Blatta Lateralis?

[Lestat_tnt]

Is it normal for the mature roaches of this species to loose legs easily? I notice a few hobbling around on very few legs, there legs scattered on the egg cartons. I once gently grabbed one with few legs by one of the remaining legs and it popped off (defence mechanism perhaps? Then why are some popping off by thereselves?). I haven't noticed this with my blaberus fusca.

 

[Steven Gielis]

It's normal. It's indeed a defence mechanism.

 

[bugmankeith]

Thats not a smart defence, if they pop all 6 their a sitting duck!

 

[Canfire]

man thats a stupid defence mechanism. theyre just easier to chase if they lose all theyre legs. like imagine if your being chased by a rhino and your legs just pop off.

 

[Cirith Ungol]

man thats a stupid defence mechanism. theyre just easier to chase if they lose all theyre legs. like imagine if your being chased by a rhino and your legs just pop off.

Yeah, but imagine the leg doesn't pull off, then the next thing to end up in the jaws is the torso... It's very unlikely for all six legs to come off and the less it's having the slower it goes, so before they have only one leg I bet they're already eaten instead.

 

[BigToach]

are u feeding them enough

maybe they are using their defense and dropping their legs because they are not being fed enough, and they are trying to nip at each others legs because they are hungry.
just a thought.

 

[Steven Gielis]

When I feed my spiders I always take this roach with a pincet by his legs and they realy often drop their leg. The defence mechanisme isn't so bad because most of the time the predator starts eating the leg and by than the roach is gone. And even with a few legs missing these species is running really fast! I think that the correct name of this species is Shelfordella tartara.

 

[Galadriel]

man thats a stupid defence mechanism. theyre just easier to chase if they lose all theyre legs. like imagine if your being chased by a rhino and your legs just pop off.

LMAO! That has to be the funniest visual I've had all week!
I just got a colony of these roach so I'll be sure to keep an eye out for the legless morph =)