Isopods

[rénee]

In all honesty i don't know anything about these things, other then they remind me of those nasty water beetles you find in your basement..(depending where you live i guess). Anyways i have been given the opportunity to snag a couple for myself if i would like, i hear good things about them.. but really, do i even benefit from them? What steps do i even take with them, what do i feed them, how, when. Lmao i legit don't know enough about these things, but if given enough information and by doing enough research myself i may consider it?

I have so many questions

 

[Chubbs]

A lot of hobbyists use these as clean-up crews in their terrariums, I used them with my emperor scorpions back when I had them. They're good for getting rid of mold spores and fungi, as well as other types of waste, they'll even eat bolus and leftover prey remains. Most species however require constant moisture and do better with tropical species. I wouldn't use ones from the wild, as you don't know what they've been exposed to, but captive bred suppose are regularly available online. There's many different species, some quiet beautiful as well.

 

[rénee]

I went to a shop in my city who is mainly a reptile shop but some of the stuff is beneficial to me, and they mentioned how they could order in isopods, i would have free shipping and lower costs also. But as you were saying they are best for tropical species, there probably isn't much point in me having them for my G. Rosea and A. Avic then eh? But i am debating on using it for my scorpions.. they are very messy eaters and leave cricket parts everywhere and after the last little fungus and hold outbreak it wouldn't be a bad thing..

Do T's or Scorpions go after these isopods, or do the isopods bother them? Is there any extra care needed for the isopods, like dropping in some sort of extra food.

 

[kormath]

from a carolina isopods care sheet:
"Can other animals be kept in the terrarium? Yes, animals such as millipedes, bessbugs, and other organisms with similar habitat requirements. Spiders and lizards may eat isopods."

Not sure if tarantulas fall in that "spider' category but they do need high moisture:
"Our pill bugs died while we were observing them with magnifiers. What happened?
Isopods’ gills dry quickly, which can kill them. To observe isopods with a hand lens, place in a shallow cup with damp soil or paper towel. When done, return the isopods to the terrarium quickly."

More likely the sunlight through the magnifying lens burned the isopods to a crisp

 

[Chubbs]

Most of the time the tarantulas/scorpions will ignore them. Obviously, the smaller ones are more likely to view them as prey. Larger individuals don't usually bother with then in my experience.

 

[Entity]

yeah i keep white dwarf isopods in my avic avic enclosure. and she never messes with them. they r tiny and she is picky too. but even if they eat them from time to time to harm done. just look at them as a little snack in between feedings if ur spider gets hungry.