hell with Halloween hissers

[jamest0o0]

Is it normal that these guys seem to eat veryyy little, and are pretty sluggish. I've put oranges, carrots, grapefruit, nuts, bee pollen, homemade gutload cubes, squash, etc in with pretty much no noticeable eating. They seem to munch on oakl leaves occasionally, but haven't seen them eating anything else.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

Are you heating their bin? Mine eat like pigs at a trough. Most feeders don't like straight gutload. I also only feed 2-3 times a week, so they are hungry and thirsty, but not starving or dying of thirst. I use my own dry mix and unsweetened applesauce and various baby foods for a moisture source.

 

[jamest0o0]

Meant to say help* but yeah I have them in a heater closet around 80 give or take. I put all of those things in individually that I mentioned, they weren't mixed. I also noticed one died that I saw a few days after they arrived. I have them in a large him with the top screen and filled with egg flats. I also have some oak leaves in there.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

I'd heat them to 85 and try a dry mixture. A screen lid lets a lot of heat out. I keep my kids solid and either drill small holes in the lid or prop it open slightly with an object of some sort. This is only advisable if you use a barrier of sticky or slick substance around the upper 2" of the rim. I use tanglefoot.

 

[jamest0o0]

I forgot I feed with bug buffet too. They just seem overall pretty sluggish. I can try upping the heat a bit. It's a plastic lid that I cut a square out of and replaced with aluminum screening.

 

[jamest0o0]

Figured I'd just bump this rather than make a new post...

So to anyone that can help, I'd really appreciate it! I've noticed a few more have died and/or are on their way out. I have been trying to feed everything and they seem uninterested. I have seen bite marks in the oak leaves though. Figured I'd post some pictures of my bin to see if you guys can find any obvious mistakes. I have cleaner beetles in with them and sprinkle bug buffet and oak leaves around. I mist every 1-2 days lightly because I never see them eat anything hydrating. And I still keep them in a heated closet with my orange heads and dubia at about 85 degrees give or take depending on weather.

 

[jamest0o0]

Bump... Maybe @Andee or @AZChamFan sorry to bother you guys. And I know you're not a hisser person andee, but you both seem to know a lot about different insects so figured I'd ask if you don't mind!

 

[Andee]

You don't have any substrate on the bottom at all? With hissers I always recommend keeping their enclosure more naturalistic because they do better with 85 degrees ranges but also need slightly higher humidity than something like dubia etc. Do you know how big you bin is and how many males and females you Have? Males hissers are far more territorial than most roaches...

 

[AZChamFan]

Since they are Halloween hissers maybe try feeding them pumpkin?! Sorry - just couldn't resist!

Seriously though - I've never kept that species so my best advice will be listen to Andee and Extensionofgreen!

My only thought is how long have you had them and were they like this from the time you got them? I do believe that stress and related issues during capture and shipment can have long term effects on roaches. It might not be something you can fix. I'm just guessing here and not suggesting to give up. It's just another thought.

I really like Andee's suggestion of using a substrate. I've always used substrate even with my dubias even though in their case it's not to raise humidity. The nymphs especially seem to really thrive with it.

 

[artgecko]

Is it always dark in the closet they are in? I've found my dubia won't eat / come out unless in complete darkness. Also, are the oranges and other fruits / veggies you are feeding organic? I ask because I once gave non organic oranges and even when rinsed, the bugs wouldn't touch them until I washed them with soap and water first. You might also want to contact the breeder you got them from and see what they think.

I only have dubia, but use a heating pad on the side of the bin where the egg crates are.. If that temp gets too low, they don't consume as much.

 

[jamest0o0]

Hey thanks guys, I do feed them butternut squash, close to pumpkin hah!

@AZChamFan They have been like this since I got them. Some of them are pretty active and others have just been slowly dying off.

@Andee the bin is pretty big, I'd say about 3 feet long by a foot and a half wide. I might be a little off there though. Unsure about the male and females. I don't have substrate, just leaf litter. I just read on roach crossing that i should be using substrate too : /. Wonder if I should add some for my dubia and oh' s as well... so do you think adding a nice layer of eco earth with some moss, and bark would be helpful then? I could also add isopods and springtails if they wouldn't be a problem. I really want these to turn around, they're some of the few roaches i find pretty cool and they were expensive. Plus my future tegu would probably appreciate one now and then along with my Chams.

Really appreciate you two, as well as extensionofgreen helping out!

 

[jamest0o0]

@artgecko and thank you too, just saw your post. Yeah it's always dark in the closet and it's all organic. My orange heads and dubia are thriving out control under same conditions and feeding.

 

[Andee]

Hey thanks guys, I do feed them butternut squash, close to pumpkin hah!

@AZChamFan They have been like this since I got them. Some of them are pretty active and others have just been slowly dying off.

@Andee the bin is pretty big, I'd say about 3 feet long by a foot and a half wide. I might be a little off there though. Unsure about the male and females. I don't have substrate, just leaf litter. I just read on roach crossing that i should be using substrate too : /. Wonder if I should add some for my dubia and oh' s as well... so do you think adding a nice layer of eco earth with some moss, and bark would be helpful then? I could also add isopods and springtails if they wouldn't be a problem. I really want these to turn around, they're some of the few roaches i find pretty cool and they were expensive. Plus my future tegu would probably appreciate one now and then along with my Chams.

Really appreciate you two, as well as extensionofgreen helping out!

It's not necessary to add substrate to orange heads or dubias. I just don't clean them often unless pests are an issue because of my cleaner crew and the frass build up helps the little ones plenty. You substrate for you halloween hissers sounds good, I use coco fiber for my naturalistic enclosures, moss, leaf litter, etc. And yes I recommend isos and springtails too.

 

[jamest0o0]

Great I'll get right on it! On off subject note @Andee could I mix dwarf isopods with the GC's I got off you?

 

[Andee]

of course XD no issue there.

 

[jamest0o0]

Cool thank you so much andee

 

[jamest0o0]

Are the males with the bumps/horns on their heads? If so it seems like I might have quite a few males.....

 

[poison]

Since it was mentioned here's my reg Madagascar hissers enclosure. I've tried using a naturalistic enclosure for dubia. I spend hours trying to pick out all the nymphs in the enclosure. They love to burrow much more than hissers in my experience. I just used organic too soil.

 

[jamest0o0]

Thank you, I just finished redoing my bin. I'll have to post a picture. I was debating on using top soil or eco earth. The topsoil I have has earthworms and stuff in it. Ended up going with the eco earth though.

 

[Andee]

Males have very pronounced horns on their heads, females usually have some too, but they are tiny and very different from the adult males.