Clean up Crew Combos?

[Ajohnson5263]

Howdy, y'all. I have a Black Milksnake that I keep in a bioactive enclosure (temperate species, nothing too tropical). right now I have in with him springtails and isopods (armadilium sp. I think, collected myself from outside). eventually, he will need a larger enclosure (about 44" long). I was wondering what sort of species you keep together as clean up crews. I know that any species that share the same niche will compete till one goes extinct, so are there any isopod/millipede sp. that work well together? Like maybe some prefer leaf litter while other's prefer more animal waste in their diet? So, any ideas for a diverse cleanup crew? I was hoping to have springtails, one or two different species of isopods (probably a fancier Porcellio sp.) and hopefully some small millipedes (brachycybe maybe?).

 

[BepopCola]

I've always wanted to try dung beetles with reptiles, but I have no idea if a snake would poo enough to sustain their larva.

That said, springtails can coexist with isopods and millipedes with no issue.
Isopods may outcompete each other, but it looks like you'll have enough space for them to share resources. Though, I have heard that some Porcellio sp. will try to eat other inverts/reptiles, so that might be something to look into.

If you want to include millipedes, I'd recommend Anadenobolus monilicornis and Trigoniulus corallinus I've used them as parts of my clean-up crews and they've been able to survive and reproduce. A. monilicornis has been more successful than T. corallinus, maybe because they stay underground longer, but their populations don't boom so I'm sure something's eating some of the babies.

 

[Ajohnson5263]

I had thought about this before. I feel that it might work with tortoises as they are herbivorous and poop frequently, snakes probably wouldn't poop enough to sustain them.

for the millipedes you mentioned, do you use them with other clean up inverts (besides springtails) or just on their own?

 

[Hakuna]

Dwarf white and dwarf purple Isopods seem to be popular for reptiles along with tropical springtails

 

[BepopCola]

I had thought about this before. I feel that it might work with tortoises as they are herbivorous and poop frequently, snakes probably wouldn't poop enough to sustain them.

for the millipedes you mentioned, do you use them with other clean up inverts (besides springtails) or just on their own?

I use them with a mix of isopods, harvestmen (Vonones sayi), and the springtails. The harvestmen don't eat poo, but they'll clean-up the dead and leftover food, and they pick at fly larva, mites, and springtails as juveniles, though you might not have these issues with a snake.
I use this mix for my snails, predacious beetles, squirrel treefrog, and a skink.

 

[Egon]

I use small local millipedes in my garter tank. I wouldn’t use bigger millipede species because I think they would trigger a feeding response.

 

[Aquarimax]

What is the humidity gradient like in your snake’s enclosure? The large Spanish Porcellio species do require a sharp gradient...a bone-dry area and a damp hide.
there are some, such as Porcellio ornatus, which will not hesitate to nibble (harmlessly) on human hands if they are hungry, so I would be careful about putting port-craving species with your snake.

A black milkshake, by the way, is on my dream species list! They’re gorgeous as juveniles and adults. Gotta love that ontogenic change!

 

[Ajohnson5263]

What is the humidity gradient like in your snake’s enclosure? The large Spanish Porcellio species do require a sharp gradient...a bone-dry area and a damp hide.
there are some, such as Porcellio ornatus, which will not hesitate to nibble (harmlessly) on human hands if they are hungry, so I would be careful about putting port-craving species with your snake.

A black milkshake, by the way, is on my dream species list! They’re gorgeous as juveniles and adults. Gotta love that ontogenic change!

I run the tank more humid than most Black milk snake keepers, a gradient of around 60 to 80. the highlands they come from are actually very humid. anyways I figured that most large porcellio sp. would not like it (which sucks, cause they are my favorites). so I'm thinking about some a. maculatum w/ springtails and maybe couple that with either ivory millipedes or question mark roaches, to try and get a nice black and white theme going. we'll see how everything turns out in the end I guess.

btw, love your channel!