# How to Find Isopods



## Chris52 (Apr 6, 2016)

Hello! I have several threads with pictures of amazing isopods that people have found. I have wanted to search for them for a while, but I never seem to find any. How do you find all of these isopods? Anything would be appreciated. (I live in southern Ohio if that helps.) Thank you!


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## Aquarimax (Apr 6, 2016)

It depends on the species somewhat, but I find most isopods under boards or rocks, especially in shady/moist areas. In my area (Utah) these days, they are mostly Armadillidium vulgare...I used to find Porcellio scaber, but I don't see them much around here anymore.


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## Hisserdude (Apr 7, 2016)

Try looking under large rocks, and under leaf litter. If you got any woods by you, that's a great place to find some isopods.


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## Chris52 (Apr 7, 2016)

Okay. I will search our local woods. Thank you!


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## ErinM31 (Apr 7, 2016)

When living in the Chicago area, I would find them in regular yards under wood (such as that lining a garden or flower bed) and in dry leaves, mulch and such. I imagine that they would be common in most wood, only I find NONE in the wooded area around where I live on the edge of San Antonio, despite ABUNDANT decaying leaves and wood, some of which is covered with lichen or fungi. In fact, digging through this detrivore buffet in multiple locations, I found almost NONE of what I would have expected, only the occasional grass spider or beetle, sometimes ants, and empty snail shells. Digging in the dirt, I would not find much more, only more empty snail shells and once in a while a tiny millipede or centipede. Perhaps ants drove them away??? I learned from speaking with one of the landscapers that work around the buildings that he used to find tarantulas all the time -- 2 years ago, but not anymore. Ants could be a problem for them too. I don't know what else to reasonably hypothesis. Anyway, thirty minutes away from this forested area where one would expect to find them, at the main campus of my school, I looked in the mulch and was overjoyed to find an ABUNDANCE of _Armadillidium vulgare _-- some of wonderful size and coloring -- as well as more of what I would expect to find in such an environment -- more small millipedes and centipedes and some earthworms near the surface (I know that centipedes are not detrivores, but I am used to seeing them in similar places). I think I was collecting there for half an hour -- a few people were curious but they seemed used to occasionally sighting a mad scientist! xD The dean even sent his assistant out with a jar for me to collect my specimens in (I had been using an empty water bottle which was a bit more difficult).

All that to say, if you don't find them in one area -- even a seemingly "perfect" area -- do not despair and look in another location entirely and I am sure that you'll find them.


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## pannaking22 (Apr 7, 2016)

Under rocks, rotting wood, in mulch, under debris/trash in the yard, in mulch piles, etc. Pretty much if it can provide a dark and humid microclimate there's a decent chance you'll find isopods there. The day after it rains tends to be good for hunting too since the overall humidity is high so they may actually be wandering around instead of hidden. Good luck in your hunt! 

Some people also place potato traps to try to catch more, but from what I've heard it works really well in drier areas or places where there are already plenty of isopods.


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## Chris52 (Apr 7, 2016)

pannaking22 said:


> Under rocks, rotting wood, in mulch, under debris/trash in the yard, in mulch piles, etc. Pretty much if it can provide a dark and humid microclimate there's a decent chance you'll find isopods there. The day after it rains tends to be good for hunting too since the overall humidity is high so they may actually be wandering around instead of hidden. Good luck in your hunt!
> 
> Some people also place potato traps to try to catch more, but from what I've heard it works really well in drier areas or places where there are already plenty of isopods.


What exactly is a "potato trap"? It also has been raining for past few days, so I will look around.


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## Tenevanica (Apr 7, 2016)

I only find _ Armadillidium vulgare._ I pull back blades of grass the come in contact with the foundation of my house. Isopod city.


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## pannaking22 (Apr 8, 2016)

Chris52 said:


> What exactly is a "potato trap"? It also has been raining for past few days, so I will look around.


It's using a potato to catch isopods. You make a few holes in a potato and then leave it out overnight or for a couple nights and the isopods will come in because it's a nice humid retreat and basically an endless food supply for them. 

From the site I first read about it:
"To make the potato trap, bore a 3/4-inch hole through the potato lengthwise, then close up one end of the hole with a small piece of the potato plug. Place the "trap" in the garden or any other place where sow bugs and pillbugs are abundant. Cover the trap with leaves, and leave it alone a few days. The pillbugs will come and feed inside the hole in the potato. To remove them, place the opening over a jar, and strike the potato to dislodge them. The potato trap is especially useful for collecting small or young isopods and rare species, too."

