Perisphaerus punctatus & pygmaeus - Ant's journal

[Ant]

Welcome to my care journal on Perisphaerus, a cockroach species also known as the “Roly-Poly Roach,” as it has the ability to roll up like a pillbug, and its dorsal shield closely resembles that of one.

In this care journal, I will cover two different species that I keep in separate terrariums:
-Perisphaerus punctatus
-Perisphaerus pygmaeus
These two species are visually very similar and extremely difficult to distinguish. The main difference is that punctatus females are slightly larger than pygmaeus females, and the size difference is even more pronounced in males. So far, I haven’t been able to identify any males in either group, although this could simply be because most of the specimens are still juveniles. I have around 15 individuals of each species. Both setups include leaf litter, coconut fiber substrate, and vertically positioned pieces of bark in each terrarium. After noticing a lot of climbing activity, I also applied escape-prevention oil to prevent the roaches from gathering on the lid. However, ever since they discovered the bark pieces, I haven’t seen any individuals attempting to climb up toward the lid.

Plum is accepted by both species, and leftover crickets from my ants are readily nibbled on. Both species seem completely indifferent to light and do not appear to be very skittish. As long as they are hiding in some crevice, they don’t seem to mind if light shines directly on them, even though darker hiding spots are available. I can also report that punctatus are noticeably more eager climbers than pygmaeus, which seem to prefer settling comfortably among the leaf litter.

Cucumber also seems to be even more well accepted than plum. However, during my nightly checks, there was little feeding activity in punctatus until I placed the piece on top of the bark. Since then, I offer food both on the terrarium substrate and on the bark.

From this, I would conclude that punctatus has a highly arboreal lifestyle in the wild, whereas pygmaeus inhabits both the ground and trees.

Please post questions and suggestions here.

[Ant]

Since the last update, quite a lot has changed. A fine layer of mold had initially spread over most of the wooden pieces and the substrate, but it disappeared within a few weeks after introducing springtails. In the pygmaeus terrarium, I also noticed some white isopods, which must have come along in the container of roaches I purchased. Whether they’ll be able to establish a lasting population remains to be seen.

I also discovered that these roach species are very fond of carrots, with cucumbers remaining as their favorite.

The first individuals have started molting, and unlike other roach species, Perisphaerus punctatus and Perisphaerus pygmaeus don’t seem to eat their shed skins - instead, they leave them behind in large pieces.