Madagascar cockroach: biological features
Madagascar cockroach, appearance
At the moment, the exact number of species of Madagascar cockroaches is unknown, but it is believed that there are about 20 of them.
The Madagascar cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa) is one of the largest. Its body length is on average about 4-5 cm, but can reach 10 cm. The weight of a cockroach can reach 40 g.
The cockroach has a wide abdomen and a hard chitinous cover. These insects do not have wings.
The color of a cockroach can be different: from light red to dark black. The shade is affected by the age of the insect: the older it is, the lighter it is.
A distinctive feature of the Madagascar cockroach is the absence of wings, and at all stages of development. So they can't fly.
The lifespan of an insect can vary depending on its habitat. In the wild, a cockroach lives for about 1-1.5 years, while in captivity, with proper care, this exotic cockroach can live up to 5 years.
Madagascar cockroaches have pronounced dimorphism: the male has outgrowths on the front upper part of the chitinous cover, in addition, the female has a wider abdomen.
Often the male is also distinguished by the fact that his whiskers are damaged. The reason is that during the fight for a female, males break their mustache, and females usually have intact mustaches.
Appearance
While a good half of the representatives of the cockroach order are distinguished by the presence of developed wings, Madagascan individuals are completely devoid of them. The appearance of the insect can be called at least unusual. A distinctive feature of the cockroach is its impressive size, hard chitinous cover and large striped abdomen . Adult insects can reach a length of almost 10 centimeters.
The color may vary depending on the subspecies and condition of the insect. As a rule, it is a light red shade with isolated black areas. The younger the individual, the darker the color of its shell. Individuals of different sexes are distinguished by the presence of a “visor” in the male on the chitinous cover in its upper part.
In most males, the whiskers are damaged or absent altogether. This is explained by periodic skirmishes with their brothers in the fight for the female they like. While the latter can always boast of a intact, even and lush mustache. Another distinctive feature of females is their wide and slightly protruding abdomen.
Lifestyle of the Madagascar cockroach
This species, like others, is quite shy. During the daytime, insects hide in secluded corners, and at night they crawl out of their shelters and go in search of food.
The Madagascar cockroach is large and has no poison, so it is often food for birds and animals.
When a potential threat appears, the cockroach sits motionless. But even if it is noticed, it is not so easy to grab the insect due to its smooth and slippery shell.
As a defense against enemies, the male makes a hissing sound similar to the hiss of a snake. This method is quite effective, since animals that hunt insects are usually small in size and sometimes become prey for snakes.
Cockroaches hiss using spiracles, organs located on the surface of their body. The hissing sound is produced due to the fact that the insect sharply contracts the lungs, and air escapes from them.
Living space
Keeping cockroaches at home has a number of features. You will have to create a living space for insects yourself. You will need to add a layer of sawdust or filler and install shelters. Ideally, you need to recreate the conditions of a tropical forest.
As for the climate, insects can be kept in a wide range of temperatures. It is best to maintain high temperature and humidity. In winter, you can install a special heating system and humidify the air.
Cockroaches are exotic and unusual pets. Their breeding is becoming more and more popular, and there are many reasons for this.
How do Madagascar cockroaches reproduce?
Males fight for the female and hiss at each other during the battle. If one male is tired and wants to give up, he rolls over on his back, admitting defeat.
The winning male then fertilizes the female. She can lay about 20-25 eggs at a time.
The female bears offspring in the ooteca located inside the abdomen. Periodically, the female pushes it out to air the eggs. The peculiarity of bearing offspring of the Madagascar cockroach differs from other species of the cockroach suborder, since in other representatives of the suborder the females shed the ooteca long before the appearance of the larvae.
The gestation period may vary, but on average it is about two months. The larvae hatch from eggs directly in the female's abdomen and crawl out along with the remains of the ootheca. Newborn nymphs weigh less than a gram and have a body length of about 3-4 mm.
After hatching, the larvae eat the ootheca and gradually darken. Throughout their growth, the larvae do not leave their mother, who protects them from enemies with a loud hiss.
The nymph molts 6 times during its growth, gradually becoming darker. During the period of maturation, it increases in size, the chitinous layer becomes too small for the nymph and cracks, and a soft shell remains under it. After each molt, the nymph eats the old chitinous layer.
The duration of the nymph stage also varies and lasts about 6-12 months.
Features of reproduction
The unusual nature of the reproduction process of Madagascar cockroaches lies in their tendency to bear eggs inside the body. The eggs formed after fertilization stick together and form a separate compartment - the ooteca. It is in the abdomen throughout the entire ripening period and has a yellowish or white color.
