Mixed tank species and behavior

[Keith]

I have a tank of dubia and hissers, both raised together since nymphs. The hissers sometimes try to ram the dubia and if they got really angry might injure a dubia. But, my dubia when this happens put head down and ram against the Hisser and then climb on their back and try to bite, of course this doesn't harm either roach but the Hisser learns to avoid the dubia because it fights back with an unfair advantage (able to climb on hissers back).

Do you think the dubia learnt to do this, I've seen dubia fight and ramming is not part of that so I believe its learnt from the hissers.

 

[Thomas]

Cockroaches do not "learn". Whatever this is is likely a natural, genetic response to inter-species competition and/or predation from similar-sized organisms.

 

[Blattodea313]

According to this website, Cockroaches can learn: http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/06/13/us-cockroaches-learning-memory-idUSHKG14533220070613

 

[Ralph]

Cockroaches are quite capable of learning, as has been demonstrated with maze trials and even keepers who feed at a certain time or precede feeding with a special stimulus.

Whether they can learn something as complex as a fighting technique, I don't know. They could be modifying the head-down, curled-body defensive posture that many roaches take when they're disturbed, and adding a pushing motion to try and get rid of the offending insect instead of staying passive.

If this happens regularly enough, I want to see video.