are pill bugs ok in a tarantulas enclosure

[Tcrazy]

this morning i was getting ready to clean out the enclosure of a tarantula i sold. and i noticed there were about 10 pill bugs. and many very smal ones too. i was wondering if these are ok to keep with the ts. and what can i benifit from them

 

[mistercurls]

Isopods are ok to keep in tanks. They are like a clean up crew for the tarantula, eating whatever they leave over after a meal, if they are messy eaters. Ive never done it but have heard of people trying it out. Im just curious how they got there if you didnt put them there.

 

[Tcrazy]

i do have live plants in there. so i am thinking they where on them when i bought them...

 

[mistercurls]

that could very well be where they came from and like i said they are safe.

 

[Ungweliante]

Actually, they can be lethal to a tarantula. There are some reports right here on Arachnoboards of them attacking a tarantula which is molting.

I'd advise caution.

Regards,
Rosa.

EDIT: Here are two of the links to discussions considering their safety, originally linked to by RVS in another post:

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=62154&highlight=isopods+juveniles

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=61463&highlight=isopods+juveniles

 

[mistercurls]

Well I never new that they could actullay be harmful. Thanks for letting us know Ungweliante.

 

[NixHexDude]

That's interesting because I know I read in the Schultz Guide that isopods=good when it comes to T's. But there is obviously evidence to the contrary. I certainly won't be throwing any in w/ my inverts after reading those reports. I'd hate to think what I would do to those little varmits if I caught them trying to chew up one of my babies.:evil:

 

[Scott C.]

I've seen a whole lot more reports of isopods used without probs than with. I think if you control the population, and make sure they are well fed you *probably* won't have a problem. I would only keep them with large T's that won't feed on them though. If you have a bunch of starving isopods with your t than of course it may be a problem, and if their population is exploding than of course they are more than likely going to bother the t.... I'm no expert though, just someone who has never had a problem, and will continue to use isopods in any live planted t enclosure.

 

[C_Strike]

well fed, they shouldn't bother your t's.. i have had isopods in 6 of my adults tanks, T blondi, G rosea, B smithi, P nigricolor, p fasciata, and C crawshayi and even my scolopendra subspinepes*'pede* tank for over 1 year, they maintain a small populace, which i monitor anyway, and have had no problems whatso ever, the tarantual isnt even fussed when the pillbug brushes against the spiders.

 

[jbrd]

isopods

I have kept isopods in my P.murinus communal 30 gallon long tank for well over a year now with no problems so far.
And in our T.blondi tank alot longer than that, still with no problems.

 

[Brian S]

I keep them in all my humid cages with no prob.

Just contact OldHag. She is the pillbug expert around here. Just tell her I sent you

 

[grnlfr]

what does a pill bug look like? any links or pics?

 

[C_Strike]

http://bugguide.net/node/view/13676/bgpage

Also you can use the other type of isopod, that rolls into a ball and has a much tougher shell.
Both are good

 

[stooka]

ive been keeping them in alot of my tanks for some time now and never had any problem,not even seen any spiders eating them either,ive kept em in with various slings also and still no problems wotsoever.I reccommend them fully!
heres a crappy pic of 1 i use,best my camera would do,sorry.

 

[BertWright]

Pill Bugs

Isopods or pill bugs are what were once known slangly as rolly pollies (roll -ee Pole - ees) and I suppose tarantulas WOULD encounter these farely often in nature - or run into them quite often in burrows and ANYWHERE in the ground. I would not have guessed them to be o.k., though since they are usually found in some wet dank places - the only tarantula of mine that LIKES dark and dank is a Cobalt Blue and as far as I am concerned, they can have them. I distinctly discern between high humidity and dark and dank, though - since I do have other T's that prefer high humidity (just not overly damp or wet). Seriously , it is good information to know should they happen to appear in a tarantula's enclosure, possibly from a plant.

Bert Wright
Fellow Tarantula Keeper/Enthusiast.

 

[ShadowBlade]

i do have live plants in there. so i am thinking they where on them when i bought them...

Sounds like you might also be inviting mite infestations...

 

[Topcat1]

Do isopods help control mites?

 

[Tcrazy]

in the past i have seen mites. but have not seen any recently..
i know there are many different mites. some are not harmful to ts.
i remember botar metioned that there are scavenger mites that are not harmful to ts since i seen them pill bugs thats all i seen in the tank.
i am not knolged at all when it comes to these pill bugs. but what to they eat?

 

[C_Strike]

they scavenge in general, they will eat the food wastage left in the tanks, you wont need to feed them anythiing else. but if you do feel like treating them, they pretty much eat a roaches diet.

 

[syndicate]

a few weeks back i collected some pill bugs.i released some into various tanks and also kept some in the same deli cup i captured them in.since then theyve bred and there are now babies in the deli-cup.theres prob 20+ in this deli-cup and if u throw a dead cricket in there it will be totaly gone in a day or two.there good cleaners.i dont think they eat mites but im sure they can help to keep mite populations down by competing for food