Isopods

[Araña]

Hi All,

Anyone ever cohabitate isopods with your T's so that they can help keep the enclosure clean? Curious!

 

[Ratmosphere]

Never would, there have been reports of isopods eating parts of a freshly molted tarantula. Just use springtails.

 

[Araña]

Never would, there have been reports of isopods eating parts of a freshly molted tarantula. Just use springtails.

I didn't know that! definitely NOT then!

 

[Tarantula Trooper]

My only attempt at Isopods was in my MM Psalmopeous Cambridgei enclosure and was the orange variety. They were reproducing and then literally within a week all were gone. I think he grew weary of them would kill them. Far too big a spider and far too small for him to eat. But??? Never put any in again and never will. Happy Spoodering!!

 

[Araña]

My only attempt at Isopods was in my MM Psalmopeous Cambridgei enclosure and was the orange variety. They were reproducing and then literally within a week all were gone. I think he grew weary of them would kill them. Far too big a spider and far too small for him to eat. But??? Never put any in again and never will. Happy Spoodering!!

Interesting!

 

[m0lsx]

I keep isopods. I like species that are found within the UK. I have Porcellio laevis (Dairy cow.) And porcellio scaber, (Common rough.) And I have some in a few enclosures. But keep an eye on numbers. Because, as said above, they will eat your tarantulas during molting if hungry. Or if you use the wrong species, just because it is in their nature.

Personally, I would never use isopods in anything but my largest tarantulas. And I keep an eye on numbers & remove isopods before numbers become too noticeable.

 

[m0lsx]

They were reproducing and then literally within a week all were gone. I think he grew weary of them would kill them.

Tarantulas will eat them, but were you feeding the isopods? I personally add food for them & also dried yeast for my springtails. Neither are any good to us when we need them, if we do not look after them. Also, isopod colonies do suddenly die off. This can be for several different reasons. One is a lack of good ventilation. Another is due to inbreeding. And if we only put a few isopods in an enclosure, then that can be an issue. Another issue is, being an arboreal enclosure, did it have limited substrate & if so could ammonia build up in limited substrate have been an issue?

Having a main colony & swapping two or three from a tarantula enclosure with one from the main colony, is good husbandry.

I use Spider Shop Iso boost. Two packets lasts me well over a year. I also feed a few dead crickets per colony when I am feeding my T's. And I always have a few dead crickets per feeding day, even with freshly brought crickets. I also use Oak leaves. Oak is handy because it keeps some of it's leaves for a spring leaf fall. This is called marcescence & it is why Oak is a tree that can populate even the worst soils. It saves some of it's leaves for food during it's period of regrowth. Spring. I simply pick leaves & allow them to dry & then spray the leaves weekly.

Isopods are crustations. But they need both moist & dry soil.

 

[Tarantula Trooper]

Tarantulas will eat them, but were you feeding the isopods? I personally add food for them & also dried yeast for my springtails. Neither are any good to us when we need them, if we do not look after them. Also, isopod colonies do suddenly die off. This can be for several different reasons. One is a lack of good ventilation. Another is due to inbreeding. And if we only put a few isopods in an enclosure, then that can be an issue. Another issue is, being an arboreal enclosure, did it have limited substrate & if so could ammonia build up in limited substrate have been an issue?

Having a main colony & swapping two or three from a tarantula enclosure with one from the main colony, is good husbandry.

I use Spider Shop Iso boost. Two packets lasts me well over a year. I also feed a few dead crickets per colony when I am feeding my T's. And I always have a few dead crickets per feeding day, even with freshly brought crickets. I also use Oak leaves. Oak is handy because it keeps some of it's leaves for a spring leaf fall. This is called marcescence & it is why Oak is a tree that can populate even the worst soils. It saves some of it's leaves for food during it's period of regrowth. Spring. I simply pick leaves & allow them to dry & then spray the leaves weekly.

Isopods are crustations. But they need both moist & dry soil.

Tarantulas will eat them, but were you feeding the isopods? I personally add food for them & also dried yeast for my springtails. Neither are any good to us when we need them, if we do not look after them. Also, isopod colonies do suddenly die off. This can be for several different reasons. One is a lack of good ventilation. Another is due to inbreeding. And if we only put a few isopods in an enclosure, then that can be an issue. Another issue is, being an arboreal enclosure, did it have limited substrate & if so could ammonia build up in limited substrate have been an issue?

Having a main colony & swapping two or three from a tarantula enclosure with one from the main colony, is good husbandry.

I use Spider Shop Iso boost. Two packets lasts me well over a year. I also feed a few dead crickets per colony when I am feeding my T's. And I always have a few dead crickets per feeding day, even with freshly brought crickets. I also use Oak leaves. Oak is handy because it keeps some of it's leaves for a spring leaf fall. This is called marcescence & it is why Oak is a tree that can populate even the worst soils. It saves some of it's leaves for food during it's period of regrowth. Spring. I simply pick leaves & allow them to dry & then spray the leaves weekly.

Isopods are crustations. But they need both moist & dry soil.

Bain was a fully mature male Psalmopeous Cambridgei set up in a TCribs 8*8*12 fully bioactive enclosure, enclosure now empty but still water the Lucky bamboo. Terra Areanea sub. I had one of those giant seed pods in with him I had intended to use as a water dish but it leaked but I always added water to it as well as a water dish because the isopods congregated underneath. Had a little packet of isopod food that came with them that I would add some to the enclosure at feeding time. The seed pod sat undisturbed for months. Little ones started appearing with the adults and I was quite happy with this. Checked on Bain one day and the seed pod was flipped upside down on the other side of the enclosure with only a couple adults Iso's I could see. Day later I seen none at all. There was oak leaf in the bottom of the enclosure and figured that there were some hiding underneath. Nope! Never seen them again. If Bain were consuming these guys he was quite skilled as he was bout a full 7" DLS. It was quite sad.