# Molt or Cannibalism?



## becca81 (Feb 13, 2005)

I checked on my _Blaptica dubia_ today and the first thing I saw was this:







It looked to me like one of them had been eaten!

Well, I kept looking and then I see this:













I'm assuming that this big one (who didn't look like this when it came to me) is a male because of the wings.  I've had touched it to pick it up to look at the segments underneath.  However, I can positively sex it based on the presence of wings, right?

Anyways, was the "half-roach" that looked eaten actually canabalized by the others or was it a molt?  I've never seen a roach molt so I'm not sure what to look for.

Thanks in advance for any input!


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## Dark Raptor (Feb 13, 2005)

Don't worry. That was the molt.

When you see that exosceleton was broken in that way (just in the midle and there is nothing inside) and you see that "white strings", you can be sure in 100% that was the molt.

Yes. It is a male.


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## becca81 (Feb 13, 2005)

I lightly touched it to get it to move - could I have harmed it since it molted recently?

Also, how long will they live after they are mature?


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## Dark Raptor (Feb 13, 2005)

I think no. They are tough enough. Sometimes they can dammage their wings, but it is rare situation.

As I know, adults can live for almost one and half year.


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## Schlyne (Feb 13, 2005)

He's right, that's a molt piece, and that is definately a male dubia roach.


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## Beth-Tex (Feb 13, 2005)

LOL........the first time I saw a dubia molt skin.....I also thought that possibly it was eaten........LOL......yeppers......wings = male.

Seeing molts is a good thing.....means the buggies are growing.


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## Cirith Ungol (Feb 13, 2005)

Luckily the dubias arn't that prone to resort to cannibalism. And the string comming out on front is a dead givaway. Next thing is that if you touch the skin you'll notice emediatly that its empty. It may happen that they eat parts of the old skins, at least that is my impression. Someone told me (I wonder if it wasn't Brian) that males don't live as long as females - only a few months.


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## becca81 (Feb 13, 2005)

What is the string?


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## Cirith Ungol (Feb 13, 2005)

On your top pic you see it clearly, it's the white little string thing comming out of the front of the skin... see it now?


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## becca81 (Feb 13, 2005)

Cirith Ungol said:
			
		

> On your top pic you see it clearly, it's the white little string thing comming out of the front of the skin... see it now?


Yeah, I see it, but what's it for?


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## Cirith Ungol (Feb 13, 2005)

I don't know to be honest. But I can actually believe it is some remnant from the roaches interior that gets exchanged in the molt much like a tarantulas booklungs get a makover. But what it is I don't know. Maybe a part of the stomach or something, but I could be very wrong.


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## reptillian (Feb 14, 2005)

becca81 said:
			
		

> I checked on my _Blaptica dubia_ today and the first thing I saw was this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 it looks like a shed to me. it is in half probably because the roaches eat their own sheds or others shedded skin. :?  :?  :?  :?  :wall:


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