# My snails, roaches and isopods



## Marika (Sep 29, 2016)

I used to keep several species of snails, but then I kind of needed to take a break from all that slime . At the moment the only species I still keep is _Pomatias elegans_. They are weird and cute, but small and very shy, so I don't have very good photos of them.








I got into roaches about 4 years ago. 

I had a small group of _Gromphadorhina_ sp males, now this guy is the only one left:


I keep a small colony of _Archimandrita tesselata_, this species is my favorite.










I also have a small group of _Blaptica dubia_ males.


I got my first isopods about a year ago. At the moment I have _Armadillidium maculatum_, _Armadillidium_ sp. "Montenegro", _Armadillidium_ sp, _Oniscus asellus_, _Porcellio scaber_, _Porcellio scaber_ "orange", _Tricorhina tomentosa_ and some native species I haven't identified.

Armadillidium maculatum


Armadillidium sp Montenegro


Armadillidium sp


Porcellio scaber


Porcellio scaber orange

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## Ratmosphere (Sep 29, 2016)

Beautiful collection!

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## Hisserdude (Sep 30, 2016)

Very nice, gotta love Archimandrita tesselata!  I REALLY love those Armadillidium sp. "Montenegro", they are stunning! Really hope they'll make their way to the US hobby!  Are they easy to breed?


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## MTA (Sep 30, 2016)

Those snails look really interesting, have you gotten any eggs from them?


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## Marika (Oct 1, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> Very nice, gotta love Archimandrita tesselata!  I REALLY love those Armadillidium sp. "Montenegro", they are stunning! Really hope they'll make their way to the US hobby!  Are they easy to breed?


A. tesselata males are super funny, I'm always laughing at them when they chase each other around the tank  When I moved them to that large tank, they even started to "fly" (jumping around flapping their wings). Armadillidium sp. "Montenegro" are breeding, but not as fast as my other isopods.



MTA said:


> Those snails look really interesting, have you gotten any eggs from them?


They are totally different from other species I've had, that's why I decided to keep them. I bought 4 adults 3 years ago and they had about 10-12 babies. They have been growing slowly, but are now pretty much adult sized, so I'm hoping they'll start to breed as well.

Reactions: Clarification Please 1


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## blacksheep998 (Oct 1, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> Very nice, gotta love Archimandrita tesselata!  I REALLY love those Armadillidium sp. "Montenegro", they are stunning! Really hope they'll make their way to the US hobby!  Are they easy to breed?


I also have been trying to get some Armadillidium sp Montenegro in the US for several years without any luck. They're tied with Porcellio expansus for my most wanted species.

I know someone on on another board who imported some P. expandus earlier this year, but I haven't been able to get in touch with him for a few months so I don't know how they're doing. I should really try sending him a message.

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## Marika (Oct 1, 2016)

Some snails I had:

_Achatina fulica_










_Achatina iredalei_


_Arianta arbustorum_


_Cepaea hortensis_


_Cepaea nemoralis_


_Eobania vermiculata_


_Fruticicola fruticum_


_Helix aspersa_


_Helix pomatia_





_Pleurodonte isabella_

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## Hisserdude (Oct 1, 2016)

Marika said:


> A. tesselata males are super funny, I'm always laughing at them when they chase each other around the tank  When I moved them to that large tank, they even started to "fly" (jumping around flapping their wings). Armadillidium sp. "Montenegro" are breeding, but not as fast as my other isopods.


Yeah, I've seen some videos, looks like the males can be pretty active!  I once owned a female I bought from a pet shop near me, she was so huge and quite heavy, one of the coolest species I've ever kept! Will have to get some more one day, when I have more room! 

Thanks for the info on the Armadillidium sp. "Montenegro", hope they establish themselves in your culture!



blacksheep998 said:


> I also have been trying to get some Armadillidium sp Montenegro in the US for several years without any luck. They're tied with Porcellio expansus for my most wanted species.
> 
> I know someone on on another board who imported some P. expandus earlier this year, but I haven't been able to get in touch with him for a few months so I don't know how they're doing. I should really try sending him a message.


