OK so little known fact of me. I am a bug lover. I used to own and breed over 100 species of tarantulas and 50 species of scorpions. I have authored articles on the subject for the American Tarantula Society of which I was once Secretary and Editor. Also for the British Tarantula Society. In that time I used to often "raise" my own food for them including cockroaches.
Roaches are highly photo sensitive and therefore do not like light. So they tend to be in places we think of as "dirty" because we do not clean those places often such as under the sink or fridge. They also need pretty high humidity which can be found in the same areas. They therefore pick up a large amount of bacteria that they transfer to various areas. They also carry disease. They are very strong (ever try to squish one with a shoe? good luck!).
However when they are "kept" they do not do well in dirty conditions. Food has to be cleaned up quickly and such. The only smell I ever got was if I left food in too long and it rotted. They love fresh veggies and fruits and CANDY! They really like sweet stuff. When the habitat would get too dirty they would start to die. So no they do not do remarkably well in "dirty" conditions. They also groom themselves often like little cats.
They are very social and many people that have had the large ones as pets will tell you that over time they will get used to you and you can handle them.
In other countries some women actually stud the large ones with jewels and paint and wear them as jewelry, pinned to them on a little leash. Louie Roachtton.. HAHA.
Maybe I can dig up some pictures of my roaches. There are so many different kinds you could incorporate. A deaths head one might be neat on the death card.
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I saw mention of the egg case on the female..this is true as well. Also if you frighten her to the point of thinking she is in a life and death situation or if you kill her she drops the sac from her body and the babies will still live. So there is some information for you on roaches. HAHA.
