Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
Invertebrates
Beastly Facts · Updated
Calm, armored, surprisingly clean, and yes, it hisses!
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Did you know? A Madagascar hissing cockroach mother carries her eggs inside her body until they hatch, then gives birth to live nymphs. Researchers have also watched her exude a whitish secretion from the tip of her abdomen just after the birth, which the newborn nymphs actively feed on.
The first week
The numbers a new owner needs in the first week, each from the article it links to. Rows with no link come from the encyclopedia.
- Budget
- Around $3 a nymph, about $24 for a pair, around $65 for a starter colony of 25. Setup roughly $100 to $205 before the animals, then a few dollars a month. Very few vets treat invertebrates.Cost guide →
- Lifespan
- 2 to 5 years, most commonly 2 to 3.Cost guide →
- Adult size
- 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm).
- Enclosure
- A 5-gallon tank for a small group, a 10 to 20-plus gallon tank or tub for a colony. Floor space matters more than height.Setup guide →
- Not one on its own
- They are gregarious, they cluster, and the welfare research that exists is on groups.Enrichment guide →
- The escape barrier
- They climb smooth glass. A band of petroleum jelly around the top 2 to 3 inches of the interior plus a tight lid makes escapes a non-issue; skip it and you will find roaches loose.Setup guide →
- Temperature
- 75 to 85°F, and room temperature above about 70°F is fine if you are not breeding. Breeding triggers around 85 to 95°F, which is how an accidental population boom starts.Setup guide →
- Humidity and substrate
- 60 to 70%, from daily misting over 2 to 3 inches of coconut fiber, peat, or orchid bark. Egg-crate stacks or cork bark as hides. No lighting: they are nocturnal and prefer the dark.Setup guide →
- Male or female
- Males carry two large horns behind the head and grow larger. A mixed-sex group breeds; a same-sex group does not.Setup guide →
- Feeding
- Dry dog food, cat food, or roach chow always available, plus fresh produce 2 to 3 times a week in an amount finished within 24 to 48 hours. The lighter weekly schedule is only a fallback for a small colony.Feeding guide →
- What they eat
- Romaine and dark greens, carrot, squash, sweet potato, apple, banana, orange, grape. Not a protein-heavy diet, and nothing treated with pesticide.Feeding guide →
- Water
- A soaked cotton ball or sponge in a shallow dish, or water gel. An open dish drowns small nymphs.Feeding guide →
- Why it looks like nothing is eating
- They feed after dark. Nymphs also go quiet and eat less before each of their roughly six molts over six to seven months.Feeding guide →
- Handling
- They do not bite. Docile, but a display animal: lift gently around the thorax or let it walk hand to hand; never pull against the grip of the feet. The leg spines can scratch. Wash hands before and after: Salmonella.Handling guide →
- Desiccation and molt
- Low humidity causes failed molts and death. A freshly molted roach is soft and white for hours; never handle one then.Health guide →
- Mold and mites
- From wet food left in and poor airflow. Remove uneaten produce within 24 to 48 hours, ventilate, and deep-clean on a schedule rather than after a problem.Health guide →
- Legal, before you buy
- Barred in New Hampshire, Montana, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia. Florida requires an agriculture permit, Oregon attaches conditions.Legal guide →
- Bug spray
- Every household insecticide is designed to kill arthropods. Ant spray in the kitchen, a plug-in in the hallway, or a dog's flea treatment can kill a healthy colony overnight.Pesticide guide →
Emergency card
Check temperature and humidity first, then act on these today. Very few vets treat invertebrates.
- Discharge from the mouth or eyes
- Visible sores
- Visible weight loss, or a dull-looking exoskeleton
- Lethargy beyond normal pre-molt sluggishness
Not eating is usually benign: they feed after dark, nymphs go quiet before a molt, and a cool room slows them. Once several of these signs stack up, a visibly sick hisser commonly survives only 2 to 3 days, so act quickly. A heat mat without a thermostat overheats a tub.
Where to go next
How Much Does a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Cost?
$3 a nymph, $24 a pair, $65 a colony of 25, and a setup total under $100 with the animal in it.
Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Enclosure Setup: Humidity, Substrate, and Keeping Them From Climbing Out
5 gallons as a floor, 75 to 85F, 60 to 70%, and the petroleum jelly band that does the real escape prevention.
Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Feeding: Schedule, Diet, and Why They Stop Eating
Dry dog food as the staple, produce two or three times a week, and why it looks like nothing is eating.
How to Handle a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach (And How That Hiss Works)
How the hiss is actually produced, what a graded hiss is telling you, and why pulling against the grip injures them.
Common Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Health Issues (Prevention Does Almost All the Work)
Desiccation, molting complications, mold and mites, and why prevention does almost all the work.
Hissing Cockroach Enrichment: Somebody Built Them a Welfare Framework
The 2023 welfare framework built for group-housed Gromphadorhina, and what it asks of a colony enclosure.
Are Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches Legal to Own?
Four jurisdictions that bar them, the Florida permit filed under agriculture, and three states that never say.
What to buy
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Prices and the reasoning behind each item are in How Much Does a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Cost?.
Full Madagascar Hissing Cockroach gear listFrequently Asked Questions
How much does a Madagascar hissing cockroach cost?
Around $3 for an individual nymph, about $24 for a breeding pair, and around $65 for a starter colony of 25. This species doubles as a feeder insect for reptiles, which keeps pricing low and consistent across most sources.
What temperature and humidity does this species need?
75 to 85°F for general pet-keeping, room temperature above about 70°F is fine if you're not actively breeding. Breeding gets triggered around 85 to 95°F. Humidity should stay at 60 to 70%, maintained through daily misting and moisture-holding substrate.
What's the most common health problem in pet Madagascar hissing cockroaches?
Desiccation. Low humidity causes real problems with molting and can lead to death if left uncorrected. Maintaining 60 to 70% humidity through regular misting and moisture-holding substrate fixes it.
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Deep Dive
🪳 How Much Does a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Cost?
🪳 How to Handle a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach (And How That Hiss Works)
🪳 Common Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Health Issues (Prevention Does Almost All the Work)
🪳 Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Enclosure Setup: Humidity, Substrate, and Keeping Them From Climbing Out
🪲 Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Feeding: Schedule, Diet, and Why They Stop Eating
🪳 Hissing Cockroach Enrichment: Somebody Built Them a Welfare Framework
Health and More
☠️ Household Pesticides and Your Invertebrate Pet: The Hidden Hazard
📦 Rehousing an Invertebrate: Method, Timing, and Urticating Hair First Aid
🕷️ Invertebrate Housekeeping: Quarantining a New Arrival, Cleaning the Enclosure, and Finding an Escapee
📦 Invertebrate Emergency Plan: Power Outages, Travel, and Shipping
🔍 Four Animals, Four First Impressions That Are Wrong
🕷️ Invertebrate Molting 101: What's Normal, Species by Species
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