The Fab |
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The Fab Four are our newest family members. John, Ringo, George and Paul joined our family in March of 2003. They are Madagascar Hissing Roaches - click here for more information. Our boys travel with us to trade shows and, in the future, to classrooms. They have an exoskeleton which feels like lacquered wood. Their feet can cling to almost any surface. They are quite shy and are safe to handle. They are called "hissing roaches" because they make a hissing noise when they are agitated. The hissing noise is caused by pushing air out of breathing holes in the sides of their abdomens. After they have grown accustomed to being held, they stop hissing. But once they have been left alone for a few weeks, they start hissing again. Our boys live in our office on a heating pad and are fed peeled apples and banana peels. We spray them daily with water. They came to us sterilized so that they will not breed any additional family members.
UPDATES!! January 17, 2004 - After John’s disappearance, everything was quiet for a time. Then in April 2003 we a heard a shriek from Evelyn (while she was on the phone) something was on top of the cage. The prodigal cockroach had returned! Brian was able to return him to his habitat where he drank and ate for hours. Proof positive cockroaches can live for months without food or water. John was never the same after his return, he fought with the other 3 - hissing for no particular reason, hogging the food, and just generally being unpleasant. He especially picked on the littlest one: Ringo. In November of 2003 Ringo became ill, he wasn’t eating or moving much. We took the gang to a Business After Hours Showcase for the Chamber and the very next day Ringo died. Three has never been a good number for roommates, it always seems that 2 gang up and pick on the 3rd. This was true also with this living arrangement. Paul and John taunted George relentlessly. Poor George finally succumbed to their abuse sometime in December. And now there are two. Do they get along? What do you think? NO! They fight and bicker almost every day. Both of them have gotten very big so there is no issue with bullying but they can’t seem to co-exist. We are leery of buying more, as that may just add fuel to the fire. We are just watching and waiting for the next segment of As the Cockroach Turns…………. |
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