Normal Molting Position

Roachman26

Seventh Instar
I was rearranging my one of my hisser tubs today and when I emptied the roaches out of a paper towel roll out popped a big one in the middle of a molt. He gently landed on his back and continued working his way out of the old skin so I left him alone. My question is: what position do they normally molt in? On their back? Right side up? After all these years I've never actually seen one molting. I see them frequently when they are all white, just after a molt, but never during the act.

 
I was rearranging my one of my hisser tubs today and when I emptied the roaches out of a paper towel roll out popped a big one in the middle of a molt. He gently landed on his back and continued working his way out of the old skin so I left him alone. My question is: what position do they normally molt in? On their back? Right side up? After all these years I've never actually seen one molting. I see them frequently when they are all white, just after a molt, but never during the act.
Really? You've never seen one? o_O

They molt right side up in a sort of "sprawled out" position.

 
Really? You've never seen one? o_OThey molt right side up in a sort of "sprawled out" position.
Well the shed was there, but he had moved off. So I guess they can still shed and survive even if they are uncerimoniously dumped out of their tube and left on their back. No wonder they've been around so long.

 
Hissers do molt right-side up, but a lot of winged species will molt vertically on their last one. Parcoblatta nymphs often molt on walls too.

 
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