Here are a couple links that should help too.
https://insectopolis.wordpress.com/2011/09/02/potato-traps/
https://books.google.com/books?id=p...EIQTAI#v=onepage&q=isopod potato trap&f=false

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1


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## ErinM31 (Apr 8, 2016)

If any of you try the potato trap method, let me know how it works for you.  I bought one for such purpose but need to find an area to plcae it. Around here I think I'd end up with a potato-full of bitey ants  and I don't think the main campus would appreciate me putting potatos in the mulch outside their main campus! XD


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## Chris52 (Apr 8, 2016)

I will try a potato trap. Is it possible that it's too cold for them here? It's been pretty cold here (a little over freezing) lately. Thank you!


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## Tenevanica (Apr 8, 2016)

Chris52 said:


> I will try a potato trap. Is it possible that it's too cold for them here? It's been pretty cold here (a little over freezing) lately. Thank you!


If you know where to look! Isopods overwinter under stones and pieces of wood, so you should find them in these places all year round. If it's very cold the potato trap probably won't work.


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## InvertsandOi (Apr 8, 2016)

I've had some really good luck looking specifically in rotting hardwood bark, usually pretty plentiful around old fallen trees in woods.


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## MWAInverts (Apr 9, 2016)

You'll be able to find then anywhere there's moisture and organic matter. Just be sure to keep an eye out for potentially dangerous wild animals like snakes, spiders etc because they tend to share the same habitats. Wear gloves

Reactions: Agree 1


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## blacksheep998 (Apr 13, 2016)

Here on the east coast I've never had any issues finding isopods.

Kicking over any random rock or log will usually turn up a couple Porcellio scaber or Armadillidium nasatum. And with a little hunting I can generally find Armadillidium vulgare and Philoscia muscorum too. Sometimes if I'm lucky I'll find Oniscus asellus, Trachelipus rathkii, Porcellio spinicornis, or Porcellio laevis.

Those last few are pretty rare though. I have a specific place I can almost always find T. rathkii and P. spinicornis, but I'm not sure I've ever seen them anywhere else.

I wanted to start a colony of O. asellus last year, and in an entire summer of hunting I found only 6 of them. That was enough though and they're breeding nicely now.

And I don't think I've seen a P. laevis in a couple years.


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## Chris52 (Apr 15, 2016)

Decided to try out a potato trap since in warmed up, and the "bugs" are coming out. (I saw bees mating several times today.) I will leave it outside and check on it in the morning. It seems like we used to see roli-polies all the time a few years ago, when I of course wasn't interested in them. Hope I find some.


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## Chris52 (Apr 16, 2016)

SUCCESS AT LAST!!! I haven't gotten any isopods from the potato trap yet, but I found about two dozen under rocks at relatives house. I actually got bit by a snake (we think it was a garter), so I had to stop. I will need help with identifying them.  Will post pics.


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## Chris52 (Apr 16, 2016)

MWAInverts said:


> You'll be able to find then anywhere there's moisture and organic matter. Just be sure to keep an eye out for potentially dangerous wild animals like snakes, spiders etc because they tend to share the same habitats. Wear gloves


Funny story... I actually got bit by a garter snake just as I was packing up my collecting supplies. I was wearing gloves, but they didn't do much for me.


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## ErinM31 (Apr 16, 2016)

Chris52 said:


> SUCCESS AT LAST!!! I haven't gotten any isopods from the potato trap yet, but I found about two dozen under rocks at relatives house. I actually got bit by a snake (we think it was a garter), so I had to stop. I will need help with identifying them.  Will post pics.


Congrats on the isopods and hope that bite's okay! Might be good to have a doctor see it anyway? As far as I know snakes aren't vectors for any disease, but I don't know.

While there are no isopods in the wooded area around me (maybe because it gets too dry in the summer? but then I don't know how the snails survive). Anyway, went to a park by the river this afternoon and there were BIZILLIONS of _Amradillidium_ _vulgare_! I picked up a few with nice patterning to add to my gene pool. 

I look forward to seeing pics of what you've collected!


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## Chris52 (Apr 16, 2016)



Reactions: Like 1


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## ErinM31 (Apr 16, 2016)

Wow, such wonderful pattern and color! Totally worth the snakebite provided you lose no more than a limb! 

Some of them could be _Armadillidium vulgare_, several with quite wonderful yellow coloration. That one on the right with the black stripe down it's back is not. It may be _Armadillidium nasatum_, although it's pattern reminds me of Venezillo, one of the few species of isopod native to the Americas, if I'm not mistaken.


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## blacksheep998 (Apr 16, 2016)

Chris52 said:


> View attachment 208514


I believe most of those are Armadillidium nasatum, which is why they have the pattern.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Chris52 (Apr 16, 2016)

I noticed that some of them are significantly larger than the others (other than that, they look more or less the same). I'm not sure if this a difference in age or species. This is what they're currently housed in. Also, (assuming I have both sexes) do these need anything special to breed? Right now they're in a small container with an inch of peat moss as substrate, and some oak leaves and wood. I also added small piece of potato. Thank you!

