When I first saw this title I the immediate thought coming into my head was "how bizarre, surely people don't have cockroaches as pets". Also with the word "Giant" in the title I thought of a huge cockroach attacking a house with a family looking out the window looking scared. Very weird I know. However I was curious to find out if people do actually have cockroaches as pets and was very intrigued to find out that they do.

Giant Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches or Hisser, a common name for them, originates from the island of Madagascar off the African coast. They are different from other cockroaches because they are wingless.

THE HISSER!
The Giant Madagascar hissing cockroach because a popular pet to have because of its distinct hissing noise that it makes. The reason for the hissing noise that it makes is because their breathing pores or (spiracles) found on their abdomen, have the ability to force air though which makes a hissing noise as the air passes through. There are two types of noises that the cockroach makes a disturbance hiss and a fighting hiss. All cockroaches use the disturbance hiss as an alarm when trouble arises. However the fighting noise is only made by the male cockroach. It is usually used when the male wants to challenge another generally to win a female. The two males will fight it out and the winner will win the female.

SO WHY ARE THEY KEPT AS PETS?
Well because they are wingless they cannot fly and are slightly more secure than other bugs. Also they do not bite and so young children would be safe from any harm.

If you are thinking of getting yourself your own Giant Madagascar cockroach there are a few things you will need to do to make our cockroach happy!

It is a good idea to get some coconut fiber or bark to use a bedding, also branches and pieces of cork can be used to put in a tank. It keeps your cockroach busy as it likes to climb around, so the bark or whatever you choose to use would give the cockroach a little adventure in the tank!

Also you need to make sure you keep a heating pad under part of the tank. This is because the cockroach will be used to its hot climate in Madagascar and so will have adapted to this hot climate. The temperatures in the tank to be kept constant throughout the day and can be slightly cooler at nighttimes. During the day the temperatures can range from 82-96 degrees Fahrenheit and the nighttimes the temperatures should not be any lower than 68 degrees Fahrenheit, as if the temperature is any lower it will cause the cockroach to become very sluggish.

There is no special lighting required for the cockroach it is a very easy pet to care for.

You are probably wondering what to feed the cockroach well they are not fussy eaters! Their diet mainly consists of dry dog, cat or mouse food. To make sure that they stay hydrated you can get a small empty container in a tank and then put a soaked sponge in it. They will use this to get their moisture. However you can also opt to use vegetables or fruits instead. Oranges can be a better way of making sure the cockroach stays hydrated because they don't mould as easily as other fruits. Just remember to keep it natural for your cockroach. In the wild they would not be able to eat meats so don't feed it any kind of meat as it is not natural or necessary in their diet.

Well, my vision of a Giant Madagascar hissing Cockroach attacking a house has changed. They are just harmless creatures that make great pets!

Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M adagascar_hissing_cockroach

Learn more about this author, Phoebe Faye.
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