Yeah, I'd love to own some one day, along with a bunch of other really pretty Porcellio species that are being cultured in the Asian and European hobbies! 

That's really cool, hope he is successful in breeding them!

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## truecreature (Oct 1, 2016)

Oh man, you have absolutely no idea how jealous I am about those giant land snails. They're illegal to own here in the US

Reactions: Agree 3


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## Marika (Oct 2, 2016)

raisinjelly said:


> Oh man, you have absolutely no idea how jealous I am about those giant land snails. They're illegal to own here in the US


Yeah, I've read about that, that's a pity. They are great, can be a bit too prolific though


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## SDCPs (Oct 4, 2016)

Dude! This thread is something else. Those giant snails are especially incredible! I would so keep them if I could.

Reactions: Like 1 | Sad 1


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## Marika (Oct 5, 2016)

I have tons of snail pics, so I might as well share some more. I don't know, I've been thinking I may have to get a new A. fulica baby

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## Marika (Oct 9, 2016)



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## Teal (Oct 10, 2016)

Oh my goodness, this thread is stuffed with awesome!! I am nearly inspired to move out of the US so I can have giant snails <3 lol And those _Archimandrita tesselata.. _I am definitely going to have to get some of those! Thank you for sharing all these great photos and keep 'em coming

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## Praxibetelix (Oct 10, 2016)

My daughter wants baby snails now! I had to tell her we are not allowed to have the species in this thread. We love the white bodied snails too...I will have to look into snails allowed in USA

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## Marika (Oct 16, 2016)

I got this little guy today


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## pannaking22 (Oct 16, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> Very nice, gotta love Archimandrita tesselata!  I REALLY love those Armadillidium sp. "Montenegro", they are stunning! Really hope they'll make their way to the US hobby!  Are they easy to breed?


A. sp. Montenegro are already here  I know of a few people breeding them, along with _Porcellio silvestri_. Actually got to see both today at NARBC Tinley Park, but they were pretty far out of my price range and I'd already spent most of my money on roaches from Kyle

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## Hisserdude (Oct 16, 2016)

pannaking22 said:


> A. sp. Montenegro are already here  I know of a few people breeding them, along with _Porcellio silvestri_. Actually got to see both today at NARBC Tinley Park, but they were pretty far out of my price range and I'd already spent most of my money on roaches from Kyle


Awesome, was Kyle the person selling them? Glad they are in the US hobby, hopefully they'll get more common, (and affordable), in the next few years.


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## pannaking22 (Oct 16, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> Awesome, was Kyle the person selling them? Glad they are in the US hobby, hopefully they'll get more common, (and affordable), in the next few years.


Nope, but he bought some of the _P. silvestri_, so he'll be working on making those more common. The guy selling them had several cups of both species, so I'm going to try to put together a trade with him and get a few of one species or the other. As far as I have heard, both are relatively easy to breed, but are pretty slow at it, so it's going to take quite a bit of time before they're readily available I think.


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## Marika (Oct 20, 2016)

A. fulica baby Kupla ("Bubble") eating sweet potato and fish food.

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## Marika (Nov 1, 2016)

Yum, banana!







One of them got greedy and tried to steal the whole piece.


Hmm, something smells good...

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## ErinM31 (Nov 1, 2016)

Marika said:


> Yum, banana!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wow, I didn't realize these were so BIG!


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## Marika (Nov 1, 2016)

ErinM31 said:


> Wow, I didn't realize these were so BIG!


Yeah, they are huge, that's one of the reasons I love them


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## Marika (Nov 7, 2016)

Some old pics of hissers I used to have. I only had males...sometimes they were fighting, sometimes they tried to mate with each other

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## Marika (Nov 30, 2016)



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## Marika (Dec 14, 2016)

She's fat

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## Marika (Feb 2, 2017)

P. scaber "orange"


Armadillidium sp. "Montenegro"


A. maculatum

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## socalqueen (Feb 2, 2017)

Marika said:


> I used to keep several species of snails, but then I kind of needed to take a break from all that slime . At the moment the only species I still keep is _Pomatias elegans_. They are weird and cute, but small and very shy, so I don't have very good photos of them.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Beautiful!! I'd like to know what kind of roach is in the 12th picture (their in a bowl)? I've never seen those and can't believe how big they are!


