A Wild Roach Newbie Appears!

[Chimera]

Greetings from Utah! I'm Chimera, and I have only just recently gotten addicted to the idea of roaches! After asking some questions over at Arachnoboards (I go by the same name there), I fully settled on keeping roaches over other types of inverts. Someone on here may have even cemented my decision through their helpful replies.. *cough* @Hisserdude *cough*

I do not have any roaches as of yet, but I would like to get a colony going. I'm still trying to decide on a particular species, but as of right now, I am leaning towards the gorgeous Gromphadorhina oblongonota (wide-horn hisser)! I love the look of really big roaches, and hissers make the coolest sounds

As I've heard that For the Love of Cockroaches by Orin McMonigle is a great resource, but NO libraries seem to have it, I have submitted a purchase request at both my city and county library systems! Hopefully one of them will buy it. *fingers crossed*

I found this forum through a Bugs in Cyberspace care sheet, and thought it would be a great way to connect to other roach enthusiasts! I am friendly and love chatting, so if you have any advice for a first-time roach keeper, feel free to message me!

As for any questions I have, I would simply love to hear what types of pet roaches others keep, and as I'm still figuring out a setup, and info or pictures for hisser setups would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Hisserdude]

Hey man, glad to see you here!

G.oblongonota are a nice species for sure, just watch out for hybrid strains though!

I've gotten my Library to order many Orin McMonigle books, hope they'll order this one for you! I bought my own personal copy since I didn't want to have to return it to the library, ever! :lol: It's a great book, chock full of helpful information.

Hissers are pretty dang flexible when it comes to enclosure setups, as long as they have plenty of hides, an enclosure that is mostly dry with a moist corner or two, and you keep them above 75F and offer lots of fruits and veggies, they should thrive in your care! Also, be sure their lid is airtight and has no gaps between it and the tub/tank, otherwise you'll be finding baby hissers all over your house, (not that they'll live longer than a week or two out of their enclosure).

 

[Chimera]

Likewise!

Yeah, I was very excited to find a hisser that gets so large! Forgive my lack of knowledge, but do you mean roaches people have gotten by crossing G.oblongonota with another Gromphadorhina species? (As I'm guessing that, in general, they can only crossbreed within their own genus.) I'm hoping to get them from Roach Crossing, which I gather to be a reputable source, but if I end up getting them through a classifieds ad or something, how can I be sure the strain is pure? And if it's not, will I merely get smaller roaches?

Nice! There are a grand total of zero Orin books near me The plan is to see if I like it enough to buy it, but if the library doesn't choose to order it, I might just have to take a leap of faith.

Thanks for the info, I ran across that handy thread with how to DIY Sterilite gaskets, and so I think I'll go that route. Any suggestions regarding size?

 

[Hisserdude]

Likewise!

Yeah, I was very excited to find a hisser that gets so large! Forgive my lack of knowledge, but do you mean roaches people have gotten by crossing G.oblongonota with another Gromphadorhina species? (As I'm guessing that, in general, they can only crossbreed within their own genus.) I'm hoping to get them from Roach Crossing, which I gather to be a reputable source, but if I end up getting them through a classifieds ad or something, how can I be sure the strain is pure? And if it's not, will I merely get smaller roaches?

Nice! There are a grand total of zero Orin books near me The plan is to see if I like it enough to buy it, but if the library doesn't choose to order it, I might just have to take a leap of faith.

Thanks for the info, I ran across that handy thread with how to DIY Sterilite gaskets, and so I think I'll go that route. Any suggestions regarding size?

Yes, unfortunately many people have interbred the various Gromphadorhina species in the hobby with each other, and they can definitely hybridize and create fertile offspring. Unfortunately it can actually be difficult to tell hybrids apart from pure breds in some cases. If you did end up getting hybrids, the coloration would probably be very variable and they wouldn't get as large as true G.oblongonota. Real oblongonota get huge, (major males can reach 80-90 mm), and adults are a dark oxblood color, with no striping. Nymphs might be more variable in coloration, but adults should not be.

