush right now either. Eliminate as much external stimuli as possible.

His antennae are twitching pretty a lot during seizures, but they twitch a lot normally too, when he's stimulated. But it's more like:

He clenches up, arches his back and falls over by losing his balance, flailing and twitching, Then I flip him over and he twitches a little like a video game glitch and goes back to normal.

 

[Fredericusrex]

Update: He has been euthanized. I thought he was getting better, when he had a huge seizure just a few minutes ago. He couldn't right himself up, and his legs started to cross together. He then stopped moving.

So, I had to put him down.

I feel so....I don't know

 

[Beedrill]

I see...I'm sorry I couldn't have helped any more.

I know that anything I say at this point will not affect the way you must feel, but I'll offer my little speech anyway.
He had been on the decline for a while now, so maybe in a way, it is for the best. You did everything you could possibly do. These wonderful animals that we in the invertebrate hobby raise and care for are unfortunately good at hiding their injuries and illnesses until it is far too late, and there's almost no medical knowledge of them whatsoever. Just try to feel some comfort in the knowledge that you gave him a good life that any Hisser in the wild never could have had, and you did your very best to keep him comfortable until the very end. You cared for him admirably, and that is what is most important with any pet.
Frederick the Great will be missed.

 

[Fredericusrex]

I see...I'm sorry I couldn't have helped any more.

I know that anything I say at this point will not affect the way you must feel, but I'll offer my little speech anyway.
He had been on the decline for a while now, so maybe in a way, it is for the best. You did everything you could possibly do. These wonderful animals that we in the invertebrate hobby raise and care for are unfortunately good at hiding their injuries and illnesses until it is far too late, and there's almost no medical knowledge of them whatsoever. Just try to feel some comfort in the knowledge that you gave him a good life that any Hisser in the wild never could have had, and you did your very best to keep him comfortable until the very end. You cared for him admirably, and that is what is most important with any pet.
Frederick the Great will be missed.

Thank you for your great eulogy.

Though, I think I may have found the answer.
I saw a veiny, black thing in his neck area yesterday. Now that I think of it, he might have been affected by a parasite. In either way Euthanization was the best option or else he would have become a zombie

 

[TheInv4sion]

zombie? Most parasites cause something more gruesome than becoming a zombie. Putting him down was probably the best decision to make.

 

[dragonfire1577]

Honestly, he was probably just old. Old males get pretty bad at walking towards the end of their lifespan.

 

[Fredericusrex]

Honestly, he was probably just old. Old males get pretty bad at walking towards the end of their lifespan.

He was having seizures, spasming and twitching sporadically when he walked.