Wood Lice - pros and cons

[dymndgyrl]

In my search for info on wood lice (pill bugs, sow bugs et al) I see that alot of people use them for cleaning up debris in their T enclosures. Are there any drawbacks to this? Don't they eventually die and leave just as much of a mess as they cleaned up? Do alot of T's eat them? Do they have to be removed during pre-molt?

I'd be grateful if someone could list the pros and cons . . .
Thanks

 

[maxident213]

I'd be interested in some info here too. Can a person just catch some pill bugs from the garden and toss 'em into the T's tank? Or should they be captive-bred?

 

[syndicate]

ive also been thinking bout trying to catch or even raise some of these.im wondering how good they are at killing mites.

 

[Stefan-V]

Don't they eventually die and leave just as much of a mess as they cleaned up?

Not really, they are small and don't leave much behind when they die. All that's left is a little empty shell.

Do alot of T's eat them?

Yes. T's will catch them if the bugs aren't small enough to pass by unoticed.

Do they have to be removed during pre-molt?

You should. I have heard somewhere that they started working on a molting T'. I have no clue if this is a fact, but i would certainly not want to find out.

IMO just try it with 2-3 maybe and see how it goes. Just try to get them from somewhere you're pretty sure there's no insecticide.

Stefan-V

 

[metzgerzoo]

IME, they do better in the more humid loving enviroments. As far as them dying...they don't really leave anything behind, as was said. I have *never* heard of any tarantula eating them. I have them in with my T. blondi and some of my others and the tarantulas have seen/felt the isopods on numerous occasions and have done nothing but just move their leg to let the bug pass. Neither have I ever heard of them nibbling on a molting spider, on the contarary, I *have* heard of many (myself included) who have introduced them into the container of a molting spider when debris was noticed "a little too late" and they have never bothered the spider in the least.
As far as killing mites goes, they are more for the purpose of cleaning up rather than killing, however, I have seen some of mine go after a mite on several occasions and chow down on it.

If your yard is not treated with pesticides and fertilizers then it should be ok to collect them from your yard. I get all of mine from my yard, but then it's illegal in my community to use chemical insectocides or fertilizers so I know that WC bugs are safe here.

 

[Code Monkey]

I'm with metgerzoo: Tarantulas will not eat them as a rule (although there's probably that one isopod chomping tarantula somewhere). They won't leave any mess, just some chitin. If you have a moist tarantula environment, they will breed (slowly) but never become a problem themselves. They don't really eat the mites so much as compete with them for the same resources.

 

[Gigas]

You can get tropical species which enjoy moist hot Enviroments and come in different colours

 

[mybigone1956]

What is a pill bug???? I have never heard of them.

 

[Gigas]

like woodlice except they can role up into balls

 

[stooka]

i keep tropical 1s in with my moist tanks eg Haplopelma sp and T.blondi etc ive found them to be 100% pro and no cons about them wotsoever.They breed well and all they need is moist substrate and darkness.They do VERY well at cleaning uneaten food and debris off the substrate.Ive never seen any of my Ts eat them ever,i keep them in about 10 sp of tarantula and no problems atall ever.

 

[rag]

where do i go about ordering some tropical pillbugs? any suggested retailers/sites?

 

[Gigas]

Rag you wont get tropical pill bugs, but tropical woodlice seem readily availablefrom people who have too many, so if someone says they have spme just ask

 

[The Juice]

I also keep Pill Bugs with my T's & scorps & so far I haven't seen any problems,scrap or mites.

 

[Stefan-V]

I'm with metgerzoo: Tarantulas will not eat them as a rule (although there's probably that one isopod chomping tarantula somewhere).

I have had 2 of my T's eat them. A. Seemani and OBT.
My OBT is not very big and it's no suprise it took them, but my A. seemani is about 5'. After I put pill bugs in a second time, I gave up. I have 3 each with my G. Rosea and N. chromatus and they leave them be.

 

[syndicate]

so is the general consensus that the pill bugs cant get rid of mites?

 

[RVS]

Not to be a party-pooper but...
The cons:

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=62154&highlight=isopods+juveniles

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=61463&highlight=isopods+juveniles

I use isopods in only one of my enclosures. IME, as long as enclosures are kept tidy and not completely saturated with moisture, mites are never a problem.
If you do decide to use isopods in your tarantula enclosures, I suggest you think of it as an experiment.

 

[dymndgyrl]

Thanks RVS, I didn't do a search with the word "Isopod" so I missed those posts.
I keep my tanks pretty dry and it doesn't seem like much trouble to pick out the odd cricket carcass. If there's any chance that these critters would bother the T's, and it looks like they can, I won't try them.

 

[Cerbera]

like woodlice except they can role up into balls

Woodlice can roll up into balls !

 

[Gigas]

in the UK the most common wood louse is a sow bug which can role up into balls but i got some in the garden that cant

 

[danread]

Another option to use as 'cleaning bugs' instead of Isopods is Collembola. I've been using Folsomia candida in some of my tarantula and pede enclosures, and they seem to do the job very well. They breed at a good rate, but because they are so small there is absolutely no danger of them chewing on a moulting tarantula.

Cheers,