EDIT - We have confirmed ootheca! I'm reporting my own post.
The cockroaches themselves aren't really all that dull, if you ask me, but the way they came into my care feels like classic dull man happenstance.
I got 2 males and 3 females; I've separated them, but I'm pretty sure two of the females are already impregnated.
Fun facts about Hissing Cockroaches:
-They can reproduce every 2 months, but usually no more than 3 times per year.
-They give birth to 10-40 live babies (called nymphs) at a time.
-They do this by laying an egg case (called an ootheca) INSIDE THEIR OWN ABDOMEN. After a few weeks, the case ruptures and they push it and their babies out the backside of their abdomen.
-While pregnant, they will often open the rear of their abdomen and allow the ootheca some fresh air.
-When born, the nymphs are only a few millimeters in size, but they can grow to over 3 inches (~7cm) long.
-Nymphs can reproduce after 6 months.
-They can live for up to 4 years on average!
-Other than a few sharp little spikes on their legs, they are completely harmless.
-Contrary to popular belief, they are VERY CLEAN. They feed on decaying wood, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables and the occasional meal of dead meat, but they prefer the fresh stuff.
There's some debate on this, but the current consensus seems to be that they are more akin to ants: they recognize their colonymates, and they have social hierarchies; they recognize their handlers over time.. they're not quite as intelligent as rats, but it's a closer race than you might think.
Rats are really smart, though. It's like comparing a dolphin and a goldfish:
Goldfish can be trained to do simple things like ring a bell for food, but dolphins do ocean dmt and then use their prehensile genitals to choke turtles and then laugh about it.
😂 yeah, dolphins are in a category of their own. They are intelligent enough to do some diabolical stuff. Rats are just smart enough to be adorable.
Anyway, it’s nice that these insects are capable of recognising you. I wonder if they do it by smell.
That's something I haven't looked into. I can either Google this now, or experiment on my own blindly to see if my results match those that exist, if any.
I'm gonna do the second. I'll let you know o7
As far as I know, most insects rely heavily on chemical markers. That’s how ants communicate too. Dragonflies hunt by eyesight, but they are exceptional in so many ways.
If you have sweaty hands, it should be able to identify you easily. If you’ve just washed your hands with soap, it could be harder. At least that’s my hypotheses for the time being.
BTW how do you know you’ve been identified? Will it just run away from strangers?
I guess I'll have to establish a baseline for their reaction to my presence after a couple of months or so, and then just note if I see any difference when I start masking my chemical markers 🤷🏻♂️