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## Marika (Feb 2, 2017)

socalqueen said:


> Beautiful!! I'd like to know what kind of roach is in the 12th picture (their in a bowl)? I've never seen those and can't believe how big they are!


They are _Archimandrita tesselata_ females. They are huge


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## SlugPod (Feb 2, 2017)

Love the snails! 
The isopods are my favourite though. 
Hoping to get some Armadillidium maculatum myself soon.

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## socalqueen (Feb 4, 2017)

Your giant land snails are absolutely breathtaking. I have to say I've never seen them that large, I see something new every day on AB. I love them! Truly awesome.

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## Marika (Feb 4, 2017)

Some native isopods that live in my A. tesselata tank, don't know the species. (And some T. tomentosa.)


Pomatias elegans eating zucchini. These little guys mostly eat decaying leaves.

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## Hisserdude (Feb 4, 2017)

Marika said:


> Some native isopods that live in my A. tesselata tank, don't know the species. (And some T. tomentosa.)


Looks like _Philoscia muscorum_, a common European species.

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## Marika (Feb 7, 2017)

_A. fulica_

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## Spiderbakesale (Feb 11, 2017)

ahhhhh i just love _Armadillidium Montenegro _so much, i really want a colony of my own some day! 

your inverts are all so pretty and amazing!

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## Marika (Feb 28, 2017)

_P. muscorum_

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## Aquarimax (Feb 28, 2017)

When I lived in Hawaii, there was a feral population of An Achatina species there...one of them was so big, I thought it was a shoe until I got closer to it...





Marika said:


> Some snails I had:
> 
> _Achatina fulica_
> 
> ...

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## Marika (Mar 13, 2017)

_Oniscus asellus_

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## blacksheep998 (Mar 13, 2017)

Marika said:


> _P. muscorum_


That's a nice yellow _P. muscorum._ I found a similar one last year that produced some yellow babies, but they all darkened as they grew. I'm hoping some more yellows might appear in the next generation.

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## Marika (Mar 16, 2017)

My last hisser (Winston) has been living with my A. tesselata for a while now.

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## Zuzu (Mar 16, 2017)

Those large snails with the white bodies on the last page are beautiful!

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## Esherman81 (Mar 16, 2017)

Just wow ..loved loved the pictures ..I'm getting a few snails soon ..can't wait .

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## Marika (Mar 29, 2017)

A rare species, the unicorn roach:


A. tesselata

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## Marika (Apr 2, 2017)



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## Marika (Apr 18, 2017)

He decided to sleep in his water dish:

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## VolkswagenBug (Apr 18, 2017)

Your roaches are awesome! The vast majority of my pets are roaches, they're just the cutest little things.

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## houston (Apr 18, 2017)

What size is the tank the Peppered roaches are in? I have a 55g sitting around and I love your setup!

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## VolkswagenBug (Apr 18, 2017)

I'm not Marika, but 55g would fit a lot of roaches and would probably be a good size for a large colony that could fit 30+ adults at a time.


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## Marika (Apr 19, 2017)

houston said:


> What size is the tank the Peppered roaches are in? I have a 55g sitting around and I love your setup!


It's about 28g. A 55g tank would be awesome! I think I have about 15-20 adults in my tank at the moment, the females like to stay inside a large cork tube, so I'm not sure how many I've got.

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## Marika (Apr 20, 2017)

_A. maculatum_



_P. scaber_

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## Marika (May 17, 2017)

I got some new roaches today, A. tesselata nymphs and three male hissers, here's one of them:


He ran away hissing after I had taken a couple of pics, I guess he didn't like it  I've had my old hisser for almost three years now, he was a young adult when I got him. I hope these new guys will treat him well.

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## Tleilaxu (May 17, 2017)

I think your sexist. You discriminate against female hissing roaches. 

In all seriousness, you should get some female hissers and start up a small colony of them.

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## Hisserdude (May 17, 2017)

Tleilaxu said:


> I think your sexist. You discriminate against female hissing roaches.
> 
> In all seriousness, you should get some female hissers and start up a small colony of them.