Reactions: Helpful 1


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## ErinM31 (Apr 17, 2016)

The difference is age (although not all grow to be the same size -- food and population density also influence it). I have a few _Armadillidium vulgare_ who are giant, several that are tiny, and every size in between. I am still new to keeping isopods, but I think so long as they have food and the moisture level is right, they will breed. I've watched my isopods grow larger, but no babies just yet (or their still being carried by the mother).

Peat moss is not a bad base for the substrate as it holds moisture well, but it isn't nutritive, so you'll want to add plenty of decaying hardwood leaves and wood (either boil or freeze these for a few days first to prevent introduction of pests like mites, earwigs, centipedes, etc.). I use the BugsInCyberspace isopod substrate and add leaves and wood on top. Supplementing with bits of fruits and vegetables are good, but their main food will be the decaying matter in the substrate.

Have you added moisture to the substrate? You certainly don't want mud, but isopods need moisture. I put sphagnum moss in one corner and add water there so it seeps out to create a moisture gradient, my hope being that the isopods will find where their most comfortable. What is you lid and ventilation like?

I'd recommend looking over this shore caresheet as it covers everything: http://www.bugsincyberspace.com/Isopods.html

Hopefully I haven't made things sound too complicated! Perhaps I have been fortunate, but my experience has been that isopods are hardy so long as they don't loose too much moisture. One setup I tried for my _Armadillidium maculatum_ ended up a moldy muddy mess, but they lived and grew and seem to be doing very well in their new quarters.  The other thing isopods will not survive is parasites/predation. I have been fortunate to not have had any problems with mites, but I did have a dwarf colony nearly wiped out by crickets when I reused some substrate (yes, that was stupid; I don't remember what I was thinking  ). The crickets were sentenced to death by frog!


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## Chris52 (Apr 17, 2016)

ErinM31 said:


> The difference is age (although not all grow to be the same size -- food and population density also influence it). I have a few _Armadillidium vulgare_ who are giant, several that are tiny, and every size in between. I am still new to keeping isopods, but I think so long as they have food and the moisture level is right, they will breed. I've watched my isopods grow larger, but no babies just yet (or their still being carried by the mother).
> 
> Peat moss is not a bad base for the substrate as it holds moisture well, but it isn't nutritive, so you'll want to add plenty of decaying hardwood leaves and wood (either boil or freeze these for a few days first to prevent introduction of pests like mites, earwigs, centipedes, etc.). I use the BugsInCyberspace isopod substrate and add leaves and wood on top. Supplementing with bits of fruits and vegetables are good, but their main food will be the decaying matter in the substrate.
> 
> ...


I also keep millipedes (from bugsincyberspace), so I have the isopods in pretty much the same setup. Lots of oak leaves and wood, and lots of moisture. The container they are in has a snap-on-but-not-quite-air-tight lid with quite a few small holes poked in it for ventilation.


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## ErinM31 (Apr 17, 2016)

Chris52 said:


> I also keep millipedes (from bugsincyberspace), so I have the isopods in pretty much the same setup. Lots of oak leaves and wood, and lots of moisture. The container they are in has a snap-on-but-not-quite-air-tight lid with quite a few small holes poked in it for ventilation.


That sounds perfect and how I have had the most success keeping mine as well.


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## Jacob Ma (Apr 18, 2016)

If you give them really decomposed soil (like almost pure compost) they will thrive and breed a lot, as for what I did for my Grand Canyon Isopods (I brought them back from 3 adults to over 20 adults).  Mix in some springtails, millipedes, slugs/snails, and get some fungi and/or fungus gnats in with the bunch and you'll have an entire microclimate of invertebrates.


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## blacksheep998 (Apr 18, 2016)

I use compost for mine too, but mix in ground up oak leaves. They really seem to love it and breed like mad.

I did let my P. scaber 'orange' colony go a bit too long without changing the substrate though. I had a colony of 500-600, and they literally ate all the compost. Before I realized it they were living on a 100% poop substrate and a bunch of them died. Not enough to threaten the colony, and they're rebounding very quickly on fresh compost. But it was enough that I was worried for a bit.

Reactions: Love 1


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## ErinM31 (Apr 18, 2016)

Jacob Ma said:


> If you give them really decomposed soil (like almost pure compost) they will thrive and breed a lot, as for what I did for my Grand Canyon Isopods (I brought them back from 3 adults to over 20 adults).  Mix in some springtails, millipedes, slugs/snails, and get some fungi and/or fungus gnats in with the bunch and you'll have an entire microclimate of invertebrates.


