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Cockroach - The Perfect Pet

Cockroaches get a very bad press and yet they are actually quite adorable little creatures and have inhabited the planet for some 280 million years. Here are some endearing facts about them :

They are supreme couch potatoes spending 75 percent of their time resting.

Cut them and they will bleed – white blood.

Roaches can survive for a week without drinking and a month without eating

They can run at a speed of three miles per hour.

They do not breathe through noses they actually breath through their sides and can hold their breath for 40 minutes

There are some 5,000 species of cockroaches with the largest being six inches long with a one-foot wingspan.

A cockroach can live a week without its head. It eventually dies of thirst.

It’s not always easy being a cockroach - some females mate once and are pregnant for the rest of their lives.

Sadly many people like to eat them and  they have been become the unwilling ingredient of  sauces, condiments and as appetizers.

Taking care of your Cockroach

 Getting Started

The following species are the easiest to keep

Surinam Cockroach Pycnoscelus surinamensis

Madagascan Hissing Cockroach Gromphadorhina portentosa

Death's Head Cockroach Blaberus craniifer and Blaberus discoidalis

Housing

The cage needs to be escape proof for most species of cockroach are good climbers. An ideal cage can be created using an aquarium with tight fitting lid made from good quality fine mesh to allow a proper supply of fresh air.

Heating

If your chosen species is from a tropical country it must be kept at a temperature of 25C to be happy. The simplest method is to use a heat-pad, these come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can be obtained from your local pet shop.

Bedding

Cover the floor of the cage with wood shavings for leaf litter species such as Gromphadorhina portentosa or with peat for burrowing species such as Pycnoscelus surinamensis. Most cockroaches are nocturnal so provide cosy places for them to hide.

Feeding

All known species of cockroach are omnivorous and will eat almost everything. In captivity most species do well on a mixture of dried grains and fresh vegetables or fruit. They will also take thrive on dog food. If you don’t give them enough food they will eat each other.

Breeding

Left to their own devices they will take care of this themselves without intervention from you. Some species will lay their eggs in a suitable nook and cranny while others will carry them around, either inside or partly extruded from the body until it is time for the young to hatch. 

Love your cockroach!!!!