I used to only keep males as well, they make great pets, and if you only have a few of them, you can really tell the differences between their personalities. 

When you actually breed them, and you end up with hundreds of the things, you kinda lose that "pet" feel, so I understand why he would only want a few males.

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## VolkswagenBug (May 17, 2017)

Hisserdude said:


> I used to only keep males as well, they make great pets, and if you only have a few of them, you can really tell the differences between their personalities.
> 
> When you actually breed them, and you end up with hundreds of the things, you kinda lose that "pet" feel, so I understand why he would only want a few males.


I think most people prefer males because of the horn structures. At least that's why I prefer them.
I agree about the pet thing, I like to only keep a few of each species so that I can see the difference in personalities between them. Also because I'm not allowed to breed roaches while living with my parents.

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## Ellenantula (May 17, 2017)

VolkswagenBug said:


> Also because I'm not allowed to breed roaches while living with my parents.


I will never understand this!  I mean, feeder roaches are contained and most folks don't even keep the kind that would likely infest a home (Yes, I acknowledge some locales are at higher risks for infestations). 
I never knew I would enjoy my B lats as pets in their own right as well as feeders for my dragon and Ts.  I almost feel guilty using them as feeders.

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## Marika (May 18, 2017)

Tleilaxu said:


> I think your sexist. You discriminate against female hissing roaches.
> 
> In all seriousness, you should get some female hissers and start up a small colony of them.


Haha, kind of, yeah  I could get a few females as well, in their own tank, but only if I knew for sure that they have never mated. It's just a lot easier buying males. Like @Hisserdude mentioned, they are pets to me. I don't want to breed them, because I don't need hundreds of hissers. I don't need them as feeders (I only have one small sling) and I already have hundreds of pedelings that I need to sell

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## Hisserdude (May 18, 2017)

VolkswagenBug said:


> I think most people prefer males because of the horn structures. At least that's why I prefer them.
> I agree about the pet thing, I like to only keep a few of each species so that I can see the difference in personalities between them. Also because I'm not allowed to breed roaches while living with my parents.


Yeah, that's certainly another reason why they are so appealing as pets, their horn structures are really cool, and watching them fight with each other can be quite entertaining!  

Haha, you'll get there eventually, my mom didn't want me breeding them either, but after a couple years of keeping male hissers, she grew to really like them and really opened up to the idea of me breeding roaches, now look at my collection lol! 



Ellenantula said:


> I will never understand this!  I mean, feeder roaches are contained and most folks don't even keep the kind that would likely infest a home (Yes, I acknowledge some locales are at higher risks for infestations).
> I never knew I would enjoy my B lats as pets in their own right as well as feeders for my dragon and Ts.  I almost feel guilty using them as feeders.


Some people just have really deep rooted phobias of roaches, they won't listen to scientific facts that prove they can't become pests, don't care how non-roachy they look, if they are at all related to the common pest cockroaches, they won't let them near their houses.  



Marika said:


> Haha, kind of, yeah  I could get a few females as well, in their own tank, but only if I knew for sure that they have never mated. It's just a lot easier buying males. Like @Hisserdude mentioned, they are pets to me. I don't want to breed them, because I don't need hundreds of hissers. I don't need them as feeders (I only have one small sling) and I already have hundreds of pedelings that I need to sell


Yeah, and man are they prolific! With just one mated female, you'd likely have a good sized colony started up within 5-6 months, and the market for them is so oversaturated now, it can be hard to sell off excess specimens... Unless you are ready for that commitment, just sticking to males is really the best IMO.

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## Vermis (May 18, 2017)

I'm tickled that you used to keep Cepea snails. I did too when I was a kid. Difficult to find now - they seem to have been largely pushed out by the bigger Helix snails, which you never used to see round here.

I also kept _Archimandrita tesselata_. I've had a few years away from the exotic pet scene, when I used to keep spiders, scorpions, mantids etc... To be honest I think I missed the peppered roaches the most. Your photos play no small part in that!

