stinky hissers?

[halfwaynowhere]

I just picked up some hissers yesterday, and they stink! I don't know if this is because of what they were being fed, or if it was because they were pretty overcrowded before, or what. I've never had more than a few at a time, so maybe I just never smelled it this strong before, but this doesn't seem right. Maybe they'll start smelling better after I get them on a better diet? Or do they naturally have a less-than pleasant odor?

 

[deathwing]

I think the good old rotting wood will still be the best for them.

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

I think the good old rotting wood will still be the best for them.

I don't know why you're recommending him a diet, but I think fish food is better than wood

 

[CT9A]

The main reasons why roaches stink would be ventilation and humidity. If you add more ventilation via screen or holes (Screen would better for hissers)and keep them dry, the smell should drop by at least 50%. Another thing to look out for is leftovers. Make sure you clean up their leftovers, or you can do the conservative way and feed enough that their is barely or none left.

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

The main reasons why roaches stink would be ventilation and humidity. If you add more ventilation via screen or holes (Screen would better for hissers)and keep them dry, the smell should drop by at least 50%. Another thing to look out for is leftovers. Make sure you clean up their leftovers, or you can do the conservative way and feed enough that their is barely or none left.

lol I always dump a nice pile of fish flakes in my hisser "colony" and they eat 'em all in a couple of days. i LOVE the stuff.

 

[Amelia]

And make sure they are all alive. I know that when one of my larger roaches dies it smells AWFUL until I remove it.

 

[deathwing]

I don't know why you're recommending him a diet, but I think fish food is better than wood

As far as I can remember, hissers eat wood in their natural habitat. Anyway I think it is just another junk reply.

 

[Rochelle]

As far as I can remember, hissers eat wood in their natural habitat. Anyway I think it is just another junk reply.

Um...what?

Yes...hissers will eat wood. But they far prefer actual food. :wall:

Try feeding them Trout Chow. It is readily available at any feed/farm store in large bags, extremely cheap. (We pay $17 for 50lbs.) it is very high in protein as trout are carnivorous, and it also contains algae. It has zero odor, comes in tiny pellets for easy feeding and stores very well.
Continue to include fresh fruits and veggies in amounts that your size colony can eat completely in 24 hours or less.
As stated by other posters who actually have practical experience; keep very well ventilated. Remove all 'deaders' as they stink to the sky and will also attract phorid flies...which will lead to MUCH worse issues.
Also - do not mist a hisser tank. It does little or nothing for the hissers, but will moisten the frass and create a stench you will never forget.

This is one of our roach tanks...there are multiple thousands in here.
Zero odor.

Water is provided fresh.

 

[halfwaynowhere]

I love that sign, Rochelle!

I've only got a dozen roaches, so buying a 50 lb bag of food is a bit much.
I've been feeding goldfish flakes and fresh fruits and veggies. I think maybe the odor has gone down a bit since I brought them home. It was the roaches themselves that stunk, as I picked them out of their big tank and brought them home in a new, clean container.

anyways, thanks for the help! I'll see if I can find trout chow in smaller amounts somewhere.