Hissing Cockroaches - What are they & do they make good pets

What in the world are hissing cockroaches ? From Wikipedia (We had never heard of them)

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The Madagascar cockroach has become a popular pet because of its hissing sound, large size and appearance. Their nickname, "hissing cockroach", is due to their ability to force air through the breathing pores (spiracles) found on their abdomen. The Madagascar hissing cockroach is believed to be the only insect that can hiss in this exact manner,[1] as most insects that make a "hissing" sound do so by rubbing together various body parts. (Some longhorned beetles, e.g., the Giant Fijian long-horned beetle, can squeeze air out from under their elytra, but this does not involve the spiracles). This hiss takes two forms: the disturbance hiss and the fighting hiss. All cockroaches from the fourth instar (fourth molting cycle) and older are capable of the disturbance hiss. Only males use the fighting hiss; they use it when challenged by other males. This results in one of the males backing down and the fight being over. Males hiss more often than females.

Do they make good pets ???

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As Pets
Madagascar cockroaches make great pets for children. They cannot fly like some species of roaches. They are not aggressive and do not bite; they are unable to harm humans in any way, in fact they often hide when disturbed. Coconut fiber or bark should be used as they are the most commonly used substrates, and branches, rocks, or pieces of cork bark should be placed in their tank to keep them stimulated.

A heating pad should be placed under part of the tank. Day temperatures should be 75-90°F. Night temperatures should be no lower than 68°F. Roaches that are exposed to lower temperatures become sluggish, so the higher the temperature, the more active the roach.

Fresh vegetables should be fed along with any kind of pellet food that is high in protein, mainly dry dog food. For water, place a small empty container in their tank and put a soaked sponge in it. It is also acceptable to give them water through moist foods such as vegetables or fruits. Oranges are especially useful for this because they do not mold as easily as other fruits

I would love to hear from anyone who has these little guys as pests (pets)..

They make good pets? I would never agree with this. I can't imagine having a cockroach as a pet.
They aren't around this neck of the woods- I have seen a couple in my lifetime- when I was a manager for a rental place- and this was only in extremly dirty houses.

I know in some other states- they are common.

Oh my gosh - this is absolutely terrifying! People actually keep these as pets?!

I don't think they are the same as the palmeto roach, but I could be wrong. We have those palmento roaches all over this area of the states.

I don't want them - they look like something I would smach with a shoe !

I have heard of these pests being pets... but I would never have one as a pet!!! I would end up squishing it with my shoe!

I don't think these would make a good pet for me. Roaches of any kind make me run for the bug spray. One I saw something flying around my apartment. It was huge and I thought it was the queen of all flies. It was one of those flying roaches. At first I wanted to run away but then I realized that it would be flying around all day. So I gave it a good spritz of Raid.

I know hissing roaches don't fly but who needs another kind of Roach in the house? I'm in NY and we have enough as it is and all for free.

Thanks for the information.Yes i found somebody interested on cockroaches.

Oh man those are just disgusting I could not imagine even having them in a cage or tank inside of my house. yucky!

I would never get a cockroach as a pet.I find them disgusting and repulsive.

Topdog wrote:

I don't think they are the same as the palmeto roach, but I could be wrong. We have those palmento roaches all over this area of the states.

I don't want them - they look like something I would smach with a shoe !

Be careful stepping on this suckers..lol They have so much liquid in them and its slippery and you might fall and bust your butt.

I wouldnt dream of having these pests as pets because:

1. They are dirty and they smell really awful...specially when crushed under a shoe.

2. They don't look cute to me.

3. I wouldn't want to keep on worrying that if I let my "pets" loose in the house someone would just crush them with a shoe, without knowing that they''ve killed my "pet".

Ouch! Ouch! I hate cockroaches and I am afraid of them. Once I lost consciousness because a cockroach flew over me

Just the name Cockroach makes my skin crawl. Yuk, who would want these as pets.

Any pet that has the name cockroach in it is not a good pet...that is absolutely disgusting! I mean ewwww...even seeing them on that persons hand made me get chills down my spine...ewww...LOL.

I think they're cute. I have several in an empty fish tank in my living room. I love to let them crawl on my hand. It kind of tickles.