New Roach Owner!

noivurn

noivurn

First Instar
Hello, everyone! I'm Tabby. 

I'm super excited to be here, I got my first roaches (as pets) a few months ago now and I'm really loving keeping them, and super excited to learn more! I currently have a pair of Madagascar Hissers (G. portentosa), Bessie and Angus. I had three but unfortunately Gertie passed away rather soon after I got her. (I'm thinking that the stock from the reptarium I got them from might not be great, because I've also had two others from them actually die on the car rides home?) 

I also have a cat (Tobi) and 8 mice (Roan, Nellie, Frankie, Bonnie, Lovey, Zinnia, Magnolia, and Snowdrop). 

I'm currently trying to raise a colony, with plans to feed some of the nymphs to my friend's lizard (and if possible sell them as feeders), right now Bessie is pregnant (gravid? not sure which word is more accurate) but hasn't given birth yet. It's been at least a month, probably closer to a month and a half or two months, I'm not positive yet. Should I be worried that she hasn't given birth yet? Could it be that there's something wrong with the habitat? 

I'd also be interested in joining any roach Discord servers if they exist, or even just chatting 1 one 1 with some other bug people on Discord. 

Anyway, really excited to be here and learn more. 😄

 
Welcome to the forum! :D  

For the gravid hisser, just make sure you're providing adequate heat (low to mid 80s is probably best), hides, and a fair amount of fruit and leave the rest up to her. I wouldn't personally be worried about the fact that she hasn't given birth yet. I haven't kept hissers in a while (so I don't exactly remember the length of their gestation period down to a tee), but the time she's taken so far doesn't sound abnormal. 

 
Awesome, thanks for the reply! 

She has a heat mat, unfortunately it's not one that's adjustable though, so I'm hoping it's warm enough. She has some cork bark and egg crates for hides, and I've been misting half of the enclosure every day or so. Hopefully I see babies soon!

 
Welcome to the forum! :D  Typically I'd say it takes two to three months for common hissers to gestate, if they're kept above 75F° that is. Keeping them cooler than that will either slow the gestation down or halt it entirely. 

 
@Hisserdude Thanks!! 

Would a fish thermometer (an actual suction-cupped thermometer, not the tape/sticker thermometers) work to monitor that, or is there a specific kind of thermometer for terrariums? 

 
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