Springtails are definitely the best! Millipedes will compete with the isopods for food but this is unlikely to be a problem, certainly not for the isopods, and probably not for the millipedes so long as there is enough food and their molting chamber is undisturbed. I keep my millipedes separate, however (except for springtails -- springtails for all!  ). A few snails might be interesting and I cannot think of why they would be bad outside of potentially competing for the same food, but if there is plenty, again, that shouldn't be a problem. No earthworms though. They will turn compose and soil to frass fast.  I saw this happen in my toad terrarium and don't recall why I thought adding a few would be a good idea.  Fungi, lichens and moss are good. But fungus gnats -- what?! These won't do the isopods any harm but they don't do any good either and are annoying as hell.


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## Harlequin (Apr 19, 2016)

If you're still searching, a good place to look is around plant nurseries and greenhouses, especially when the weather is still cool/cold.
Also, try breaking apart rotten wood near human settlements (such as city parks or school campuses) to find _Trichoniscus pusillus_, the common pigmy woodlouse. Though they're an introduced species, I've found that they're very common in developed areas in my region, but they're very tiny (<5mm) and quite secretive. They're much more common _in_ the wood than around it, so be prepared to break open the wood and look closely. I'm not currently raising them, but in the past, I've had them form explosive populations in captivity. Good luck!

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## Jacob Ma (Apr 19, 2016)

ErinM31 said:


> Millipedes will compete with the isopods for food but this is unlikely to be a problem, certainly not for the isopods, and probably not for the millipedes so long as there is enough food and their molting chamber is undisturbed. I keep my millipedes separate, however (except for springtails -- springtails for all!  ). A few snails might be interesting and I cannot think of why they would be bad outside of potentially competing for the same food, but if there is plenty, again, that shouldn't be a problem. No earthworms though. They will turn compose and soil to frass fast.  I saw this happen in my toad terrarium and don't recall why I thought adding a few would be a good idea.  Fungi, lichens and moss are good. But fungus gnats -- what?! These won't do the isopods any harm but they don't do any good either and are annoying as hell.


In my area, there are very small millipedes that live everywhere and don't really compete too much with the other isopods.  Earthworms are probably more of an outdoor thing, but they will do their job well and provide adequate nutrients for the isopods, and putting earthworms in a toad terrarium isn't necessarily the best idea because they pollute the water too much and get messy with toad poop.  I only use snails when I have some plant-based material for the isopods, and fungus gnats actually helped quite a bit.  Though a big nuisance, their larvae will keep mold growth from getting out of hand which allows more aeration for the soil, instead of being clogged up.


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## billrogers (Apr 19, 2016)

Jacob Ma said:


> In my area, there are very small millipedes that live everywhere and don't really compete too much with the other isopods.  Earthworms are probably more of an outdoor thing, but they will do their job well and provide adequate nutrients for the isopods, and putting earthworms in a toad terrarium isn't necessarily the best idea because they pollute the water too much and get messy with toad poop.  I only use snails when I have some plant-based material for the isopods, and fungus gnats actually helped quite a bit.  Though a big nuisance, their larvae will keep mold growth from getting out of hand which allows more aeration for the soil, instead of being clogged up.


Up until this point, I thought that the only purpose fungus gnats serve in this world is to try to drive me crazy!  Those things can be annoying!


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## ErinM31 (Apr 19, 2016)

Jacob Ma said:


> In my area, there are very small millipedes that live everywhere and don't really compete too much with the other isopods.  Earthworms are probably more of an outdoor thing, but they will do their job well and provide adequate nutrients for the isopods, and putting earthworms in a toad terrarium isn't necessarily the best idea because they pollute the water too much and get messy with toad poop.  I only use snails when I have some plant-based material for the isopods, and fungus gnats actually helped quite a bit.  Though a big nuisance, their larvae will keep mold growth from getting out of hand which allows more aeration for the soil, instead of being clogged up.


I just meant to list the pros and cons to the extent that I know them. I don't think any millipede -- much less a few small ones -- will provide much competition for an Armadillidium. Yes, earthworms should remain outdoors -- they provide food and aeration for plants but they have not improved the quality of the toads substrate (I don't recall whether I thought the earthworms would clean up after the toads or just aerate the substrate). Anyway, at least the toads' water bowl is on top of the soil so the earthworms don't effect it. Do you mean you include snails when there are live plants (as opposed to only detris) for the isopods? There are some cool land snails around here but I wasn't sure what exactly they ate and what it would and would not be a good isea to keep them with. Good to know about fungus gnat larva! That makes the irritation a bit more tolerable, but I still prefer springtails.


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## Chris52 (Apr 22, 2016)

Is mold a concern for my isopods? I am starting to find some in the container.


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## ErinM31 (Apr 22, 2016)

Chris52 said:


> Is mold a concern for my isopods? I am starting to find some in the container.


Generally not and it may help break down their food too. That said, I try to keep levels under control because I don't know if there's a level that's bad for them and certainly for ME I don't want a ton of mold spores in my face and all over the place when I open their container. 

