Called it! I theorized they'd be a perfect 5 when I suggested doing a rating vid on these guys (back on your collab vid about them). Literally the only reason not to keep these is not wanting to keep them. They're just that good.
I had one of these guys as a pet for years. Are used wood chips as the bedding and had a little water dish. I can only assume it was eating the wood chips because having no idea what to feed it, I never gave it anything. It’s survived I want to say about four maybe 4 1/2 years. I’ve never had an easier pet.
My wife found 14 hissers for free at my local petstore. She was a little scared at first but we felt bad that no one wanted them so we researched their care and brought them home. They helped her be more comfortable around inverts and now we have 20 tarantulas, 6 scorpions, 3 centipedes, millipedes, beetles, a Vinegaroon and of course we still have the hissers. They helped our whole family grow to be more comfortable with the world we live in. Great little animals.
The only creature mentioned here that would terrify me to have in my home is a centipede. I watched a man allow one to bite him and he said their bite made a bullet ant bite feel like putting on facial moisturizer.
I had a small colony of these on accident many years ago when I bought them as feeders for my Savannah Monitor. He didn't want them so, I kept them for a while. They're pretty great!
I wish I were permitted to keep this species! I’d say isopods would give hissing cockroaches a run for their money as the best pet invertebrates, except for the fact that hissers are both more robust and less likely to flee when handled. Great video, as always!
I say isopods and roaches are like distant cousins sometimes. They're so similar despite being in entirely different groups. I think you could enjoy having both. I wonder what an enclosure with roaches and isopods would look like. Cuteness overload perhaps?
My daughter beeeeeegged to get hissing roaches, did so much research, wrote and handed out roach care sheets for all of us.. so, on Christmas Day, she got 2 male hissing roaches. Screamed with excitement. And on the way home realized they looked a lot like “normal” roaches and started crying. 😑 We kept and enjoyed them for close to 2 years before they died. Not a lot of handling, but lots of observations. They were loved - from a distance. Lol
@@Hedorahstan71 Kids don’t always think things through all the way. Looking at a picture of an animal is way different than seeing one in person, so the little girl probably just got creeped out. It’s not her fault. Kids will be kids.
I do agree. One more positive note: I've kept and currently keeping too several species of cockroaches to feed my tarantulas, but also because of their own interestingness. The "Hissers" are the *least smelly,* so yeah I recommend them.
Spider's gotta eat, and keeping and caring for your own feeders really is the best way to go. You can guarantee them a good life before their time comes.
I am one of those people that developed allergies to my roaches, but I still loved them! Genuinely the easiest and most delightful critter to keep. Also, watching my cat bat at their cage, and then roaches hiss back was so much fun!
I love their personalities, and never get bored of watching them interact with each other. The dominant males hissing down from their perches on top of cork bark pieces, the way the babies hide under the adults when they're spooked, and when a bunch of them decide to hide under the same piece of cork and start moving it around. They're great.
Did you also develop a coffee allergy? I’ve read that people with roach allergies can also be allergic to coffee due to the trace amounts of roaches found in the beans.
Hey I always thought I might have been a little allergic to mine, but I wasn't 100% sure if it was from them. Sounds like I might have been right. Still worth it though, they are great.
An entomologist/professor I knew in college was a huge fan of these. Out of all the insects in his office/lab, these were his pride and joy, and would proceed to show everyone up close and personal how 'cool' they were (no matter how squeamish you were). He was a funny guy, albeit a bit grumpy when teaching you in a classroom. The world needs more people like him/Clint. Passionate!!
I have very intense katsaridaphobia (fear of roaches) to the point I don't think I could ever have these as a pet. Same with using dubias as feeders. But you, Sir, are so very charming and enthusiastic even I considered it for a sec. Well done!
@@codyellison2704 almost as ironic as nothing in north korea having said that, guess only silly westerners are braaainwashed enough to take tabloid stories from south korea at face value with zero critical thinking
Hearing that the roaches don't bite is a huge selling point for me. It turns them from tiny, terrifying monsters to cute 'lil armored friends with tippy tappies on the front. I think I might actually do well with one of these.
I remember being afraid of most insects when I was a kid, but then a friend of mine showed me her hissers when I went over to her house for a sleepover. They were so cute and chill! I begged my parents for one, but they thought keeping insects as pets, especially roaches, was super weird. Well I’m an adult now. I’m strongly considering getting some!
I wouldn't. While everything Clint said is probably true, there is one major turn off for keeping these as pets. That is the roach smell. They stink so bad. The same way German roaches do. Maybe even worse. If that's something you are willing to look over, then go for it. But it wasn't mentioned in the video, and I feel like it should be. Be prepared for these things to stink up the entire room that they live in.
@@andrewyancey9847 I have 13 of the beasts, and Ive never noticed a smell of any kind. Hell, you can put a roach right up to your nose if you so choose and won't get a scent of anything. I haven't even heard of huge colonies smelling bad, and I know plenty of folk who have hundreds of them in a big crate. You may be thinking of your average household roach. I can't attest for those. Even then, I somehow doubt they smell that bad? They're only little guys.
I absolutely agree with this rating. They're easily one of the easiest pets to own, and they're a joy to keep, watch, and hold. On top of everything you scored, they're also very easy to breed! Learning the dimorphism is easy but also valuable if you want to breed them, or not breed them. I had many survive in a plastic enclosure with paper towel bedding, paper towel roll enrichment, wet toilet paper for water, and dog food and leafy greens for food. It doesn't get much easier than that.
@@Saturn-Matrix | I absolutely adore creatures like this. Ones that many are afraid of, but are actually harmless and make great pets. Another example of this being tailless whip scorpions, which I really love.