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## VolkswagenBug (May 18, 2017)

Ellenantula said:


> I will never understand this!  I mean, feeder roaches are contained and most folks don't even keep the kind that would likely infest a home (Yes, I acknowledge some locales are at higher risks for infestations).
> I never knew I would enjoy my B lats as pets in their own right as well as feeders for my dragon and Ts.  I almost feel guilty using them as feeders.


Yeah, and it would be nearly impossible for _any _species other than _P. japonica _or _B. germanica _to infest my home. I live in northern Utah, and it's incredibly cold for most of the year  (it actually snowed yesterday), and far too hot in the mid-summer for many species to thrive. It's also super dry, so any non-native bug that escapes will inevitably die if it doesn't end up in the bathroom or basement. My mom won't even let me keep two of completely unrelated species together in the same container, even if they're nymphs! She has had some bad experiences with pest roaches, so I understand, but still, it's pretty unreasonable IMO.


Hisserdude said:


> Yeah, that's certainly another reason why they are so appealing as pets, their horn structures are really cool, and watching them fight with each other can be quite entertaining!
> 
> Haha, you'll get there eventually, my mom didn't want me breeding them either, but after a couple years of keeping male hissers, she grew to really like them and really opened up to the idea of me breeding roaches, now look at my collection lol!


My mom has started to warm up to some of my bugs, but she doesn't really like the roaches. She does like my millipedes a lot, she says she likes the way their legs move. Doesn't mind my praying mantis either, but she thinks my _Mastigoproctus giganteus _and Jerusalem cricket are creepy. Eventually, I hope I can convince her to lighten up on roach restrictions.


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## Marika (May 20, 2017)

Vermis said:


> I'm tickled that you used to keep Cepea snails. I did too when I was a kid. Difficult to find now - they seem to have been largely pushed out by the bigger Helix snails, which you never used to see round here.


They are beautiful snails. I have sometimes tought about getting a few, but like you said, they are pretty difficult to find. I've never had stripeless _C. nemoralis_, so it could be nice to get a few of those in different colors.


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## Marika (May 25, 2017)

My wingless A. tesselata.

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## VolkswagenBug (May 25, 2017)

Marika said:


> My wingless A. tesselata.


What happened to it?


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## Marika (May 25, 2017)

VolkswagenBug said:


> What happened to it?


It has a wing deformity, it never had wings as far as I know.

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## VolkswagenBug (May 25, 2017)

Marika said:


> It has a wing deformity, it never had wings as far as I know.


Wow, that's interesting.


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## Marika (Jul 5, 2017)

I found this little guy on the floor a few days ago, looking a bit dehydrated, and decided to give it a temporary home. It's been eating and pooping a lot and seems to be doing well. I'm going to release it though.

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## Leila (Jul 5, 2017)

@Marika, I can't see any of the photos you have posted (besides the one from today.)

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Marika (Jul 6, 2017)

Leila said:


> @Marika, I can't see any of the photos you have posted (besides the one from today.)


Yep, that's because Photobucket sucks. The account used to be free, now they want me to pay $400 a year to enable third party hosting, and without any prior warning. Yeah, I'm not going to do that...

Reactions: Agree 1


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## keks (Jul 6, 2017)

Nice caterpillar, do you know what butterfly it will be? 
Your problem with Photobucket really sucks. This is not the fine behavior.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Marika (Jul 7, 2017)

keks said:


> Nice caterpillar, do you know what butterfly it will be?
> Your problem with Photobucket really sucks. This is not the fine behavior.


I haven't managed to ID it yet.


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## Marika (Aug 10, 2017)

I got new slimy friends last week.

_Limicolaria_ sp.







_Cornu aspersum_

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## mickiem (Aug 10, 2017)

They look happy to me!


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## keks (Aug 10, 2017)

Cool! We had snails too, when my children were young. We had some species of Achatina ^^.

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## Marika (Aug 10, 2017)

mickiem said:


> They look happy to me!


Those _C. aspersum_ were sold as feeders, so they should be happy that they're not going to get eaten

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## spotropaicsav (Aug 11, 2017)

Marika said:


> I got new slimy friends last week.
> 
> _Limicolaria_ sp.
> View attachment 248570
> ...


