# What's coming out of my hisser's butt?



## MizM (Mar 4, 2004)

One of my female hissers has a thing coming out of her butt that looks just like a meal worm, but a little larger in diameter. It's about 1 1/2" long and attached. Her butt is kind of "open". What the heck???


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## Jeff_C (Mar 4, 2004)

It's probably an eggsac of sorts (dont know the name). I'm not sure about Hissers but I know Deathheads keep them internally and may sometimes eject them or spin (?)  them outside of their bodies. 

I do know that I found one of these in my colony and there were a bunch of white (unhardened) nymphs wriggling there way out. Maybe I interrupted mom because this was the first time I saw one of these.


hth,
Jeff


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## MizM (Mar 4, 2004)

I was hoping for something like that! All I ever find is the little black babies. Never saw them being born, they just appear! (OH if it was only like that for us humans! )

I wonder how long this process will take? I bought 6 of them to start a colony and I'm well on my way with 6 litters born already.  But in the process, I have become fascinated with them. I love to watch them feed and have "king of the hill" contests. They have their own little heirarchy thing going on... they're really cool.

But I STILL won't have a problems feeding them to my Ts!!


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## Code Monkey (Mar 4, 2004)

Just so you can sound smarter next time:

It's an ootheca, not a 'thing coming out of its butt' ;P

They form the ootheca internally in the equvalent of the vaginal tract, exude it like you saw, then draw it back up into a second chamber where it's incubated for about 30 days until the nymphs are ready to hatch. Then she'll stick it out again and, voila, baby roaches.

Reactions: Like 1


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## MizM (Mar 4, 2004)

Well!!  The ootheca IS coming out of her butt!!!  And are you saying that "What is coming out of my hisser's butt?" doesn't sound like an intelligent statement?!=D

O.K. done razzing you.... I really appreciate the information! I DID read up on care and feeding before I got these guys, but what breeding information I found was all very generalized. Now, how do I know if this is the first time she has exuded it or the actual birth? It's been this way for a good 2 hours, and she's got her little legs all drawn in close, like it hurts!

I'd LOVE to witness the birth!! Will she wait until it's dark and quiet, or do they come when they come?


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## MizM (Mar 5, 2004)

Chip, this is the FIRST time... when I woke up this a.m., the ootheca was retracted and there were no babies! Guess I have to wait another 30 days!!

Thanks for "learnin'" me!!


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## xanderTluv (Mar 7, 2004)

Terri,
I read that sometimes they drop it for unknown reasons, then in which case, no nymps! Just a little tid bit!


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## MizM (Mar 7, 2004)

:? Weird! Well, I can only hope she's got GOOD REASON!! I'm trying to get this colony up and runnin' so I don't ever have to buy another stinky, smelly cricket!


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## xanderTluv (Mar 7, 2004)

Terri,
 I hear ya on the crickets. I had to care for the crickets more than my arachnids! They are the worst. 
 I just ordered some lobster roaches from www.cruchy-critters.com. I just recieved them a couple days ago, and they have already gave birth to lots of nymps. I paid 13 dollars for 175, and that included shipping. You can't beat that!


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## MizM (Mar 7, 2004)

WOW! Do they climb? I really love my hissers, they DO have perosnality. I LOVE to watch their "Challenge The King-Of-The-Hill" contests! They do climb plastic, but I have a thick strip of Vaseline bordering the top of the enclosure. Kind of a pain when I accidentally touch the edge!! Ewwww, slimy!!

But, I'm thinking of adding lobs to my collection, I believe in a varied diet, and I'm sure I will continue to buy crix at least on a monthly basis. Superworms are a favorite treat, for me AND them! They just hide in their little cup of sawdust and sleep in the fridge! 

T

P.S. Thanks for the input... you answered my thread!!!


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## xanderTluv (Mar 7, 2004)

Terri,
The lobster roaches do climb pretty much anything, but if you use the vasoline you will be alright! Also at that site, Dan the owner, sells this roach tape. It seems to work pretty well. The lobster roachs are alot smaller than the hissers and cave roaches, but I like them for feeding. I kinda look at my cave roaches like pets. I don't know how that started. 
And like you, I also agree with variety! It's nice not to have to deal with cricket rearing. Just to buy them once a month is much easier than breeding them.


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## Buspirone (Mar 7, 2004)

> Superworms are a favorite treat, for me AND them! They just hide in their little cup of sawdust and sleep in the fridge!


If you can refridgerate them then you aren't using superworms(Zoophobas morio)...most likely they are Giant Mealworms. Giant Mealworms are normal mealworms(tenebrio molitor) treated with a chemical hormone that affects moulting and prevents pupation. It causes the worms to grow much larger than normal. Personally I wouldn't use them as feeders for pet inverts as a precaution.


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## MizM (Mar 15, 2004)

OOTHECA PHOTOS!!!! Just so no one else has to post a dumb question like mine!!!


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## MizM (Mar 15, 2004)

STILL looks like a mealworm to me though!!


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## xanderTluv (Mar 15, 2004)

Hey Terri,
 One of my cave roaches just gave birth to about 15 or so tiny nymps! Im so excited!

Chip,
How long do the nypms take to mature? I can't believe how tiny they are.


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## pediepablo (Mar 15, 2004)

> I read that sometimes they drop it for unknown reasons, then in which case, no nymps! Just a little tid bit!


I had a roach that dropped it just as my centipede attacked it. The centipede just kept eating the roach and then turned and finished off the "ootheca." Mmm...


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## MizM (Mar 15, 2004)

Coulda done without that last post... gonna skip lunch now! 

Eric, I'm told they mature in about 6 months, and... CONGRATULATIONS GRAMPS!! (You can call Maureen Grandma now!!)=D


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## xanderTluv (Mar 15, 2004)

Terri,
I was trying to delay that title for about 20 years. lol, But what the hell I am happy as can be!   I must be doing something right!=D


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## Code Monkey (Mar 15, 2004)

> _Originally posted by xanderTluv _
> *Chip,
> How long do the nypms take to mature? I can't believe how tiny they are. *


NYMPHS (not nymps) take variable times depending on species, sex, and evironment. For instance, at about 80F, my B. dubia tend to be mature in about 8 months, G. portentosa for me are taking more than a year to mature but they did spend about 6 months of that at lower room temp, B. germanica will get there in 1 month, P. americana females mature in 3-6 months, but males take 10-12 months, and I have no idea what is typical for B. giganteus like you have.


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## xanderTluv (Mar 15, 2004)

Chip,
Thanks for your input, and for correcting my spelling. I think I do fairly well with a 7th grade education. My mother became hadicaped when she was 24. I had to quit school, and have been working ever since. But I'm happy to say that I'm going to go back to school this summer to get my diploma. I am quite proud of how far I've come. And now I can afford the care my mother needed back then! It's not the cards you are dealt, but how you play the game!


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## MizM (Mar 15, 2004)

Good for you Eric!! I never got my diploma, either. To busy partying in school. My counselors would call me in and ask me why my grades were so low when I went through the roof on my aptitudes tests!


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## pelo (Mar 15, 2004)

> _Originally posted by MizM _
> *Chip, this is the FIRST time... when I woke up this a.m., the ootheca was retracted and there were no babies! Guess I have to wait another 30 days!!
> 
> Thanks for "learnin'" me!! *


Don't feel bad MizM..first time I seen it I thought I had some "well hung" roaches...lol..I didn't even know how to tell male from female.Thought for sure I had a sure fire methd for a while.Just look for the ones looking for a good time and showing it and it's male...lol...peace..


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