Any reccomended pet roach species?

[FlamingSwampert]

I am trying to decide on a pet roach species. I'm leaning towards Elliptorhina javanica (halloween hisser) but they all seem so interesting. Any suggestions?

 

[DomGom TheFather]

Hissers are cool.
I actually really like Pycnoscelus surinamensis. It's fun to watch them bury things.

 

[Snailientologist]

I've always loved the appearance of domino roaches, but I've never kept any and can't speak for their care or temperament.

 

[DiscoidsNHissers]

Hissers are really cool, but be warned: adult females are 90% of the time gonna show up pregnant. If you're like me who wants babies, that's fine, but it's a lot of little mandibles to feed, especially as they grow up and have more babies. Best to know breeding habits of whatever cockroach species you get and if they're the type to only need one mating to be fertile for life. Or just buy males, male hissers are dorks that fight each other the tiniest bit of tank territory. They won't kill each other (at least that I know of, though Chad dropped his brother from the top of the tank once) but it can be brutal to watch. Like a tiny cage match.

 

[justanotherTkeeper]

I have E. javanica, they are pretty cool

Just got these guys yesterday, they get bigger than E. javanica, and they are really chill. Roaches are definitely cool pets

Santa delivered early!!!

I have some new G. oblongonota hissers, which weren't even on my initial list

Here is the big boy
View attachment 368398 View attachment 368399 View attachment 368400 View attachment 368401 View attachment 368402

 

[pannaking22]

...all of them?

It really depends on what you want in your roach. Climbing vs. non-climbing? Flying vs. non-flying? Shiny, colorful and active vs. drab and secretive? Halloween hissers are a good in between of a lot of things. Good size, easy care, climbing ability, etc. Unless you keep them above a certain temp, reproduction won't be an issue. @Hisserdude would know more on that.

 

[Arthroverts]

...all of them?

Blast, you beat me to it...

Anyways, I'd recommend checking out photos on sites like Roach Forum to see what catches your eye. You can then figure out care requirements and see what works best for you as a beginner.

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[FlamingSwampert]

...all of them?

It really depends on what you want in your roach. Climbing vs. non-climbing? Flying vs. non-flying? Shiny, colorful and active vs. drab and secretive? Halloween hissers are a good in between of a lot of things. Good size, easy care, climbing ability, etc. Unless you keep them above a certain temp, reproduction won't be an issue. @Hisserdude would know more on that.

Yeah, that's the problem. I'm used to the wildly variable care need of reptiles, so searching for a roach species should have been easy. But most have such similar care, that it really come down to behavior and looks! Thanks for the reply!

 

[FlamingSwampert]

Blast, you beat me to it...

Anyways, I'd recommend checking out photos on sites like Roach Forum to see what catches your eye. You can then figure out care requirements and see what works best for you as a beginner.

Thanks,

Arthroverts

Yeah I joined the Roach Forum a few days ago, and I was greeted with tons more species that I was even originally considering! Thanks for the reply!

 

[ColeopteraC]

I've always loved the appearance of domino roaches, but I've never kept any and can't speak for their care or temperament.

Domino roaches are fun as adults however the nymphs aren’t the most exciting insects in behaviour (spend practically all their time under ground) or appearance (small and brown).

 

[Snailientologist]

Domino roaches are fun as adults however the nymphs aren’t the most exciting insects in behaviour (spend practically all their time under ground) or appearance (small and brown).

Interesting. How long do they spend as nymphs in comparison to as adults? I can imagine for some it might still be worth it.

 

[ColeopteraC]

Interesting. How long do they spend as nymphs in comparison to as adults? I can imagine for some it might still be worth it.

An l2 Nymph would take about a year (or so) to mature, this could be shortened slightly with a balanced high protein and energy diet.

The adults live for a few (4-5 months) at best, they are lovely to keep and of course incredibly rewarding to your patience. They just can’t be described as display species.

 

[RoachCoach]

Get hissers if you want sassy social roaches. The more you handle them the less they will hiss. They are very hardy. If you want the hardiest of hardy then blaberus or blatta will make you realize why they will survive the apocalypse. It seems the more colorful the harder to care for they are. That's why the gross German roach can get stepped on and still make you breakfast the next morning.
Edit: Oh ya, just wait a year or so and the Rhino bois will be sub $80 per nymph.