Big Blattodeans From Bugsincyberspace!

Well, it has been a long time coming. I have kept many roach species in the past, from readily available beginner species, to rare, nearly impossible to obtain ones. And yet I've never actually kept what many consider to be THE holy grail of Blatticulture, despite having wanted them for many years. Thanks to the extreme generosity of Peter Clausen of Bugsincyberspace, I now own a pair of the amazing, enormous, Macropanesthia rhinoceros! 😁

These are the heaviest roaches in the world, and also probably the slowest growing, with nymphs taking three to five years to mature. They mainly eat leaf litter, though this should be supplemented with protein and fruits for optimal growth. Adult females only give birth once a year, if that, and adult males will occasionally commit filicide and eat their own offspring, so it's recommended that you remove them from the enclosure when you're expecting a brood. A very slow growing/breeding species, thus their high price tag and rarity in the hobby. 

I got a pair of L3/4 nymphs, which I've got set up in a gallon shoebox container with a moderate amount of ventilation, and less than a cm of coconut fiber for the substrate. They've got some cardboard pieces for hides, and leaf litter to nibble on of course. I'll be keeping half the enclosure humid, the other half fairly dry, and the enclosure will be kept in the low to mid 70s (F°), as they are rather heat sensitive.

Here are some pictures of the little cuties:

They're so adorable! 😍 Really looking forward to rearing these beauties up to adulthood, it's gonna be three to five years, but it'll be worth it to see some adults of the heaviest roach in the world in person! 😁

Well, that's gonna do it for this post, thanks for reading, hope you all enjoyed, stay safe, and I'll see you all very soon! 😉