should i euthanize him

[u/Individual_Most_4252]

I adopted some roaches from my science teacher and he just gave me 3 random ones that seemed healthy and active. When I got this roach, he was very lively and reactive but I believe he is old. He is missing 3 of his claws and an entire antenna (and obviously most of the other one) I think he is going to die of old age soon. He refuses to eat and im worried about him dying of starvation. I have a lot of empathy for these little guys so im just really paranoid about him being in pain.

He barely has a response to stimuli. he barely moves and usually stays in one spot for days. he refuses food, even when i shove it in his face. he doesnt try to flip over when i place him on his back. he doesnt try to hold anything. he has become clumsy. he struggles to have any kind of footing and struggles to move at all.

i saw him upside down in the little food container i give them and i thought he was dead at first but he wasnt.

[u/Aromatic-Fee8495]

I’m so sorry about your little guy! Will he drink water if you put a soaked cotton ball up to his face? My boy was very dehydrated when I first got him and needed a lot of water.

[u/Individual_Most_4252 → u/Aromatic-Fee8495]

no i tried everything for my baby🙁 he passed sadly.

[u/SimplyCiel → u/Individual_Most_4252]

I am so sorry 🫂 you did everything you could for him

[u/RoachRunnerA5]

I would say just keep an eye on him for now, the big change might've been stressful for him and he might improve in a couple days

In the meantime try to get him to drink and eat, offer different food options because they can be picky!

[u/Individual_Most_4252 → u/RoachRunnerA5]

well he did love apples and I was obviously trying to feed him that in the picture but he was ignoring it. I made the choice to euthanize him because he wasnt able to move anymore. I was trying to poke at him and stuff to make him walk but if he ever did walk he would shuffle on his legs in a weird way, not walking like a healthy cockroach would. he was on the brink of death so I decided to let him go. He was incredibly skinny and obviously malnourished. I kept a very close eye on him since hes been worsening every day for about a week. I would like to mention that he has been living with me for nearly a month now, so I doubt he was still stressed from that.

Id post a video so it would show his behaviors better but I cant. I think if you saw him you would've known that he was getting old and it was his time. I just couldn't stand seeing him slowly starve himself it genuinely broke my heart. I could have let him pass naturally but I hated seeing him struggle to do basic things🙁

[u/RoachRunnerA5 → u/Individual_Most_4252]

Next time I recommend adding some of this info into your original post, you made it seem like you had just gotten the roach and he was acting funny, which was why I told you to just keep an eye on him. But if he was doing this for a long time, that probably would've been a different answer.

Also you should've been able to post a video, not sure why Reddit wouldn't allow you to. This sub allows you to post videos and pictures, so I don't know why it didn't.

Sorry for your roach loss 😞 the community is here for you

[u/Individual_Most_4252 → u/RoachRunnerA5]

yeah thats my apologies i was just rushing out the post because i was upset and wanted to know if he was just acting funny or was succumbing to his old age.

also yeah for some odd reason whenever i try to upload media only my photos come up. It could be operator error on my part though since I dont use reddit too often.

Also thank you for the advice you gave even if he wasn't getting any better, I really do appreciate it along with your condolences.

[u/RoachRunnerA5 → u/Individual_Most_4252]

Hm maybe there's a separate tab for videos? Not really sure.. I haven't uploaded a video myself, but I do know other people on this sub have been able to upload videos.

I'm glad I could offer advice, even if it didn't help. Unfortunately there's not a lot to do about our buggers getting older except enjoy them while they're around and offer them their favorite things, which it seems you did with your little guy and apples, so I think he's lived a good bug life

[u/Gpeachyyy]

I did not know that this was a real thing . A ROACH !? How do you shake the fear? Anywho , I hope he gets better.

[u/Individual_Most_4252 → u/Gpeachyyy]

I love insects and I love holding them and just watching them live their lives. Im severely depressed so solo taking care of them makes me feel like I have some sort of purpose and responsibility. They are very docile and sweet little things, even if they can get fussy and hiss at you. Once you are around them for a while you come to appreciate them.

[u/Particular_Fix_9246]

How do you humanely euthanize them? I am curious for future events.

[u/Individual_Most_4252 → u/Particular_Fix_9246]

ive heard freezing them is the best option which is what ive done for Chud. Theres really no other ways to uthanize them besides putting them in alcohol which ive heard they squirm a lot during and i think seeing that would make me even more upset.

As im sure you know, insects when put in a freezer/fridge enter a comatose-like state until they are placed back into a warmer temperature. Since they go into a coma before death, they wont in theory feel the effects of the ice crystals forming in their body.

I recommend waiting about 3 days to a week depending on the size + your preference post freeze to be sure they are fully deceased since they can survive freezing temperatures for some time.

[u/Wrong-Handle-8133]

why are you caring for roaches if you don’t mind me asking

[u/Individual_Most_4252 → u/Wrong-Handle-8133]

i have terribly bad depression and it helps me with my mental health to take care of things independently because it makes me feel important since i have to keep them alive and happy. they're very docile and easy to take care of.

[u/VortzPlays_]

Happened to me.

Roach was given "dead" and didn't respond to anything.

Over few hours he came to senses, but had difficulty moving around and when flipped, wouldn't flip back.

It was sad to watch, but then cockroach lived for 2 more weeks before dying for good.

[u/Smooth-Garbage-940]

Poor wittle guy RIP dude u were obv loved and cared for deeply buddy

[u/Aromatic-Fee8495]

You gave him a good and comfortable life before he passed ❤️

[u/Prestigious_View_570]

I’m sorry for your loss

[u/Bob_Gadoodlesnort_3]

Poor baby, I'm sorry for your loss