by Sandy Winn

Created on: July 01, 2008   Last Updated: July 08, 2008

On reality television shows, they cause contestants to squirm at the thought of eating them or being in an enclosed container with them. Nature shows, on the other hand, show them as they truly are - harmless, beautiful, and magnificent insects. They are inexpensive, safe, and taking care of them is fairly easy. Therefore, they are an ideal first pet for children or for an adult who wants to impress their friends with such an exotic creature.

The hissing sound that Madagascar Cockroaches make does not come from their mouth but rather from pores on their abdomens as they push out air, and there are several reasons for hissing. All do it, including nymphs, as part of their natural instinct to ward off predators which explains why they hiss around people. However, only adult males use it during mating and courtship rituals as well as fighting. Males hiss when sizing up their opponent in preparation for a battle (females and nymphs do not engage in fighting) and the larger the male, the more impressive the hissing.

You can differentiate the sex quite easily. Males are relatively larger and have two distinct protruding humps on their thorax known as pronotal horns. Females may have bumps too but they are either very small or non-existent. Males also have bushier antennae than females.

Adults grow to be around one and a half to three inches long but it is fascinating how much bigger they appear when compared to other cockroaches, they even make the gigantic American Cockroach look a little puny. One reason for appearing so large is because they do not have wings but rather a shiny exoskeleton protecting their body. Also, due to their calm nature, the hissing cockroach does not run at super speeds like their cousins.

Unlike other female cockroaches, there will be no little brown oval-shaped egg sac waiting to be hatched found on the floor (which this author prefers to squish). Female Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches carry their egg sac inside and when the little adults break out, it appears as though she has given live birth. Unless breeding for money, one of either sex or two of both sexes is preferable because females can produce thirty to sixty nymphs.

Mythbusters has proved that cockroaches can live through a nuclear explosion but that has nothing to do with the lifespan of a cockroach, which is not very long. There isn't a long term commitment like there is with cats, birds, or female tarantulas that can live from eleven to twenty years. The hissing cockroach generally

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