"So what makes you the best pet invertebrate?" *hiss* "Understandable, have a great day" When Clint actually gives a perfect five star rating: *Wait, that's illegal* though not surprised it's this roach species. Compared to the Simandoa cave roaches I used to keep that were sprinters, escape artists (get some climb stopper non-toxic silicone grease or Vaseline to prevent this), and only come out at night, these guys are extremely tame
@@TGS48Gaming just keep in mind they can escape easily, I wouldn't suggest putting them in a plastic container. Tried that with my first two Simandoas...they escaped and had to get two new ones.
@@AverytheCubanAmerican Thank you for the tip, I'll have to keep that in mind. Usually I keep my roaches, when I first get them, in a plastic container of a decent size until I can get a glass terrarium for them. I'll definitely have to do some more reading and look up a care guide for them before I get some.
Recently found your channel, I've been binging it quite a bit and I've also recently subscribed to your Patreon as it is "stinkin' rad". You scratch that itch I have for caring for different animals and such that I can't fulfill due to my job's mobility. Thank you for all your enthusiasm and valuable information. On a side note, I'd love to see something on the California Ebony Tarantula. At my family home in Mariposa County in California, every so often we see them migrating on mass across roads and such and it's really one of my favorite things in the world. It can happen once a year or there might be periods where we don't see them for several years, it seems to be irregular and I've always wondered why. In any case, have a great day Mr. Clint.
I have to admit when this video first came out I didn’t think these guys would make very interesting pets despite how perfect their score is, but I went to a local reptile shop today and held one for the first time and was amazed by how chill and cool looking she was! I got her and I’m so glad I did! 🥰
Great video Clint. I guess... if you like bugs... I'm not quite there yet. BUT! I accidentally switched the playback speed to 0.50 and half speed Clint is my new favourite thing ever! The "peek-a-boo" at the end in slow-mo was epic!
I would really love to see you guys make a video on silk moths as a feeder insect. They're so healthy, lack chitin, don't bite, are slow and turn into adorable moths after pupating. Very underrated and I would love to see them being presented more as feeders in the reptile community
@@MyName-bw1kz Don't you think any objective assessment of an animal as a potential feeder would have to take into account their extremely specialist diet? I mean, it's essentially prohibitive for most people to constantly source mulberry leaves all the time.
@@hamsters77601 year late,but is it probably because when people say "cockroach" they automatically think of the German Cockroach or any other of the invasive roach species?
After getting my beardie and being around dubia feeders for a while, I found that I actually became endeared to the poor sacrificial feeders. Once I heard about these, I ordered a few adults. BEST PET EVER!!!! So easy to take care of, cheap to acquire and keep, and yet so satisfying to own and bring so much joy. I'll probably always keep a few of these around.
People who overlook cockroaches as potential pets are really missing out. I would like to see a video for Blaberus species, like the giant cave cockroach or deaths heads. I would REALLY like to see you cover the Extinct in the Wild cockroach (Simandoa conserfarium), which has one of the most incredible backstories of the entire herp and invertebrate pet trade. They DEFINITELY wouldn't get a 5/5 due to being teleporting escape artists with a defensive attitude, but they're beautiful and have that "stinkin rad" look.
Hold up. You're saying that there's a species of cockroach that combines the escape artist ability of Jumping Spiders with the teleportation and possibly defensiveness of an OBT (Orange Bitey Thing or Orange Baboon Tarantula) without the medically significant venom?? O_o
The minute Clint brought up how no animal he's covered on this channel has received a perfect score yet and then asked what we viewers thought the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach would be, I knew right off the bat it was going to be the one to get 5/5
This video still holds true to this day. Hissers are such a fun pet. I work at a local pet store, and the fascination kids get watching and playing with them just brings me so much joy.
To celebrate their perfect score, I just gave my hissers a large piece of watermelon. I love to watch their complex social interactions and their, uhh... individual reproductive cycle. Protruding/retracting oothecae, anyone?
I have these as my class pet and I held one for the first time today I loved it it was so gentle and sat sat there on my hand I really recommend getting one they're cute
I love hissers! I've kept various inverts but none had as much personality or were as fun to watch as the hissers. They're such great animals and really underrated as pets.
So I held one of these little guys at a reptile show for the first time and I would absolutely give them a 5/5 as well. They're slow, tanky, and the way they taptaptap with their antennae is adorable. I would absolutely get one as a pet. ✨
This video is so helpful. It really got me thinking about he possibility of hissers as pets, which I’d never previously considered. I’ve been doing some research and it looks like people don’t usually develop allergies to hissers themselves so much as molds that live on their bodies. So people with roach allergies are usually fine but people with mold allergies (especially asthma triggered by mold) may not be. I just took in a pair of rescue hissers yesterday and my breathing is the worst it’s been in years today, and I’m not handling them or even getting particularly near them. That said, I’m looking for workarounds to this because even without handling they really are delightful, and they look so cool in a bioactive setup. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about them but the minute I picked them up from their previous owner I was instantly charmed.
Absolutely agree with the score... however allergies CAN develop and they CAN be quite serious. I developed so serious a reaction to mine I am terrified to open their enclosure. I experienced respiratory and eye reactions (in fact, my eyeball actually started to blister!) So, yes they are awesome, but be incredibly careful... being haired by one of my Ts was less painful than the reaction I developed from my beloved hissers. It breaks my heart, but I have yo rehome them elsewhere. 😭
I love your videos and agree 100% with your rating. I currently have a Halloween hissing cockroach but haven't really told anyone about it but the ones I have told their faces were priceless some where completely disgusted and some where excited!
