Don't use springtails!

7tisix

Second Instar
 I recently ran into problems with overcrowding of springtails. They ate many of my roaches legs off. I have since separated all the roaches in all my enclosures from the springtails.  I noticed this after several roaches perished.

 
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 I recently ran into problems with overcrowding of springtails. They ate many of my roaches legs off. I have since separated all the roaches in all my enclosures from the springtails.  I noticed this after several roaches perished.
Which species of sprintail did you use, and with what roach species? I don't know about chewing roaches legs off, but I have had problems with Sinella curviseta outcompeting a species of roach whose hatchlings were smaller than the springtails themselves. I doubt the springtails ate your roaches legs off, they may have done so themselves due to the stress of constant tactile contact with the springtails if they were really numerous.

I think the success of housing springtails with cockroaches depends greatly on size, you don't want to house large springtails like S.curviseta with tiny roaches like certain Ectobiids, however housing the common tiny silver springtails with almost any roach should be OK, and housing Sinella with large to medium sized roaches usually ends well too.

Another thing to watch out for is if the springtails get too numerous, in a thriving roach colony the springtails really have to fight to maintain their place in the enclosure, but in a container with a small population of roaches, some springtails (like S.curviseta) can get very numerous, almost to the point of concern.

 
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I ordered some pink springtails about a year ago.  Don't know the species.  In several enclosures, I had various cockroach species affected. The springtail populations grew out of control.  I had thousands in each enclosure.  I think a higher humidity in the enclosures excaserbated the overcrowding problem.  Even larger roaches such as adult longhorn Hissers were affected and several died.

 
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I ordered some pink springtails about a year ago.  Don't know the species.  In several enclosures, I had various cockroach species affected. The springtail populations grew out of control.  I had thousands in each enclosure.  I think a higher humidity in the enclosures excaserbated the overcrowding problem.
Yeah, those are the Sinella curviseta, the species I've had problems with. Which roach species were they, just wondering? 

Sounds like they were stressed by the booming springtail populations, and for some reason when roaches are really stress they often chew off their own legs and antennae, I have no idea why. Thanks for the info, will keep an eye on the enclosures with lots of springtails in them.

 
They only roaches that I know that were not affected for sure were glowspots and extinct in the wild, because i have a starter supply of those.  Both are at least a year old, the glowspots still immature.  

 
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They only roaches that I know that were not affected for sure were glowspots and extinct in the wild, because i have a starter supply of those.  Both are at least a year old, the glowspots still immature.  
Ah, I see, that sucks. :( I'm surprised even the hissers were affected, must have been thousands of the guys in there.

 
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Oh, btw, my peppereds seem way calmer now when I handle them since I cleaned out the springtails.  Some of those died, don't know if it was springtail related.

 
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Well, I'm glad you caught the problem before all your roaches succumbed to stress, I hope they do better for you now! 

 
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