Since we typically can't go to DC without
hitting the National Museum of Natural History (Emily's favorite museum
because of all the animals) we have had many opportunities in the past
few years to hold these fabulous creatures - Giant Madagascar Hissing
Cockroaches. Emily has wanted one since she held the first one
years ago.
This time when we got home, she
immediately sat down at the computer to try to find out how much
they cost and how to take care of them. She discovered that
they are the perfect pet for kids because they eat left over raw
fruit/vegetables scraps and cat or dog food. They don't bite. They don't run
away fast. They tolerate being held. They basically need
very little care, in fact, they can go weeks without any food or
water. And the best part was that she found a Madagascar
breeder in a town just 30 minutes from here selling them for $1
each. So the next day, kids brought their money and we headed
that way. Each kids bought two cockroaches. Ethan got 2
boys and Emily got 2 girls. They LOVE them!!! Their
hissing is cool.
The main way to tell the difference
between a male and female are by the bumps on the male's head.
The top picture is one of our males and the bottom is one of our
females. She has bumps too but they are much more flat.
The males use their bumps, or horns, to fight other males.
Here's what a male cockroach fight
looks like. The action starts around mark :14.
We found this video and think it's
cute. We'd like to try to make a similar one sometime.
Here's a stop motion video we made
starring one of Emily's cockroaches, Tikka.
