Madagascar Hisser Roach

Madagascar Hisser Roach Sometimes called the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach.  Scientific name: gromphadorhina portentosa

Lifespan: Up to 5 Years.

Madagascar Hisser Roach as Feeder Insect

Madagascar Roaches are easily digestible Feeder Roaches, high in meat to shell ratio for a high protein and nutritious meal.They are ideal for feeding to Bearded Dragons and other lizards.

The various life cycles of the Madagascar Hisser Roach

Offers a wide and varied sizes of roaches to use as feeders for your reptiles & amphibians. Madagascar Hissing Roaches are easily maintained, they cannot fly & climb smooth surfaces and can benefit from using a super slick roach barrier that cannot be penetrated.  Hissers eat almost anything.  Hissers are silent.  They are smell free compared to other insects like crickets.

Housing Setup For Madagscar Hisser Roach Colonies

Madagascar Hisser Roach Colonies Can Be Housed in a ventilated plastic tub, (we recommend 14-20 gallon totes) or aquarium tank with a large surface area. Surface area is increased with the addition of Egg Flats For Roaches to hide in and nestle.

Madagscar Hissers can climb on smooth surfaces, so you may buy a premium Roach Barrier to CONTAIN Feeder Roaches.   With the barrier applied there is little chance of escape and it remains indefinitely & does not melt or fade away.   Our Premium Madagascar Hisser Roach Colony Kits With CONTAIN Roach Barrier are the perfect Buy. 

A standard plastic storage tub

( 14-20 gallon Sterilite or Rubbermaid ) type bin works well. Punch holes in the lid for ventilation or better yet cut out and install screen mesh in the top and or sides of the tub for optimal ventilation.

Hisser Roaches Prefer Living in Dark Conditions

So using a dark tub or storing it in a dark place is preferable. Hissers require places to hide, so cardboard tubes or eggflats provide additional real estate and places to raise babies making them feel secure. Hissers like nestling and living in close quarters.   No substrate is needed as this makes removal, separation and maintenance easier.

Feeding Your Madagascar Hisser Feeder Roach Colony

Hisser Feeder Roaches are eating Just About Anything.  After all, they are roaches. This makes for easy feeding. Make sure that they have access to High Protein Grains at all times like oats, wheat, wheat bran. They also need some protein, some feed roaches dog or cat food, or fish food for protein.

Alternatively a lot of people will use a Balanced Protein All Natural Roach Chow that is formulated to have the correct protein percentage as dog or cat food can be too high in protein and lead to uric acid accumulation and death in your reptiles & amphibians. Roaches should periodically 2-3x a week be fed produce that has been cleaned thoroughly of pesticides or that is organic.

Any food that you give your roaches

Will be passed along to your reptiles & amphibians so it is best to keep the hissers gut-loaded with optimum nutrition to be passed along as you feed the hissers off.

Feed fresh fruits like apples, and bananas.  These are best as they are sweet and nutritious.  Hissers are readily consuming produce.  Feed the amount that the hissers will consume within 24 hours.  Remove the remains to eliminate the growth of mold.  Mold can wipe out your entire hisser colony. Fresh produce like carrots, leafy greens and other root vegetables provide a well rounded diet for not only the roaches but the pets that you feed them to.

https://www.readyreptilefeeders.com/how-to-gut-load-feeder-insects/

Safely Water The Hisser Feeder Roaches.  Water Gel Crystals Work Best Are a crystal that swells up when you add it to water and provides a high surface area gel for the Hissers to extract water without fouling it or drowning. Water gel Crystals are much better than other methods such as cotton or sponges as they last longer. A single Tablespoon of crystals will make more than a gallon of water gel crystals to water your roaches or feeder insect colony.

VITAMIN WATER GEL CRYSTALS

Temperature For Raising Your Madagascar Hisser Roach Colony

Please Note:
The Hisser Roach is a tropical species and do best at higher humidity levels 40-50% is sufficient.  Keep humidity levels maintained at these levels.  If not, you may experience a die off. Nymphs are molting well with good humidity. Females are giving birth better too with proper humidity. Place a temperature gauge with humidity level indicator in the bin you house your roaches in. Increase humidity levels.  Offer fruits and vegetables.  Also, Include a screened or covered water container.  Lastly, lower the heat or simply place more Water Crystal Gel (Prevents Drowing)

Hissing Cockroaches Live In Tropical Conditions as they are a from Madagascar.  Keep Hissing Cockroaches in temperatures around (82- 88°F ). They can survive at lower temperatures, but will not breed as quickly. Higher temps 88-95°F will greatly increase breeding cycles and produce more Hissing Cockroaches as Feeders as well as increase the life cycle of your colony. Make sure humidity levels are at least 40%

Breeding

A Madagascar Hisser Roach Become Sexually Mature Around 6 months of age, so a successful hisser breeding & feeding colony will not take very long to establish. Once sexually mature, females will give birth to up to 35 baby hisser nymphs.  This happens every 30-45 days. If you have to feed off use males as feeders and keep the female to male ratio at about 3-5 females per 1 male.

Adult Hisser Roaches Are Easy to Sex as the females are longer than the males and the males have larger distinct horns.   Sexing nymphs is more difficult as there are variations during their lifestyle and must mature only being identifiable at their last molt.

Additional Tips For Successful Breeding of Hissing Cockroaches Roach Colony

Many Customers Wonder How Roach Cleaner Crews Work For Your Roach Colony Setup.

A Cleaner Crew for Madagascar Hisser Roaches are special species of small larvae and beetles.  They consume excess grains and process the roach waste or frass. They do not bother the roaches and they act as a great Clean-Up Crew for your roach bins and enclosures

Feed Your Colony Oranges. Hisser Roaches Are Breeding Faster and giving birth to babies quicker.  The breeding rate of Feeder Roaches is increasing now.  Feed them oranges once a week or so. Hissing Roaches Do Best In High Heat Temperatures.  In case of escape no worry is needed as they will not infest your home or neighborhood.  They will most likely die if not found right away. Escapees are not a threat.  They will be found motionless. Check to see if they revive by adding them back to heated environment and allow them to rehydrate. Prevent Escape of Roaches With Super Slick Roach Barrier.