Looking for pill bugs ("rolly pollies" ?sp?)

Arachnoheebs

Arachnosquire
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I am not sure if this is the right place to post, but I will anyway.
I have heard that some horticultural stores sell these little guys, but I can not find any. It's gotten cold here so, no more to be found under the rocks. We like to keep them in our T's habitats to keep vermin away :evil: (just in case) per Schultz and Schultz and it works!! If anyone knows please advise.
Thx...
Keri
 

Stylopidae

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talk to someone at strange cargo inverts...they have the flattened isopods. I recently tried to culture some of the round type, but failed miserably because I couldn't get them to reproduce. The flattened type will reproduce, but I don't think the round ones will.
 

luther

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Someone was selling cultures at the last BTS show. I know because I bought one. Dont know the name of the vendor though...

Doh! Just noticed that you're in Texas. Oops.

Sorry.

Have you tried searching sheds and garages? There's got to be a bit of damp old carpet somewhere near you.
 
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OldHag

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I sell em :D I have both the rolly polly kind and the wood lice kind (they dont roll up like the pill bugs) 10 cents each :D
 
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P. Novak

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what exactlly is the purpose of these, will they harm the Ts? will the Ts eat them?
 

Scythemantis

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They're beneath the notice of large predators like Tarantulas. They keep an enclosure clean by eating droppings, mold, and mites.
 

DoubleD's

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Rollie Pollies

Hey the funny thing is I introduced them on a large scale to the market this year and so many have followed suite and claimed to be the first.
I started doing it because my kids collected so many when they were playing that i started keeping them in with the roaches to make the kids happy and then i noticed they were multiplying and the roach tanks were cleaner, so i figured hey i never saw them for sale for this use before so i started marketing them.
I sell 100 sandard isopods for $25 plus shipping, we also introduced the Orange ones from Europe, next year i will be selling the Yellow, Blue and purple ones.

They really work and are edible, dart frogs, geckos and certain lizards will gobble them up like candy.

Sincerely
Dexter D
http://www.doubleds.org
 
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P. Novak

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oh alright, so if i ordered them would i just put them straight into the Ts enclosure or would i have to setup a colony?

and can the ones caught outside be used for the T cages?
 

hamfoto

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Scythemantis said:
They're beneath the notice of large predators like Tarantulas. They keep an enclosure clean by eating droppings, mold, and mites.

I've heard others say this...but I put them in with my juveniles and spiderlings...and every single one ate the rollie pollies that I put in...
I'm sure they did their job in cleaning out the cages, it's just that one by one they disappeared and I found their exoskeletons lying there all white and chalky...didn't seem to affect the T's, only that they got a little snack.{D
 

DoubleD's

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Isopods

That is true they will eat them if given half the chance, Also they need a moist or humid environment. The ones cought outside can be fed but its recommended that you wait until you have at least one generation of bbaies before you feed them, the wild cought ones might contain harmful chemicals, so wait for the babies to be born and feed the babies off to your t"s.

Sincerely
Dexter D
http://www.doubleds.org
 

P. Novak

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well im not really talking about feeding, im talking about using them as decomposers.
 

Brian S

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OldHag said:
I sell em :D I have both the rolly polly kind and the wood lice kind (they dont roll up like the pill bugs)
I knew we could count on you hehehe :D
 

roach dude

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if i go get some from out wide n put them in with my roaches will they just clean the tank up?? like clean up the feaces and mould.??:confused:
 

NiGHTS

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Yeah, they'll clean the tank. They mainly go after any leftover food in the tank. Larger inverts, such as adult Ts and Scorpions pretty much ignore the isopods because they aren't much more than a lite snack...but juveniles will eat them.

As for breeding...I have had luck captive breeding both common round and flat isopods that I caught in the wild. However, I think the key to success with breeding is keeping as many of them together as possible. When I only had a few in an enclosure, I didn't get any babies, but when I upped the numbers to around 100+ I started seeing babies all the time. ...and don't expect much breeding if you put them into a T enclosure; keep them in their own cage if you expect babies.
 

Becky Wheeler

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I found one outside, So i decided it would be great to have one in the T.blondi's tank and guess what! I dropped it in and she ate it! lol. I was like! Oh great! thanks Lucifer! That was meant to be your maid who cleans up after you! Not your bloody dinner!.lol
 

OldHag

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Brian S said:
I knew we could count on you hehehe :D

Yeah, well... OBVIOUSLY I wasnt the FIRST to sell them.. DoubleD can take all the credit ;P Why he takes pride in this is odd..but he can have it!:D



Brian, Im counting on you not to tell him I had them prior to this year ;)
 

NiGHTS

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I think around 10 isopods or so would be a good number to throw in a T tank.

Hey Double D's - any estimate on when you will be getting the more exotic colored isopods in stock in 2006? I'm already waiting for em!
 

Ecilious

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If all you keep is spiders I'd recommend starting a culture seperately as suggested. Once it warms up you could get them for free. Collect a few from under rocks or pieces of wood. then get an old ice cream tub, half fill it with leaves, rotten wood and a few vegetable peelings. Put some pin holes in the lid and mist the whole lot lightly and put the tub somewhere warm (t-room is perfect) and leave them be. Check on them every couple of days to make sure they're not drying out or getting too damp. Soon you'll have loads. Plus no worries of transferring toxins this way.

Personally I have a hoard of them living in my millipede tank and a good few in with my hissing cockroaches. It's quite funny watching them in the millipede tank as they're kinda hyper compared to ones out doors since they're that bit warmer.

I had them for years living in my "deaths head cockroach" tank, without fully appreciating the job they were doing until I removed the majority of them to my compost heap. Soon had a big infestation of mites and my lesson was learnt.
 

BugToxin

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Yellow, Blue, and Purple? :cool: Groovy!!!! :cool: I wonder if I could keep some of each, all living together in perfect harmony like a happy bug rainbow. :) Or a big bowl of Lucky Charms. :} That would look cool in my blondi tank!!! Anyone have pics of these? I've seen the orange ones, but not the other colors.
 
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