I tried really hard to like Hissers. I have a completely irrational fear of roaches( other bugs are not an issue and I have other pet bugs) I just couldn’t get past the way they feel when crawling on me.
I absolutely adored tessellata roaches when I had them, they're gorgeous to look at, and also extra points for being so huge. They're very friendly and calm, just like most other roaches they're hardy and easy to take care of, and I'm not sure if this is standard or an oddity, but mine were absolutely addicted to water jelly, which is weird, it's literally just water if it was solid, and somehow that made them go nuts, even the more careful ones that would hide when I opened the box would rush out immediately as soon as I added the jelly, I haven't seen any other specie react in this way, and I've had a few in my days.
@@indyferncja6784 I'm not sure what it's exactly called, but originally its intended as a large scale water retention system. It's a buncho tiny crystals that can suck in water extremely fast, and because it is intended to be just burried underground in a dry area, it's made to be absolutely edible and not harmful. Pet hobbyist use it with mold sensitive species because it doesn't spill so you can easily control where it gets, and considering the amounts its intended to be used at you can get it dirt cheap. I got like a large full bucket for I dunno 20-30 bucks and a shot cup can suck up an entire bucket of water so over multiple years I've barely scratched my reserves. You can also get it much more expensive from petstores who try to bullshit you, but the fact is that they're selling you the same thing you can get orders of magnitude cheaper from the correct sources. It's pretty cool, and sometimes I find it gets green from singlecelled algae, I consider that a nutritional bonus for my roaches to be fair tho.
I just got two males from my professor and they’re absolutely lovely. If you’re looking for a dorm pet that is relatively easy to hide from your RA I’d highly recommend them
In my college we have a room full of these guys. Students get them for projects, dissections and general education. I love how they feel when walking on you. And they are very chill and tame. But it was sad seeing them dissected though :(
Yessss! I love my hissing cockroaches! They each have their own personalities; they like and dislike certain foods and my males spar constantly for their favorite females. The best part is that if you offer them food they will come right up and eat from your hand! Like a slow roach puppy hahaha! Interesting that they started out as food for my beardie but ended up as treasured parts of my family! Once my snake graduates from his 20gal to his 120 gal they will get his old enclosure!
oh they definitely have their own personalities. I had some hamster wheel type stuff they could climb around. and I liked how they'd hold lettuce and rotate it and eat it. so cute.
I 100% agree with this rating and just recently got a pair at a local expo for $3 each! they are beautiful and intriguing pets that i find an absolute joy to keep!
I had two as a kid and they were my favorite Especially over my brother's hamsters or hermit crabs. I want my kids in the future to enjoy them as much as I did as a kid. 10/10 I love them!
HOLY CRAP CLINT IS FINALLY REVIEWING COCKROACHES BOIS. Such an adorable species too! Easily my favorite inverts along with isopods, jumping spiders, and millipedes.
I was so excited to see these beauties finally made it on! I knew they would get a perfect score because they’re AMAZING!!!! Thank you for doing this video!
I love Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches! I have been keeping them since I was a young kid! They were my first insect. People are always grossed out and sometimes will even block me when they hear that I keep them but they are well worth it! They are one of the easiest pets ever! I still keep them to this day!
Thank you for this video! MHCs are often what I recommend to people looking for a classroom pet or a first pet for their child, and who are looking into bearded dragons or ball pythons etc. Hopefully this video will explain to them why MHCs are so much better for that sort of thing than a reptile
I used to work with these. Heres my score. Handlability: 2 the spines on their legs hurt Care: 1 theyre remarkably good escape artists and WILL infest the building if the enclosure is at all damaged or imperfect Hardiness:5 and thats the problem Availability: 4 most specialty pet stores will have them... and most people who thought a colony of these was a good idea Cost: also 5. Its a roach.
I’m more than a year late, but I saw this video around 8 months ago or so and felt the need to share how it changed my life:) I had an empty five gallon tank and I didn’t want fish, so I was looking for a land animal to keep in them, and found this video. I still live with my parents and originally they were VERY against me keeping insects, but I fell in love with hissers, I ended up getting isopods and eventually later I finally got a pair of hissers! Now entomology is a passion of mine I want to pursue, and hissers are my favorite pets:)
I agree, I was a hisser I a 5.5 gallon w/ a ventilated lid. He came w/ eco earth for substrate. I put in a small 65W light, food/water bowls, a hide, a couple plastic plants, & a thermometer/humidity gage. Total cost was 0 since I had everything on hand, but I think everything would've been about $25. He's pretty cool & I just give him some of my cat's dry food plus bits of various fruits & veggies I eat. I mist him when needed. He's definitely low maintenance but v cool.
I used to keep those critters, and considering it again after this video. I didn't handle them much in the past, I was always afraid they could escape, maybe this could change now. And it was fun watching them roam around.
It's difficult for me to cope with regular roaches and several kinds of spiders because they move so fast and erratic. Hissing Cockroaches being so chill takes away a lot of that and makes them somewhat appealing.
For about a year now I've been collecting different arthropods, now I have 5 roach species, 2 isopod species, and emperor scorpions, but the species that started it all was my Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches, they are still one of my favorite species, and they live for awhile too. One of the best things though is telling someone about them and then seeing their reaction to me having roaches and scorpions
I agree. but I think the hardest part is keeping them from escaping the enclosure, and also how to handle the eggs/babies. and the usual stuff about making sure to keep the enclosure free from mold etc. but I really like these guys.
I remember seeing these guys at a local science fair back when I was a kid, totally freaked me out until the handler explained all the stuff you highlighted on them being excellent pets, loved them ever since.
