Hissing Cockroach Birth - Pt. 1

Madagascan hissing cockroach giving birth. Part two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH0WiV...
This video was featured on Animal Planet's Weird, True & Freaky. I am not partial to how the show portrays them to be horrifying, "sci-fi" monsters, and they didn't even talk about the part where she squirts out "cockroach milk" to feed her babies after they're born, which is probably the "freakiest" part to most people :P Ah well. It's sad that most people can't enjoy and celebrate these animals without thinking of them as horrifying, dirty creatures. I understand it's unusual and "gross", as any birth is... but I get so sick of the blatant hate and constant actual threats from people just for loving these animals.

Also I feel the need to note: Don't bother leaving rude comments. They will not be approved (unless I find your comment SO ignorant that I think everyone should see it and have some big, hearty lols), and you will be blocked. FYI, I have studied these insects for over a decade, and believe it or not, they are VERY helpful to the ecosystem. There are around 6,000 different species of cockroach, and only NINE are known pests to humans. The rest prefer to live in the soil, where the eat decaying matter, serve as food to many mammals and other invertebrates, and some species are even pollinators. The Asian cockroach, Blattella asahinai, is a predator of boll worm larvae, which destroy crops. They also eat the eggs of the beet armyworm - a pest to cotton, cabbage and a variety of other crops. Farmers release these roaches into their crops for this purpose. Termites are, in fact, cockroaches, and they are enormously important to the health of forests. It is also said that cockroaches eat bedbugs. Think about all that before you prove yourself to be ignorant by saying they have no use in the world. It's likely that they are making themselves more useful to the environment than you are.

Answers to some common questions:

- Did the mother roach survive after such a painful-looking childbirth??
- Yes, the mother survived the ordeal. The babies are not nearly as big as they look while within her body; they instantly inflate with air as soon as they are born, giving the impression that they took up THAT much space inside her, when they really didn't take up that much.

- Aren't you afraid of them getting out and infesting your home??
- No, because hissing cockroaches are one of about 96% of all roach species which don't infest homes, as mentioned above. The only time roaches carry disease are when they crawl through -our- filth, or otherwise only carry it on the outside of their bodies.

- What did you do with all those babies??
I either gave them to friends, kept them, or sold them. It's really quite simple to keep hundreds of hissing roaches with minimal effort and space. I find that it's far easier to keep up with 300 of these roaches than 1 fish or hamster. :)

- WHY DO YOU HAVE THESE AS PETS OMG??
They've actually got a fascinating social structure, much like a wolf pack. There will be one dominant male, several females he keeps, and usually one or two males that are the weakest and keep off to themselves. Sometimes a female will actually take pity on him and stick nearby him rather than the dominant male. They're fascinating to watch and observe, and I love to hear them rustling around at night :)

• Category

  Pets & Animals

[claudia tellez]

That is the most disgusting shit i have ever seen, you deserve to die.

[PenanggalanMonster]

Of all the assholes who have told me I'm basically a piece of shit for keeping insects, you've left the most nasty and pointlessly cruel comment of them all. What on earth possesses you people to feel such HATE and LOATHING for me simply for appreciating and studying insects? I've loved them since I was little and I always will love them, and I'm going to breed as many of these beautiful creatures as I can just to spite AWFUL people like you.

[Jay Chino]

great i have these things around my room. lauud have merrrcy

[PenanggalanMonster]

This specific breed doesn't infest homes. If you found them in your home, they'd likely just die, since they are a tropical species rather than a pest species.

[Tangmo S]

It's very interesting VDO and I very interesting in.

I want to know that - how about abdomen when the cockroach give birth already? what's happens on it? it's closed, right?

[PenanggalanMonster]

It looks painful for the roach, but it always returns to normal after giving birth.

[PenanggalanMonster]

If you were here you'd be an intruder and I'd fill your face with mace. <3

[MrNeedleJunkie]

I'll admit it i'm not a fan of insects, but I respect them as living creatures and the way cockroaches give birth is ... interesting. It's a shame people have to be dicks. Keep on doing your thing.

[seydraw]

People seriously insult you on a regular basis just because you like insects?

Nevermind them, it's the internet, keyboard warriors/assholes everywhere. Haters gonna hate.

Liked the video, never new they could give life births.

[DanjiIthmus]

I just love roaches when they are in that vulnerable white stage. Those little beady eyes and pretty white flesh. So cute! I love this video, saw it before I got lobster cockroaches(admittedly as feeders for my reptiles), it was very helpful to know that this was the general idea for them giving birth.

[LaughingShadow]

I love insects (cockroaches especially), and it honestly confuses me that people would tell another to die BECAUSE of the fascination of such adorable creatures... There are some people who refuse to be educated... (But, seriously, those are some crazy cute babies.)

[shrunkenone]

So, because someone posts something they find fascinating, no matter how disgusting in may or may not be, they deserve to die? They should cease living for enjoying something you personally dislike?

What kind of drugs were your parents taking when you were conceived? Seriously, I want to know how your brain has been so horribly corroded to even consider the loss of a human life is acceptable simply for enjoying something you personally find gross. You are beneath the insects in this video.

[LukeLuffyEX]

that's gross but really beautiful at the same time :')