Hissing Roaches

[Adam105]

I purchased a couple of these big guys as feeders about a month ago. After no one here wanted them, I began to read a little online and I noticed I have a trio. One of the females was looking very "fat". Like I expected from her, I soon got babies. However, I only got 7-10 babies. From what I've read, it says 20-40. But now, she is EXTREMELY "fat". Her entire sides are spread apart as if she is just insanely filled with babies. Is it possible for hissers to get "baby bound"?
-Adam

[Gregg M]

Hey Adam,
Hissers can give birth 2 times a year and the amount of nymphs born can vary depending on age of female, food intake, heat, humidity, and so on... To answer your original question, the female will not be "nymph bound"... The female carries the eggs inside her body... The babies actually hatch from the eggs inside of her...

I can think of atleast 5 other roach species that are better suited as feeders...
Hissers are good but they take a relatively long time to mature compared to other species and not all lizards like them... They take 7 to 8 months in order to become sexually mature and it takes about 70 days to see nymphs after copulation... It will take you a long time to get a colony up to size to where you can start feeding them off...

Other species like dubia roaches mature in about 3 months and the time you will see nymphs after copulation would be about half that of hissers... You will have a sizable colony in a much shorter time... I do not have one 4 legged reptile that will not eat dubias...

[Adam105]

Thanks for the info Gregg! I usually just buy a couple big adults every once in a while to feed as a nice treat. I had no intention on breeding them or raising them up to get a colony going, its just that no one ate them the day I brought them home, and then one of the females decided to have babies. I've done lobsters for a while but then didnt like them because all they would do is hide and you cant just throw them in a tank like you can with crickets. I'm just wondering though whether I should expect that one female hisser to spew out some more babies so I know if I should feed her off now or not.
-Adam

[Gregg M]

How long ago did she drop the first nymphs??? She may be gravid but if she recently dropped, you will not see any for a while... Keep an eye on her... If she is gravid, she may evert the egg case every once in a while... You will see the white case come out of her rear...

[Adam105]

She gave birth to the first nymphs a week or two ago. What is appears though is as if she only gave birth to like half the amount of nymphs she actually had in her. I guess I wont feed her off yet and just see what happens. Thanks,
-Adam

[AneesasMuse]

You can send her to me...

I have dubias and my adult Cresteds won't eat them either. I'm hoping my Tokay will cuz all the girls are now "new moms"... baby dubias all over the tank!