I got some to build a feeder colony but realized my lizards don’t like them. You can def split them by males and females and they can enjoy life. I keep my 5 (2 females, three males) in two leftover small exoterras my geckos grew out of (12 x 12 x 18) and they’re so fun to watch! Put a nice chunk of mopani wood and some cork rounds in there and enjoy them for a long time!!
I've worked with these insects in college and ahd them as pets and I predict they'll get a perfect score there's nothing too difficult about them and they seem to love being ahndled once they get used to you and their surroundings and if you get a few of them lined up you can make some awesome music with them
My daughter got one for her birthday. She only wanted one, but she got a female. What we didn't know was that if they mate once, they can retain sperm and keep having litters. We ended up with over 60!
I love the video. He makes them look so endearing. Still terrified of roaches though. They make my guts squirm whenever they touch me and the panic response is immediate. Still enjoyed the video, i think I could be in the same room watching someone else handle them now.
Wow. Imagine, a cockroach getting so far the only perfect score. Now ive seen everything. Very interesting facts i didn't know about them, but I still wouldn't ever own one voluntarily. Great video!
I used to be afraid and disgusted by cocroaches but I think now this has made me want one of these critters as a pet. Too bad I can't get them in my country. What a wonderful video
I just inherited a small colony as I start work in a new classroom and have them home for the summer. They are a delight and my 2 year old loves them. Bonus: they will absolutely devour extra kitchen scraps.
There aren’t a lot of invertebrate sold in my country, but these are one I can find in my area :) seems like the best invertebrate for me and maybe even my first (own) pet ever!
Why do you hate them? Because they are invasive? Its almost like its humans fault. You should kill them where they are invasive but you shouldnt hate the animal for it. Also i have seen all your replies
Big thanks to Ridge for sending me this wallet and supporting the channel! Here’s the site if you want to check them out! > ridge.com/CLINT
AWESOME
Called it! I theorized they'd be a perfect 5 when I suggested doing a rating vid on these guys (back on your collab vid about them). Literally the only reason not to keep these is not wanting to keep them. They're just that good.
why haven't you ever had a review on a gastropod? :p I'd love to see that
Great video Clint 🐸💚🐸
I had one of these guys as a pet for years. Are used wood chips as the bedding and had a little water dish. I can only assume it was eating the wood chips because having no idea what to feed it, I never gave it anything. It’s survived I want to say about four maybe 4 1/2 years. I’ve never had an easier pet.
I always joke that I'm going to get a Burmese Python so I never have to see my extended family. This seems like a much easier and cheaper option!
Oh, careful dude, if some of them happen to be mad about snakes like myself, you might just get them to stick around longer... 😂😂😂😂
Lmao me too with all my invertebrates my family doesn't want to stay in my house at night because my hissing roaches start hissing loud
I have 4 of these as pets and they keep my relatives out of my house 🤭 5/5 would recommend 😆
nah just get some obt or poecilotheria tarantulas
@@apss5736 P. Metallica would be my choice. They're just too pretty.
My wife found 14 hissers for free at my local petstore. She was a little scared at first but we felt bad that no one wanted them so we researched their care and brought them home. They helped her be more comfortable around inverts and now we have 20 tarantulas, 6 scorpions, 3 centipedes, millipedes, beetles, a Vinegaroon and of course we still have the hissers. They helped our whole family grow to be more comfortable with the world we live in. Great little animals.
The only creature mentioned here that would terrify me to have in my home is a centipede. I watched a man allow one to bite him and he said their bite made a bullet ant bite feel like putting on facial moisturizer.
Coyote Peterson? I like the guy but he's nuts for allowing those animals to bite him lol.
Uh-oh, a gateway bug.
Blessed
@@OhhowHelovesus777Nuts in an educational, good way
I had a small colony of these on accident many years ago when I bought them as feeders for my Savannah Monitor. He didn't want them so, I kept them for a while. They're pretty great!
“On accident”?
Hahaha, my beardie is grown now and not eating as many dubias so my colony is becoming more of a pet than feeder.
@@QWERTYOP80 they were intended as food items before I knew about dubias of which only one was eaten. I think my monitor didn’t like the crunch.
Same thing happened to my basement tenant. His monitor had full range of the basement with different lamps set up for basking.
@@john-paulsilke893 that’s a good setup!
I wish I were permitted to keep this species! I’d say isopods would give hissing cockroaches a run for their money as the best pet invertebrates, except for the fact that hissers are both more robust and less likely to flee when handled. Great video, as always!
One other issue with isopods is that it can take some practice to find the right balance of humidity and ventilation.
Not if it’s a rolly Polly one, they tend to just curl up and not to run away
I agree their is 1000s of ispods 5o choose from too .. they also make great clean up crews too for other inverts and reptiles
I say isopods and roaches are like distant cousins sometimes. They're so similar despite being in entirely different groups. I think you could enjoy having both. I wonder what an enclosure with roaches and isopods would look like. Cuteness overload perhaps?
@@SockyNoob I just did a livestream in which we discussed cohabitating roaches and isopods. In many cases it can be very successful!
My daughter beeeeeegged to get hissing roaches, did so much research, wrote and handed out roach care sheets for all of us.. so, on Christmas Day, she got 2 male hissing roaches. Screamed with excitement. And on the way home realized they looked a lot like “normal” roaches and started crying. 😑
We kept and enjoyed them for close to 2 years before they died. Not a lot of handling, but lots of observations. They were loved - from a distance. Lol
Did you buy her like Dubias or Red runners? Or was she just being a bit of a brat?
