Multi-Species Enclosure

[Python]

It'll probably be awhile before I upgrade. I'm going to let this one run for awhile and see if anything gets eaten that shouldn't get eaten. I'm not sure whether I have a mix of sexes but if I do, I'm hoping that some breeding takes place. These little scorps are tiny and my eyes aren't what they used to be so I just let them do what they do. So far there's been no problems between predators but the prey don't seem to be enjoying it very much.

 

[Scolopendra1989]

It'll probably be awhile before I upgrade. I'm going to let this one run for awhile and see if anything gets eaten that shouldn't get eaten. I'm not sure whether I have a mix of sexes but if I do, I'm hoping that some breeding takes place. These little scorps are tiny and my eyes aren't what they used to be so I just let them do what they do. So far there's been no problems between predators but the prey don't seem to be enjoying it very much.

I'm sure they'll all come around unless you forget to feed one day... *gulp*

 

[Arthroverts]

Live plants could keep the humidity up. I am planning on keeping a small berry or vegetable plant or two in the terrarium to feed cockroaches as prey items. Mealworms could be left in the enclosure, they surface from time to time, and if they are not eaten they turn into darkling beetles, which are another food item. To collect water, you could put plastic wrap over the top of the cage, and then put a stone on the wrap so that it sinks down, like a upside down mountain. Thus, when water evaporates, it collects on the wrap, and once drops form, they drip down and off the "Mountain Peak" back into the substrate or a water dish. I have yet to try this though. The beetle might be a black death feigning beetle in your enclosure. What are you planning on keeping?
Thanks
P.S Your terrarium looks awesome!

 

[Python]

Thanks for the compliment. I'm not exactly sure what I'll put in it. I know that I'm going to put some ryegrass in it tomorrow. That stuff will grow in the dark on a concrete slab with no water. It's a cold weather grass but it grows fast and is low maintenance. I think I'm going to use crickets for prey items simply because they help keep the grass mowed. The plastic wrap with a weight in the center is an old survival trick, it basically makes a solar still and collects all the water in a centrally located vessel but I'm not going to get that involved. I'll just mist it every so often.I hope to find some breeding taking place since I won't be bothering them very much. Time will tell

 

[Python]

This is my new tank. Around 30 gallons or so. The left side is set up for a L. mactans, unbred female. The right side has the usual scorpions, one centipede and quite a few crickets at the moment. Behind that is my cat. She's just making sure nothing gets out of line. She's not quite right. I've planted it with ryegrass so once that comes in I'll start to do some landscaping to keep the grass out from under the widow and away from the right side of the tank. I want crickets to breed in here but I also want the other animals to be able to catch them and as thick as ryegrass is, I don't know if anything will be able to fight through it. The top right now is solid lexan, no vent holes whatsoever, but the top gets raised enough to keep fresh air flowing. I'll update again when the grass grows in.

 

[lunarae]

I have four enclosures with various species living together in them (Plan on making 3 more). Granted mostly it's isopods/springtails/mites. Microfauna really. But In one I have a predatory beetle and a wolf spider chilling together so far rather comfortably. In another I have our A. versicolor and it's pet dubia roach (Has yet to eat it, been like that for about a month or two, had two in there but one died of old age and the isopods feasted, two days and that thing was gone), and then I have one that is more an experiment then anything else. I have a formicarium with black carpenter ants, and it feeds into an outworld tank that's planted and has a nice sized colony of isopods and springtails living in it, as well as now a colony of black pavement ants. Both ant colonies started from queens this year so they are very small. I'm actually seeing if they can live together on this small scale while both are really small since they seem to outside for the most part. So far so good on that, I always make sure there is plenty for them to eat. I will have to expand and separate them I know once the black pavement ants start to grow in numbers. which will be easy cause the one formicarium only feeds into the outworld where the other colony is through a single tube. That's the key I think with any mixed set up is ensuring there there is enough food to go around. Otherwise it's not going to work and they will look at one another as a food source. But if food is plentiful and they can have their own 'territory' space chances are they'll leave each other alone. It's just a matter of what species you're using and the space really. I mean going out and bug searching as I do. I can flip one small rock that's less then a foot in diameter and see centipedes, numerous spiders and other critters that all have taken residence in that small little area and they seem to be comfortable so close to each other. Predator species from what I know, will avoid other predator species unless there is nothing else because the risk of going after a predator is higher then going after a prey species.

