Brotherly love, gang mentality

Keith

Keith

Megaloblatta
In my small dubia I've only had mature males so far, 3 brothers. In my tank I also have one unrelated adult male, I know him because he is oddly colored. I was expecting to see the males fighting, but they peacefully co-exist and even rest near eachother like they did through nymph hood.

The only fighting I witnessed was the 3 brothers all attack the unrelated male at once biting him and flipping him over and because it was 3 against 1 he could not get away so I quickly seperated him before he got injured as he is my valuable breeder. It was crazy they acted like a gang and only attacked the male not related, I never knew dubia were this violent. If it happens again I'll try to get quick video but only if my male is not harmed.

 
If its a valuable breeder as you say, it may have been percieved as an alpha by the others and this would explain why they would attack as a group.

Merely an assumption, but it happens all the time in nature.

 
It's funny this got bumped around now.

The male I had talked about getting attacked ended up being a great breeder. He died and I have been raising his offspring and a few started maturing recently.

The males from last year (unrelated to this years new males) have actually tried biting freshly molted males! I had to spray water to break up the attack as I didn't want to touch the soft male as the wings were expanding. Luckily nobody got injured. The ironic part is the new males other brothers don't attack their siblings ever, only unrelated males it still happens!

I wonder if each brood gives off a unique scent passed on to them by Mom the day they are born? In a huge dubia colony there are too many roaches to be singled out, but only about 40 in a spacious tank makes it possible.

 
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Keith said:
It's funny this got bumped around now.

The male I had talked about getting attacked ended up being a great breeder. He died and I have been raising his offspring and a few started maturing recently.

The males from last year (unrelated to this years new males) have actually tried biting freshly molted males! I had to spray water to break up the attack as I didn't want to touch the soft male as the wings were expanding. Luckily nobody got injured. The ironic part is the new males other brothers don't attack their siblings ever, only unrelated males it still happens!

I wonder if each brood gives off a unique scent passed on to them by Mom the day they are born? In a huge dubia colony there are too many roaches to be singled out, but only about 40 in a spacious tank makes it possible.
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Your story is really interesting. Many people encluding entomologists believe that roaches don't have any family relation instincts like animals and social insects do. Your story I guess would prove them wrong. Are your new nymphs growing up healthy?

 
pierre72 said:
Your story is really interesting. Many people encluding entomologists believe that roaches don't have any family relation instincts like animals and social insects do. Your story I guess would prove them wrong. Are your new nymphs growing up healthy?
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Most of them matured. Fights break out between the fathers and sons once in a while, one got his leg bit off which are rare for dubia they usually aren't violent. However otherwise peace is made and each roach knows its place in hierarchy. Now that I'm done adding any more dubia all these males are my pets since no females to breed with or I'd be overpopulated. The weaker males stick together to prevent attack from dominant males its very interesting! Weak males usually are old individuals or ones with deformities or injuries that weren't fatal. The darker the male usually the more dominant he is, except one light brown male that is psycho and attacks any roach in his way! He was half eaten when I rescued him, he survived and each molt slowly repaired his body. But no joke I think him surviving being attacked triggered some unnatural aggression!

I have a photo of him as a nymph somewhere.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Keith said:
Most of them matured. Fights break out between the fathers and sons once in a while, one got his leg bit off which are rare for dubia they usually aren't violent. However otherwise peace is made and each roach knows its place in hierarchy. Now that I'm done adding any more dubia all these males are my pets since no females to breed with or I'd be overpopulated. The weaker males stick together to prevent attack from dominant males its very interesting! Weak males usually are old individuals or ones with deformities or injuries that weren't fatal. The darker the male usually the more dominant he is, except one light brown male that is psycho and attacks any roach in his way! He was half eaten when I rescued him, he survived and each molt slowly repaired his body. But no joke I think him surviving being attacked triggered some unnatural aggression!

I have a photo of him as a nymph somewhere.
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So some of them even protect each other. Sweet. Congradulations for rescuing that one in time. My friend who let me rescue German from his house mentioned they use their senses to help each other find food and stuff. Amazing creatures!! Could you post a photo of your Dubia colony?

 
This is interesting! Cooperation between siblings... The aggregating and peaceful behavior could be due to a unique pheromone or cuticular chemical they share as brothers, but assisting each other in battle is another step up. I want videos! :D

 
Ralph said:
This is interesting! Cooperation between siblings... The aggregating and peaceful behavior could be due to a unique pheromone or cuticular chemical they share as brothers, but assisting each other in battle is another step up. I want videos! :D
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I would love to post videos but my camera takes dark video in low light, and in bright light they will just hide and do nothing. If I can come up with $2000 I know an excellent camera with macro photo and video and specializes in low light ;)

 
If youre going to video it, use red light. I've got one on my ipad. I don't no if that would be enough for your camera. Though surely your roaches safety is more important than a video. On a similar subject, I have 22 dubia and when I cleaned them out I found some thing that looked like roach skin, but mine are 'young adults' and I didn't find any freshly molted. I think it was dead. Last count was 23. They're just pets, hence the small colony size.

 
SLE18 said:
If youre going to video it, use red light. I've got one on my ipad. I don't no if that would be enough for your camera. Though surely your roaches safety is more important than a video. On a similar subject, I have 22 dubia and when I cleaned them out I found some thing that looked like roach skin, but mine are 'young adults' and I didn't find any freshly molted. I think it was dead. Last count was 23. They're just pets, hence the small colony size.
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Sometimes they don't eat old skin and it can be in there for weeks so they shed long ago.

 
Well, where is the roach then. I'm one down from 2 weeks ago. I had to clean them out again because something smelled. There was definitely one less roach. I hope it isn't cannibalism, as some members have said about.

 
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