Madagascar Cockroaches/Golden Orb Weaver Spiders

While all animals are fascinating in their own right, few people find cockroaches to be cute and cuddly, and the keepers in RAJ are no exception. Still, the Madagascar hissing cockroaches receive the same level of care as any animal at the zoo. Their food—sweet potatoes, crushed biscuits, greens, celery and other vegetables—is carefully weighed. Sponges are placed in the nooks and crannies of their exhibit to provide water, and red lights provide the typically cave-dwelling insects with a dark environment that is still visible to guests.

Even more impressive, for the insectophobes among us, is the fact that the enclosure is cleaned daily. Keepers open the back walls to provide fresh food and water, removing old vegetables and other organic matter to prevent decay. In addition to the daily cleaning, Wilson says, “The exhibit receives a thorough annual scrubbing where every single roach is pulled out and placed in temporary holding while keepers disinfect the exhibit.”

If you carefully scan the enclosure, you may see some insects that are completely white. These are cockroaches that have recently shed their exoskeletons; their coloration will return as the exoskeleton grows back. Down the hall, the golden orb weaver spider exhibit is ladies only, as the females are the only ones who can weave webs. In the wild, the males of the species are much smaller and woo mates by performing a “dance” on their webs. This dance must be conducted carefully because if the male misses a step, the female will conclude he’s prey and eat him.

This web-sensitivity also means that feeding the spiders requires a light touch. Keepers use tongs to place crickets on the webs. If done gently, the spiders recognize the crickets as prey and rush over to feed. If the keeper’s hand is a bit too heavy, the spider may think the vibrations represent an intruder and will bounce the web to try to shake it off. Although the spiders are fed regularly, you may wonder what keeps them from leaving their open enclosure to wander the building in search of dessert.

The simple answer is that they’re happy where they are. As Wilson explains, “They really have no reason to leave—they’ve spun their own webs, so that’s here they want to be. They’re fed there, and they have misters to provide them with water, which is important, as they’re a tropical species and require extremely high humidity.” Automated misters at the top of the enclosure keep them hydrated; outside, they’d have no such assurances.