Species: Hissing Cockroaches Gromphadorhina portentosa

Expected lifespan: 3-4 years

We keep all of our hissing cockroaches together and at the moment there are many differently sized individuals from tiny young to large adults.

Due to the fact we have so many cockroaches we cannot properly identify individuals that are used in shows. We rarely use fully grown adults and prefer to use younger animals that are still of a decent size. Animals that hiss a lot are generally not offered up for handling in case they startle the person handling them though our presenter may show them so that the "hiss" can be heard by the audience.

Our hissing cockroaches currently live in a large plastic storage box with organic compost, rotting leaves and cork bark for hiding under. They live on Oscar the corn snake's viv so that they may gain a heat from his ceramic heater.

Hissing cockroaches make interesting pets and many are bred in the UK as both pets and livefood. They can climb well so care must be taken to house them in a secure container. They will eat just about anything but require more protein than most similar invertebrates. Our cockroaches enjoy a diet of kitchen scraps, fruit, veg and softened dog kibble.