# Isopods are brutal...



## EulersK (Jul 27, 2017)

For the longest time, I've been feeding my isopod colony boluses from my tarantulas. For several reasons, I didn't have any on hand, so I figured that I'd try to feed them a recently killed roach. I took an adult male dubia, cut him in half, and dropped both halves into the colony. I figured that the roach would die and begin to decay within a day or two, after which they'd start to eat. Apparently P. scaber prefer fresh food, because he was still kicking an hour later and about half of a dozen were munching on the cut line. I'd imagine that more would have been attracted had the cut line been larger. 

I had no idea these were such voracious eaters, I need to keep that in mind. I'm sure that they're fine with reptiles, but after seeing that I'll never put them in with inverts again.

Reactions: Like 1 | Disagree 1 | Informative 3


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## Socfroggy (Jul 28, 2017)

Wow. Did they finish it??


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## sdsnybny (Jul 28, 2017)

EulersK said:


> For the longest time, I've been feeding my isopod colony boluses from my tarantulas. For several reasons, I didn't have any on hand, so I figured that I'd try to feed them a recently killed roach. I took an adult male dubia, cut him in half, and dropped both halves into the colony. I figured that the roach would die and begin to decay within a day or two, after which they'd start to eat. Apparently P. scaber prefer fresh food, because he was still kicking an hour later and about half of a dozen were munching on the cut line. I'd imagine that more would have been attracted had the cut line been larger.
> 
> 
> I had no idea these were such voracious eaters, I need to keep that in mind. I'm sure that they're fine with reptiles, but after seeing that I'll never put them in with inverts again.


I've never had them bother a T, even when molting. But they will clean up any and all dead/decaying material in a hurry.


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## EulersK (Jul 28, 2017)

Socfroggy said:


> Wow. Did they finish it??


Not even close, no. They still haven't made a dent, but they're definitely still on it. Maybe they're waiting?



sdsnybny said:


> I've never had them bother a T, even when molting. But they will clean up any and all dead/decaying material in a hurry.


The only enclosures that I've kept P. scaber in are large adult tarantulas, and I suspect they wouldn't be bothered. I just put them in a dwarf's enclosure, and I'll be removing them tonight.


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## Socfroggy (Jul 28, 2017)

EulersK said:


> Not even close, no. They still haven't made a dent, but they're definitely still on it. Maybe they're waiting?
> 
> Perhaps. Keep us posted!
> 
> ...


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## Hisserdude (Jul 29, 2017)

Oh yeah, P.scaber are savage, several keepers have reported them going after the roaches they are housed with, even healthy individuals!  They severely stressed out the Rhabdoblatta formosana I housed them with, so I had to remove them all from that enclosure. 

Someone on Facebook even took a video of some P.scaber he had housed with his chameleon grabbing and eating live soldier fly larvae he put in the enclosure!

I'd definitely suggest keeping a close eye on any invertebrates you house them with, especially if they are soft bodied!


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## blacksheep998 (Jul 31, 2017)

I used to have a video of this, but sadly lost it when my phone's SD card died.

An american roach got into my house one spring. I swatted it and while there was no obvious external damage I must have broken something because it could only move it's front 2 legs. I dropped it in my P. scaber 'orange' container and when I checked back about 45 minutes later they were just swarming the thing.

I recorded for a few minutes as it tried to fight them off and/or crawl away, without any success doing either. And then checked back after a few hours to find nothing left but it's wings.

Also, here's a picture from my P. scaber 'orange dalmatian' container. Just a few weeks ago I had a dead fully-grown female guppy floating in my aquarium and, rather than flushing her, I gave her to the pillbugs.







That picture was only taken about a half hour later.

Reactions: Like 4


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## EulersK (Jul 31, 2017)

Hisserdude said:


> Oh yeah, P.scaber are savage, several keepers have reported them going after the roaches they are housed with, even healthy individuals!  They severely stressed out the Rhabdoblatta formosana I housed them with, so I had to remove them all from that enclosure.
> 
> Someone on Facebook even took a video of some P.scaber he had housed with his chameleon grabbing and eating live soldier fly larvae he put in the enclosure!
> 
> I'd definitely suggest keeping a close eye on any invertebrates you house them with, especially if they are soft bodied!


No wonder my springtail population keeps disappearing from the isopod enclosure. For awhile I had them housed together, and I couldn't figure out why the springtails weren't multiplying. I know why now 



blacksheep998 said:


> I used to have a video of this, but sadly lost it when my phone's SD card died.
> 
> An american roach got into my house one spring. I swatted it and while there was no obvious external damage I must have broken something because it could only move it's front 2 legs. I dropped it in my P. scaber 'orange' container and when I checked back about 45 minutes later they were just swarming the thing.
> 
> ...


Jeeeeesus. If my colony gets to a certain size, I may need to start hunting down stray cats to keep them fed!

Reactions: Funny 3


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## RezonantVoid (Mar 31, 2018)

EulersK said:


> Jeeeeesus. If my colony gets to a certain size, I may need to start hunting down stray cats to keep them fed!


That just made my day


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## Jurdon (Apr 1, 2018)

Scabers are scary. Mine have eaten eachother (dead/dying individuals), mouse tails, a live mealworm I didn’t know I put in their enclosure, and one juvenile recently survived a run-in with my leopard gecko. If they were any bigger I’d be terrified of them .


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## RezonantVoid (Apr 1, 2018)

Jurdon said:


> If they were any bigger I’d be terrified of them .


I give you _Bathynomus giganteus_


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## Jurdon (Apr 1, 2018)

RezonantVoid said:


> I give you _Bathynomus giganteus_


 I knew of those, but convieniently, it slipped my mind that they’ve been recorded feeding on whale carcasses. Oh well, at least I can _avoid_ the ocean. But who am I kidding, I’d keep terrestrial iso’s that size, even if they were as scarily opportunistic as scabers!

Reactions: Funny 1


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## RezonantVoid (Apr 1, 2018)

Imagine the enclosure size for a colony of them haha


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## Jurdon (Apr 1, 2018)

RezonantVoid said:


> Imagine the enclosure size for a colony of them haha


 It’d have to be a walk-in. Jeez, imagine how god-awfully humid it would be in there..


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## Greasylake (Apr 2, 2018)

RezonantVoid said:


> I give you _Bathynomus giganteus_


If I had a culture of those I'd never have to throw food in the trash again. We have leftovers? Just feed them to the giant isopods. The whole street has leftovers? Isopods. Just released them into landfills to eat all the food them pick them up again and sell them for their meat. This is an untapped resource.

Reactions: Funny 2


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## RezonantVoid (Apr 2, 2018)

Greasylake said:


> If I had a culture of those I'd never have to throw food in the trash again. We have leftovers? Just feed them to the giant isopods. The whole street has leftovers? Isopods. Just released them into landfills to eat all the food them pick them up again and sell them for their meat. This is an untapped resource.


This thread keeps getting better


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## Ratmosphere (Apr 2, 2018)

This is why I don't keep them in my centipede habitats.


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## vespers (Apr 4, 2018)

I don't use the larger P. scaber isopods in any of my enclosures, even my dart frog tanks. They will also devour certain plants, like ferns and jewel orchids. I use dwarf species like Trichorhina tormentosa/dwarf whites or Cost Rican dwarf purples.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Rhysandfish (Apr 4, 2018)

I know of them eating centipedes while molting so they’re a big no-no in my collection.


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