HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I am very sorry to say that I did not get video. But it was so cool to watch! I have never seen them hunt before, only heard stories. The isopods call home in the the bases of the cholla wood I have in the tank. They scurry around going in and out of the different holes. I saw Poopy (that's her name) sticking her small claw in one hole, a walking leg in another, and her antennas working over time feeling any place she could on the cholla. She was wiggling her walking leg, I think trying to flush them out. At one point, a large one came out, and she chased it with lightning speed a couple inches across the cholla before it disappeared into a hole. She didn't catch it, but it was really something to see!

She eventually found a dead on on the ground near the cholla, and pounced on it like she had made a kill. She ate 3/4 of it and went on her merry way.

But now I know why I have been seeing half eaten isopods around. I have hunters in my tank.

That is so cool, I also have some isopods in my tank. I put about 10 in, and have seen one occasionally but I haven't seen any half eaten. Maybe I will go outside and see if I can round up some more. There is a rock by the cow tank that I can look under and are sure to find a hand full.

You'll have to keep your eyes out for little stalkers in the night!

that is sooo kool!

I think it's great that you actually got to watch it. I'm not surprised that they try for the live ones after what I've seen mine do to live waxworms and mealworms, but I wonder if they ever actually manage to catch the live isopods or if they always have to settle for ones that have died.

What is an isopod?

An order of crustacean. So somewhat closely related to our little hermit crabs. They breathe through gills, like our hermits. There are many different species with many different lifestyles, some marine, some terrestrial, some equipped for a little of both!

thank you very much

Am I the only one who grew up calling these rolly-pollies? I was going to say, "It's commonly called a rolly-polly," but then I realized I actually don't know if that name is common or not!

I had never heard of a rolly-polly until I joined the HCA. I grew up calling them pill bugs. (Never even knew they were called sow bugs either!)

I have heard "pill bug" and "sow bug," too, but we always called them rolly-pollies. A silly name, perhaps, but cuter than "sow bug," anyway! I always thought they were adorable and fascinating. And fun! I did not, however, realize that they were crustaceans! Learn something new every day!

Have you seen the orange variety and all the other patterns that they have for sale online? (Wolf was the one who pointed these out to me originally.) http://shop.bugsincyberspace.com/Isopods_c15.htm I'm hoping this summer to be able to start a small colony of something neat!

Ok...could someone inform me of their benefit? I'm not sure I could ever be "cool" with bugs in my crabitat. But id would like to learn more about them.

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DragonsFly wrote:Am I the only one who grew up calling these rolly-pollies? I was going to say, "It's commonly called a rolly-polly," but then I realized I actually don't know if that name is common or not!

Deffinetly rolly-pollies! I believe that's the latin name. :mrgreen: Hahahha
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fate4003 wrote:Ok...could someone inform me of their benefit? I'm not sure I could ever be "cool" with bugs in my crabitat. But id would like to learn more about them.

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They eat decaying food that the crabs drag around and into weird places, so it reduces your chances of getting mold and mites. They're little custodians. Plus, they're cute!! And they serve as an extra source of protein for your crabbies.

wodesorel wrote:Have you seen the orange variety and all the other patterns that they have for sale online? (Wolf was the one who pointed these out to me originally.) http://shop.bugsincyberspace.com/Isopods_c15.htm I'm hoping this summer to be able to start a small colony of something neat!

I want the giant ones, so bad!! I just got the cheapest ones on the site when I ordered.