Madagascar cockroaches make hissing sounds
On average, this period lasts about 50−70 days (about three months). The female is able to pull it outside to air it out. Pregnancy can be judged by the increased size of the individual and its swollen abdomen.
The gestation period depends on climatic conditions. In warm climates it is much less. The larvae begin to emerge from the eggs inside the female, squeezing out with the remains of the ooteca. After birth, the beetles are white in color and up to several millimeters in size.
Immediately after birth, insects feed on the remains of the ootheca, gradually acquiring the color characteristic of an adult beetle. The female produces approximately 25 larvae per litter. Subsequently, she vigilantly protects them. For several days they sit near their mother, but as they grow older they leave to explore new territories.
The larvae molt up to 6 times as they mature. The shell cannot stretch, so it cracks and falls off as the insect grows. The beetles eat it, gradually acquiring a dark color.
The newly grown cover gradually hardens. Molting depends on external living conditions and lasts from six months to a year in general. The surface cover has 10 segmental areas articulated by soft tissues. A break along the back allows the formation of a new shell.
One female Madagascar cockroach gives birth to 25 individuals at once
After the new body appears, the head and eyes appear. At this time they can be seen, although previously they were hidden. Afterwards, the whiskers and paws begin to stretch out. The abdomen is in the shell longer than any part of the body. The appearance of the insect changes significantly half an hour after molting.
The cockroach expands in width and acquires a flat structure. Its body is shortened, the folds between the segments are smoothed out, and the abdomen is elongated. The entire period of formation of a new look takes no more than 40 minutes. The shed shell is eaten by the individual. It is necessary to strengthen the new shell and change its color. On the second day after molting, the individual will not differ from other larvae.
Is the Madagascar cockroach dangerous for humans?
Despite its terrifying appearance and impressive size, the Madagascar cockroach is harmless to humans.
Cockroaches do not bite people; they have no poison. Unlike red and black cockroaches, Madagascar cockroaches do not carry any diseases.
Madagascar cockroaches on a leaf
Madagascar cockroach in hand
Madagascar cockroach
Content
Madagascar cockroaches can be easily bred and kept at home. To do this you will need: · A spacious cage, at the rate of 1 liter per adult. · All kinds of shelters and snags. · Temperatures in the range of about 25 degrees and high humidity. Coconut substrate is ideal for these purposes. You can also use sawdust, but then a large number of drinking bowls are installed in the cage so that the cockroaches always have access to water. Cockroaches need to be given a lot of juicy fruits and vegetables for food. They especially love bananas. Protein foods should also be provided in the form of oatmeal, fish food and bread. The main thing is to try to diversify your diet so that cockroaches don’t start eating their fellow creatures and hurting themselves.
Keeping a Madagascar cockroach at home
Most people prefer to keep cats or dogs in the house. They have soft fur, you can pet such animals and lie next to them.
But there are also those who prefer to have more exotic pets, including snakes, spiders, lizards and even cockroaches.
Keeping cockroaches in the house has its advantages: they will not damage the furniture in the house, there is no smell from insects in the house, and guests may not notice them at all.
But Madagascar cockroaches are not always bred as pets; sometimes they are raised to later be used to feed other pets: snakes, lizards or spiders.
Madagascar cockroaches are food not only for animals, but also for people. In some countries they are considered a tasty delicacy and are eaten along with chicken and veal. In particular, cockroach is included in the menu of Thai cuisine.
The cockroach does not contain fat and is rich in protein; there is more of it in the insect than in chicken or veal.
Buying exotic insects is not a problem: Madagascar cockroaches can be purchased at the bird market, in a pet store or in an online store.
In general, cockroaches are unpretentious creatures, but caring for them has its own characteristics.
Terrarium for Madagascar cockroaches
Madagascar cockroaches in a terrarium
The choice of terrariums for cockroaches is huge, so you need to choose an option based on the number of insects, free space and personal preferences.
If you plan to have a couple of cockroaches, then a three-liter jar will be enough. For a small colony (30 pieces), a 20x30x40 cm terrarium is suitable. You can also use an aquarium and even a food container, but then you need to remember to make holes in it for air to enter.
The terrarium can be with or without a lid. In the first case, you need to make small holes for air, and in the second, lubricate the walls with Vaseline so that the nymphs of the Madagascar cockroach cannot escape. Adults will not be able to get out of the terrarium in any case, but young animals are able to move along vertical surfaces.
As mentioned earlier, the Madagascar cockroach is predominantly nocturnal, so the more hiding places there are in the terrarium, the better.