Roachcrossing's hissers all seem to be pure, however, he has been very unresponsive for the last few months due to personal issues, so I doubt you'll be able to order from him for a while.

Hope your Library will buy the book then!

G.oblongonota like a roomy enclosure with plenty of hides, so something around the size of a 10 gallon tank or larger would be best for a permanent enclosure. 

 

[Chimera]

Yes, unfortunately many people have interbred the various Gromphadorhina species in the hobby with each other, and they can definitely hybridize and create fertile offspring. Unfortunately it can actually be difficult to tell hybrids apart from pure breds in some cases. If you did end up getting hybrids, the coloration would probably be very variable and they wouldn't get as large as true G.oblongonota. Real oblongonota get huge, (major males can reach 80-90 mm), and adults are a dark oxblood color, with no striping. Nymphs might be more variable in coloration, but adults should not be.

Roachcrossing's hissers all seem to be pure, however, he has been very unresponsive for the last few months due to personal issues, so I doubt you'll be able to order from him for a while.

Hope your Library will buy the book then!

G.oblongonota like a roomy enclosure with plenty of hides, so something around the size of a 10 gallon tank or larger would be best for a permanent enclosure. 

Hmm, interesting. I know, I can't wait to hold a huge full-grown male in my hands

Yeah, I noticed that... I saw Cape Cod Roaches offer them as well, but they're more expensive.

Great, I was thinking something along the lines of a 64 qt. Sterilite.

Thanks for your help! I really appreciate it

 

[Hisserdude]

Hmm, interesting. I know, I can't wait to hold a huge full-grown male in my hands

Yeah, I noticed that... I saw Cape Cod Roaches offer them as well, but they're more expensive.

Great, I was thinking something along the lines of a 64 qt. Sterilite.

Thanks for your help! I really appreciate it

I'd try contacting @Allpet Roaches, (who is actually Orin McMonigle FYI), I think he may have purebred G.oblongonota, he may not have them available right now though, since they aren't on his current FS ad. 

CCR's G.oblongonota look a little weird to me, and his "G.portenosa" are definitely hybrids, so I'd be cautious calling any of his hissers pure bred. Also, I'm having a lot of trouble contacting him anyway, wrote him a couple weeks ago inquiring about his Gyna capucina, and he never wrote me back...

Yeah, something like that would be great for a permanent enclosure.

No problem, happy to help! 

 

[Chimera]

I'd try contacting @Allpet Roaches, (who is actually Orin McMonigle FYI), I think he may have purebred G.oblongonota, he may not have them available right now though, since they aren't on his current FS ad. 

CCR's G.oblongonota look a little weird to me, and his "G.portenosa" are definitely hybrids, so I'd be cautious calling any of his hissers pure bred. Also, I'm having a lot of trouble contacting him anyway, wrote him a couple weeks ago inquiring about his Gyna capucina, and he never wrote me back...

Yeah, something like that would be great for a permanent enclosure.

No problem, happy to help! 

Woah, really? That is so cool! And I will try contacting him, thank you!

Ah, good to know.

Although, I'm talking to someone on Arachnoboards and they said G.oblongonota like it pretty dry, so I was thinking about doing a 10 (maybe bigger?) gal. glass terrarium with a mesh lid and a bit of plastic wrap over the top and no extra moisture provided. Would that work, or should I just stick with Sterilite?

EDIT: I tried to message him, but apparently that account cannot recieve messages? So I'll just do it here.

Hey, @Allpet Roaches! I'm a new member here that would really like to get my hands on some wide-horn hissers! Hisserdude said you might have some pure stock that you were selling? If you don't have any now, do you think you'll have some anytime soon? What are your rates like? Thanks!

 

[Allpet Roaches]

Hey, @Allpet Roaches! I'm a new member here that would really like to get my hands on some wide-horn hissers! Hisserdude said you might have some pure stock that you were selling? If you don't have any now, do you think you'll have some anytime soon? What are your rates like? Thanks!