Remove uneaten food, ideally before it sprouts mold but certainly once it does. If it is decaying leaves or wood I usually just bury it into the substrate. Springtails are your friends!!! Be sure to find some or buy some and they will help keep the mold down. Also, be sure there is ventilation.

So basically, I spot remove or cover mold when I see it (springtails and some millipedes will eat mold) just so it doesn't get out of hand and then EVERYTHING starts to mold and you need to replace or bake/boil everything (or at least I felt the need -- the isopods and millipedes that I've rehoused from such conditions were still in good health so far as I could tell -- but for MY good health, the mold needed to go!).

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Chris52 (Apr 23, 2016)

I added my isopods to my millipede enclosure (as "janitors"), which wasn't my original plan, but hopefully they still breed. So far, the potato trap hasn't done anything except attract the occasional slug, but that could be because of its location.


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## Jacob Ma (Apr 23, 2016)

Isopods actually eat some of the mold, so as long as there isn't an overgrowth and include some springrails in the mix they should be find.  For me however, the mold that release powdery spores trigger my allergies, so I cannot risk having too much of it.  No but seriously, get springrails as they literally are used in every ecosystem around the world.

Instead of potatoes, you can throw a peel of an orange, banana, and/or melon in a shady, moist spot which should attract quit a few detritivores like isopods.


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## ErinM31 (Apr 23, 2016)

Chris52 said:


> I added my isopods to my millipede enclosure (as "janitors"), which wasn't my original plan, but hopefully they still breed. So far, the potato trap hasn't done anything except attract the occasional slug, but that could be because of its location.


Your isopods will have no problem breeding. Hopefully, your millipedes will not either. (Some have reported that isopods have eaten their millipede's eggs or even attacked their millipedes. I am skeptical of the later, unless the millipede was already dying, or if their molting chamber was disturbed.)

I agree that it's probably the location. In my experience, there are either no isopods and so any trap would catch nothing, or they are in abundance and there is no need for a trap, just scoop them up, lol.


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## Chris52 (Apr 23, 2016)

ErinM31 said:


> Your isopods will have no problem breeding. Hopefully, your millipedes will not either. (Some have reported that isopods have eaten their millipede's eggs or even attacked their millipedes. I am skeptical of the later, unless the millipede was already dying, or if their molting chamber was disturbed.)
> 
> I agree that it's probably the location. In my experience, there are either no isopods and so any trap would catch nothing, or they are in abundance and there is no need for a trap, just scoop them up, lol.


There shouldn't be any concern with the isopods eating millipede eggs, as I only have one individual of each species. 

I will have to place an orange/banana peel where I found my isopods to see what happens.

Thank you!


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## Jacob Ma (Apr 23, 2016)

ErinM31 said:


> Your isopods will have no problem breeding. Hopefully, your millipedes will not either. (Some have reported that isopods have eaten their millipede's eggs or even attacked their millipedes. I am skeptical of the later, unless the millipede was already dying, or if their molting chamber was disturbed.)
> 
> I agree that it's probably the location. In my experience, there are either no isopods and so any trap would catch nothing, or they are in abundance and there is no need for a trap, just scoop them up, lol.


What are isopods going to do to millipedes?  As long as you don't have a swarm of them and feed them adequately, isopods will not do as much as nibble on dead organisms.  I understand that isopods have pretty strong mouthparts and better strength in numbers, but the millipedes have a better chance at eating their own eggs/young than the terrestrial crustaceans.  Chris needs the trap to lure isopods that may or may not be so plentiful in his area, not to physically catch them.  In fact, traps are probably the safest and best way to capture multiple invertebrates.

Same goes with any animals, but as long as they have enough space to live with each other, than they won't have much of a problem with having the other kind around. I don't intend to come off as harsh, mean, or devaluing, but this is basic biology in that organisms will keep the other in control as long as they are provided with ample food & water and a shelter that provides for their individual requirements.  So if that person lost his/her animals to others of the same kind, something has to be wrong with the enclosure itself as none of the animals are deliberate predators/parasites.


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## blacksheep998 (Apr 23, 2016)

Jacob Ma said:


> What are isopods going to do to millipedes?  As long as you don't have a swarm of them and feed them adequately, isopods will not do as much as nibble on dead organisms.


I do have swarms of them and sometimes toss them injured bugs, such as a roach that got into my house once and I smacked but didn't kill fully. It's back 4 legs weren't working very well so it couldn't flip over off it's back, but it was still very much alive.

I left it on it's back in my P. scaber 'orange' container with a couple hundred isopods. Within 15 minutes they were starting to attack it, by 45 minutes they'd swarmed the thing, and after an hour and a half there was nothing left but the wings and a couple bits of exoskeleton.


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## Hisserdude (Apr 23, 2016)

Jacob Ma said:


> What are isopods going to do to millipedes?  As long as you don't have a swarm of them and feed them adequately, isopods will not do as much as nibble on dead organisms.