Yay for new slimy friends! The subtle coloring on the Limicolaria is very nice

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## Marika (Aug 11, 2017)

spotropaicsav said:


> Yay for new slimy friends! The subtle coloring on the Limicolaria is very nice


I love their coloring! I was looking for a new species for a long time, but couldn't decide what I wanted. When I saw them I knew I had to have them

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## spotropaicsav (Aug 12, 2017)

Marika said:


> I love their coloring! I was looking for a new species for a long time, but couldn't decide what I wanted. When I saw them I knew I had to have them


I do not think these are allowed in the   States

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## Hisserdude (Aug 16, 2017)

spotropaicsav said:


> I do not think these are allowed in the   States


Nope, they aren't, such a shame.  I can understand why they are banned, many snails have proven to be significant pests of crops and often displace native species, but man I would love to keep an African land snail one day...

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## Marika (Aug 17, 2017)

Got a new baby snail, Achatina fulica var. jadatzi


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## spotropaicsav (Aug 18, 2017)

Marika said:


> Got a new baby snail, Achatina fulica var. jadatzi
> View attachment 249268
> View attachment 249269


What a pleasing shape his shell has!

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## Marika (Aug 29, 2017)

I thought I'd re-post some of the older pics that Photobucket is holding hostage.

_Archimandrita tesselata_


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## Marika (Aug 29, 2017)

My_ Achatina fulica _baby who's not a baby anymore...

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## Marika (Aug 29, 2017)

_Armadillidium maculatum_




_Armadillidium_ sp. Montenegro



_Armadillidium_ sp.



_Oniscus asellus_



_Philoscia muscorum_




_Porcellio scaber_




_Porcellionides_ sp.

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## spotropaicsav (Aug 30, 2017)

Marika said:


> _Achatina fulica_
> View attachment 250397
> 
> View attachment 250398
> ...


Their colors are looking good!


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## spotropaicsav (Aug 30, 2017)

Marika said:


> _Armadillidium maculatum_
> View attachment 250404
> View attachment 250406
> 
> ...


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## Marika (Aug 30, 2017)

spotropaicsav said:


> Their colors are looking good!


He says thanks  That's actually the same one in every pic, from a baby to a bigger snail. They have really nice stripes when they are small. I should take some new pics...

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## Marika (Aug 30, 2017)

More old pics.

_Pomatias elegans_. I have at least a few adults left, but haven't seen any new babies.









_Gromphadorhina_ sp.

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## Marika (Nov 6, 2017)

A. fulica var. jadatzi



C. aspersum


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## Marika (Nov 6, 2017)

Isopods

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## Marika (Mar 14, 2018)

A. fulica


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## Marika (Mar 19, 2018)

A. tesselata

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## Marika (Apr 26, 2018)

C. aspersum babies

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## mickiem (Apr 26, 2018)

I always get excited when you post new pics!  I love your snails; that's something I haven't kept.  We have lots of restrictions on them here in the states.


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## Marika (Apr 26, 2018)

mickiem said:


> I always get excited when you post new pics!  I love your snails; that's something I haven't kept.  We have lots of restrictions on them here in the states.


Glad you like them! That's too bad. Snails are fun to keep...although cleaning all that slime and poop can be a bit annoying


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## Marika (Jun 11, 2018)

So, this is not a snail, roach or an isopod, but I'm gonna post it here anyway. Last month I ordered a tarantula, but the seller made a mistake and sent me a bunch of mantids and a sun beetle instead. I hadn't kept mantids before and all of a sudden I had five different species...but they seem to be doing fine, they are eating and growing.

This is _Hierodula membranacea_.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Marika (Jun 21, 2018)

Polyspilota sp.


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## Marika (Jun 21, 2018)

Deroplatys lobata

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## Aquarimax (Jun 25, 2018)

@Marika, may I ask about the temperature you keep your Armadillidium klugii ‘Montenegro’ at? They are obviously thriving for you. I have a colony that is producing a fair amount of babies...I am keeping them on the warmer side, 75-80 F...how about you?


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## Marika (Jun 26, 2018)

Aquarimax said:


> @Marika, may I ask about the temperature you keep your Armadillidium klugii ‘Montenegro’ at? They are obviously thriving for you. I have a colony that is producing a fair amount of babies...I am keeping them on the warmer side, 75-80 F...how about you?


