A Hiss-less Hisser?

Odette

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Messages
3
Hi there, I've been meaning to ask a question about my hissing cockroach for quite some time; she doesn't hiss. I realize that juveniles do not hiss, but I am almost 100% sure that she is fully an adult. I got her from a local reptile zoo and as far as I know, she didn't hiss before I got her, either. I thought maybe it has something to do with her spiracles? When I disturb her it looks like she tries to hiss, but nothing happens. If anyone knows what the cause of this may be, that would be great.
 

Rue

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 24, 2011
Messages
239
Hissing is a defensive reaction. If she's a 'calmer' individual or is used to being handled she's less likely to hiss. Not all of mine hiss and I don't handle them very often.

I suppose it's not impossible that she has a defect of her spiracles...but unlikely...
 

Odette

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Messages
3
She's actually not very calm at all. In fact she's one of the most skittish hissers I've ever met. But I have never heard her hiss, not once. Not that it's a problem, I'm not huge fan of the sound, haha. I do handle her fairly regularly, but before I purchased her she was not handled at all.
 

BQC123

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
May 8, 2010
Messages
413
I have a few I got just for a presentation I was doing. They have only hissed a few times. Almost impossible to show anyone though, they only do it when really stressed or surprised for me.
 

ZephAmp

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 8, 2008
Messages
530
Adult female hissers don't hiss as much as the males.
If you've seen a hisser hiss, you'd notice that they really compress their abdomen while doing so. In females, that's where the ootheca is held. It might not be so wise to put a lot of that squishing pressure on your babies if you're a roach.
That's my theory for it.
 

Odette

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Messages
3
That's the thing though. When I say I haven't heard her hiss, I mean I've NEVER heard her his. Though I've seen her compress her abdomen and it looks like she tries. She just hasn't, though.
 

desertanimal

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jan 6, 2011
Messages
173
I've encountered wild hissers that I haven't been able to get to hiss. On the other hand, I've been hissed at by wild hissers who were tucked away inside a log that I didn't see and wasn't bothering. There seems to be a good bit of variation in the hissy-ness of hissers.
 

LeilaNami

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 8, 2006
Messages
2,164
My females never hiss and I have only heard my males hiss when messing around in the terrarium. I get a chorus of hissing and my fiance accuses me of playing "musical hissers".
 

pavel

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 18, 2008
Messages
390
Maybe yours just isn't prone to having "hissy fits" ... if only the same could be said about some people I know.......:D
 
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