Actually isopods are used as clean up crews in roach enclosures to eat leftover food and dead roach bodies, so they will eat dead organisms. Dying organisms are not that safe either, and if you have a lot of isopods in the cage they can pick on dying bugs. Only if they are moving really slowly though...

Still, they are unlikely to harm the millipedes, though they could indirectly harm the millipedes by out-competing them for food.


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## Jacob Ma (Apr 23, 2016)

I don't think out-competing should be much of a problem with detritivores as they pretty much eat anything given to them in their controlled environment.  Sorry, my grammatical sense isn't so perfect so I meant they will only eat things as much as a dead or dying organism.

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## ErinM31 (Apr 23, 2016)

I agree that it is highly unlikely that isopods would harm a millipede that was alive and well. In fact, I found a lot of my little _Eurymerodesmus_ _melacis_ millipedes along a riverbank that is swarming with _Armadillidium_ _vulgare_. Perhaps I should have worded it differently, but I felt that I should note that people have reported otherwise here on AB. Most likely, something was wrong with the millipedes already or maybe the culprits weren't actually isopods (I seem to recall them being described as being an inch long whoch is latger than I've heard of for any isopod).

Reactions: Agree 1


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## MWAInverts (Apr 23, 2016)

I have isos and springs in all my "pet" roach tanks that have substrate and they do a good job cleaning food that the roaches accidentally drop. So far, even with small species of roaches, none are betting chewed on during molts etc.


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## Hisserdude (Apr 23, 2016)

Jacob Ma said:


> I don't think out-competing should be much of a problem with detritivores as they pretty much eat anything given to them in their controlled environment.  Sorry, my grammatical sense isn't so perfect so I meant they will only eat things as much as a dead or dying organism.


I see, sorry I misunderstood what you were saying lol! Isopods breed much faster than most millipedes, so I think they could out compete them if you weren't careful.


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## Jacob Ma (Apr 23, 2016)

That's why I use nutrient cycling with them.  The isopods are fed scraps of my untouched and uncooked food (usually plant material), or plant material from my plants with browning leaves (sometimes fresh leaves as well).  Excess isopods are either removed by some predatorial organisms (ground beetles or woodlice spiders) which in turn are eaten by larger beetles, salamanders, and spiders.  When any of the organisms die, they are fed to the bacteria in the soil (hard-to decompose shells are removed or crushed into smithereens), which I use the decomposed matter to fertilize my plants.


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## Chris52 (Apr 28, 2016)

Any idea how long it will take for the isopods? What do the babies (for lack of a better word) look like? Thank you!

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## Jacob Ma (Apr 28, 2016)

If you gently pick up the pillbugs (without them rolling up of course), you can see their crustacean egg sacs under their legs (marsupium) that will hatch in a few weeks or so.  The hatchlings (can be referred to as _manca_) are little white versions of their parents (about 2mm or the length of a finger cuticle), which should usually stick around with the older isopods or are buried deep in the soil.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## pannaking22 (Apr 28, 2016)

If they're WC, a lot of them will give birth in the spring and fall, so you could have manca running around very soon. As Jacob Ma said, they will be smaller, pale versions of the adults.


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## ErinM31 (Apr 28, 2016)

Jacob Ma said:


> If you gently pick up the pillbugs (without them rolling up of course), you can see their crustacean egg sacs under their legs (marsupium) that will hatch in a few weeks or so.  The hatchlings (can be referred to as _manca_) are little white versions of their parents (about 2mm or the length of a finger cuticle), which should usually stick around with the older isopods or are buried deep in the soil.


Exactly! Don't be surprised if you don't see the manca, especially if you have deep substrate. I knew that I had many mature _Armadillidium vulgare_ and several times saw some pregnant, but never saw any little ones until I gave my isopods what was evidently an especially tasty treat.


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## Jacob Ma (Apr 28, 2016)

pannaking22 said:


> If they're WC, a lot of them will give birth in the spring and fall, so you could have manca running around very soon. As Jacob Ma said, they will be smaller, pale versions of the adults.


Not necessarily.  I acquired my _A. vulgare_ from my backyard in the dead of winter, so as long as you maintain an artificial spring-like state, they breed like crazy.  Though you should make the change a little more gradual, as the pillbugs may not be able to handle the sudden temperature shock.

@ErinM31 You can also offer the isopods with a flat but grippable surface in which they huddle onto, and that is how I usually find the manca.  It may or may not be because of the fungus, algae, and other microorganisms that thrive in those particular areas, but over half the times I check their enclosure I find clusters of isopods from 2-15< on a little chunk of rotting wood.  As you can see in the picture, the 2 pillbugs are grouped together on the flatter piece of wood, probably for some ventilation or food.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## ErinM31 (Apr 28, 2016)

Jacob Ma said:


> You can also offer the isopods with a flat but grippable surface in which they huddle onto, and that is how I usually find the manca.  It may or may not be because of the fungus, algae, and other microorganisms that thrive in those particular areas, but over half the times I check their enclosure I find clusters of isopods from 2-15< on a little chunk of rotting wood.  As you can see in the picture, the 2 pillbugs are grouped together on the flatter piece of wood, probably for some ventilation or food.