To decorate a terrarium, it is not necessary to buy special parts from pet stores; you can create a cozy home for exotic pets using scrap materials.
For example, egg trays are a popular option. They can be used to make “multi-story” houses with deep compartments where you can hide.
Another popular and affordable material is toilet paper rolls and other similar cardboard cylinders (paper towels, chips, etc.). They can be used to build tunnels through which cockroaches can move.
To decorate the terrarium, they also use wooden slabs, which are fastened parallel to each other, and the space between them is filled with fragments of pottery.
Insects love woody smells, so driftwood, pieces of bark or branches would be an excellent option for a terrarium with Madagascar cockroaches.
Bedding in a terrarium for Madagascar cockroaches
At the bottom of the terrarium you need to put a 3-4 cm layer of bedding. As already mentioned, cockroaches prefer the strong aroma of wood, so sawdust is perfect as bedding. It is recommended to mix them with sand.
It is better to use sawdust from deciduous trees; coniferous trees contain essential oils that are harmful to the health of cockroaches.
An easy way to get sawdust is to buy compressed sawdust cat litter. You can easily find this at any pet store.
You can also use granular rodent litter, coconut substrate, napkins, and cardboard.
The litter needs to be changed approximately every 3-4 weeks.
Temperature conditions in a terrarium with Madagascar cockroaches
For the exotic Madagascar cockroach, the optimal temperature is from +18°C to +30°C, otherwise it will not reproduce.
Air humidity in a terrarium with Madagascar cockroaches
The optimal humidity level is 65%. But maintaining such humidity is not so easy. Madagascar cockroaches will feel quite comfortable if you spray the walls and bedding with hot water from a regular spray bottle once a week. The water will evaporate and turn into a warm mist - these are excellent conditions for the insect.
But be careful, excess moisture will lead to rotting of the litter, and parasites may also appear in the terrarium.
Another simple option to create a suitable humidity level is to place jars of warm water. Their necks need to be wrapped with gauze so that cockroaches cannot get into the water, because if they get there, they will probably drown.
Drinking bowl for Madagascar cockroaches
In the wild, cockroaches get water from juicy fruits and also drink dew. In captivity they need to make a drinking bowl. To make it, you need to take a shallow tray, fill it with water, and put cotton wool on the bottom. Thanks to it, insects will not drown.
Another option for making a drinking bowl is to take a foam sponge or sponge and wet it. You need to make sure it is always wet.
What to feed Madagascar cockroaches?
This type of cockroach, like others, is omnivorous. In the wild, they prefer rotten fruits or leaves.
At home, you can feed them almost everything:
- bread;
- fresh vegetables (cucumbers, carrots, cabbage, celery, lettuce);
- fresh fruits (bananas, apples, pears);
- dandelion flowers and leaves;
- boiled porridge without salt (rolled oats, buckwheat);
- food for fish (daphnia).
Some believe that cockroaches need animal protein, so they feed them boiled meat, cottage cheese, eggs, and diet sausage.
It is not recommended to give food for cats and dogs to Madagascar cockroaches, as it may contain insecticides that are dangerous to insects.
There are cannibals among cockroaches, so make sure that the insects have enough food, and also change their diet periodically. In addition, cockroaches, like other living beings, have their own food preferences: they can eat some things quickly, but not others.
Cockroach care
Madagascar cockroaches are very unpretentious pets . They do not require special treatment. The main thing is to take into account their usual way of life and recreate all the living conditions at home:
Temperature regime.
Since these pets came from the hot island of Madagascar, the temperature in the terrarium should be at least 25 degrees, maximum 30. If the temperature drops lower or, on the contrary, rises, cockroaches will not reproduce.
Humidity.
To maintain the required humidity, you should irrigate your home with warm water. The main thing is not to overdo it so that the litter does not start to mold.
Substrate.
You can use sawdust or newspaper as a substrate, anything that cockroaches can burrow into. You need to change the substrate once a month and make sure there is no mold.
Nutrition.
This is one of the main advantages of keeping Madagascar cockroaches. They eat fruits, vegetables, bread and even porridge. They can eat rotten fruit. They get the bulk of their moisture from fruits. They also like boiled meat. They also often eat their own excrement and that of dead comrades. Another plus is that they eat very little.
There is no need to install a drinking bowl; this may result in the cockroaches drowning in a container of water. Some studies have been conducted to understand what food cockroaches prefer. It turned out that what they liked most were fruits, rolled oats, bread and meat. But the eggs and cottage cheese were left out of use.
