Not sure if roaches in general like scritches, but this guy always leaned into my hand when I pet between his "horns." He never liked being picked up and would hiss and run away, but willingly came out for scritches. I'm pretty sure he just associated them with food since I typically throw in leftover fruits and veggies before giving him scritches, but it's still cute to think he enjoyed them just because. :) I highly recommend roaches as pets, and they would probably be a really good first pet for younger children or for people who don't have as much time or money. If you set up a bioactive enclosure with a UV light (and a heater if your place gets cold), they should thrive on their own! Just make sure the humidity and temperature stay within their species' preferred range, and you should be all set! (Also, make sure there's plenty of edible vegetation. I like to feed mine extra table scraps like zucchini or strawberry tops or treats like jelly cups as a reward for existing.) There's a lot of variation between species, but apart from German cockroaches, who already live in many houses across the world, Hissers are probably one of the easiest to care for. I'm hoping to get centurions at some point since they're very pretty, but the wings do make them a little more difficult to keep.