A NINE-YEAR-OLD girl from Claremore, Ohklahoma, is so obsessed with cockroaches she has over a thousand that she keeps as her pets.

Shelby Counterman kisses her cockroaches and shows off the “play tank” of bugs she keeps in her room.

6 Nine-year-old Shelby Counterman is obsessed with cockroaches Credit: TLC, My Kid's Obsession

A video from TLC UK shows Shelby and the cockroaches she keeps in her bed.

She said: “When I started collecting cockroaches I had five - now I have thousands!

“I want to teach people about my roaches, because they’re not monsters, they can be really cute and funny.”

There are seven tanks of cockroaches in her house including the one in her bedroom and another she persuaded her brother to keep in his room.

6 Shelby keeps eight tanks of roaches in her house, including a 'play tank' in her room Credit: TLC, My Kid's Obsession

6 Shelby lets her pet roaches crawl all over her bed Credit: TLC, My Kid's Obsession

6 The little girl wants to teach people that cockroaches aren't dangerous Credit: TLC, My Kid's Obsession

Two more tanks of crawlers are in the garage and there are three in the laundry room of the house.

And she says her goal is to teach the world to not hate cockroaches.

Shelby said: “They don’t bite, they’re not harmful at all except they may be a little stinky every once in a while.”

The girl’s parents aren't overly enthusiastic about their daughter’s hobby, but allow her to keep her pets in the house.

6 A video shows Counterman kissing her favourite pet cockroaches Credit: TLC, My Kid's Obsession

6 A grave for Counterman's favourite cockroach Blackie who sadly died Credit: TLC, My Kid's Obsession

MOST READ NEWS 'GRUESOME RAPE' Girl, 19, gang-raped by at least 11 MEN and thrown to death off building FACTORY OUTBREAK Thousands infected with zoonosis disease after factory leak in China RAPIST CRACKDOWN Rapists will be castrated under new law introduced in Nigeria HELL IN PARADISE ISIS take over stunning celeb holiday islands - burning down luxury hotels ‘HIS SQUEEZE’ Model pilot ‘helped Epstein groom victims & romped with girls as he watched’ HORROR FALL 'Inseparable' pals die in 100ft waterfall plunge moments after posting this pic WEE WILLY INKY Bloke tattoos entire body including his todger - and claims girls 'love it' Warning ROAST PUS Disgusting moment green 'pus' oozes from lamb as it's cut into during roast 'WHERE'S YOUR MASK?' Moment French cop stamps on Brit man's head for ‘not wearing mask’ BOTTOMS UP! Moment 'bladdered' mum sends baby flying while pushing pram up SKATE RAMP

Her mum said: “I absolutely don’t love the cockroaches, but I can deal with them.

“I do have freak out moments every once in a while!”

The video opens with a shot that shows the roaches Shelby keeps in her bed.

She spills baby cockroaches onto the floor and picks up the bugs to stroke them.

Her favourite cockroach, Blackie, passed away last year and she created a gravestone for it that she sits by often.

Counterman keeps her pets in egg cartons because the bugs “prefer the dark”.

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.