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Roly poly's!

Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 9:27 pm
by hthecvt
I want some for my tank!

Where is the best place to look for them outside? Under rocks? How many would I need for a 55 gallon?

Thanks!


*<3 Gladys, Pico, Tango and Zeus! <3*

Re: Roly poly's!

Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 9:42 pm
by hermitcrabdc
You can usually find them just about everywhere. Under rocks, in moist wood or soil ect.
As for a number, I would say, find 20-30 and they'll start reproducing and getting along in the tank :)

Re: Roly poly's!

Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 9:44 pm
by hthecvt
Awesome! Are they nocturnal? Should I hunt tonight or tomorrow during the day?

*<3 Gladys, Pico, Tango and Zeus! <3*

Re: Roly poly's!

Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 9:49 pm
by StarWarsHermitCrab
They love to hide under leafs.

You can find them at anytime of day.

Re: Roly poly's!

Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 9:50 pm
by hthecvt
I suppose I could always go hunt and see what I find.

*<3 Gladys, Pico, Tango and Zeus! <3*

Re: Roly poly's!

Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 11:02 pm
by soilentgringa
If you collect isopods from outside you may want to consider keeping them in a separate container until they have babies and put the babies in the tat after they've grown a little.
This is to ensure that they are pesticide free. A lot of neighborhoods are sending mosquito trucks out right now and spraying areas with DEET which you definitely don't want your crabs to have, and they will eat isopods.
You can keep isopods in a little plastic tub or small tank. They like humidity just like hermit crabs and if your house is in the low 70's and up depending on where you live, they don't need a heater. You don't want to put a water dish in with them as they can drown in it, better to just lightly mist once a day and make sure they have a few inches of substrate, leaf litter, moss, maybe some worm castings, crushed eggshells, pieces of pesticide free wood. (They love wood, leaf litter, and dried crickets.)
I keep mine in a 2.5 gallon tank and they reproduce like crazy. We put about 20 of them at a time in the crab tank and they usually disappear in the cholla branches but every once in a while I will see one. I'm sure my crabs like hunting them to when they notice that they are out and about!

Re: Roly poly's!

Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2015 4:49 pm
by hthecvt
So I went out and caught a bunch! Like 30! I have them in a plastic container with some of the damp crab substrate and random leaf litter and stuff from outside.

How long until they breed and how will I know?

*<3 Gladys, Pico, Tango and Zeus! <3*

Re: Roly poly's!

Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2015 5:38 pm
by StarWarsHermitCrab
It takes forever. I've had mine for three months, and I have only seen three babies.
Ugh, the frustration. :lol:

Re: Roly poly's!

Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2015 5:39 pm
by hthecvt
Well, crap!

*<3 Gladys, Pico, Tango and Zeus! <3*

Re: Roly poly's!

Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2015 5:45 pm
by StarWarsHermitCrab
Yeah, they seem to be dying faster than they are reproducing.

Re: Roly poly's!

Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2015 5:47 pm
by hthecvt
Noooooo :(

*<3 Gladys, Pico, Tango and Zeus! <3*

Re: Roly poly's!

Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2015 6:33 pm
by soilentgringa
mynameisH wrote:So I went out and caught a bunch! Like 30! I have them in a plastic container with some of the damp crab substrate and random leaf litter and stuff from outside.

How long until they breed and how will I know?

*<3 Gladys, Pico, Tango and Zeus! <3*
The babies are super tiny and translucent so you can barely see them. We have had ours setup for around a month or two and they have babies all the time. There are always hundreds in the tank.

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