# question about isopods with tarantulas



## vohnholley (Feb 22, 2010)

I was wondering , will my Ts eat my isopods when i put them in their enclosure togther? Also, do isopods do well inside of the platics cubes?  LAstly, how many isopods  would you put in each enclosure ?  im thinking about purchasing some from a member this evening and i need these questions answered.


----------



## ¥AMEON (Feb 22, 2010)

*[¥] The Amazing Isopod's [¥]*

Only way to be realy sure if they eat the 
isopod's or not, is to try is my guess.
But i recon most wont bother with them 
as they are so small usually.
But it also depend's on how large your T
is in relation to the isopod's ... Sling's 
and smaller T's could be more prone to 
taking Isopod's out as they could be 
closer to the size of prey they normally 
would take on.

And if they dont eat them you got the 
best CleanUp Crew you can get.
So it's definately worth a try.

IsoPod's do well anywhere as long as it 
is enough moisture around.

As for how many needed in each Cube 
would depend on how large the Cube is.

There is a lot of info on Isopod's here 
allready i recon.
Using the Search funktion is a good way 
to do it.

i'll run a Quick search on *isopod's* for 
you and see what i find:

*[Edit]:*
Actually had to run a search on *Isopod Care* 
to get the search result more specific:

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=156037&highlight=isopod+care     <--(Quite a bit of info on Isopod Care)
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=141587&highlight=isopod+care     <--(A bit of info regarding T's eating their Isopods )

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Buckwheat (Feb 22, 2010)

I gather them out of the yard all the time and insert them into my enclosures without any known problems.


----------



## reverendsterlin (Feb 22, 2010)

isopods have gills so anywhere they are put that you want them to survive needs to have a constantly moist area, the area around the waterdish is best. They can be used in dry tanks as well for clean-up but will need to be replaced (putting them in 2-3 times a year is fine). I have yet to see a T or scorp eat one.


----------



## ¥AMEON (Feb 22, 2010)

Buckwheat said:


> I gather them out of the yard all the time and insert them into my enclosures without any known problems.


If you live in an area where you are sure has 
no Pesticide/Pollution that could be ok.

Better to be safe in'case one Tarantula get's 
peckish and decides to nibble a bit on the 
isopod's.


----------



## nhdjoseywales (Feb 22, 2010)

i have seen juvie t's eat isopods but i doubt adults would bother with them unless very hungry


----------



## vohnholley (Feb 23, 2010)

thanks, for the info..i have a few 2 inchers who could use the clean up crew and i dont want to mess with my obts unless i really have to. they are always leaving legs or heads around.with my emelia, he has thos white little bugs. i think they arecalled spring tails.  they eat food left overs. but they are everywhere!!


----------



## Irfin (Feb 24, 2010)

I absolutely love isopods.  I can't get enough of them. Get yourself a variety from http://www.doubleds.org.

I found the drawfs are great with slings but you have to be attentive to their needs.  That is, you should make sure that your sling is a messy eater to leave plenty left over for the isopods.  If you have a weak sling you might want to think twice about mixing the two.

Otherwise they're biological zoombas and they're cool to look watch.  Moisture and nutritional considerations must be met though.


----------



## lordddelgado (Dec 7, 2010)

*Isopods?*

are tarantulas safe with isopods while molting? I'd like to get some but I'm worried of getting my tarantula eaten :?

Reactions: Clarification Please 1


----------



## Midknight xrs (Dec 7, 2010)

lord, I've had isopods in my avic's enclosures for a few months now.  No worries about the isopods eating the T, but more like the other way around.  The really only eat dead or decaying products since they are easier to get to.  they are not crickets. IME.


----------



## curiousme (Dec 7, 2010)

lordddelgado said:


> are tarantulas safe with isopods while molting? I'd like to get some but I'm worried of getting my tarantula eaten :?


We have never had them in an enclosure that was not housing an adult T, but we have had no problems with them eating on a T.  I don't recall reading about it happening either.  They go for decaying things though, so a molting T wouldn't fall into that category.


----------



## killy (Dec 7, 2010)

I placed 3 isopods in my A avic's enclosure a couple of months ago and they're still alive and thriving - I've even seen them climbing about high up on the vertical driftwood where the avic likes to hang out, and they all seem to be living, as the song goes, in perfect harmony!  It's kind of cool seeing them in there. 

It seems to me that it would take one hungry spider to want to resort to an isopod for dinner - an isopod looks to me like a lot of gristle and very little meat!

p.s. I agree with Midnight and Curiousme - they might delight in the exuvium, but I doubt they'd have any interest in the living spider.

By the way, can anybody venture a guess as to the lifespan of an isopod?  The ones I added to the enclosure were full grown - I didn't expect them to last this long ...

p.p.s.  I just checked on Google - they live up to 2 years ...


