Anyone for a cockroach cluster??
Posted 21-01-2008 at 06:23 AM by piglet
Thought I'd share a recent adventure. I love animals - not just the cute, furry ones, but the vicious, spiky ones too!
My most recent pet adventure involved a batch of Madagascan Hissing Roaches. I bought them off ebay. They grow to about 2-3 inches long and they blow air through little spiracles (tubes) in their bodies when they are distressed - hence the "hissing".
I put my new family members in the viv with my baby stick insects (I'll fill you in on their adventures another time). Unfortunately, I had not realised that a couple of the females were heavily pregnant.
Hissers develop their eggs internally, eventually dropping lots of little babies in one go. On the first night in their new home, the ladies dropped theirs.
I got the hissers before Christmas. I am still finding little cockroaches all over my house, as the viv was not set up for holding in baby roaches!
Most of the family have been relocated to the invertebrate section of the animal unit where I teach. I have the remaining escapees in a different viv now!
You wouldn't believe where the little blighters have been!
- my shoes
- my bed
- wandering across the bedroom ceiling (the viv is in my bedroom)
- bunking with my chinchillas
- woke with one in my hair once too!
They are fascinating little creatures, but boy, do they smell. Their viv has this really sickly sweet smell - not pleasant. I'll look after the babies I have, then they're off to join the rest of the family at work!!!
My most recent pet adventure involved a batch of Madagascan Hissing Roaches. I bought them off ebay. They grow to about 2-3 inches long and they blow air through little spiracles (tubes) in their bodies when they are distressed - hence the "hissing".
I put my new family members in the viv with my baby stick insects (I'll fill you in on their adventures another time). Unfortunately, I had not realised that a couple of the females were heavily pregnant.
Hissers develop their eggs internally, eventually dropping lots of little babies in one go. On the first night in their new home, the ladies dropped theirs.
I got the hissers before Christmas. I am still finding little cockroaches all over my house, as the viv was not set up for holding in baby roaches!
Most of the family have been relocated to the invertebrate section of the animal unit where I teach. I have the remaining escapees in a different viv now!
You wouldn't believe where the little blighters have been!
- my shoes
- my bed
- wandering across the bedroom ceiling (the viv is in my bedroom)
- bunking with my chinchillas
- woke with one in my hair once too!
They are fascinating little creatures, but boy, do they smell. Their viv has this really sickly sweet smell - not pleasant. I'll look after the babies I have, then they're off to join the rest of the family at work!!!
Total Comments 6
Comments
 |  Oh dear Piglet! I don't think I can ever come over for dinner now LOL.....sickly sweet smell...grosse! |
Posted 21-01-2008 at 04:33 PM by Nicolette  |
| |  ummmm I guess since I have a chicken in my bedroom I cannot say much! But oh my... ewww LOL. |
| Posted 21-01-2008 at 08:20 PM by veiled |
| |  Welcome to blogging piglet!! Wow... that is some unique pets you have. Most people don't like cockroaches, but I've never seen one so I have no idea what the issue is with them... Have to say, jealous that you have chinchilla's though! You're in the midlands in the UK right? I'm not from the midlands but am in the UK too... London and Newcastle (uni)... ::waves:: |
| Posted 21-01-2008 at 11:08 PM by Lisa |
| |  Welcome to blogging Piglet.... interesting interest you have... |
| Posted 23-01-2008 at 07:54 AM by anthony |
| |  Welcome to blogging, Piglet!! Must admit I'm partial to the cute, fuzzy animals, but your writing about cockroaches is fascinating. |
| Posted 23-01-2008 at 11:01 AM by hodge |
| |  Piglet: I too have many animal stories, when I was in college I maintained the animal room for the biology department. The worst were the leaches for invertebrate zoology. Between watching them feed on frozen liver and African Queen I don't think I would react well if I ever found one on my body. I really enjoyed the baby story. I once observed a spider in my back yard carrying all her babies on her back until she fell in the pool and they all abandoned ship. LOL |
| Posted 07-04-2008 at 12:06 AM by Cindy |
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- Anyone for a cockroach cluster?? (21-01-2008)
