Madagascar Hissing cock roach/mites

[444 critters]

So I have 2 colonies of hissing cockroaches. Gromphadorhina oblongonota (WIDE-HORN HISSER) and Elliptorhina javanica (HALLOWEEN HISSER) I was in their enclosures a bit ago, and I noticed my Halloween hissers had a tiny mite on them. They are not completely covered, but I did notice several moving around on some of the roaches. Of course, I panicked, initially I thought the worst. I quickly searched the wide horned hissers, and it don't appear they have any on them. So I ran to Google to see what I have to do to get rid of them. After some reading, it said that the mites were symbiotic to hissers and help keep them clean and remove bacteria, old food etc. One of the pages I was reading even said that the mites could even double the life of the roaches. Of course looking at a roach with mites on it is not appealing to the eye, and instinctually a bad thing, after reading it kinda helped me settle down a bit... the reason for the post, I was curious if anyone else has raised hissers, had mites, and would like to share their thoughts, experiences, and if I should get rid of them or let them do what they do. I'm am open to suggestions and interested in any input from personal experiences. Pictures are just for funzies, couldnt capture a mite on the roach itself.

 

[nineslugs]

Hello! I have had a Gromphadorhina sp. colony since ~2013, adding in some new blood every once in a while. Not specifying species since they might be hybridized. I have also kept Elliptorhina javanica.

Don't worry about the mites, they are mutualistic! Aside from not being very aesthetic looking they do no harm and may help the roaches stay clean. I kind of view it as a "two cool bugs for the price of one" situation

 

[444 critters]

Hello! I have had a Gromphadorhina sp. colony since ~2013, adding in some new blood every once in a while. Not specifying species since they might be hybridized. I have also kept Elliptorhina javanica.

Don't worry about the mites, they are mutualistic! Aside from not being very aesthetic looking they do no harm and may help the roaches stay clean. I kind of view it as a "two cool bugs for the price of one" situation

Yeah everything I read said they are good for the roaches, and that they are like a "hisser mite" if you will.. I did read if the mites get too populated they could potentially do harm by venturing into the spiracles.. I didn't see too many on the roaches. Only a few mites on a handful of roaches. In your experience, do the mites breed fast?

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Hello! I have had a Gromphadorhina sp. colony since ~2013, adding in some new blood every once in a while. Not specifying species since they might be hybridized. I have also kept Elliptorhina javanica.

Don't worry about the mites, they are mutualistic! Aside from not being very aesthetic looking they do no harm and may help the roaches stay clean. I kind of view it as a "two cool bugs for the price of one" situation

Wow it would be cool to see a thread with pictures of them , I considered hissers but they seemed expensive sold in small quantities and too heavy armored for feeders so if I got them it’s as pets. Plus the climbing . Why don’t Dubai roaches get mites?

 

[444 critters]

Wow it would be cool to see a thread with pictures of them , I considered hissers but they seemed expensive sold in small quantities and too heavy armored for feeders so if I got them it’s as pets. Plus the climbing . Why don’t Dubai roaches get mites?

Yeah they are expensive to start off. I paid 100 bucks to start these 2 colonies, and I ordered like 16 Halloween, and 18 widehorned ... Luckily the site I bought off of threw in a few extra of each species, and my wide horned already had a set of nymphs.. super excited about that. The mite thing Is new to me. Reason I made the thread. I had to read alot about them to settle my nerves haha... why dubia don't get them I'm not sure,. I do know that the hissers can live for like 5 years though, so maybe it's just a relationship built in nature that the mites found they could have a long term host.. I wanted to sell them as pets rather then feeders, and I had got sealed totes for these guys for sure..

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Yeah they are expensive to start off. I paid 100 bucks to start these 2 colonies, and I ordered like 16 Halloween, and 18 widehorned ... Luckily the site I bought off of threw in a few extra of each species, and my wide horned already had a set of nymphs.. super excited about that. The mite thing Is new to me. Reason I made the thread. I had to read alot about them to settle my nerves haha... why dubia don't get them I'm not sure,. I do know that the hissers can live for like 5 years though, so maybe it's just a relationship built in nature that the mites found they could have a long term host.. I wanted to sell them as pets rather then feeders, and I had got sealed totes for these guys for sure..

Those are the rarer species of hissers so I’d say that’s a pretty good deal. Just regular ones seem expensive.
I saw this thread I think last year

Hissing roaches need help!!!

I got some hissing roaches from a friend, I noticed about a week later that they had mites...treated them with flour and rinsed them off, put them in a brand new cage, brand new everything. How do I get rid of mites and I have 50 other animals in the same room will they infect my others?!??!

arachnoboards.com

 

[nineslugs]

Here is one of my ladies from an older generation. Her group was starting to experience some inbreeding depression (less successful offspring, this happens years down the line) so I added some newer males and females to the colony about 9 months ago. They're having offspring that are more brown in color.

I think other roaches don't get these mites because the mites are specialized for hissers. I have one Simandoa conserfarium in with my hissers (I don't know how it made it out of its colony and into theirs but it's doing fine) and I don't see hisser mites on that dude.

I'd say the mites can breed quick but reach a certain population and stay there on healthy roaches. Most of my younger active roaches seem to have a similar amount of mites, and roaches that are older and ailing tend to accumulate more. I'm not sure if this is because the older roaches can't groom them away, or if it is because the older roaches can't keep themselves as clean and that attracts more mites.