----------



## Midknight xrs (Dec 7, 2010)

Killy,

Yes, the estimate on an isopods lifespan is roughly two years.  From the few months of experience i have with them, they are pretty self sustaining, and since they are in my arboreal enclosures, i haven't had to do anything except make sure they are still in there.  
I saw the other night though my Avicularia versicolor went after one though.  i guess being fed every three days isn't enough. 
If you get the chance, you should breed them.  just grab a few dozen and throw them in a small enclosure with almost swampy water and feed them fish flakes every few days.  my colonies have thrived on it.


----------



## Lorum (Dec 8, 2010)

I have put some isopods in enclosures of juvenile T's. Any T I have will eat them if they (the isopods) are big enough.

And, BTW, I have seen some isopods feeding on the web of my _Avicularia versicolor_.


----------



## pato_chacoana (Dec 8, 2010)

lordddelgado said:


> are tarantulas safe with isopods while molting? I'd like to get some but I'm worried of getting my tarantula eaten :?


This has always been my worries too... That's why I've never used them.
A long time ago, I've had a _T. blondi_'s friend that got lost her fangs after molt and the isopods were supposed to be responsible for it. Though I know the fangs loses are rather common with _T. blondi_ and the spider wasn't mine, I can't say for sure that's how my friend's T lost the fangs... But I've decided not to use them just in case... especially if we are talking about slings and juveniles... but it would be nice to have organisms that ''clean'' the enclosures!

Cheers,
Pato


----------



## curiousme (Dec 8, 2010)

Midknight xrs said:


> From the few months of experience i have with them, they are pretty self sustaining, and since they are in my arboreal enclosures, i haven't had to do anything except make sure they are still in there.


We have them in our _H. sp.Vietnam_ enclosure.  We threw a handful in 3 years ago and still have a thriving population.  The tank is a planted enclosure though, so they have plenty of decaying  plant matter to munch on.


----------



## zonbonzovi (Dec 8, 2010)

Ditto.  I've used them in Haplopelma setups for a couple years now with no ill effects.  Never tried with slings, though.  I would think that they would be seen as a prey item.   

I use them much more extensively with centipedes and have witnessed them attempting to eat the fresh molt but not the convalescing centipede itself.  It's comical to watch as the normally unseen isopods turn up for the feast like drunks to a happy hour.


----------



## Irfin (Dec 10, 2010)

Irfin said:


> I absolutely love isopods.  I can't get enough of them. Get yourself a variety from http://www.doubleds.org.
> 
> I found the drawfs are great with slings but you have to be attentive to their needs.  That is, you should make sure that your sling is a messy eater to leave plenty left over for the isopods.  If you have a weak sling you might want to think twice about mixing the two.
> 
> Otherwise they're biological zoombas and they're cool to look watch.  Moisture and nutritional considerations must be met though.


Best place to get isopods.  For larger enclosures you can collect and breed local isopods.  I have found through my experiences that isopods seem more content and less likely to mess with your T if you provide them with food.  Every month I intentionally provide dead feeders for them to munch on.

Both the orange variety and the drawf whites are very prolific if you provide the correct moisture.  Think biological roombas.


----------



## 2g33k4u (Aug 17, 2014)

I use isopods for most my enclosures never had a problem with them.  when they are not busy cleaning they hang out under the water dish. Since i started using these I have not had issues with other bad bugs. aphids gnats etc. 5-10 an enclosure and you are set. Toss in some springtails to super charge clean up.


----------



## Reid0210 (Jan 10, 2016)

I have them in my emperor scorpions enclosures and they are amazing. Perfect clean up crew and have never bothered my guys during a molt.


----------



## Chris11 (Jan 10, 2016)

I just use them in my T. stirmi enclosure because of the high humidity and sheer size of it. As far as i know, theres still about 20 or so in there and ive never had a problem with them.


----------



## SOLOKILLER2601 (Oct 16, 2020)

Midknight xrs said:


> lord, I've had isopods in my avic's enclosures for a few months now.  No worries about the isopods eating the T, but more like the other way around.  The really only eat dead or decaying products since they are easier to get to.  they are not crickets. IME.


What kind of isopods do you use cuz i do know some isopods are very protein hungry


----------



## Matt Man (Oct 16, 2020)

I file 'anything out of my yard' as 'something that could poison my T" and thus never combine the 2. I am guessing you could take wild caught and keep them in a container where you controlled the substrate and in a generation or 2 clear them of any toxins. The reward to risk ratio is too low in my book. I know Ts will eat Isos of given the chance. I have 2 Living enclosures, 1 with a Versicolor, the other with a Pokie. I have Isos in both


----------



## Arachnophobphile (Oct 16, 2020)

Make sure you do your research on the correct species of isopods to get when adding them to a tarantula or scorpian's enclosure. 

Certain species will eat your scorpians when they molt. I've never heard of them eating a T when they are molting but not 100% on it.


----------



## Hakuna (Oct 17, 2020)

People be reviving some old threads lately...


----------

