Isopod Colony Population Control?

[Fideo]

Howdy everyone!

I've been noodling over keeping isopods for a long while now. I've been doing research into different species and possible set-ups with a bioactive system in mind. My main concern however has to do with overpopulation. I don't necessarily want to have to keep building new terrariums when one colony is too packed (I have limited space), but also I don't want to do any culling either.

I'm planning on first doing a trial run with isopods in my backyard, so I could release them without introducing new species. But if I decide to try other species that can't be found at my location that's not really an option.

But how do y'all deal with this sort of issue? If it's one to deal with at all that is, haha. Would love some tips and advice before I go any further. Thanks! 🫶

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Howdy everyone!

I've been noodling over keeping isopods for a long while now. I've been doing research into different species and possible set-ups with a bioactive system in mind. My main concern however has to do with overpopulation. I don't necessarily want to have to keep building new terrariums when one colony is too packed (I have limited space), but also I don't want to do any culling either.

I'm planning on first doing a trial run with isopods in my backyard, so I could release them without introducing new species. But if I decide to try other species that can't be found at my location that's not really an option.

But how do y'all deal with this sort of issue? If it's one to deal with at all that is, haha. Would love some tips and advice before I go any further. Thanks! 🫶

Get a bigger or more containers because die offs are always possible. Most my ISOs died because they ate coco fiber . I got a few pillbugs left .
I really only started with three though had up to 50. Now less than 10 probably or around that..

 

[kingshockey]

sell the excess on amazon

 

[Brewser]

Sell the excess on Ebay

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I

Sell the excess on Ebay

Is it hard to sell roaches/etc isopods on these types of sites? I don’t know what it would cost and shipping supplies.

 

[kingshockey]

I
Is it hard to sell roaches/etc isopods on these types of sites? I don’t know what it would cost and shipping supplies.

i bought my starter colony on amazon got ripped off for sure 40 bux for10 dairy cows and x amount of springtails. all arrived healthy springtails are like mites kinda they get all over the place been finding em in and around the water dishes in all of my t cagesthat aside i seen alot of people selling them on there

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

i bought my starter colony on amazon got ripped off for sure 40 bux for10 dairy cows and x amount of springtails. all arrived healthy springtails are like mites kinda they get all over the place been finding em in and around the water dishes in all of my t cagesthat aside i seen alot of people selling them on there

Ouch yeah that’s why I avoided eBay but same issue with Amazon?
Turns out I didn’t need runners dubia breed fast … but I am worried my colony might die off if I find a way to sell some . However I need the money and if I get swamped .. ehhh not much choice besides filling up my empty bins with unheated dubia. I’m not really a big fan of trying to ship them.

 

[kingshockey]

i never buy off ebay so i cant speak on the prices etc. gf doesnt allow roaches inside plus if i needed to buy feeders in bulk i can just drive to rainbow meal worms its local to me

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

i never buy off ebay so i cant speak on the prices etc. gf doesnt allow roaches inside plus if i needed to buy feeders in bulk i can just drive to rainbow meal worms its local to me

rainbow meal worms I considered don’t know how well they ship . But I won’t need anything til my roaches collapse .

 

[kingshockey]

rainbow meal worms I considered don’t know how well they ship . But I won’t need anything til my roaches collapse .

no idea i have always walked into buy either night before a pan fishing trip or day of

 

[Hisserdude]

Get a bigger or more containers because die offs are always possible. Most my ISOs died because they ate coco fiber . I got a few pillbugs left .
I really only started with three though had up to 50. Now less than 10 probably or around that..

They almost certainly died of something else. I keep almost all my pods on coco fiber and have never had deaths attributed to that. If that's literally ALL they had to eat, then they'd probably starve to death yeah. But if they had other things to eat then coco fiber should not have been the cause of death.

I look at the substrate as being something to retain humidity and serve as surface area for some burrowing species. Food is placed on top of the substrate, such as leaf litter, calcium carbonate chunks, dog/fish food, etc.. Few species need an actually edible substrate. I mean, the ground in a lot of isopod habitat is relatively inorganic, inedible dirt, that is just topped with leaf litter or other accumulated organic debris. So that's what I simulate in captivity.

 

[Fideo]

Thanks everyone for the input! Had a great time reading the discussion in the thread as well Getting my first container set up with plans to add springtails and propagate some pothos to plant inside... Can't wait to have these lil guys give me company in my office all day. Yay!

 

[Kada]

Never a bad idea to get a cool insectivorious vertebrate

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Get some isopod eating spiders.