# Pill bugs in the terrarium?



## DaFrogMan

I heard somewhere that you can add pill bugs (rollie pollies) to a terrarium as cleaners and that they also reproduce and the frogs eat their babies. Is this true or completely off base? If I do put some in with my Azureus, will they eat their eggs if/when they lay them? Can they harm or bother the frogs?

Thanks


----------



## Mantellaprince20

hmm, that sounds like a good hypothesis. I would like to know your results if you go ahead and test it. I believe pill bugs to be herbivores, so I don't think they would eat any eggs. As for eating their young, if they produce, I don't see why the frogs wouldn't, because I know the young have very soft exoskeletons. Great idea possibly though, keep us posted

Ed Parker


----------



## Guest

For what it's worth, I've had problems with pill bugs eating parts of orchids, especially roots and flower buds. The plants weren't in a vivarium however, and it may have been just a result of a lack of better food for them, but they definately can and will eat plants if there is nothing better around.


----------



## Guest

i have pill bugs - or as we call them woodlice in all my vivs - they are great  my frogs love eating the babies


----------



## Dancing frogs

eukaryote said:


> For what it's worth, I've had problems with pill bugs eating parts of orchids, especially roots and flower buds. The plants weren't in a vivarium however, and it may have been just a result of a lack of better food for them, but they definately can and will eat plants if there is nothing better around.


I plan on adding them to a few of my vivs...hopefully they like to eat creeping fig and pothos! :lol:


----------



## bbrock

eukaryote said:


> For what it's worth, I've had problems with pill bugs eating parts of orchids, especially roots and flower buds. The plants weren't in a vivarium however, and it may have been just a result of a lack of better food for them, but they definately can and will eat plants if there is nothing better around.


Yes, and there are many species of isopods commonly referred to as pillbugs. My experience with the common species in the Midwest was taht they relish orchid roots and also other select species of plants while leaving many plants alone. I wouldn't rule out egg eating either. Millipedes are also detritivores and I've seen them eat frog eggs. If you want to add isopods, I suggest you obtain a starter culture from another frogger who can vouch for the species they have.


----------



## yuri

I've got them established in my gecko tanks and they are prolific. I have tried to establish the in my dart frog tanks, but they are not nearly as successful - probably due to consumption by the frogs? I have not noticed any plant damage, but I have lots of dead and decaying leaves (oak) as well as the fern fronds that grow in the tanks.


----------



## Guest

I have 10s if not 100s of these little buggers established in each of my tanks, and yep they are great. They leave all the healthy plants alone (including phaps, begonia, etc.), but the munch on anything decaying. They are great housekeepers, and they seem to breed slowly. The frogs may be to blame for that, which is good. I always like creating self-sustaining environments, which do not require me to be the cleaning crew. So, I would highly recommend picking up a culture.


----------



## dmartin72

Where do you get a culture?



hicksonj said:


> I have 10s if not 100s of these little buggers established in each of my tanks, and yep they are great. They leave all the healthy plants alone (including phaps, begonia, etc.), but the munch on anything decaying. They are great housekeepers, and they seem to breed slowly. The frogs may be to blame for that, which is good. I always like creating self-sustaining environments, which do not require me to be the cleaning crew. So, I would highly recommend picking up a culture.


----------



## kleinhanz

mine hitch-hike with the moss I collecte for my tanks...


----------



## geckguy

Derek Rader of http://www.flyculture.com has cultures


----------



## Guest

I'm not sure what the cultures are going to be "worth" (beyond the initial bugs). I did a little research online and have read these guys only mate once a year which doesn't bode well for using htem as feeders. 

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

-Tad


----------



## Guest

I tried the woodlice i find outside my house and they didn't take well i put like 10 in and i haven't seen them since. Maybe it's becasue they can't survive in such a different climate.


----------



## Guest

*I'm interested now*

I dont have any constructive experience here, but does any one have pictures of the pillbugs they have successfully used (hicksonj!) I would be interested to see them. We have some around here, but they as adults are way too big for a frog to eat. They are around 1/2" as adults, but there is alot of them around here in the mountains of NC. It would be an interesting facet to add to a living tank.


----------



## Ryan

I dunno if its because your area, but I have kinda cultured woodlice and they were pruduceing nice quantities of offspring.


----------

