Many people see cockroaches as pests, not pets. However, there are some people that like the idea of some species of cockroaches as a pet. Whether that is the kind that you imagine (or worse, experience) as infestations, or the more common pet, a Madagascar hissing cockroach. So, are they good pets, or something to avoid? Well, believe it or not, they are actually great pets for beginners who would like to get into keeping insects.
But, why are they so good as beginner pets? Well, they are very easy to handle, pretty well-behaved, and very robust. Furthermore, if you have a fish tank, you can keep several hissing cockroaches without much issue. They will need wood chippings (Aspen) as substrate, a mesh lid on the aquarium, and some petroleum jelly around the top couple of inches to stop them from escaping. Leave them plenty of hiding places, such as cardboard tubes and egg boxes, and feed them fresh vegetables. The temperature should only be just above room temperature and keep plenty of fresh water for them to drink.
