# Isopods for Leucomelas?



## CrunchyCrabby (Feb 6, 2021)

Not sure I’m im blind or not but I can find barely anything on isopods aside from dwarfs. I have 3 Leucomelas (1 Adult, 2 subadults) and am wondering what/if isopods I could have other than the dwarfs. Specifically if I could have something like Zebras, klugii, or powder oranges, or if those would pose some type of threat to the frogs?


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

CrunchyCrabby said:


> Not sure I’m im blind or not but I can find barely anything on isopods aside from dwarfs. I have 3 Leucomelas (1 Adult, 2 subadults) and am wondering what/if isopods I could have other than the dwarfs. Specifically if I could have something like Zebras, klugii, or powder oranges, or if those would pose some type of threat to the frogs?


Hello and welcome fellow countryperson.

I would not recommend trying to feed Isopods to _Dendrobates leucomelas _as anything other than a very rare snack/treat/etc.

Isopods don't tend to make great frog food as they will borrow into the substrate as fast as they can, lowering the chances that the frogs can eat them first. 

But!!! Get Isopods, to keep as pets, they're great fun. I keep 25 different types


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## CrunchyCrabby (Feb 6, 2021)

fishingguy12345 said:


> Hello and welcome fellow countryperson.
> 
> I would not recommend trying to feed Isopods to _Dendrobates leucomelas _as anything other than a very rare snack/treat/etc.
> 
> ...





fishingguy12345 said:


> Hello and welcome fellow countryperson.
> 
> I would not recommend trying to feed Isopods to _Dendrobates leucomelas _as anything other than a very rare snack/treat/etc.
> 
> ...


Thank you! And I’m so sorry I didn’t know where to post this thread lol, I meant to ask if it was ok to keep any isopods other than the dwarfs like zebras Klugii or powder oranges as a clean up crew or if they could possibly somehow harm the leucs? I’ve seen a lot of videos on YouTube about keeping isopods and it’s now a dream of mine and definitely plan to keep some Rubber Duckies as pets!


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

I, personally, would NOT put anything other than dwarf Isopods in with my frogs. Other types pose a risk. The risk might be small but I try to avoid any avoidable risk to my frogs.


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## CrunchyCrabby (Feb 6, 2021)

fishingguy12345 said:


> I, personally, would NOT put anything other than dwarf Isopods in with my frogs. Other types pose a risk. The risk might be small but I try to avoid any avoidable risk to my frogs.


Ah ok thank you! I have a small culture of the dwarfs that I’m waiting for their numbers to grow so when they go into the Viv they aren’t all eaten by the frogs, and was just curious about other species.


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## bssknox (Apr 24, 2017)

I've kept powder blues and oranges with my frogs with no issues. I think some of the worry from others is they could potentially nip at your frogs (would say this is slim) or go after eggs. I have not had any issues. I only add a couple at a time here and there if I haven't seen any in said viv for quite some time.


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

My worry, after keeping powder oranges in a culture for some time, is that they destroy the substrate and leaf litter in short order. Their appetites are incredible, far beyond what is needed for cleaner-uppers. They are also very active on the surface. I've kept them with crested geckos, and they had huge appetites for leaf litter there, too.

I'm only a novice isopod keeper, but I consider _P. pruinosus_ a cohabitator rather than cleaning crew, and though many of the cohabitation worries wouldn't be relevant, some would and should be considered.


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

My concern with using anything besides dwarf Isopods with dart frogs is that I've seen how incredibly protein hungry many of the other species can be, along with how fast they reproduce.

Porcellionides pruinosis are less protein hungry than most Porcellio species, however, they still happily consume protein rich food and reproduce like crazy .


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## bssknox (Apr 24, 2017)

Socratic Monologue said:


> My worry, after keeping powder oranges in a culture for some time, is that they destroy the substrate and leaf litter in short order. Their appetites are incredible, far beyond what is needed for cleaner-uppers. They are also very active on the surface. I've kept them with crested geckos, and they had huge appetites for leaf litter there, too.
> 
> I'm only a novice isopod keeper, but I consider _P. pruinosus_ a cohabitator rather than cleaning crew, and though many of the cohabitation worries wouldn't be relevant, some would and should be considered.


Yes, some good points there. When I say I add a couple at a time, I literally meant 2 haha, and I keep the rest in their culture. Yeah, they do go through leaf litter rather quickly. By limiting how many I put in at a time it hasn't been an issue in the vivarium. But, if you don't want to worry/hassle with any of that then your dwarf whites and a few others are the way to go!


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