 

[Python]

That was my thought too. I figure, if I'm finding these things under the same rocks/logs/plywood/etc. then I should be able to keep them in a large enough enclosure, ensure they have adequate amounts of food, and watch them thrive. So far, the only time I've seen the centipede is when I've completely wrecked the place transferring everything over to the bigger tank, I had almost forgotten it was in there. The scorpions I see fairly regularly, wandering around at night hunting. The beetle became the first casualty. I came in and checked it this morning and apparently it wandered too close to the widow side and now it's dangling in the web. Once the plant growth comes in I intend to dump crickets and isopods in there, the one as a food source and to keep the grass cut and the other to clean up the various messes that might randomly appear. I think the widow might be the only indiscriminate killer in the tank which is why I isolated her on one side by herself. Once the grass comes in it should provide a barrier to all but the crickets. I sprinkled the seed pretty heavily on one side of the tank before I had thought about putting the widow in so I'll have to pull that out as it grows to prevent pushing her web right to the lid. That shouldn't be a problem, but we shall see. Right now everyone is resting comfortably (except the beetle which is resting in peace) but updates will follow with more pictures.

 

[lunarae]

That was my thought too. I figure, if I'm finding these things under the same rocks/logs/plywood/etc. then I should be able to keep them in a large enough enclosure, ensure they have adequate amounts of food, and watch them thrive. So far, the only time I've seen the centipede is when I've completely wrecked the place transferring everything over to the bigger tank, I had almost forgotten it was in there. The scorpions I see fairly regularly, wandering around at night hunting. The beetle became the first casualty. I came in and checked it this morning and apparently it wandered too close to the widow side and now it's dangling in the web. Once the plant growth comes in I intend to dump crickets and isopods in there, the one as a food source and to keep the grass cut and the other to clean up the various messes that might randomly appear. I think the widow might be the only indiscriminate killer in the tank which is why I isolated her on one side by herself. Once the grass comes in it should provide a barrier to all but the crickets. I sprinkled the seed pretty heavily on one side of the tank before I had thought about putting the widow in so I'll have to pull that out as it grows to prevent pushing her web right to the lid. That shouldn't be a problem, but we shall see. Right now everyone is resting comfortably (except the beetle which is resting in peace) but updates will follow with more pictures.

If you don't have it populated with them, one thing I would make sure you add is isopods (rollie pollies) and springtails to help as a clean up crew, eat up all the dead plant matter and left over bits from the other insects when they eat and such. Microfauna will be pretty important for it to thrive well if your going for mixed ecosystem.

 

[Python]

I had planned on putting some various cleaners in there. Isopods for sure, but whatever else I can catch as well. Everything in it will be wild caught except for the crickets and I may find something to supplement that with. Time will tell but the big thing right now is to make a top for it that does what I want it to do. Half plexiglass and half screen I think will be fine. Keep the humidity up while allowing for a heat/light source without melting anything. I'm just going to have to see what parts I can scrounge to make a Frankenhood.

 

[DreamWeaver8]

Just a suggestion but you might want to add the isopods/springtails in before the grass grows too much as the microfauna will help aerate the soil and help plant growth.

 

[Python]

The only plants I'll have in this tank will be ryegrass and that will grow in the dark during a drought on a cinderblock. The souls I'm using is top soil mixed with sand. It doesn't pack down very well. I was going to use local soil but I got lazy and got some store bought dirt instead. It has no additives other than fine sand so it's safe. I'll be getting some isopods soon enough. I work 2 jobs so from 7 am to 10:30 pm my day is planned out till the weekend rolls around.

 

[Python]

Just a quick update, I've had 2 scorpions give birth in the last couple of days. I'm hoping things go well but they stay hidden most of the time. We shall see

 

[Python]

I got a picture of one of the little moms in this tank. I've got two V. carolinianus that have given birth now.