@@Hedorahstan71 Kids don’t always think things through all the way. Looking at a picture of an animal is way different than seeing one in person, so the little girl probably just got creeped out. It’s not her fault. Kids will be kids.
But were them hissers or were you scammed?
I do agree. One more positive note: I've kept and currently keeping too several species of cockroaches to feed my tarantulas, but also because of their own interestingness. The "Hissers" are the *least smelly,* so yeah I recommend them.
Spider's gotta eat, and keeping and caring for your own feeders really is the best way to go. You can guarantee them a good life before their time comes.
I was going to say the same thing. You can breed them as food for many medium to large pets.
Question: Do y'all ever keep a few feeder roaches as pets? Especially ones like hissers lol.
It smells like elon's musk
"Kids are violent creatures"
I'm dead 💀
Is he wrong tho?
guessing a swarm got to ya
Ah Clint, making me go from “Oh, Lord, no!!!” to “Well, maybe I can see wanting one of those…” in ten minutes once again. How do you do it?
I knew he had magic powers when he did this with whip scorpions and *almost* did this with tailless whip scorpions!
It's his personality, Clint's cheerfulness and enthusiasm are contagious
The man can be a national cure for depression
His great spirit
I am one of those people that developed allergies to my roaches, but I still loved them! Genuinely the easiest and most delightful critter to keep. Also, watching my cat bat at their cage, and then roaches hiss back was so much fun!
I love their personalities, and never get bored of watching them interact with each other. The dominant males hissing down from their perches on top of cork bark pieces, the way the babies hide under the adults when they're spooked, and when a bunch of them decide to hide under the same piece of cork and start moving it around. They're great.
Only downside is if you handle them a lot they stop hissing even if you pester them a bit. Also, them stopping hissing is an up side so…
Did you also develop a coffee allergy? I’ve read that people with roach allergies can also be allergic to coffee due to the trace amounts of roaches found in the beans.
Hey I always thought I might have been a little allergic to mine, but I wasn't 100% sure if it was from them. Sounds like I might have been right. Still worth it though, they are great.
@@nerodia That's so cute! Babies hiding like that haha
Clint is a multiclass Druid/Bard and I will not be convinced otherwise.
Absolutely lol
An entomologist/professor I knew in college was a huge fan of these. Out of all the insects in his office/lab, these were his pride and joy, and would proceed to show everyone up close and personal how 'cool' they were (no matter how squeamish you were). He was a funny guy, albeit a bit grumpy when teaching you in a classroom. The world needs more people like him/Clint. Passionate!!
I have very intense katsaridaphobia (fear of roaches) to the point I don't think I could ever have these as a pet. Same with using dubias as feeders.
But you, Sir, are so very charming and enthusiastic even I considered it for a sec. Well done!
"It might poop copious amounts of wet Wonka chocolate"
*forbidden chocolate*
The irony of this comment coming from someone who doesn't poop at all!? Hahaha
Kim jong un, you should make someone eat that for a punishment
And of course he shows a drymarchon sp.
Is there anything you won’t eat Kim?
@@codyellison2704 almost as ironic as nothing in north korea having said that, guess only silly westerners are braaainwashed enough to take tabloid stories from south korea at face value with zero critical thinking
Suggestion about next pet you should cover: giant african land snail
You mean people?
@@14dcook wut
@@14dcook lol
@@14dcook wut
YES
Hearing that the roaches don't bite is a huge selling point for me. It turns them from tiny, terrifying monsters to cute 'lil armored friends with tippy tappies on the front. I think I might actually do well with one of these.
I remember being afraid of most insects when I was a kid, but then a friend of mine showed me her hissers when I went over to her house for a sleepover. They were so cute and chill! I begged my parents for one, but they thought keeping insects as pets, especially roaches, was super weird. Well I’m an adult now. I’m strongly considering getting some!
I wouldn't. While everything Clint said is probably true, there is one major turn off for keeping these as pets. That is the roach smell. They stink so bad. The same way German roaches do. Maybe even worse. If that's something you are willing to look over, then go for it. But it wasn't mentioned in the video, and I feel like it should be. Be prepared for these things to stink up the entire room that they live in.
@@andrewyancey9847
I have 13 of the beasts, and Ive never noticed a smell of any kind. Hell, you can put a roach right up to your nose if you so choose and won't get a scent of anything. I haven't even heard of huge colonies smelling bad, and I know plenty of folk who have hundreds of them in a big crate.
You may be thinking of your average household roach. I can't attest for those. Even then, I somehow doubt they smell that bad? They're only little guys.
I absolutely agree with this rating. They're easily one of the easiest pets to own, and they're a joy to keep, watch, and hold. On top of everything you scored, they're also very easy to breed! Learning the dimorphism is easy but also valuable if you want to breed them, or not breed them. I had many survive in a plastic enclosure with paper towel bedding, paper towel roll enrichment, wet toilet paper for water, and dog food and leafy greens for food. It doesn't get much easier than that.
Be that as it may, I don't see the appeal
@@Saturn-Matrix | I absolutely adore creatures like this. Ones that many are afraid of, but are actually harmless and make great pets. Another example of this being tailless whip scorpions, which I really love.
Roaches are sooooooo cute
@@SockyNoob | Pest roaches not so much, but these guys for sure. When I bred them for a while, they'd seem to form rudimentary personalities.
"So what makes you the best pet invertebrate?"