Definitely! I often find the adults and juveniles clustered on or under pieces of wood and there is quite a large piece of rotting wood in the center of their enclosure, as well as several smaller pieces. To be honest, I hadn't gone searching for little ones when I check on my isopods. They likely hang out within the wood much of the time, now that I think about it. It just made me happy to see them for the first time.  For now I am content to let them be until they are large enough for me to select out interesting color morphs.


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## pannaking22 (Apr 30, 2016)

Jacob Ma said:


> Not necessarily.  I acquired my _A. vulgare_ from my backyard in the dead of winter, so as long as you maintain an artificial spring-like state, they breed like crazy.  Though you should make the change a little more gradual, as the pillbugs may not be able to handle the sudden temperature shock.


A good point! I collected some in very early spring on one of the first days it was over freezing, but had a decent amount of die off due to temp shock.


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## ErinM31 (Apr 30, 2016)

I just checked my isopods enclosures more thoroughly today, checking moisture levels, making sure mold was minimal, adding some food, and ALL of mine have produced manca!  You're absolutely right, @Jacob Ma , most of them were to be found under pieces of bark or other wood. They're so cute!

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## Chris52 (May 8, 2016)

Hello! I found an awesome spot tonight under a rock next to some woods. IVE NEVER SEEN SO MANY ISOPODS IN MY LIFE! I would estimate that there were about 50-100 JUST ON THE SURFACE, with who knows how many in the soil. I captured about three dozen of all sizes (some very, very large, and some pretty small) and noticed that several have nice yellow and/or orange patterning. I'll try to get better pics in the morning.

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## ErinM31 (May 8, 2016)

Great find! Congrats!

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## Hisserdude (May 8, 2016)

Chris52 said:


> View attachment 210302
> 
> Hello! I found an awesome spot tonight under a rock next to some woods. IVE NEVER SEEN SO MANY ISOPODS IN MY LIFE! I would estimate that there were about 50-100 JUST ON THE SURFACE, with who knows how many in the soil. I captured about three dozen of all sizes (some very, very large, and some pretty small) and noticed that several have nice yellow and/or orange patterning. I'll try to get better pics in the morning.


Nice finds!  I'm seeing Armadillidium nasatum, lots of Trachelipus rathkii, and one or two Porcellio scaber.


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## Chris52 (May 8, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> Nice finds!  I'm seeing Armadillidium nasatum, lots of Trachelipus rathkii, and one or two Porcellio scaber.


Thank you! The P. scaber are the ones that appear to flare out at the bottom, right?

Reactions: Like 1


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## Chris52 (May 8, 2016)

I'd like to start colonies of zebra pillbugs (Armadillidium maculatum) and orange P. scaber in the future. I love their coloration, so I may place an order with Peter Clausen in the next week or so. I plan on following this care video: http://arachnoboards.com/threads/ze...ulatum-quick-guide-video.282503/#post-2460531. Any other tips?


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## blacksheep998 (May 9, 2016)

Chris52 said:


> View attachment 210302
> 
> Hello! I found an awesome spot tonight under a rock next to some woods. IVE NEVER SEEN SO MANY ISOPODS IN MY LIFE! I would estimate that there were about 50-100 JUST ON THE SURFACE, with who knows how many in the soil.


Well then you should see some of my P. scaber colonies. Lol. here's a picture of one of the bark pieces from my dalmatian colony.









Chris52 said:


> View attachment 210317
> 
> Thank you! The P. scaber are the ones that appear to flare out at the bottom, right?


The best way I know to tell P. scaber and T. rathkii apart is to flip them over. Here's a picture about sexing P. scaber.







The one on the left is female, and the right one is a male. But what I'd like to point out is the white spots. Those are their gills. All isopods in the Porcellio genus have 2 pairs of gills, as in that picture. T. rathkii will instead have 5 pairs of gills.

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## Chris52 (May 9, 2016)

blacksheep998 said:


> Well then you should see some of my P. scaber colonies. Lol. here's a picture of one of the bark pieces from my dalmatian colony.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wow. 

Interesting. I will try to identify and sex them. Thank you!


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## Chris52 (May 11, 2016)

Placed an order with Peter Clausen this morning for 15 "bright orange" Porcellio sp. (scaber?), 8 Armadillidium maculatum, and 20 dwarf white isopods. Can't wait to get them!

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## blacksheep998 (May 11, 2016)

Nice!

