#ExquiSeed is a newspaper pullout of a joint collaboration between Universiti Putra Malaysia and New Straits Times, exclusively distributed around UPM's green campus only!
Different,
unusual and extraordinary; those three words describe Izrin’s unusual hobby of
rearing pet insects very clearly. She might appear to be your kind of
girl-next-door quality but mind you, she keeps cockroaches as her darling pet
in the bedroom! Let us get to know this sweet girl’s profile before going
deeper with our interview session.
:Profile:
Full name: Nur Izrin Binti Che Muhamad
Hariri
Birth date: 2nd of May 1989
Origin: Kuala Lumpur
Hobby: Keeping insects as pets, taking
photos and watching animes.
Educational background:
-Sekolah Kebangsaan Menjalara
-Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bandar Sri
Damansara 2
-B. Ed.
TESL in UPM (third year).
Social media:
- Instagram
(Izrin Hariri)
- Facebook
(Izrin Hariri)
Izrin
started this hobby out of curiosity a couple of months ago after being
influenced by her classmate on campus, E-Jynn who breeds “Dubia roaches” or
scientifically known as “Blaptica Dubia”, the orange-spotted cockroach. She is
fairly allergic to furry animals so being the girl playing around with her pet
insects is quite a shock to most of us.
“I never
developed any fear for insects and I became interested in them as they are
different than the usual cockroaches everyone, including the guys is so afraid
of”, she says.
Izrin
never thought of keeping Dubia roaches as pets as insects are normally perceived
as pests, especially cockroaches. She now has 7 Dubia roaches; 6 females named
“Charlie” and a male called “Richtofen”. She further adds that people would
give her the odd looks and remarks when she shows her Dubias around but there
are some who encourage her obsession.
Her roaches
only need very low maintenance that costs her less than RM 10 every month. They
feed on the non-flavoured jelly that is actually their water source and
grain-based dry pet food or oats to help them grow bigger and healthier. She
also feeds the roaches fruits such as papaya, apples and vegetables
occasionally.
“I always
check on them on a daily basis to monitor their food and water supply. I will
also clean them once a week depending on my schedule. The Dubias are very
sensitive to light and they will find dark spaces to hide even underneath each
other!”, she adds on.
In fact, Izrin
goes the extra mileage in pursuing her hobby by doing further readings online
or meet with the original breeder for information. She would also love to
attend gatherings for exotic pets’ keepers to exchange more knowledge and get
to know the people who share the same interest.
“I
find my hobby interesting because I like to do things that are not common and I
am not doing them for the sake of attention. However it would be great if other
female friends chip in as well as I feel so alone in this”, says Izrin.
For those who are wondering, these Dubias
are very well-behaved and they are kept in a plastic container with egg crates
so they can roam freely or rather hide. This species of roaches cannot fly even
though the male Dubias have wings compared to the females with little wing
stubs. You can follow her Instagram and Facebook account for video feeds and
photos of her Dubia roaches.
“Insects
are as interesting as cats and dogs and they deserve to be loved and cared too
even if they don’t meow or bark like other animals. Best part of keeping Dubias
as pets—they don’t smell, they don’t bite and they can’t fly! Don’t worry about
being called weird, that makes the two of us!”, Izrin then concludes.