I kept them at room temp, so around 20-25 C. I managed to kill my entire colony last winter by letting their enclosure get too dry


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## Aquarimax (Jun 26, 2018)

Marika said:


> I kept them at room temp, so around 20-25 C. I managed to kill my entire colony last winter by letting their enclosure get too dry


Thank you, that is helpful!! So,sorry to hear you lost them! A while back, I had loads of babies, but then they got too dry and warm, and I lost most of them. The adults survived...and now I have quite a few babies again.


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## Marika (Jul 4, 2018)

Miomantis sp. Cameroon

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## Marika (Jul 8, 2018)

Polyspilota sp



D. lobata





Polyspilota sp



H. membranacea





D. lobata





D. lobata

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## Marika (Aug 2, 2018)

I didn't get a good pic, but a dubia male was trying to impress some A. tesselata females last night, lol. The dubia was supposed to be a feeder, but he got too big for my tarantula and I didn't have mantids at the time, so he became a pet.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Marika (Aug 7, 2018)

Miomantis sp. Cameroon







D. lobata (this one is my favorite)

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## Marika (Aug 9, 2018)

A. tesselata nymphs



One of the dads drinking

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## Marika (Aug 26, 2018)

H. membranacea





D. lobata



Polyspilota sp.

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## Marika (Sep 20, 2018)

Polyspilota sp.



H. membranacea











D. lobata

Reactions: Like 1


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## Marika (Sep 27, 2018)

Achatina fulica

Reactions: Like 1


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## Marika (Nov 7, 2018)

A. tesselata nymphs eating fish flakes

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## mickiem (Nov 7, 2018)

Marika said:


> Polyspilota sp.
> View attachment 287074
> 
> 
> ...


I've never seen the Polyspilota before.  Impressive!  I love all of these.  The deadleaf is pretty great!

Reactions: Like 1


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## Marika (Dec 9, 2018)

D. lobata

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## basement pets (Dec 10, 2018)

Marika said:


> Some snails I had:
> 
> _Achatina fulica_
> 
> ...


Where did you get all those cool snails?


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## Marika (Dec 10, 2018)

carters critters said:


> Where did you get all those cool snails?


I bought most of them from breeders and some were WC. Also bred some myself.


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## Marika (Jan 25, 2019)

H. membranacea, she's the only mantis I have left. D. lobata died during Christmas hugging her food dish, like she wanted one last meal.





Cornu aspersum babies


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## Marika (Feb 19, 2019)

My H. membranacea female, Shelly, having dinner.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Vanisher (Feb 19, 2019)

Marika said:


> I used to keep several species of snails, but then I kind of needed to take a break from all that slime . At the moment the only species I still keep is _Pomatias elegans_. They are weird and cute, but small and very shy, so I don't have very good photos of them.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Terve!!!! Nice collection! I love roachers, cant stand them though, cos of severe allergia! But those are fantastic animals. Snails is ok to!


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## Marika (Feb 19, 2019)

Vanisher said:


> Terve!!!! Nice collection! I love roachers, cant stand them though, cos of severe allergia! But those are fantastic animals. Snails is ok to!


Hej! Thanks! Yeah, roaches are fascinating creatures, that's a shame you are allergic to them. Snails are fun but so messy it's a bit annoying


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## Vanisher (Feb 19, 2019)

I cant be in the same room as a dubia colony! So yeah, pretty NO NO But some cochroach is ok! S lateralis i have litte coloni


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## Marika (Mar 21, 2019)

A. tesselata







My only hisser



A. fulica





H. membranacea butt, lol

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## Marika (Mar 25, 2019)

Shelly (H. membranacea)

Reactions: Like 1


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## Marika (Apr 13, 2019)

Freshly molted A. tesselata nymph

Reactions: Like 1


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## Marika (May 22, 2019)

A. tesselata mom and babies

Reactions: Like 4


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## Marika (Jun 13, 2019)

"FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!"

