Crash Course: Cockroaches

Well I haven't gotten any questions so I'm going to just start giving some general information about Cockroaches. The type of cockroaches I own are Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. My most common questions seems to be "HISSING?!" Yes they really do hiss. It is a defense mechanism used to make them sound like a snake hissing if they feel threatened. The desired effect is that the predator who is searching for a tasty cockroach snack will assume the hissing is coming from a snake and run away from the potential threat, leaving the cockroach. The hissing is also often used in their breeding ritual ;) They produce these sounds from black spots on the back of their abdomen. These spots are actually holes called spiracles which the cockroaches use to breathe. When air is pushed through these holes rapidly it causes the hissing sound that so often characterizes them.
Some other basic characteristics is that they are wingless, unlike most cockroaches.

They make strong pets and despite their alien-like appearance and their bad reputation I would highly suggest them. However, before you think about purchasing one check to see if your state requires a permit to either own or breed cockroaches. This is to prevent one from getting into the environment and becoming a non-native species. This is mainly in southern states. If you can make hissing cockroaches you pets they are excellent for reptile owners because they can be bread and used as feeder insects as well as a pet. 

As far as their appearance, I have included a picture for a reference. They are a mixture of blacks, browns and even orange. They are the largest species of cockroach, ranging from 2-3 in. as adults. The cockroach in the picture above is a male. You can tell by the protrusions that look like horns above his head. Females only have small bumps. These "horns" are used in defense and mating. Though it is hard to see in this picture you can see some of the black spots on his abdomen that he uses for hissing. Well there's a crash course on Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches.

Check back for more news on my pets as well as a crash courses on Tarantula's and Avicularia Versicolors and lots more! Make sure to follow and leave any questions in the comments and I will be glad to answer them in my next post!

Fluffy/Cockroach update

Hey guys! Just an update cuz I haven't posted in awhile, Fluffy has molted! She molted yesterday night. This was long awaited and I am very glad that she did because it took her way longer than usual. Her 1st molt was on August 22nd and this is her 2nd molt! She is so little and adorable! If you have any questions about how Tarantulas molt please leave any questions in the comment box
In other news, we still only have 1 cockroach baby. This is highly unusual. Our guess is that since we did not have our females for the length of time that it usually takes for them to have babies that we were sent a pregnant female. The stress from being shipped probably caused to her lose several of her young only leaving one viable baby. We cannot know for sure but we are very happy to have little Mojica (thats what we named the baby:). On a side note, there are 4 males and 2 females. The males names are rico, skipper cowalski and private. The females do not have any names yet. If you can think of any cool names we are open to ideas in the comment. (names like squish or gross are not appreciated :P)
Leave comments ask questions and I promise to answer them to the best of my ability! Also make sure to follow!

Cockroach Baby

Don't have a lot of time but I just wanted to mention that my hissing cockroaches that me and my boyfriend have been trying to colonize for awhile have had a baby. We did not even know that they were pregnant and despite the fact that they usually have 25-45 babies there is only 1. He is our little miracle! Pictures and more description coming later!

Fluffy Update

I'm starting to get worried. Fluffy has not eaten for 3-4 weeks. It is common for tarantulas to not eat when they are in pre-molt and Fluffy is way over due but it should have happened by now. Though I am still confident she is just a late bloomer, if she doesn't hurry up she will still be too vulnerable to take her to the tarantula night I posted about earlier. I will keep you updated about her condition. Also, since this is a short post please feel free to leave any comments asking questions about molting and I would be happy to make another post explaining the process fuller. Make sure to subscribe and add your friends!

Tarantula Event

At Preuss Pets in East Lansing, there is a Tarantula night on October 28th. Come out bring your tarantulas or just check out everyone else. There will be contests games and speakers. Even if you don't like tarantulas but you happen to see this, I highly suggest checking out Preuss Pets. They are an amazing pet store and a cool destination. I got Fluffy and several of my cockroaches there. They are also available to asks questions about exotic pets and are very knowledgeable, unlike many common pet stores. You will see many more posts involving them. So if you can come check it out, Preuss Pets in East Lansing October 28th TARANTULA NIGHT!

Fluffy!

Here is an image of my Avicularia Versicolor the 1st day I brought her home. I do not know for sure she is a girl yet, but I'm hoping for a girl so you will hear me refer to her as a girl because hey its wishful thinking ;) In this picture she was about as big as a nickle. She has since molted once and is prob about as big as a quarter. This picture really shows off her beautiful blue color well. However, she also has a beautiful design on her back that isn't shown as well. Hopefully, when she gets bigger I can post more pics with better detail.

1st Post!

Hey this is my very 1st blog and my very 1st post! So for those of you that don't know what arachnophiles means, it's the opposite of arachnophobe, or a person who is afraid of spiders. Yes this is a page for people who like spiders. No this is not an emo page or some creepy scary page about spiders designed to scare you. This is an interesting and informational page about entomology (insects) and one of my favorite creatures, tarantulas. You do not have to like bugs or spider's to like this page, you just have to be open to the idea of learning about the majestic creatures. I will post cool websites I find, cool insects, possible events or activities you can do yourself and my favorite, posts about my own special pets! I have a beautiful Avicularia Versicolor, which is a pretty blue tarantula, and 6 Madagascar Hissing cockroaches. I will post pictures and lots more about them later but for now I think this pretty much sums everything up. I hope to get some followers and make sure to tell your friends :)