IMG_20160826_225633042_HDR

• Python
• Aug 27, 2016
• 1

Vaejovis carolinianus. One of two females with young in my multi species tank.

 

[DreamWeaver8]

Congrats! Are you planning on moving the mother and her young in a different enclosure?

 

[Scolopendra1989]

I got a picture of one of the little moms in this tank. I've got two V. carolinianus that have given birth now.

IMG_20160826_225633042_HDR

• Python
• Aug 27, 2016
• 1

Vaejovis carolinianus. One of two females with young in my multi species tank.

I've always thought it was cute how mother scorpions carry their young on their backs

 

[Python]

No. I'm going to leave them and see what happens. So far they've been in there about a week with no problems to speak of. I've put in small crickets and fruit flies to feed whoever is in the mood for small crickets and fruit flies. The grass started getting out of hand so I cut it until the cricket population gets high enough to keep it under control. I overseeded a little while ago with Bermuda grass seed. The ryegrass grows well, it's grown about 6 inches since I put it in, but it's not very thick and I think Bermuda will look better anyway. I left the ryegrass there in a smaller area, then clipped the grass with scissors. Hopefully the crickets I put in will be like little 6 legged brush goats and keep the vegetation from overtaking the tank. The tank is a 29 gallon I believe so room is not really a concern. There is plenty of debris to hide in and the grass only enhances the hiding capability for the animals. It also provides a barrier between the two sides so I have the option to put some things together that may not normally be kept together. My goal is to see how different species do when kept together.

 

[DreamWeaver8]

Good luck with the babies. I have a similar desert enclosure and one maybe two of my females look ready to pop but I'm most likely going to remove them when that happens. Keep us updated I love this thread

 

[UltimateDracoMeteor]

I'm trying to set up a desert enclosure with hissing roaches, death-feigning beetles, various other desert beetles, and a desert millipede. So, yes, but I haven't tried anything with predatory bugs yet.

 

[Python]

Horror story... The lid for this particular tank is a piece of lexan cut to fit with no holes in it. This not only keeps the humidity up which in turn helps water the grass, but it also keeps out the cats who love to sit and watch the goings on inside. Well, I took the lid off for awhile to drop the humidity level a bit and since I have this tank in the corner between the couch and the wall, the cats can't get to it while I'm in here. Unfortunately, I went to the bathroom during a commercial and when I got back, 2 cats were INSIDE the tank! My girlfriend was on the couch but didn't notice the cats jump up there so they were happily digging away at the corner in the debris pile where all the animals happen to live! The habitat was destroyed, so back to the beginning. I've fixed everything now and I found everybody alive and none the worse for wear. 4 scorpions, some small millipedes, isopods, crickets and a 3 1/2" centipede that I haven't seen since I put it in there. In the process, I found that I am now up to 3 mother scorpions, although one only has 2 babies on her back, as best I can tell anyway. They are terribly tiny. Everything is fine now but the tank is back to bare ground while I wait on the next batch of grass to grow. The lid is now a more permanent fixture and the cats are now on very thin ice.

 

[UltimateDracoMeteor]

Horror story... The lid for this particular tank is a piece of lexan cut to fit with no holes in it. This not only keeps the humidity up which in turn helps water the grass, but it also keeps out the cats who love to sit and watch the goings on inside. Well, I took the lid off for awhile to drop the humidity level a bit and since I have this tank in the corner between the couch and the wall, the cats can't get to it while I'm in here. Unfortunately, I went to the bathroom during a commercial and when I got back, 2 cats were INSIDE the tank! My girlfriend was on the couch but didn't notice the cats jump up there so they were happily digging away at the corner in the debris pile where all the animals happen to live! The habitat was destroyed, so back to the beginning. I've fixed everything now and I found everybody alive and none the worse for wear. 4 scorpions, some small millipedes, isopods, crickets and a 3 1/2" centipede that I haven't seen since I put it in there. In the process, I found that I am now up to 3 mother scorpions, although one only has 2 babies on her back, as best I can tell anyway. They are terribly tiny. Everything is fine now but the tank is back to bare ground while I wait on the next batch of grass to grow. The lid is now a more permanent fixture and the cats are now on very thin ice.

Oh man, at least they're safe.