Joy of Roaches

Posted by By Chelsey Jenkins and Casey Barthe on Jun 29th 2026

Spending adult money on pet cockroaches isn’t something most of us see coming… But here we are. It’s such a shame that most Americans only know cockroaches as disgusting pests invading your personal space, because only a handful of species can even become pests and the vast majority of roaches are so interesting and beautiful it’s hard not to fall in love with this order of insects. We’re going to show you just how varied these creatures are by introducing you to some of our favorites from our personal collection, and hopefully, you’ll start to see what we see.

Simandoa conserfariam “Extinct in the Wild Roach”

A gorgeous, dapper and fairly “roachy” roach. This species was collected from a cave in Guinea, West Africa in the late 1990s/early2000s by Conservation International. Return visits to the site years later found the cave entirely destroyed by bauxite and iron ore mining. To our knowledge, these roaches only exist within captivity.

Polyphaga saussurei “Saussure’s Giant Sand Roach”

One of the largest sand roaches, most strains of the species in captivity are actually parthenogenic. That means they’re all female and essentially clone themselves to reproduce. One of my favorite things about these gals is that they don’t have wings, so they always look like fat little nymphs. Also, they squeak. Adorbs.

Eucorydia westwoodi “Heart Flower Roach”

These gorgeous little day active roaches are the exact opposite of what you think a roach should be. Shimmery, colorful, and showcasing a heart in the middle of their wings, these are essentially tiny little puppy dogs. While most flower roach nymphs live secretive lives, the adults are prone to climbing, which is great for the keeper who likes to ogle.

Gromphadorhina/Princisia/Elliptorhina

Big and beautiful! While hissing cockroaches lack wings, they make up for it with their impressive size and pronotum horns! These sticky-footed beasts get their name for their ability to expel high volumes of air through their spiracles, creating a startling hissing sound. Native to Madagascar, there are a number of species showcasing a variety of sizes, colors and shapes.

Gromphadorhina

Princisia

Elliptorhina

Lucihormetica verrucosa “Warty Glowspot Roach”

Possibly the least “roachy” roach we have in our collection, these hefty nuggets of roachhood are cute as a button. The “warty glowspot” is one of the better roaches for handling as they aren’t super flighty and seem quite interested in exploring. Very polite. Very demure.

Pseudoglomeris magnifica “Emerald Cockroach”

The one fancy roach people MIGHT recognize by its common name, the Emerald Cockroach is a glorious testament to the beauty of roaches. Spectacular, metallic creatures in shades of green and copper, the mature females don’t sport wings, but they do exhibit maternal care ensuring the survival of their young into the second instar.

If you’re still not sold on the magic of roaches, check out some of these more exotic species Rochaina bilunata, Macropanesthia rhinoceros and Panchlora kozaneki.