Considering Isopods

[madagascarhissinglover]

Hey there! I have a few questions regarding taking some Common Pillbugs aka Rollie Pollies under my wing.

1. Can I just pluck them straight from the wild and into an enclosure? Or do I need to sanitize them somehow?
2. Does Leaf Litter act as their only source of food? Or should I add an additional source?
3. Since I know there’s no way to prevent breeding, do the Pillbugs naturally not overpopulate themselves or is there something I need to do to keep them in check? If I do have to keep them in check, how?
4. Will the pillbug nymphs be able to escape an enclosure with larger holes for ventilation? Is there something to prevent their escape?

BONUS QUESTIONS:
If I keep the wild pillbugs in my madgascar Hissing cockroach enclosure, can they somehow transfer disease to my boys? And is there anything you can warn against keeping them as an additional little cleanup crew? And since they would be performing as my janitors, do I still have to clean the substrate every month?

 

[remtomologist]

I'm no expert but I'm a wildlife science major and I've been keeping bugs (including isopods occasionally) for about three years now.

From my experience,
1. Plucking them straight from the wild is fine. The isopods themselves don't need to be sanitized, but the materials you bring with them (leaf litter, rocks, sticks, substrate, etc.) should be sanitized. The recommended methods are typically baking or boiling. This kills any bacteria/fungus/pests on the decor/terrain.
2. Leaf litter can be their only source of food, but they love a good fruit or veggetable. I typically avoid citrus since a lot of animals react badly to it. Things like carrots, cucumbers, apples, leafy greens, typically any leftovers you have, they'll love. Just be sure to watch out for mold. If you can, I'd get your hands on some springtails. They can help keep the mold in check IMMENSELY. I have a culture and I haven't had mold issues ever since I got them.
3. I've never had any issues with overpopulation with mine, but I also kept mine with snails/slugs/other critters I found in a similar habitat. If you're catching wild anyway, you can always just let some go if you think there are too many. But typically, they'll compete each other out in terms of food and space so they'll probably be fine without any regulation.
4. I don't remember for sure, but I think isopods have trouble climbing smooth surfaces like glass or plastic, so they're not likely to get out. I do know for sure that I've never caught one of mine outside their enclosure. If you do realize you have an issue with them getting out though, you can always get cheesecloth or another thin cloth and tape or otherwise attach it to the enclosure over the holes.

Others:
With wild caught critters, there's always a risk of disease. If you can afford it/have access to it, ordering online or getting an isopod culture from a reptarium or other supplier is gonna be safer than wild-caught. However, I used wild-caught guys for a bit and they did me just fine. It's just up to you if you want to gamble the possibility of something going wrong. Also, with critters that molt, both of them have the possibility to hurt each other in the early post-molt stages. The roaches might eat or hurt the isopods, and vice versa, although I don't know how much damage the isopods could do to a roach that big.

As far as cleaning the substrate, I would still go ahead and clean about every 3 ish months if you can, but unless you see mold/waste building up, I think more than a month without cleanings would be fine.

All in all, the main issue I've run into with enclosures like theirs is mold. Definitely get some springtails if you can, they work wonders and eat mold and pair great with the isopods. You can find them wild, but they're teeny tiny and hard to find. I hope your critter keeping goes well!!

 

[madagascarhissinglover]

As far as cleaning the substrate, I would still go ahead and clean about every 3 ish months if you can, but unless you see mold/waste building up, I think more than a month without cleanings would be fine.

If the isopods are in the substrate, how would you recommend I clean it? Collect them and place them into a separate container of sorts?

 

[remtomologist]

If the isopods are in the substrate, how would you recommend I clean it? Collect them and place them into a separate container of sorts?

Something like that. Maybe pour the substrate out into a thin layer on something so you can catch all the isopods and get them into the new substrate. But tbh, I don't clean any of my enclosures super often because bugs are just so little that they don't do a whole lot. You can also just add on more substrate instead of completely cleaning it. That gives everybody some more nutrients and such to work with without the hassle of changing everything.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Something like that. Maybe pour the substrate out into a thin layer on something so you can catch all the isopods and get them into the new substrate. But tbh, I don't clean any of my enclosures super often because bugs are just so little that they don't do a whole lot. You can also just add on more substrate instead of completely cleaning it. That gives everybody some more nutrients and such to work with without the hassle of changing everything.

Last time I tried keeping them I didn’t use a clear container so I kept forgetting to wet them constantly. If I tried keeping them again I’d pick something that’s pretty clear and visible. Do they produce enough frass like roaches to even need the bin cleaned ? Or clean every few years?

 

[remtomologist]

Last time I tried keeping them I didn’t use a clear container so I kept forgetting to wet them constantly. If I tried keeping them again I’d pick something that’s pretty clear and visible. Do they produce enough frass like roaches to even need the bin cleaned ? Or clean every few years?

Honestly I've never cleaned my isopods tank unless I was moving them all to a new one. Isopods are usually a clean up crew for frass and other waste so they don't need much help keeping their enclosure clean.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Honestly I've never cleaned my isopods tank unless I was moving them all to a new one. Isopods are usually a clean up crew for frass and other waste so they don't need much help keeping their enclosure clean.

Yeah my dubia bin is probably too dry to support isopods, oranges maybe but currently I got no clean up crews in any enclosure period . Not even springtails those died off , the ones that just appeared out of no were . I’ve never had isopod in a t enclosure because I’m worried they might eat it during a molt.

 

[WhiteMoss]

Just add some springtales and your good to go. No cleaning necessary.
If you feed large items like roach remains (I feed mine what's left over my ants or any prefilled uneaten ones from my Ts) you can just spot clean the exoskeleton pieces

 

[Isopods others]

Although their detritovres they really do require a varied diet
Eggshell-calcium
Fish flakes- protein
Rotting wood
Dead leaves
I don't bother with fruit
Dead insects / infertile oothecae for protein and nutrients
Otherwise you may get weak shells or pods chewing on each other or your star attraction
( one of my Armadillum peccerae failed a moult... his/ her children little itty mancae devoured them, the adults finished the job and his/ her husk are now strewn about)

 

[yelnei]

i wc mine outside when i'm gardening and keep them in plastic tubs with some vent holes. i toss in some springtails from my bioactive enclosure, and give them leftovers of whatever fruits and veggies i have(except foods that are commonly toxic to animals- garlic, onion, etc), and sometimes dead insects, eggshell, seaweed... whatever's on hand really. yesterday i gave them some avocado rinds and they loved it! i usually leave food in for a day or two longer so it molds a little bit for the springtails since they like it. i don't clean my enclosures other than spot cleaning any fuzz left over when i remove food or ay particularly gross bits.

from there i just water one side of the enclosure every few days or so and they're absolutely exploding in population