Springtail Question

[Jamie Cooper]

I've recently added springtails to all my Avic enclosures and they are doing a fantastic job! No sign of mould/fungus anywhere!

In my juvenile enclosures I have micro water bowls. I've noticed that they gather in the water bowl, is this because the substrate is too dry for them to survive? I do keep it fairly damp so I would be surprised if this was the answer.

Anyone else notice this?

Jamie

[Colin D Wilson]

They just seem to look for the dampest place and end up commiting suicide in the water bowl in most cases Jamie.
This is a great way of reducing the population if you have an explosion of the things, just tip out the bowl daily and they soon get to mangeable proportions.

[Jamie Cooper]

Thanks for the info Colin, unfortunately I'm trying to keep the numbers up at the moment. Its nice to know there is a way of controlling the population though!

Jamie

[Kurt Baird]

Hi,

I have the same problem in my T.blondi tank. I find that because they are so tiny, they stay on the surface of the water, probably eating (or whatever it is that they do) the thin layer of film that appears on the water after a day or two, so they don't drown.

Either way, if I notice a large group of them I just flick them out of the water back onto the substrate.

[Peter Lacey]

These and woodlice are your bin men, clearing your enclosures of rubbish. I certainly don't remove them and find they are self regulating.

[Colin D Wilson]

Ive found that the more woodies you have, the less springtails as the woodies seem to partake of the odd springtail egg or 100.

As pete said though, woodies and springtails are definitly a must for cage cleansiness.

[Jamie Cooper]

Yes the springtails were deliberately placed for that purpose. I did try woodlice as well, but I found that there wasn't much maintenance work for them to do as my slings were so small. I limited each sling container to 1 or 2 woodlice but got rid in the end. I will use them in larger enclosures when my avics get bigger, but the springtails seem to have everything under control for now.

Jamie.