# shipping Isopods Springtails



## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Can anybody help with some shipping advice? What temperature lows and highs can isopods and springtails tolerate? I am looking at shipping some USPS priority to keep the price down. Can they take a low of 40 F or will heat packs be required? What about insulated boxes? Obviously I want a successful delivery, just trying to keep the price low for people.
If it helps, I am looking at shipping Dwarf Whites, Dwarf Greys, Giant Oranges, and assorted springtails.
Thanks!


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## JMSvenungson (Sep 6, 2009)

I have received live springtails (and melanogaster fruitflies) at 40 degrees Fahrenheit but the isopods did not make it. The postal office messed up a bit as well so it took four days until i could fetch the package.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

They will not survive 40 F. I put some substrate and a few whites in the fridge overnight for a test. They didn't make it.


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## frogmanchu (Feb 18, 2011)

:keep in mind not to ship under 45 or above 80. i have recieved cultures by mail of isios they dont need to be ice/heat packed if you stay between these temp guideline. for more info on shipping check Ship Your Reptiles - Ship Live Reptiles Easily, Securely and Affordably they have all the answers to any more of your questions.


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## Lukeomelas (Mar 15, 2005)

Hey Doug,

I just recieved some springtails and dwarf whites this week with mixed results. The spingtails were fine, but most off, if not all, of the juvi dwarf whites didn't make it. A few of the adults made it, so I am hopefull. I've heard that isos don't ship well independent of temperatures. Can anyone confirm that?

I would be happy to just come down and take all of those extra cultures off your hands!


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Lukeomelas said:


> Hey Doug,
> 
> I just recieved some springtails and dwarf whites this week with mixed results. The spingtails were fine, but most off, if not all, of the juvi dwarf whites didn't make it. A few of the adults made it, so I am hopefull. I've heard that isos don't ship well independent of temperatures. Can anyone confirm that?
> 
> I would be happy to just come down and take all of those extra cultures off your hands!


I had them shipped to me two times and they did fine in shipping both times. Temperatures were very nice though, the first time. The second time he used an insulated box and heat packs which is probably what I'll have to do. 
In case you are wondering why two times...I crashed the first culture.


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## edwardsatc (Feb 17, 2004)

Lukeomelas said:


> Hey Doug,
> 
> I just recieved some springtails and dwarf whites this week with mixed results. The spingtails were fine, but most off, if not all, of the juvi dwarf whites didn't make it. A few of the adults made it, so I am hopefull. I've heard that isos don't ship well independent of temperatures. Can anyone confirm that?
> 
> I would be happy to just come down and take all of those extra cultures off your hands!


I've shipped them many times at all times of the year with no losses.

Doug, I'm assuming that the ones I sent are doing well for you?


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

edwardsatc said:


> I've shipped them many times at all times of the year with no losses.
> 
> Doug, I'm assuming that the ones I sent are doing well for you?


Hey Donn, they are doing great! Thanks! I've really been working them. I now have them well established in a couple vivs and at least started in all 11 vivs. I started 13 cultures with this method http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/food-feeding/46452-how-i-culture-woodlice-isopods.html , and I have three shoebox cultures set up with a 50/50 mix of ABG Mix and hand crushed oak leaf litter with cardboard squares. We've been experimenting with LOTS of different foods http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/food-feeding/64919-great-isopod-woodlice-culture-foods.html.
Production has been very good for us since you assisted with straightening out my first screw up!
I don't know if you remember, but I promised you that I would pay this favor forward. I am ready to do that now. These are the PAY IT FORWARD Dwarf White Isopod cultures. I have 13 starter cultures set up. Each starter culture has a minimum of at least 25 isopods of mixed ages. Tiny babies were not counted so most of them should have more than that. I have already given one away leaving 12 to go. I have 6 people already that would like to take advantage of these FREE cultures. That leaves 6 more up for grabs. There is a catch. Turnabout is Fair Play! I ask that each recipient get their cultures running well. In 3 to 6 months, when you are producing nicely, I ask that each recipient offers one or two starter cultures, for free, to whoever they want to give them to. If you, in turn, ask them to do the same, it just starts a nice little chain of free isopods going.
Of course I'll have to ask recipients to pay shipping and heat pack. Should be less than $10.
PM me if you want to be a part of this, only half a dozen or so left. Shipping will take place within the next week or two.

Donn, I've been working on trying to improve production on oranges, too. This is what I've come up with. 
I started with about a dozen adult oranges. I set them up in a plastic shoebox with half ABG mix and half hand crushed oak leaf litter. I put several squares of brown cardboard on top. Media mist be kept moist at all times. Any time the cardboard looks dry, we mist it. We took a paper clip and melted about 50 tiny air holes in the top. These are the foods we use. http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/food-feeding/64919-great-isopod-woodlice-culture-foods.html
Our orange isopod production is very good and one of the things I credit it to is this. I leave the adults in the culture for only about one month, maybe two. Only until we see a good amount of babies scurrying around. Then we pull all the adults and move these adults on to a fresh culture. Using this method, I am up to three cultures in three months. The original 12 have had enough offspring to seed about 15 half grown individuals into 10 different vivs. So that's about 150 right there. Plus, the ones from culture number two are getting close to half grown and there must be another 150 there. We wait until they are half grown because they are going into thumbnail and pumilio vivs and I figure at half grown, they are big enough that they won't be eaten. Also, they can begin to reproduce at about half grown so that the babies will be lunch and the bigger ones form a thriving colony.
We recently pulled 10 of the bigger ones to throw in with the original 12 adults, simply to build upon the breeding culture population. I've been really pleased with how quickly I have been able to build the population.


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