*hiss*
"Understandable, have a great day"
When Clint actually gives a perfect five star rating: *Wait, that's illegal*
though not surprised it's this roach species. Compared to the Simandoa cave roaches I used to keep that were sprinters, escape artists (get some climb stopper non-toxic silicone grease or Vaseline to prevent this), and only come out at night, these guys are extremely tame
Hello again
bruh your everywhere
I've been thinking about getting some Simandoa cave roaches, I think they look very beautiful once they reach the adult stage
@@TGS48Gaming just keep in mind they can escape easily, I wouldn't suggest putting them in a plastic container. Tried that with my first two Simandoas...they escaped and had to get two new ones.
@@AverytheCubanAmerican Thank you for the tip, I'll have to keep that in mind. Usually I keep my roaches, when I first get them, in a plastic container of a decent size until I can get a glass terrarium for them. I'll definitely have to do some more reading and look up a care guide for them before I get some.
Recently found your channel, I've been binging it quite a bit and I've also recently subscribed to your Patreon as it is "stinkin' rad". You scratch that itch I have for caring for different animals and such that I can't fulfill due to my job's mobility. Thank you for all your enthusiasm and valuable information.
On a side note, I'd love to see something on the California Ebony Tarantula. At my family home in Mariposa County in California, every so often we see them migrating on mass across roads and such and it's really one of my favorite things in the world. It can happen once a year or there might be periods where we don't see them for several years, it seems to be irregular and I've always wondered why.
In any case, have a great day Mr. Clint.
I have to admit when this video first came out I didn’t think these guys would make very interesting pets despite how perfect their score is, but I went to a local reptile shop today and held one for the first time and was amazed by how chill and cool looking she was! I got her and I’m so glad I did! 🥰
Great video Clint. I guess... if you like bugs... I'm not quite there yet. BUT! I accidentally switched the playback speed to 0.50 and half speed Clint is my new favourite thing ever! The "peek-a-boo" at the end in slow-mo was epic!
I would really love to see you guys make a video on silk moths as a feeder insect. They're so healthy, lack chitin, don't bite, are slow and turn into adorable moths after pupating. Very underrated and I would love to see them being presented more as feeders in the reptile community
Don't they require a very special diet ?
@@bestaqua23 They do, they eat only mullberry leaves / chow, but they're still really amazing and healthy feeder
He did a video on Giant Silk Moths. Which may or may not be the same thing: th-cam.com/video/WwBuDeFeiUo/w-d-xo.html
@@MythicMagus He introduced them as pets in that video, my idea is a tad bit different 😅
@@MyName-bw1kz Don't you think any objective assessment of an animal as a potential feeder would have to take into account their extremely specialist diet? I mean, it's essentially prohibitive for most people to constantly source mulberry leaves all the time.
I'd say potentially better to hold than any other insect! They're so surprisingly chill and much cleaner than your avg detritivore.
Roaches actually collect LESS filth from their environment than most animal surfaces. It's just they generally live in some pretty gross spots.
@@hamsters7760 they're the ones actively cleaning said gross spots
@@hamsters77601 year late,but is it probably because when people say "cockroach" they automatically think of the German Cockroach or any other of the invasive roach species?
After getting my beardie and being around dubia feeders for a while, I found that I actually became endeared to the poor sacrificial feeders. Once I heard about these, I ordered a few adults. BEST PET EVER!!!! So easy to take care of, cheap to acquire and keep, and yet so satisfying to own and bring so much joy. I'll probably always keep a few of these around.
People who overlook cockroaches as potential pets are really missing out. I would like to see a video for Blaberus species, like the giant cave cockroach or deaths heads. I would REALLY like to see you cover the Extinct in the Wild cockroach (Simandoa conserfarium), which has one of the most incredible backstories of the entire herp and invertebrate pet trade. They DEFINITELY wouldn't get a 5/5 due to being teleporting escape artists with a defensive attitude, but they're beautiful and have that "stinkin rad" look.
Hold up. You're saying that there's a species of cockroach that combines the escape artist ability of Jumping Spiders with the teleportation and possibly defensiveness of an OBT (Orange Bitey Thing or Orange Baboon Tarantula) without the medically significant venom?? O_o
@@TinySwanGrandAdventures yes!
@@DakshaiRanger That's incredible!
I will continue to "overlook" them.. gross
The minute Clint brought up how no animal he's covered on this channel has received a perfect score yet and then asked what we viewers thought the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach would be, I knew right off the bat it was going to be the one to get 5/5
Yeah, the title and thumbnail also kinda gave it away. I expected a 5/5 score before I started watching haha
This video still holds true to this day. Hissers are such a fun pet. I work at a local pet store, and the fascination kids get watching and playing with them just brings me so much joy.
To celebrate their perfect score, I just gave my hissers a large piece of watermelon. I love to watch their complex social interactions and their, uhh... individual reproductive cycle. Protruding/retracting oothecae, anyone?
That sounds like Clint would love to speak about it...😁
Hissers are funny because if I change ANYTHING about the enclosure they have to hiss about it all night. Even just flipping over a leaf.
I have them and highly recommend them they are great pets
Words cannot describe how much "NO." is going through my mind right now... no.
I have hissers and can thoroughly say they are the absolute most deserving of a perfect 5!! Loved this video
I have these as my class pet and I held one for the first time today I loved it it was so gentle and sat sat there on my hand I really recommend getting one they're cute
My 3rd grade teacher had a tank of these for years. They’re really a perfect classroom pet!
I love hissers! I've kept various inverts but none had as much personality or were as fun to watch as the hissers. They're such great animals and really underrated as pets.
The good thing is that you can tell they are well looked after since they are not very hissy meaning they are calm and happy
So I held one of these little guys at a reptile show for the first time and I would absolutely give them a 5/5 as well. They're slow, tanky, and the way they taptaptap with their antennae is adorable. I would absolutely get one as a pet. ✨
This video is so helpful. It really got me thinking about he possibility of hissers as pets, which I’d never previously considered.
