# veggies for woodlice



## gary1218 (Dec 31, 2005)

What vegatables have you tried feeding to your woodlice cultures? What has worked and what hasn't worked?

I've been feeding yellow squash the past few weeks and it seems to be going well. My oranges in particular really devour it. Made me think there's got to be other veggies that would work well also.

Anybody try acorn squash or pumpkin?


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## Azurel (Aug 5, 2010)

I have found that celery is really relished by both dwarf whites and oranges.....Sweet potato is as well.....In viv they really like banana. They flock to that more then the flies.....Will have to try squash.


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## poison beauties (Mar 1, 2010)

I regularly chop up a mix, strawberries, squaush, cucumber, sweet potato, celery now thanks to James, as well as other things.
DOnt forget the isos need a source of calcium as well


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Freeze a bunch of that Halloween jack-o-lantern! They do love pumpkin so you can get a years supply for free that way. Don't forget to chop it into pieces first so you can just grab a chunk or three out easily.
They like watermelon rind too but too much of that can give you a mold problem that takes quite a while to clear out so go easy on the watermelon rind.
I've also used eggplant, avocado rind (they nibble the avacodo very slowly but they do eat it), green, red, yellow, and orange bell pepper, and pretty much whatever my wife is chopping up for dinner. 
I tend to avoid highly acidic things like tomato and oranges. I also avoid spicy things like jalapeno. I'm not sure if the spicy or acidic things would hurt or not. 

My favorite veggie to use is the eggplant because the more of it the bugs eat, the less I have to eat!!
Seriously though, my fave is the pumpkin because; They love it, it's free, and it gives a real use for at least part of the jack-o-lantern. Last year after testing it, I was bummed that I hadn't saved more of it. This year I'm ready!

A lot of people have discussed the use of cucumber in the past. Look up the nutrition in a cucumber sometime. There is virtually NO nutritional value in a cucumber. Cukes are literally not worth the effort it takes to peel off the lid and throw a chunk in!


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## poison beauties (Mar 1, 2010)

Doug its just my unwillingness to drop it from the mix is all, We have organic gardens for acres here so I just grab up everything, peel some of it, blend up a nice chopped mix and toss it over the cultures. Cucumber does have high amounts of water in it too, one reason I keep it around as I keep my cultures a bit dryer than most.


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## mordoria (Jan 28, 2011)

Mine love the scraps from my juicer. Usually I make a carrot, apple, kale and we BOTH love it


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## Azurel (Aug 5, 2010)

Good info guys.....


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

poison beauties said:


> Doug its just my unwillingness to drop it from the mix is all, We have organic gardens for acres here so I just grab up everything, peel some of it, blend up a nice chopped mix and toss it over the cultures. Cucumber does have high amounts of water in it too, one reason I keep it around as I keep my cultures a bit dryer than most.


Sorry Michael, somehow I missed that you had posted that. I know you get excellent production out of your blend. Obviously, you are adding plenty of other veggies. I am addressing more the use of cukes as a single veggie. Adding them to a mix certainly won't hurt anything.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

mordoria said:


> Mine love the scraps from my juicer. Usually I make a carrot, apple, kale and we BOTH love it


I like the kale suggestion. Supposed to be some good stuff in there.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Keep in mind that kale is a goitrogenic food. 

Ed


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Pumilo said:


> I've also used eggplant, avocado rind (they nibble the avacodo very slowly but they do eat it),


The rind of an avocado can be a source of persin which is toxic to many animals (including inverts) the presence of this can be dependent on on the cultivar but I would be hesitent to use it. 

Ed


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## 31drew31 (Nov 14, 2010)

Not sure if Isos would eat it, but dandelion is a very healthy green with a good amount of calcium.


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## poison beauties (Mar 1, 2010)

Your best bet on calcium is a direct introduction of it to your media. I have been doing this for quite a while and have excellent breeding in them. Other than that I feed all organics and mix a well planned media with a controlled compost.


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## fishr (Dec 20, 2010)

Just curious, is it possible to overfeed isos? I put a little more dog food than I usually do, 3 extra, than 1 'pellet' and the four have molded. Been about a week in the dwarf white culture.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

fishr said:


> Just curious, is it possible to overfeed isos? I put a little more dog food than I usually do, 3 extra, than 1 'pellet' and the four have molded. Been about a week in the dwarf white culture.


Only if you feed so much that the colony is totally overtaken by mold. Cultures are pretty much perfect conditions for mold and it's going to happen. Just stop feeding until the mold recedes.


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## gary1218 (Dec 31, 2005)

poison beauties said:


> Your best bet on calcium is a direct introduction of it to your media.


How are you doing that?


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## mordoria (Jan 28, 2011)

Ed said:


> Keep in mind that kale is a goitrogenic food.
> 
> Ed


well, then I guess Ill have a bunch of isopods, with a goiter! 

But seriously, are the isoflavones and isothiocyanates passsed into the bugs and into my frogs? Should I cook the kale first for the bugs? 

Ed, were you showing your love for me? Looking out for my health. Keeping me free of thyroid issues? Love u too


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

People don't tend to eat enough Kale to be concerned about goiters these days (as most of us also get plenty of iodine via table salt).. so unless you are eating lots of your isopods then I'm not overly concerned for you... 

If the isopod has eaten the kale and then is consumed shortly after eating the kale then those chemicals will pass along to the frog. The reason I flagged it as goiters and related issues are reported in the herp literature from consistently feeding cruciferous vegetables to herps. In the wild herbivores select not only the plant but the portion of the plant consumed. This is often not possible in captivity. 

Ed


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## mordoria (Jan 28, 2011)

I read about that effect in rats. Wild rats can consume more poisonous items, by consuming small bits of everything. In captivity, rats have no tolerance to poisons.
Should I also be concerned about the arsenic from apples as well?

The isos seem to enjoy the carrot more. Ironic because they are orange, or do they naturally desire carotenoids? Or maybe the aromas of carotenoid degradation?
The springs like the kale. I have a mixed bin of isos and springs, and they tend to flock around the aforemetioned veggies.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Ed said:


> Keep in mind that kale is a goitrogenic food.
> 
> Ed





Ed said:


> The rind of an avocado can be a source of persin which is toxic to many animals (including inverts) the presence of this can be dependent on on the cultivar but I would be hesitent to use it.
> 
> Ed


Who ever would have though there were all these health issues associated with good old veggies?? Good to know.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

mordoria said:


> I read about that effect in rats. Wild rats can consume more poisonous items, by consuming small bits of everything. In captivity, rats have no tolerance to poisons.
> Should I also be concerned about the arsenic from apples as well?
> 
> The isos seem to enjoy the carrot more. Ironic because they are orange, or do they naturally desire carotenoids? Or maybe the aromas of carotenoid degradation?
> The springs like the kale. I have a mixed bin of isos and springs, and they tend to flock around the aforemetioned veggies.


I'm not worried about the isopods eating the apple seeds. 

Ed


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