Are Hissing Cockroaches Poisonous?
Accordingly to nearly every scientist and doctor I’ve come across, no cockroach is inherently poisonous in their natural state. They don’t carry any poison in their bodies and they certainly don’t have any body parts that could sting you.
If you’re worried about them having a barb the same way that a scorpion would, then you don’t have to because they can’t pierce human skin at all. Apparently, they’re not poisonous even if you consume them.
There are parts of the world that actually serve roasted roaches on the dinner table! While I don’t think many people would much enjoy having a roach in this way, it does help to drive home the fact that they aren’t really toxic.
That being said, garden variety roaches like you might find in unclean areas have a tendency to pick up infectious pathogens. Judging by the sources I’ve found, hissing cockroaches are never found in nature in North America, Europe or Australia.
Chances are that if you see one anywhere outside of Madagascar, you’re with someone who keeps them as exotic pets. Assuming that they kept their enclosure nice and clean, any hissing cockroaches you come into contact with won’t be carrying anything.
Will They Become Poisonous If They Eat Something Poisonous?
From what I’ve read, there’s some debate on this topic. Roaches have a tendency to eat any dead material, and that can include synthetic substances like wallpaper paste and even paint chips.
If they eat something like this, then they could become poisonous if eaten or if they get into your food. Since hissing cockroaches are exotic pets rather than pests like other types of cockroaches, the possibility of this ever happening is extremely slim.
Cockroaches that live inside of your dumpster are eating dead municipal waste, so there’s a relatively good chance that they could end up carrying some sort of disease. Once again, though, hissing roaches simply aren’t the same kind of animals as normal cockroaches and shouldn’t be anywhere near this kind of filth anyway.
What Allergens Do They Carry?
Pet owners who keep hissing cockroaches in a clean enclosure shouldn’t really run into any allergens at all. I’ve found several studies that suggest that those with asthma may experience a worsening of symptoms when exposed to cockroaches.
However, these studies were all related to roach pests found in residential buildings. Hissing cockroaches are normally kept clean, so they don’t pick up many of the same kinds of allergens that pests would.
That being said, you might have issues if you don’t keep exotic insects in a clean and healthy environment. The same could really be said for any animal.
Deceased hissing cockroaches will start to naturally decay over time, which might cause problems for some allergy suffers. Any problems caused by this have more to do with the organisms that break down bodies than the roaches themselves.
You’ll want to clean away roach droppings to prevent any allergic reactions. Hissing cockroaches do seem to have quite a healthy amount of gut flora, which can end up in their droppings.
It’s also highly recommended that you wash your hands after working with or handling your roaches so that you don’t spread any droppings or dead skin cells around. Otherwise, exotic pet roaches shouldn’t set off your allergies.
Do Hissing Cockroaches Bite Humans?
I’ve only found a very few credible sources that report on cockroaches biting people. That being said, it’s theoretically possible but extremely unlikely from what I’ve read.
In all the cases I’ve read about, the roaches in question were pests rather than Madagascar hissing roaches. German, Oriental and American cockroaches could hypothetically bite a person, but it’s far more likely that they’d cause health problems by getting into someone’s food and spreading microorganisms in it.
Hissing roaches that are kept in a healthy environment can’t do this. The little fibers on their legs can make some people itch, but you could always wear gardening gloves when handling them if that’s an issue.
You may find that you don’t experience much of a reaction at all, however.
Which Pets Are Allergic To Hissing Cockroaches?
A handful of veterinarians I’ve come across have pointed out that shed skin and droppings from hissing roaches can cause problems for dogs, cats and other common pets. You should make sure to limit contact between your roaches and other pets so they don’t pick up any of this debris.
Make sure to wash your hands after cleaning up your roach habitat or handling them. This is more of a precaution than anything, but it does seem like a good idea because you could have inadvertently gotten some debris on them when taking care of your hissing cockroaches.
On the other side of the spectrum, some pet reptiles might think of your hissing cockroaches as a nutritious treat so you’ll definitely want to keep them separate if you don’t want any insects to end up as snacks!
What Do I Do If My Pet Ate One?
Most of the vets I’ve been following echo the sentiment that roaches aren’t actually poisonous in their natural state so if your dog eats a domesticated pet hissing cockroach you shouldn’t run into too much of an issue. Some dogs might get indigestion or have an allergic reaction, but the risk of them getting seriously ill is quite low.
As always, keep an eye on your dog but you probably shouldn’t notice any unusual behavior. The same should be true of those who have cats.
Make sure to separate your other pets from your roach enclosure so this kind of thing doesn’t happen. Since roaches and other insects are part of the diet of some types of lizards and other pet reptiles, you’ll really want to separate them if you don’t want one of your pets chowing down on another!
Some people who keep exotic reptiles actually raise hissing cockroaches as a source of food for them.