Every pet needs proper feeding, so as a hissing cockroach owner, it is crucial to know your little friends’ best food. The good thing is that they are low maintenance, so you don’t have to worry about them requiring a special diet. Once you know what their dietary requirements are, it will be easier to take care of them.
So, what do hissing cockroaches eat? The hissing cockroaches feeding habits are not complex; they are majorly herbivorous, feeding on everyday human vegetables and fruits. You can also supplement their diet with dog, cat, or fish food since they need proteins for molting. However, unlike other roaches, they don’t feed on rotten food, so you need to provide them with fresh food constantly. Generally, they are simple and low-cost pets, so getting their food will not be tasking.
This article will discuss in detail what the hissing cockroaches eat and how often they feed. We’ll also find out whether they really need water for survival and how long they can go without food. Read on for more intriguing facts about the hissing roaches.
How Often Do Hissing Cockroaches Eat? Feeding Essentials
When healthy, a typical molting cockroach eats more than an adult cockroach. It is also common to find your grown pets eating less since the metabolism is likely to drop with old age.
So, how often do hissing cockroaches eat? The insects are nocturnal; hence, are more active at night than during the day, so most of their eating occurs at night. Surprisingly, you may find a small colony of hissers eating a large carrot in a day. The insects sometimes grow bigger than usual and molt several times before maturity. Hence, they must have enough to eat. Thus, it is wise to ensure that your hissers do not run out of food.
The only time that you may find your hissing cockroaches not feeding well could be during molting periods. At this time, they choose to hide from their counterparts as they shed off their skeleton. Similarly, females may have problems eating during the hatching period. If they are sick or old, you will notice that their feeding habits change drastically, so plenty of food is left over.
However, when they are in perfect health, and their metabolism works fine, they tend to eat a lot. Their eating rate mostly depends on their numbers; a large colony will finish large chunks of food compared to a small colony. It also depends on your judgment; if you feel that it has been a while since you last fed them, you can always serve them more. Let’s take a look in detail at what hissing cockroaches can eat.
Potatoes
Do Hissing Cockroaches Eat Potatoes? Hissing cockroaches can feed on sweet and Irish potatoes; as both are sweet and have a lot of water necessary for their survival. When serving them, you can give them the potato peels or potato slices about an inch thick.
With this in their diet, you effectively provide them with the calcium they need to harden their exoskeleton. They also obtain vitamins, minerals, and some proteins required for growth and development.
Grapes
Do Hissing Cockroaches Eat Grapes? Hissing cockroaches like sweet fruits, so grapes are perfect for their diet, and the sugar in the fruit provides them with starch. Hissers can eat grapes and suck all the flesh and juice, leaving behind the peels and seeds.
Strawberries
Do Hissing Cockroaches Eat Strawberries? Since hissing cockroaches aren’t very picky about what they eat, strawberries can also form part of their diet. The strawberries provide the roaches with water for hydration and contain minerals that they require to grow their exoskeleton, which is they shed off several times before maturity.
Avocado
Do Hissing Cockroaches Eat Avocado? The hissing roaches are omnivorous, so they won’t mind eating an avocado. In the wild, the hissers are opportunistic feeders, so they can’t spare any fallen fruit. So if you are planning to feed them avocados, then it is allowed as long as it doesn’t contain any life-threatening chemicals.
Avocados are high-protein foods that will aid in their exoskeleton’s growth. Similarly, the extra fats are necessary for storage within the body to survive during dry seasons or when the food supply is low.
Cabbage
Do Hissing Cockroaches Eat Cabbages? To feed your hissing cockroaches leafy vegetables like cabbages once a week is highly recommended. The vegetable contains a lot of water and minerals, necessary for your animals. However, if you are rearing them for commercial purposes or as livestock, you must incline their feeding towards foods containing a lot of proteins.
Meat
Do Hissing Cockroaches Eat Meat? The Madagascar hissing cockroaches eat meat if it is available. However, pet hissers’ favorite meals are fresh leafy vegetables and fruits, while the wild hissers prefer feeding on fallen plant leaves and fruits. But if the meat is the only food available, they can easily adjust and eat it since they can also feed on animal carcasses and small insects.
Mice
Do Hissing Cockroaches Eat Mice? Hissing cockroaches can feed on dead mice provided that it is still fresh without any odor since the roaches like fresh food. Mice are naturally a predator to the roaches, so you need to ensure that you always protect them from attacks by building a strong inaccessible enclosure.
Fish
Madagascar hissing cockroaches normally feed on anything you provide, even though they have their favorite foods. Do Hissing Cockroaches Eat Fish? Hissers can feed on dead fish, which are a good source of protein if you are gut loading the insects for feeding purposes. Make sure that your fish is cut into smaller pieces that the hissers can easily maneuver. But if it is smelly, it may not be a proper meal.
Blueberries
Do Hissing Cockroaches Eat Blueberries? Fruits are one of the hissing cockroaches favorite meals, so they will naturally love these sweet delicacies like blueberries. They are easy to penetrate, and the hissers feed on blueberries as they feed on any other fruits. Therefore, if you provide them with blueberries to feed on, they will enjoy it.
Mushroom
Do Hissing Cockroaches Eat Mushroom? Remember, they eat almost everything that humans do. Mushrooms are fungi that are great food. It is not poisonous to you; thus, it won’t be to your hissing cockroaches. Provided that you serve your hissers with fresh mushrooms over the night, they will entirely devour it.
How Long Can Hissing Cockroaches Go Without Food?
If hissing cockroaches go without food and water, they may not last more than five days. Thus, it is necessary always to provide their meals, especially water. With adequate water and food supply, they will live longer and only die of old age after two to five years.
Food is necessary for the life of a roach. The hissers require it to stabilize their metabolism and to build fats. They also need minerals to harden their exoskeleton as they shed off their skin. Well-fed roaches also breed better and faster.
Therefore, they need plenty of food and water. However, they are generally hardy and can survive for quite some time without food. They can go for two to three weeks and at most one month.
Do Hissing Cockroaches Need Water?
If you are rearing hissers in your home, you must ensure that their cage is well ventilated and there is enough water supply either in a bowl or a sponge. You can also dampen the substrate in their enclosure, which will effectively tap moisture.
So, do hissing cockroaches need water? Water is essential for the hissers; hence, they thrive in tropical areas with high humidity; the insects generally need to live in a well-hydrated environment. Without water in their home, their survival chances significantly reduce, and they are not likely to live past a week. Therefore, it is crucial to supply them with water by any means possible regularly.
However, ensure that the water is clean and fresh. Remember that the insects can also extract water from the fresh veggies in their diet, so avoid feeding them dry food. Otherwise, you can always find a way to moisten their meals.
Finally
The Madagascar hissing cockroaches are omnivorous and scavengers; hence, they feed on almost anything that we eat. They also don’t mind eating animal remains (carcass) and small insects. Rearing hissing cockroaches isn’t a difficult task, they will not require much of your time, and you will spend less on their food. It also helps that they can also eat food meant for other pets such as dogs and cats.
Finally, they don’t easily become sick; hence, saving you the money you could have otherwise used for veterinary purposes. Moreover, the Madagascar hissing cockroaches are hardy and can go without food for some days; this way, you won’t worry about starving them if you travel.
