Does Lithobius Forficatus eat other things than flies?

Bunyan van Asten

Arachnoknight
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Oct 5, 2016
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271
Hello everyone
I have a few L. Forficatus and i would like to know what they eat besides things like fruit flies.
Because i have a small culture of pillbugs/woodlice (depends on where you're from i think). So yeah, i'd like to know what else they eat because i can't find any proper answers anywhere (probably my own stupidity) and i don't want to constantly be at risk of thier food flying away when i put it in thier enclosure.
 

chanda

Arachnoking
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Jun 27, 2010
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They're supposed to eat small inverts, including earthworms, small millipedes, and insect larvae - none of which are particularly prone to flying away. ;)

I've also read of other keepers offering them (particularly if they are quite small) prekilled crickets or meal worms and occasionally supplementing with soft fruit, dog food, or fish food.

I don't know if they'll eat woodlice or not, but you can try offering them one and see what happens.

One important thing to keep in mind is to give them plenty of substrate for burrowing, hiding places (like bits of wood or bark), and keep them moist. Letting the substrate get too dry can kill them.
 
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Bunyan van Asten

Arachnoknight
Joined
Oct 5, 2016
Messages
271
They're supposed to eat small inverts, including earthworms, small millipedes, and insect larvae - none of which are particularly prone to flying away. ;)

I've also read of other keepers offering them (particularly if they are quite small) prekilled crickets or meal worms and occasionally supplementing with soft fruit, dog food, or fish food.

I don't know if they'll eat woodlice or not, but you can try offering them one and see what happens.

One important thing to keep in mind is to give them plenty of substrate for burrowing, hiding places (like bits of wood or bark), and keep them moist. Letting the substrate get too dry can kill them.
Wow, thanks for the help! I'll start on searching for these animals ASAP
 

chanda

Arachnoking
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Jun 27, 2010
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Wow, thanks for the help! I'll start on searching for these animals ASAP
As I said in one of your other threads, be careful about wild caught feeders. There is always the risk of catching feeders that have been infected with parasites that could spread to you pets, that have been exposed to pesticides, or that have been eating something that is toxic to your pets.
 

Bunyan van Asten

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Oct 5, 2016
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As I said in one of your other threads, be careful about wild caught feeders. There is always the risk of catching feeders that have been infected with parasites that could spread to you pets, that have been exposed to pesticides, or that have been eating something that is toxic to your pets.
I know that risk! That's why i usually keep my feeders in a container wich would make the would-be paeasite grow faster and emerge or kill the animal if it had pesitcides
 

BobBarley

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Sep 16, 2015
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Lol, where did you hear they eat fruit flies? o_O

Also, I kept these for a while, apparently they need fruit in their diet. Mine started getting sluggish and passing (I had a few) without it.
 

Bunyan van Asten

Arachnoknight
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Oct 5, 2016
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271
Lol, where did you hear they eat fruit flies? o_O

Also, I kept these for a while, apparently they need fruit in their diet. Mine started getting sluggish and passing (I had a few) without it.
I didn't hear they ate flies, they just did.
I literally once saw a fly in the encclosure and mere seconds later the L.forficatis was eating it
 

BobBarley

Arachnoprince
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Sep 16, 2015
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I didn't hear they ate flies, they just did.
I literally once saw a fly in the encclosure and mere seconds later the L.forficatis was eating it
Weird, never thought they could catch fruit flies. Nice though, good luck with them!
 
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