FlamingSwampert
Fourth Instar
I have been keeping armadillidium nasatum on and off for about 3 years now, with varying levels of success. These isopods are very common in my backyard, and they can be easily sourced during most of the spring and summer, sometimes even into the fall. My first and second cultures produced babies, but they all died off mysteriously.
My third and current culture was more of a flop. I introduced 32 individuals into the refurbished enclosure, and they all seemed to do fine. I didn't check on them for a few weeks, and next thing I knew, they were all dead.
The odd thing is the tank was still as humid as it should be, and the 2 small backyard millipedes (nothing major, just your garden variety round millipedes) that had been with the isopods from enclosure to enclosure are still alive, and even reproduced. Additionally, one isopod is still alive, and is average size and color.
I don't know why they keep on dying. Should I lower the humidity? Water accumulates on the lid and drips back down. Could this make the soil too wet? Should the enclosure be smaller to keep them together and encourage them to breed? Should I use a less chunky substrate? Any advice is welcome
.
Thanks!
My third and current culture was more of a flop. I introduced 32 individuals into the refurbished enclosure, and they all seemed to do fine. I didn't check on them for a few weeks, and next thing I knew, they were all dead.
The odd thing is the tank was still as humid as it should be, and the 2 small backyard millipedes (nothing major, just your garden variety round millipedes) that had been with the isopods from enclosure to enclosure are still alive, and even reproduced. Additionally, one isopod is still alive, and is average size and color.
I don't know why they keep on dying. Should I lower the humidity? Water accumulates on the lid and drips back down. Could this make the soil too wet? Should the enclosure be smaller to keep them together and encourage them to breed? Should I use a less chunky substrate? Any advice is welcome
.Thanks!
