# Pill bug / sow bug / woodlouse / roly poly farming



## schnautzr (Jun 26, 2010)

Pill bugs, sow bugs, woodlice, roly-polies...you've all seen 'em...

Anyone have any victories in breeding colonies of these?

I read about it a little bit here: http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=79030&st=0 -- they describe it as very low-maintenance, aside from providing water. Sounds like it might be the best route for breeding feeders for my recluses.

I'm thinking I'll harvest several from the wild and stick them in an enclosure with an airtight rubber lid, such as a casserole dish, with some bark, and keep it moist.

What I'm wondering, though, is how large of a colony I'll need in order to feed about 30 per week to my spiders. This might require a lot more effort.

So...anyone have experience with this or suggestions as to how I can create my own feeder farm?


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## Violet (Jun 27, 2010)

A decent sized plastic enclosure with a lid is suitable. Use a layer of decomposing non-toxic leaves mixed with peat moss as a substrate / food source. Keep them cool, moist and dark. If you want to be extra carefull breed several generations of them before you start feeding them out, this ensures pesticide free feeders.

Personally I think you will be better off breeding roaches or mealworms if you want feeders but that’s realy up to personal preferance.


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## Bugs In Cyberspace (Jun 27, 2010)

I'd like to add that isopods do really well in communal tanks with roaches. Why not get both?


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## schnautzr (Jun 27, 2010)

Thanks for the tips!

Something tells me recluses probably won't enjoy roaches (been about five years since I've stepped on one, so I can't remember how hard-shelled they are), but I could be mistaken. Besides, I don't really know anyplace I can find roaches without getting a visitor badge and a hall pass *cough-- my old high school*.

So...what advantages might there be in farming roaches or mealworms?


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## OxDionysus (Jun 28, 2010)

I started my Isopod colony with about 50 I caught this winter. I have what seems to be thousands now and they eat everything I put in the bin. Boluses, roach poop, dead crickets, moults, dead leaves, veggies, even wood. They are quite voracious eaters. I even have local centipedes and millipedes thriving in it also. Really cool when you see the tiny pedes cruising around.


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## schnautzr (Jun 29, 2010)

I caught about 30 or so today in a plastic jar, and added a large piece of mulch wood, which they seem to be loving. It's hilarious watching them crawl around in stacks of three or four...

How often should I moisten them?


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## Violet (Jun 29, 2010)

schnautzr said:


> Thanks for the tips!
> 
> Something tells me recluses probably won't enjoy roaches (been about five years since I've stepped on one, so I can't remember how hard-shelled they are), but I could be mistaken. Besides, I don't really know anyplace I can find roaches without getting a visitor badge and a hall pass *cough-- my old high school*.
> 
> So...what advantages might there be in farming roaches or mealworms?



There are many different species of Cockroaches, some more hard shelled then others. I’m sure other board members here will be able to tell you where to buy them.   

Mealworms breed fast, they are very easy to care for and a healthy colony will have a range of different size larve to fit your individual arachnid. However, they are not the most delicious feeder insect out there and they tend to burrow into the substrate soon after you drop them into the spiders enclosure.

The only Cockroaches I have had experience with were Gisborne Wood Cockroaches. _(Drymaplaneta semivitta)_ They too breed quickly and were on the whole alot more popular feeder with the spiders. Unfortunately I don’t realy have the space to keep roach bins and they are pretty difficult to manage in small enclosures.

If you want to keep Inverts successfully you’re going to need a sustainable feeder colony or a reliable supplier. I’m not against feeding out wild caught insects but relying solely on wild caught feeders is probably not a great idea.  

I don’t realy know much about Loxosceles sp. but if they prefer soft bodied insects you may want to look into getting Crickets, _Galleria_ and/or Blowflies.

The key to good arachnid nutrition is good feeder nutrition and a varied diet. There are plenty of helpful care sheets and breeding articles out there for feeders wich I strongly suggest you have a look through.

Good luck.


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## thebugfreak (Jun 29, 2010)

i actually breed them. i had 25 adult and i wanted a few so that i can have them next time i needed to change the whole substrate. but then it kinda got out of hand and now i have 100-150+ isopods...


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## bhoeschcod (Jun 30, 2010)

I'm restarting with around 20-30 isopods. Soon enough though i'll have 1000!