I’ve been doing some research and it looks like people don’t usually develop allergies to hissers themselves so much as molds that live on their bodies. So people with roach allergies are usually fine but people with mold allergies (especially asthma triggered by mold) may not be.
I just took in a pair of rescue hissers yesterday and my breathing is the worst it’s been in years today, and I’m not handling them or even getting particularly near them. That said, I’m looking for workarounds to this because even without handling they really are delightful, and they look so cool in a bioactive setup.
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about them but the minute I picked them up from their previous owner I was instantly charmed.
Absolutely agree with the score... however allergies CAN develop and they CAN be quite serious. I developed so serious a reaction to mine I am terrified to open their enclosure. I experienced respiratory and eye reactions (in fact, my eyeball actually started to blister!) So, yes they are awesome, but be incredibly careful... being haired by one of my Ts was less painful than the reaction I developed from my beloved hissers. It breaks my heart, but I have yo rehome them elsewhere. 😭
My two year old has hissers for pets and she loves them so much! Such a great and gentle pet.
They really do make such incredibly awesome pets. Definitely one of my favorite creepy crawlies to keep.
I love your videos and agree 100% with your rating. I currently have a Halloween hissing cockroach but haven't really told anyone about it but the ones I have told their faces were priceless some where completely disgusted and some where excited!
I tried really hard to like Hissers. I have a completely irrational fear of roaches( other bugs are not an issue and I have other pet bugs) I just couldn’t get past the way they feel when crawling on me.
I absolutely adored tessellata roaches when I had them, they're gorgeous to look at, and also extra points for being so huge. They're very friendly and calm, just like most other roaches they're hardy and easy to take care of, and I'm not sure if this is standard or an oddity, but mine were absolutely addicted to water jelly, which is weird, it's literally just water if it was solid, and somehow that made them go nuts, even the more careful ones that would hide when I opened the box would rush out immediately as soon as I added the jelly, I haven't seen any other specie react in this way, and I've had a few in my days.
what exactly is water jelly? is it like those little jelly pots or something different?
@@indyferncja6784 I'm not sure what it's exactly called, but originally its intended as a large scale water retention system. It's a buncho tiny crystals that can suck in water extremely fast, and because it is intended to be just burried underground in a dry area, it's made to be absolutely edible and not harmful. Pet hobbyist use it with mold sensitive species because it doesn't spill so you can easily control where it gets, and considering the amounts its intended to be used at you can get it dirt cheap. I got like a large full bucket for I dunno 20-30 bucks and a shot cup can suck up an entire bucket of water so over multiple years I've barely scratched my reserves. You can also get it much more expensive from petstores who try to bullshit you, but the fact is that they're selling you the same thing you can get orders of magnitude cheaper from the correct sources. It's pretty cool, and sometimes I find it gets green from singlecelled algae, I consider that a nutritional bonus for my roaches to be fair tho.
@@megan00b8 that's super interesting, thanks for the info!!!
@@indyferncja6784 No problem, I like ranting a lot
I just got two males from my professor and they’re absolutely lovely. If you’re looking for a dorm pet that is relatively easy to hide from your RA I’d highly recommend them
In my college we have a room full of these guys. Students get them for projects, dissections and general education. I love how they feel when walking on you. And they are very chill and tame. But it was sad seeing them dissected though :(
Yessss! I love my hissing cockroaches! They each have their own personalities; they like and dislike certain foods and my males spar constantly for their favorite females. The best part is that if you offer them food they will come right up and eat from your hand! Like a slow roach puppy hahaha!
Interesting that they started out as food for my beardie but ended up as treasured parts of my family! Once my snake graduates from his 20gal to his 120 gal they will get his old enclosure!
oh they definitely have their own personalities. I had some hamster wheel type stuff they could climb around. and I liked how they'd hold lettuce and rotate it and eat it. so cute.
I think I’m gonna get some of these now, they’ve really won me over!
I have been waiting for this episode ever since I subscribed. I immediately clicked on this video. Thank you Clint and your amazing team.
I used to have these and I miss them so much :)
I 100% agree with this rating and just recently got a pair at a local expo for $3 each! they are beautiful and intriguing pets that i find an absolute joy to keep!
I can agree! these guys are the BEST!!!
They reproduce so so so QUICKLYY!!
I started with 2 and now I have hundreds
I had two as a kid and they were my favorite Especially over my brother's hamsters or hermit crabs. I want my kids in the future to enjoy them as much as I did as a kid. 10/10 I love them!
I have two. Two males, hissy and pissy and they are honestly amazing lil guys.
HOLY CRAP CLINT IS FINALLY REVIEWING COCKROACHES BOIS. Such an adorable species too! Easily my favorite inverts along with isopods, jumping spiders, and millipedes.
If something ever gets a perfect score on this channel... I might just have to get it
They are so cute 🥺
4:33 I’m somehow not surprised that Clint can juggle wallets one-handed
probably a rather important skill for the exotic pet trade
I was so excited to see these beauties finally made it on! I knew they would get a perfect score because they’re AMAZING!!!! Thank you for doing this video!
I love Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches! I have been keeping them since I was a young kid! They were my first insect. People are always grossed out and sometimes will even block me when they hear that I keep them but they are well worth it! They are one of the easiest pets ever! I still keep them to this day!