Porcellio scaber is by far the species I have the most of because they breed insanely fast and have multiple color morphs. I posted the picture of my P. scaber 'dalmatian' container. That's just one of the bark chunks in there, there's several others. And that's all from the starter batch of 7 that I got from Peter back in spring 2014.

Also, I'm not sure if you've seen some of my other posts, but around spring 2015 I started a crossbreeding experiment between the P. scaber 'orange' (Same as the ones you're getting, though mine were isolated from a single wild-caught specimen a few years earlier) and the 'dalmatian' breed. The first generation of offspring were gray, but I let them inbreed and the second generation has produced a roughly 9:3:3:1 ratio of gray to orange to dalmatian to orange dalmatian.

I isolated the orange dalmatians which are breeding now and producing mostly more orange dalmatians. I just took this picture of them and their offspring.

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## Hisserdude (May 11, 2016)

blacksheep998 said:


> Nice!
> 
> Porcellio scaber is by far the species I have the most of because they breed insanely fast and have multiple color morphs. I posted the picture of my P. scaber 'dalmatian' container. That's just one of the bark chunks in there, there's several others. And that's all from the starter batch of 7 that I got from Peter back in spring 2014.
> 
> ...


Oh man these are gorgeous! Glad they have done well for you!  My Pied Cylisticus convexus refuse to produce any pied offspring, I'm getting worried that I will lose the color morph...


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## blacksheep998 (May 11, 2016)

That's really strange. If pied were just a recessive trait like the dalmatian P. scabers then I'd expect to see at least some offspring with it. I'm not really sure what to suggest besides keeping the non-pied offspring from the pied individuals separate from the other non-pied population and hope it pops back up in the next generation.

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## Hisserdude (May 11, 2016)

blacksheep998 said:


> That's really strange. If pied were just a recessive trait like the dalmatian P. scabers then I'd expect to see at least some offspring with it. I'm not really sure what to suggest besides keeping the non-pied offspring from the pied individuals separate from the other non-pied population and hope it pops back up in the next generation.


Yeah, I've been culling out the normal ones that get produced, really hope they start having pied babies soon. Thanks for the advice!

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## Chris52 (May 12, 2016)

Interesting. Here's what I did with the wild isopods I caught. Also, is that isopod frass on the leaves and wood?


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## blacksheep998 (May 13, 2016)

That's poop alright. With large populations the frass will make up a majority of the substrate after just a couple months. I just dump it in my garden and give them fresh compost and oak leaves when that happens.


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## Chris52 (May 13, 2016)

blacksheep998 said:


> That's poop alright. With large populations the frass will make up a majority of the substrate after just a couple months. I just dump it in my garden and give them fresh compost and oak leaves when that happens.


Cool. Thank you!

I also received my package from Peter Clausen today. He included some freebies as well, so as of now I have 9 very small Armadillidium maculatum, 30 dwarf whites, and 15+ orange Porcellio.


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## Chris52 (May 16, 2016)

Caught one of my wild-caught isopods molting today.


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## Chris52 (May 21, 2016)

Found yet another spot with plentiful isopods. I even found some peach-colored ones.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Chickalo (Mar 2, 2020)

Chris52 said:


> Okay. I will search our local woods. Thank you!


When searching the wood, be careful when you pick up rocks and logs!  I got stung twice by an underground-wasp colony while searching for local isopod species!


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## Chickalo (Mar 2, 2020)

blacksheep998 said:


> Here on the east coast I've never had any issues finding isopods.
> 
> Kicking over any random rock or log will usually turn up a couple Porcellio scaber or Armadillidium nasatum. And with a little hunting I can generally find Armadillidium vulgare and Philoscia muscorum too. Sometimes if I'm lucky I'll find Oniscus asellus, Trachelipus rathkii, Porcellio spinicornis, or Porcellio laevis.
> 
> ...


Where I live, the local woods next to the elementary school, has barley any isopods (gotta search harder, I guess!), searched under rocks and logs, only 1 salamander, and plenty of leaves.  A few isopods, but was to slow-minded.  I found alot of wasp nests, though!


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## Madnesssr (Mar 3, 2020)

Aquarimax said:


> It depends on the species somewhat, but I find most isopods under boards or rocks, especially in shady/moist areas. In my area (Utah) these days, they are mostly Armadillidium vulgare...I used to find Porcellio scaber, but I don't see them much around here anymore.


Ditto - I also look in my compost pile.  It is loaded with them. It has A. Vulgare, A. Nasatum, Convexus, scaber, and Pruinosus.


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## Madnesssr (Mar 4, 2020)

Chris52 said:


> I added my isopods to my millipede enclosure (as "janitors"), which wasn't my original plan, but hopefully they still breed. So far, the potato trap hasn't done anything except attract the occasional slug, but that could be because of its location.


The isopod could harm the eggs or millipede while molting.  I use springtail in all my cultures to help keep mold down.  But I keep my millies and Isopod separate.


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