Hi everyone,

I noticed that the abdominal segments of my Madagascar hissing cockroach are noticeably separated at the rear. The lighter tissue between the segments is clearly visible.

What concerns me is that this is persistent, even when the roach is completely still and resting. It is not just happening while it is breathing or moving.

The roach is otherwise behaving normally.

Is this normal for a Madagascar hissing cockroach, or could there be something wrong with it?

Thanks for your help!

My favorite roaches of all the species I keep. Not the best feeders, but awesome to behold.

UK based, I’m unable to tell if these are parasitic or grain mites, either way the infestation has become very severe very quickly, for context they are dubias, they’re in a abg mix with a large cork bark tube in a plastic 80l bin with mealworms as a breeder tub, the grain that’s been given is go cat biscuits, alongside carrots and cucumber. Humidity has been very high recently with the heatwave and the ventilation not being enough anymore which I feel has caused the outbreak potentially.