Sorry, I don't have that species currently. I still have my tiger hissers from the 1990's and the portentosa from earlier. The oblongonota did well for a few years and then slowly died out.

I've gotten my Library to order many Orin McMonigle books, hope they'll order this one for you! I bought my own personal copy since I didn't want to have to return it to the library, ever! :lol: It's a great book, chock full of helpful information.

That's very cool, I didn't think any normal libraries had a copy of any of them. They're POD books measured in the hundreds at most.

 

[Chimera]

Sorry, I don't have that species currently. I still have my tiger hissers from the 1990's and the portentosa from earlier. The oblongonota did well for a few years and then slowly died out.

Okay, thanks for your response.

 

[Hisserdude]

Although, I'm talking to someone on Arachnoboards and they said G.oblongonota like it pretty dry, so I was thinking about doing a 10 (maybe bigger?) gal. glass terrarium with a mesh lid and a bit of plastic wrap over the top and no extra moisture provided. Would that work, or should I just stick with Sterilite?

If you follow the directions of that DIY Sterilite Gasket bin thread, then you should end up with enough ventilation to dry things out pretty well, I see no reason to switch to a glass tank TBH. Just mist one corner of the bin and don't spray the rest, and they should be good.

That's very cool, I didn't think any normal libraries had a copy of any of them. They're POD books measured in the hundreds at most.

Yeah, I've gotten them to buy 4 of your books so far, the rest I own.  Only problem with the library, (besides the fact that I have to return the books periodically), is that they sometimes loose things, for example they lost their copy of "Keeping the Praying Mantis" a few months ago, which sucks. There was actually at least one other person checking that book out regularly besides me,  I remember having to put it on hold a few times because someone else had taken it out. 

 

[Chimera]

If you follow the directions of that DIY Sterilite Gasket bin thread, then you should end up with enough ventilation to dry things out pretty well, I see no reason to switch to a glass tank TBH. Just mist one corner of the bin and don't spray the rest, and they should be good.

*is finally getting around to replying* Okay, good to know. Thanks!

Hey, although I love the huge size of G.oblongonota, Elliptorhina javanica (Halloween Hissers) have caught my eye as well. They're still pretty big, and their coloring is absolutely stunning. Have you ever kept them? If so, how does their care differ from Wide-Horns?

 

[Hisserdude]

*is finally getting around to replying* Okay, good to know. Thanks!

Hey, although I love the huge size of G.oblongonota, Elliptorhina javanica (Halloween Hissers) have caught my eye as well. They're still pretty big, and their coloring is absolutely stunning. Have you ever kept them? If so, how does their care differ from Wide-Horns?

I've kept a male E.javanica before, they are pretty easy to care for, females seem to really need good heat and a lot of fruits to reproduce properly, besides that their care is the same as other hissers.

 

[Chimera]

I've kept a male E.javanica before, they are pretty easy to care for, females seem to really need good heat and a lot of fruits to reproduce properly, besides that their care is the same as other hissers.

Great! I was very excited to receive some cash for Christmas and am hoping to put it toward my first roach colony. Now to really settle on a species... There are so many gorgeous ones, I want them all!

 

[Hisserdude]

Great! I was very excited to receive some cash for Christmas and am hoping to put it toward my first roach colony. Now to really settle on a species... There are so many gorgeous ones, I want them all!

Nice, well I hope you are able to buy some roaches soon! It's the best use of Xmas cash in my opinion!

 

[Marlon]

Welcome, I am new here too, though had dubias for about 8 months and added a couple types of hissers recently.  I enjoy the hissers more than the dubias, but love how practical the dubias are since they are feeders.  I decided to try a few more from CCR since roachcrosssing is hibernating ATM.  They are expected to arrive next week.  

I didn't see the " DIY Sterilite Gasket " thread, have to look for that