Thank you. A delightful video 🎉🎉🎉
And love to see a video about giant burrowing cockroaches. They're so cute and chunky!
i own a tonne of theese and im so glad to see that they got sutch a high score
Thank you for this video! MHCs are often what I recommend to people looking for a classroom pet or a first pet for their child, and who are looking into bearded dragons or ball pythons etc. Hopefully this video will explain to them why MHCs are so much better for that sort of thing than a reptile
Yes, I keep some. I agree, absolute delight, they are.
I love my two hissers, Michael and Matilda, they are cute little buggers!
@myballsitch69, But in MY opinion they are cute. 🥰
hissers are the best!!
Hissers are fun, they just hang out and I love there complaining hisses
Clint, you may have the most positive community of fans on the internet! Thanks for being you!
We are so blessed to have them. It's an amazing community.
I used to work with these. Heres my score.
Handlability: 2 the spines on their legs hurt
Care: 1 theyre remarkably good escape artists and WILL infest the building if the enclosure is at all damaged or imperfect
Hardiness:5 and thats the problem
Availability: 4 most specialty pet stores will have them... and most people who thought a colony of these was a good idea
Cost: also 5. Its a roach.
I’m more than a year late, but I saw this video around 8 months ago or so and felt the need to share how it changed my life:) I had an empty five gallon tank and I didn’t want fish, so I was looking for a land animal to keep in them, and found this video. I still live with my parents and originally they were VERY against me keeping insects, but I fell in love with hissers, I ended up getting isopods and eventually later I finally got a pair of hissers! Now entomology is a passion of mine I want to pursue, and hissers are my favorite pets:)
I had mine for 3 yrs. She was an awesome and funny little creature.
I agree, I was a hisser I a 5.5 gallon w/ a ventilated lid. He came w/ eco earth for substrate. I put in a small 65W light, food/water bowls, a hide, a couple plastic plants, & a thermometer/humidity gage. Total cost was 0 since I had everything on hand, but I think everything would've been about $25. He's pretty cool & I just give him some of my cat's dry food plus bits of various fruits & veggies I eat. I mist him when needed. He's definitely low maintenance but v cool.
I used to keep those critters, and considering it again after this video. I didn't handle them much in the past, I was always afraid they could escape, maybe this could change now. And it was fun watching them roam around.
It's difficult for me to cope with regular roaches and several kinds of spiders because they move so fast and erratic. Hissing Cockroaches being so chill takes away a lot of that and makes them somewhat appealing.
For about a year now I've been collecting different arthropods, now I have 5 roach species, 2 isopod species, and emperor scorpions, but the species that started it all was my Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches, they are still one of my favorite species, and they live for awhile too. One of the best things though is telling someone about them and then seeing their reaction to me having roaches and scorpions
I agree. but I think the hardest part is keeping them from escaping the enclosure, and also how to handle the eggs/babies. and the usual stuff about making sure to keep the enclosure free from mold etc. but I really like these guys.
I love these guys, they're so rad
Man i love this channel its so educational and clint seems so into the videos its awesome :)
I remember seeing these guys at a local science fair back when I was a kid, totally freaked me out until the handler explained all the stuff you highlighted on them being excellent pets, loved them ever since.
These are the perfect pet. I have kept a few around for the last 10 years
I have a hisser and I love him so much! His name is Randy and he adores oranges. Even my roach-fearing parents find him endearing.
Informative and entertaining, love these videos
Love how you guys say Madagascar :)
I got some to build a feeder colony but realized my lizards don’t like them. You can def split them by males and females and they can enjoy life. I keep my 5 (2 females, three males) in two leftover small exoterras my geckos grew out of (12 x 12 x 18) and they’re so fun to watch! Put a nice chunk of mopani wood and some cork rounds in there and enjoy them for a long time!!
I've worked with these insects in college and ahd them as pets and I predict they'll get a perfect score there's nothing too difficult about them and they seem to love being ahndled once they get used to you and their surroundings and if you get a few of them lined up you can make some awesome music with them
My first time being in the first 10 mins to watch a clints reptiles video! ❣
Love the videos keep up the work (:
My daughter got one for her birthday. She only wanted one, but she got a female. What we didn't know was that if they mate once, they can retain sperm and keep having litters. We ended up with over 60!
I love the video. He makes them look so endearing. Still terrified of roaches though. They make my guts squirm whenever they touch me and the panic response is immediate. Still enjoyed the video, i think I could be in the same room watching someone else handle them now.
Wow. Imagine, a cockroach getting so far the only perfect score. Now ive seen everything. Very interesting facts i didn't know about them, but I still wouldn't ever own one voluntarily. Great video!
We have kept Hissers for about 10 years now and they are, in my opinion, the perfect pet. Predicting a perfect 5.0!
I used to be afraid and disgusted by cocroaches but I think now this has made me want one of these critters as a pet. Too bad I can't get them in my country. What a wonderful video
3:08 I just watch this and suddenly grab my sandals when I see one of those appear on screen
The handalability collage was low-key amazing
I just inherited a small colony as I start work in a new classroom and have them home for the summer. They are a delight and my 2 year old loves them. Bonus: they will absolutely devour extra kitchen scraps.
My teacher had these as our class pets! I loved them. They were spoiled.
I love these guys! I've got two different species, G. portentosa and E. javanica and I'm planning on getting a few more! They're great!
Insects are awesome Clint great video 🐸💚🐸
just got a colony of 6 today and have them set up well in a nice cozy tank
I have a large collection of almost every species of hissing roach there is and they do make fascinating pets.
There aren’t a lot of invertebrate sold in my country, but these are one I can find in my area :) seems like the best invertebrate for me and maybe even my first (own) pet ever!
Why do you hate them? Because they are invasive? Its almost like its humans fault. You should kill them where they are invasive but you shouldnt hate the animal for it. Also i have seen all your replies