# Madagascar hissing cockroach white dots?



## xkris (Sep 28, 2014)

Just got my Madagascar Hissing Cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa) starting colony. 
They are huge, I'm impressed.  I never had them before, so i don't know if this is normal or might be something funny like mites or something else. 

I noticed a rather pronounced white dots kind of things on inside of their legs, the part where they grip surfaces. Is this mites or some kind of natural secretion that help them to climb? 
Pls help. If its mites how to get rid of them?

Reactions: Like 1


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## sr20det510 (Sep 28, 2014)

That's normal, those are the sticky pads located at the end of the roaches leg. They use those to climb. If you haven't handled one yet you'll quickly realize what great climbers they are, and sometimes its hard to pull them away from whatever surface they are on.


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## xkris (Sep 28, 2014)

Ohhh ok. That is fine then. So glad its normal, because I was freaking out about it. These roaches are so big so the white dots/pads are more noticeable. So far I only have experience with Dubia. They never climbed. This will be a new challenge


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## Tenodera (Sep 30, 2014)

The pads are called arolia, if you like vocabulary words.

Reactions: Like 3 | Informative 1


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## xkris (Oct 3, 2014)

sure, knowledge always helps. since i wrote that rather embarrassing ignorant question, i tried handling them. its simply amazing how well they can hold on. i have to get a good grip to lift them once they clamp down. 

and they are so big and have this cute antennae. and they hiss! *duhh* 
i know they are called hissing cockroach so its obvious they hiss, but still. i was startled when i actually heard it. really loud! 

i bought 20 of them to start a new feeders colony for my large tarantula and also my scorp when he grows up. 
but now...i dont know.  i really like them...
might just keep them as pets. 
does anybody know if i keep them in kritter keeper in room temperature, will they breed? im asking this because im wondering if kritter keeper will be fine to contain them or maybe i should go out and look for
metal mesh to glue on to be sure?


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## Spepper (Oct 3, 2014)

I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure they'll breed at room temperatures.  Also, I don't think you'll find anything that will eat them.  It seems most things refuse to.  I read a story once of of someone trying to feed them to a friend's savannah monitors (after trying almost everything else before that) and even they wouldn't eat them.  Best kept as pets it seems.   And a kritter keeper should be fine I would think... unless the nymphs can climb and are small enough to get out, but I have some B. collosseus nymphs right now that are too small to fit through kritter keeper slats even though they can't climb.

Reactions: Like 1


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## MatthewM1 (Oct 3, 2014)

They most likely won't breed at room temp, and if you do want them to breed KK is no good, nymphs will fit through the vents no problem. My pacman frog goes nuts over em. And I've fed nymphs to several T's with no issue.


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## xkris (Oct 3, 2014)

If i would take them as pets, then prefer no breeding. 
if only as feeders then yes, i would like breeding. 

nymphs fitting through is what is troubling me. how ever it turns out im going to have to look for metal mesh. i thought about gluing it to top of KK to 'plug-in' holes. 
and if i decide to go for feeders and get a bigger plastic box, still going to need to cut off part of top to make a mesh screen.


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## Spepper (Oct 3, 2014)

MatthewM1 said:


> They most likely won't breed at room temp, and if you do want them to breed KK is no good, nymphs will fit through the vents no problem. My pacman frog goes nuts over em. And I've fed nymphs to several T's with no issue.


Yup, it seems I didn't know what I was talking about.   Sorry xkris.


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## xkris (Oct 3, 2014)

Spepper said:


> I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure they'll breed at room temperatures.  Also, I don't think you'll find anything that will eat them.  It seems most things refuse to.  I read a story once of of someone trying to feed them to a friend's savannah monitors (after trying almost everything else before that) and even they wouldn't eat them.  Best kept as pets it seems.   And a kritter keeper should be fine I would think... unless the nymphs can climb and are small enough to get out, but I have some B. collosseus nymphs right now that are too small to fit through kritter keeper slats even though they can't climb.


Np dude. 
hissers are big, so you need a big spider to eat them. for a grown up hisser you need about 14cm+ spider or a large scorpion. spiders will eat them, if they can overpower them, that is. scorpions also eat them. 
also, hissers are excellent climbers, nymphs and adults alike.


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## MatthewM1 (Oct 3, 2014)

Yeah I don't feed the adults to anything really. When first born the nymphs aren't much bigger than new born dubia. I keep mine in Steralite tubs with a foam weather stripping around where the rim and lid meet and binder clips holding it down tight. Lots and lots and lots of small vent holes, dry coco fiber sub and mist heavily 1x a week


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## Drache (Oct 3, 2014)

The adults do make good feeders for big lizards, but during previous instars, depending on size, they can be fed to anything that eats other roaches.


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## Tenodera (Oct 3, 2014)

Hissers CAN indeed breed when temperatures are in the high 60s-low 70s, but won't achieve the same production rate as they do when kept warmer.

Reactions: Like 1


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## xkris (Oct 8, 2014)

Tenodera said:


> Hissers CAN indeed breed when temperatures are in the high 60s-low 70s, but won't achieve the same production rate as they do when kept warmer.


Just wanted to show you all the living proof of your words being true. 
so i got back home and put my stuff down, go check on everybody and look what i find. newborn baby hissers. i was keeping them at room temperature and they had no trouble with breeding. 
the babies are about 1cm long, (some little less), about 0.5cm wide and about 0.4 tick. newly born already great climbers.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Spepper (Oct 8, 2014)

xkris said:


> Just wanted to show you all the living proof of your words being true.
> so i got back home and put my stuff down, go check on everybody and look what i find. newborn baby hissers. i was keeping them at room temperature and they had no trouble with breeding.
> the babies are about 1cm long, (some little less), about 0.5cm wide and about 0.4 tick. newly born already great climbers.
> 
> View attachment 130577


  Congratulations, they're adorable.   (Even if they'll be food for something else)


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## xkris (Oct 11, 2014)

thank you. a few ended up as food for scorplings & slings. majority will be left to mature so i'll have more generations & sizes. i have a few adult females and if they all keep this up (size of litter) i will have a huge population boom. one person told me to better figure out what to do with them. now i see what he meant with it.


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