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## joes2828 (Jun 30, 2010)

I wouldn't recommend isopods as feeders... I know that even in the backyard, very few other animals will eat these. I don't know if it is because of a certain chemical, or something similar, but for some reason, they are not often prey.


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## hassman789 (Jun 30, 2010)

*feed them to slings?*

Can I start breeding these and then feed them to a sling. the crickets are the right size but they are so darn jumpy they scare the little guy. If I wait a couple generations would it be safe to feed to my little guy? And they seem to have a bit of a shell. Do you think a little 3/4 inch sling could bite it and eat it? Just a thought, because it would be a whole lot easier!


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## Malhavoc's (Jun 30, 2010)

AFAIK Isopods armor make them incredibly hard to be digested or even attacked by spiders, unless it is the dysd's which specialize in hunting them I've seen only a few cobwebs snatch them up and eat them and that is in thanks to their web keeping them still long enough to do it, most other spiders simply ignore them.


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## hassman789 (Jun 30, 2010)

This thread inspired me to try and start my own colony. I took about 15 today and put them in a container with dirt, leaves and rotten wood and then sprayed it with water. We will see how many I have in a couple weeks!


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## cacoseraph (Jul 2, 2010)

i found them super easy to breed. i am taking a break as my first colony was pillaged by argentine ants and i am still mad







http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b287/cacoseraph/isopoda/Isopods_babiesb.jpg



that is on a coco sub with a thin top layer of oak leaves and detritus.  they slowly reduce the top layer and eat pretty much anything you want to feed them.

for me, it was easy to see when i needed to add more water... everyone stacks up on the moist spots when it is too dry, imo.

having good 3D cover will let you really densify you colony.  for my next effort i am thinking about making layers of scratched plastic pieces for the pods to inhabit when they are not feeding


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## ZergFront (Jul 2, 2010)

schnautzr said:


> I caught about 30 or so today in a plastic jar, and added a large piece of mulch wood, which they seem to be loving. It's hilarious watching them crawl around in stacks of three or four...
> 
> How often should I moisten them?


 I spray mine about once or twice daily. Isopods require water for a water duct system they have to get rid of nitrogenous waste.

 I have more females and less males so I get more pregnant females than mooching studs.


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## fangsalot (Jul 2, 2010)

i remember throwing isopods in webs and the spiders would just cut them out of the web...just didnt want them.


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## bhoeschcod (Jul 2, 2010)

Hey does a weird yellow bump thing on the bottom mean that its gonna have babies? I have my first moult so i'm doing something right.


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## kripp_keeper (Jul 3, 2010)

I got around 10-15 adults early this spring, and now I have at least 30 babies. I keep them moist with rotting wood and leaves to eat.


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## ZergFront (Jul 3, 2010)

bhoeschcod said:


> Hey does a weird yellow bump thing on the bottom mean that its gonna have babies? I have my first moult so i'm doing something right.


 Yup. They carry around the eggs and the young for a little while. Sometimes you may find a male curled around a female trying to get her to uncurl. I put the babies in my taratula cages to keep them clean. They've eaten the larger isopods before.


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## bhoeschcod (Jul 3, 2010)

Cool then i'll have babies in no time.


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## schnautzr (Jul 3, 2010)

bhoeschcod said:


> Cool then i'll have babies in no time.


Do sow bugs need a source of calcium? I ground up a little bit of a pineapple-flavored calcium bird treat for them, but I'm not sure whether it is serving any purpose.

I'm finding they prefer mulch over paper, cardboard, or wooden building material scraps. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

As far as spiders eating them...a hungry recluse snatches one up in a frenzy and it's be history in seconds. Makes for a good backup when you're low on moths/flies.


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## hermitman64 (Jul 7, 2010)

I started with about 50 from my backyard not too long ago, and I have about 1000 now. Extremely low maintenance - just keep them pretty much as people here are describing. They are very hardy.


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## koolkid98 (Jul 7, 2010)

Just got my taste of what babies are. They are so epic.


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## hassman789 (Jul 7, 2010)

I put in som apple skins and a few seem to be munching down on them!


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## koolkid98 (Jul 7, 2010)

I just place moss in the middle of each slab of wood and they do fine.


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## ZergFront (Jul 7, 2010)

hassman789 said:


> I put in som apple skins and a few seem to be munching down on them!


 I give mine any of my dead crickets and a piece of potato. They eat a wide range of food.


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## koolkid98 (Jul 8, 2010)

I've even heard of them eating potatoe chips!


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