Dwarf Tropical Woodlice and Springtail Surplus!

[Herpetologicalgirl]

I'm still new to this forum, so if this is not the right place to put this then feel free to move it

I have a quite a few leftover 32oz and 64oz cultures of both Dwarf Tropical Woodlice and Springtails from the Tinley Park reptile show. All cultures are guaranteed matured and ready for seeding/feeding. If anyone is interested I can extend my show price to you guys for being so welcoming I also have breeder kits available upon request for big breeders and hobbyists looking to seed multiple tanks and have enough to start cultures of their own. Feel free to comment, PM, or email me if you are interested. If anyone needs info on culturing these guys I'd be happy to help you out. I'm CONSTANTLY thinning out my main cultures I've got so many of these guys @.@

First come first served!

Woodlice:
320z $14
64oz $28

Springtails:
32oz $6
64oz $12

[Herpetologicalgirl]

As per another thread I AM willing to give out 10 FREE 8oz containers as my way of saying hi to everyone Please, 1 per person. There are 8 left. Interested parties pay shipping, my zip is 60638 if you want to get an idea of how much it might cost. Keep in mind that I have a national shipper account, but I need to factor in the cost of the boxes. All in all, you still might end up paying less than what you get quoted tho. I has haxors.

[Kreamcheese]

Free 8oz please!

[bobrez]

Free fo me pls, pm inc. TY

[bobrez]

Woot my free bugs came super fast packing was wonderful and lots of springs, my frogs will be very happy.
Also ordered a smallwoodlice and saw lots of them in the mix. Can you share any more of your tricks for getting them to produce for you.
I've read all the articles i can find but still trying to firgure what substrate and food works. What has worked best for you? Guess i was kinda hoping a care sheet would be included with bugs. lol care sheet for bugs that sounds funny.

[Herpetologicalgirl]

Hi Bob!!

I'm so happy everything arrived ok I usually provide a care sheet upon request, so I apologize about not throwing one in there for you!! I keep my cultures in my reptile room which is around 76F. If you keep them in the dark, they will reproduce faster. This is ESPECIALLY true for Woodlice. I have noticed exponential growth since moving them into a spare cabinet that I had in the room.

As far as general care goes, keep an eye on water content for both cultures. For Springtails, make sure they have about an inch or so of water in the container. You don't want to flood them, but you want to give them enough water so they can thrive and not dry out.

Woodlice are a little more tricky. You NEVER want to let the soil dry out, so make sure the soil stays moist. On one side, pour a little water into it once a week to create a wet spot. Woodlice need to osmoregulate so as long as they have one side/corner that is nice and wet they will do just fine. Soil that I use is a 50/50 mix of peat moss and ORGANIC potting soil (no added chemicals!). It's the same soil that I use to propagate all my plants

For food, Springtails can be fed a variety of aquatic animal food. Currently I have mine on "Micro Wafers" which is a new food by Tetramin for small fish. I find that it works great without molding if not eaten quick enough. Woodlice can be fed like a compost container. I feed mine scraps of starches (rice, potato, oatmeal) and vegetables. I try to avoid banana peels or fruits with harder skins because they don't seem to eat it fast enough before it starts to go bad in the container. In both cases, DO NOT be afraid to underfeed. It is much easier to feed a little less, a little more frequently, than it is to start over. If you feed too much, the food will start to mold. This causes CO2 build up, mites, fruit fly infestations, etc. All of which can cause major issues for your cultures

If you want a great mix that you can just sprinkle into your cultures (works great for both Springtails and Woodlice) for a quick meal, combine equal parts fish flakes, instant oatmeal, and potato flakes in a blender/food processor. Put it in a ziploc bag and store it in your freezer. Just a dash for 32oz cultures and 1/2 tsp for 64oz cultures. They should be good for about a week

COLLECTING THE BUGS:
Springtails: With the lid closed, tip the container side to side to knock off as many bugs from the charcoal as possible. Open the lid and pour the floating springtails into your tank. You can also gently blow on the container to get a few more into the water before you pour.

Woodlice: Method 1) Two 1/4" potato slices in place of sprinkled, dry food 24-48 hours before you plan to transplant bugs. Many will be found in, on, and around the potato slices. You can pick up the slices and shake them off. Method 2) With a spoon, you can also take pieces of the soil from around the potato and place it in the tank. Mist down the clumps of soil to reveal the bugs. Method 3) Take a piece of corrugated cardboard and cut it to fit inside of the container. Mist the bottom of the cardboard. Sprinkle dry food mix onto the bottom of the cardboard. Place the cardboard into the container. Wait a few hours and periodically lift the cardboard. When you think there are enough bugs on the bottom (attracted to and eating the food stuck to it), gently shake/brush them off and into the tank.

[bobrez]

Thanks Abby this will help a whole lot, very good info

[Herpetologicalgirl]

Anytime, Bob!