Reactions: Like 1


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## Marika (Jun 14, 2019)

A. fulica


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## The Odd Pet (Jun 15, 2019)

You had such a beautiful collection of snails. I wish we could have those giants here in the US. I currently only keep Cepaea nemoralis, Cepaea hortensis and Helix aspersa. I may be getting some Helix pomatia soon. I've been wanting them for some time now. Those Arianta arbustorum are especially beautiful but I understand what you mean by to much slime. Really it's all their that gets to me at times but I still love keeping them. 
I'm interested to know if you ever finished out what species those Armadillidium sp. you have in the op are? I love the black with white spots. They remind me of my Armadillidium depressum.


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## Marika (Jun 15, 2019)

The Odd Pet said:


> You had such a beautiful collection of snails. I wish we could have those giants here in the US. I currently only keep Cepaea nemoralis, Cepaea hortensis and Helix aspersa. I may be getting some Helix pomatia soon. I've been wanting them for some time now. Those Arianta arbustorum are especially beautiful but I understand what you mean by to much slime. Really it's all their that gets to me at times but I still love keeping them.
> I'm interested to know if you ever finished out what species those Armadillidium sp. you have in the op are? I love the black with white spots. They remind me of my Armadillidium depressum.


Thanks! I kinda miss my C. nemoralis and H. pomatia, C. nemoralis are so colorful and beautiful and I think H. pomatia are super cute. You can find them in Finland but not in my area. A. arbustorum is a common species here.

I'm pretty sure they were A. vulgare.


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## The Odd Pet (Jun 15, 2019)

Marika said:


> Thanks! I kinda miss my C. nemoralis and H. pomatia, C. nemoralis are so colorful and beautiful and I think H. pomatia are super cute. You can find them in Finland but not in my area. A. arbustorum is a common species here.
> 
> I pretty sure they were A. vulgare.


I love C. nomoralis. They are in my area. I'm pretty sure they are not supposed to be and are not known to be found here but I got lucky one day while out herping and found one area where there are a lot of them. It's a cut off location so my guess is someone let some go there at one time. I wish I had Arianta arbustorum near me. I live in the US and they are one of the largest terrestrial snails found here and we can't even have GALs here. That would be my dream snail but will be happy to even get a few H. pomatia.


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## Marika (Jun 30, 2019)

Nom

Reactions: Like 2


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## Arthroverts (Jul 1, 2019)

@The Odd Pet, I know @CEctoS had some _H. pomatia_ a little while back. You might try contacting her if you are having trouble finding a source for them.

Thanks,

Arthroverts

Reactions: Like 1


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## The Odd Pet (Jul 7, 2019)

Arthroverts said:


> @The Odd Pet, I know @CEctoS had some _H. pomatia_ a little while back. You might try contacting her if you are having trouble finding a source for them.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Arthroverts


Thanks. I'll try that.


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## Arthroverts (Sep 7, 2019)

Anything new on the collection front @Marika?

Thanks,

Arthroverts


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## Marika (Sep 7, 2019)

Arthroverts said:


> Anything new on the collection front @Marika?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Arthroverts


Nope, not really. I haven't added anything new to my collection. A. tesselata colony is doing well, one hisser is still living with them, snails are as slimy as always and mantids have already died. Oh, and I don't have isopods anymore (except for T. tomentosa), I'm not sure if I have mentioned that. I also started a dubia colony (still very small), they are supposed to be feeders but are more like pets  I kinda meant to get a new Hierodula membranacea, because I really liked my female Shelly, but instead I just bought more tarantulas, lol. Maybe next year.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Marika (Nov 22, 2019)



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## Marika (Jan 24, 2020)



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## Arthroverts (Jan 24, 2020)

This thread is back, huzzah!

Thanks,

Arthroverts

Reactions: Like 1


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## Marika (Jan 27, 2020)

I noticed I have a miniature A. tesselata.

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## Marika (Mar 24, 2020)

They were hungry...

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## ColeopteraC (Mar 24, 2020)

Marika said:


> They were hungry...
> View attachment 338016
> 
> View attachment 338017
> ...


Need to get some of those, look amazing!

Reactions: Like 1


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## Marika (Apr 27, 2020)




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## Marika (Aug 20, 2020)

Overripe banana

Reactions: Like 1


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