 

[444 critters]

View attachment 468977
Here is one of my ladies from an older generation. Her group was starting to experience some inbreeding depression (less successful offspring, this happens years down the line) so I added some newer males and females to the colony about 9 months ago. They're having offspring that are more brown in color.

I think other roaches don't get these mites because the mites are specialized for hissers. I have one Simandoa conserfarium in with my hissers (I don't know how it made it out of its colony and into theirs but it's doing fine) and I don't see hisser mites on that dude.

I'd say the mites can breed quick but reach a certain population and stay there on healthy roaches. Most of my younger active roaches seem to have a similar amount of mites, and roaches that are older and ailing tend to accumulate more. I'm not sure if this is because the older roaches can't groom them away, or if it is because the older roaches can't keep themselves as clean and that attracts more mites.

All very interesting, I wonder why my other colony of widehorned don't have any mites, or maybe I just didn't check thoroughly enough to notice them..

What is the husbandry you are providing if I may ask? Looks like in the background you chose actual bark instead of egg crates. I'd be interested what you're doing, as I want to provide the best possible outcomes.

 

[nineslugs]

What is the husbandry you are providing if I may ask? Looks like in the background you chose actual bark instead of egg crates. I'd be interested what you're doing, as I want to provide the best possible outcomes.

Sure thing! I keep them bioactive now, but didn't starting out. I've always used cork bark instead of egg crates because I like how it looks more natural.

Currently I keep my roaches with bark hides on a bioactive substrate with isopods and springtails to keep things clean. I provide them with a heat mat on the tank side so they don't get too cold. For food I give them a variety of fruits and veggies and fish food pellets for protein. I make sure they have water crystals available in case they get thirsty since it's harder for the babies to accidentally drown.

Now that my colony is growing again I'm planning on moving them into a bigger enclosure with some live plants. I've kept them with pothos in the past which they don't seem to bother.

 

[444 critters]

Sure thing! I keep them bioactive now, but didn't starting out. I've always used cork bark instead of egg crates because I like how it looks more natural.

Currently I keep my roaches with bark hides on a bioactive substrate with isopods and springtails to keep things clean. I provide them with a heat mat on the tank side so they don't get too cold. For food I give them a variety of fruits and veggies and fish food pellets for protein. I make sure they have water crystals available in case they get thirsty since it's harder for the babies to accidentally drown.

Now that my colony is growing again I'm planning on moving them into a bigger enclosure with some live plants. I've kept them with pothos in the past which they don't seem to bother.

So I currently am using whole oats as a substrate, and was really thinking about going bio with the substrate instead. I was always just nervous about mold growth and all that, I never kept isopods or springtails, and it always just seemed like alot of extra work, but I'm sure it's more so my lack of knowledge in that area. I keep a extra egg carton to cover the rows, I have just been spritzing that one and covering the rows with it to keep humidity in. I am using a heat mat aswell, and I use water crystals aswell. I was offering fruits and veggies, and read that they need a protein source to keep them happy. Just wasn't sure on what route to go with that.. I see alot of people use fish pellets instead of a dog/cat food. I may have to go get some later today. Most videos on hissers are kinda weird and I feel they give the same vague information on almost all of them, so I kinda stuck close to how I keep dubia and red runners. I think I am going to go with more natural habitat for them. I appreciate the information.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

So I currently am using whole oats as a substrate, and was really thinking about going bio with the substrate instead. I was always just nervous about mold growth and all that, I never kept isopods or springtails, and it always just seemed like alot of extra work, but I'm sure it's more so my lack of knowledge in that area. I keep a extra egg carton to cover the rows, I have just been spritzing that one and covering the rows with it to keep humidity in. I am using a heat mat aswell, and I use water crystals aswell. I was offering fruits and veggies, and read that they need a protein source to keep them happy. Just wasn't sure on what route to go with that.. I see alot of people use fish pellets instead of a dog/cat food. I may have to go get some later today. Most videos on hissers are kinda weird and I feel they give the same vague information on almost all of them, so I kinda stuck close to how I keep dubia and red runners. I think I am going to go with more natural habitat for them. I appreciate the information.

Yeah lots of care sheets were inaccurate for Orange heads, they suggested coco fiber but the roaches kept dying in it . So I assume internet is flooded with bad info on every species of roach. Half died from shipping shock. How much frass do hissers make? Compared to your other species

 

[444 critters]

Yeah lots of care sheets were inaccurate for Orange heads, they suggested coco fiber but the roaches kept dying in it . So I assume internet is flooded with bad info on every species of roach. Half died from shipping shock. How much frass do hissers make? Compared to your other species

I don't have enough hissers to collect much frass. Not yet anyways. Frass is technically just their poop. I have a massive amount of dubia so the frass I get from them is quite a bit. The red runners are just starting to explode so I will have to wait and see, but if the egg cartons are not perfectly straight up, the will collect frass in them. So I would think quite alot. They are deffinantly great breeders. My colony is just filled with babies everywhere. The hissers will be a long term project. I want to figure out how to keep them with perfection before i invest in more since they are so expensive. But I did see nymphs already in there, so atleast something is going right.