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  • woodlice care

    Hi everyone,i want to start keeping woodlice in my moister enclosures as a measure to avoid mite infestations and i was wondering whether anyone with experience in keeping them can answer a few questions i have. Firstly,do they need additional food or will they just be able to live off of tank waste? If they do need additional food what should i feed them and how often? Should i leave all food boluses in the tank for them to eat or should i still remove a percentage of them? How many woodlice would i need for a 12"x12" tank? Do i need to add more woodlice every so often? Any advice will be greatly appreciated,John.

  • #2
    We keep our woodlice in with our cockroaches, mainly to keep a sterile colony going, they eat fruit, salad, bread, odd bits of meat and occasionally fish food (when i find some cheap)...basically everything the roaches eat. (if you keep them alone then cheap tropical fish food flakes are perfect singular food)
    When they are introduced to the tank that's it as far as upkeep goes, they will feed off all the waste particles in the tank and devour some of the rotting parts of the substrate untill they find other food. I've used different amounts in tanks and find that 1 woodie for every 4 sq inches is about right so in a 12 x 12 tank 36 woodies will do the job quite efficiently. They'll need moisture to be able to breath efficiently so your moister enclosures will be fine. The only time you really need to add woodlice is if the spider takes a liking to them, other than that they will actually breed quite well in a spider tank and you'll end up having to remove some youngsters at one time or another i would imagine.
    Don't forget to learn what you can, when you can, where you can.



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    • #3
      Thanks for all the advice Colin,very much appreciated.Would they be efficient enough to get rid of all the spiders discarded boluses or should i still spot clean occasionally.

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      • #4
        I am getting some tropical woodlice delivered (sometime this week hopefully) but I have noticed what appears to be mould in with my mantid aswell, would I be correct to assume that they will be fine in with the mantid too?
        “The attitude of the average person to the world they live in is completely selfish. When I take people round to see my animals, one of the first questions they ask (unless the animal is cute and appealing) is, "what use is it?" by which they mean, "what use is it to them?"...By and large, by asking the question "what use is it?" you are asking the animal to justify its existence without having justified your own.” - Gerald Durrell

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        • #5
          I can't see as there would be a problem using them with your mantid.Although i'm not sure whether the mantid would eat them or not. I've heard that most spiders ignore them but there is always the exception to the rule.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by j d caisey View Post
            I can't see as there would be a problem using them with your mantid.Although i'm not sure whether the mantid would eat them or not. I've heard that most spiders ignore them but there is always the exception to the rule.
            That exception would be my Acanthoscurria geniculata but she is just weird

            Chris.

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            • #7
              Spot cleaning will always benefit the environment in the enclosure, i would continue to maintain good housekeeping and give the little woodies a helping hand every now and again
              Don't forget to learn what you can, when you can, where you can.



              Please Support CB Grammostola :- Act Now To Secure The Future

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              • #8
                Cool,thanks for all your help Colin. Off to the garden now on a woodlouse hunt!

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                • #9
                  Don't forget to quaranteen them for a week or two and feed a good diet.

                  They can harbour toxins that "could" have an effect on the spider, this will be expelled with continued feeding.

                  Even if your garden is clear of chemicals the woodies may have travelled from gardens next door who use such stuff.
                  Don't forget to learn what you can, when you can, where you can.



                  Please Support CB Grammostola :- Act Now To Secure The Future

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                  • #10
                    Will do Colin,thanks again for all your help.

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