When I was young (probably same age as you), my grandpa saw numerous rocks and logs I had turned over on the farm. He told me to always put them back in their original position. “It takes months or years for them [bugs, salamanders] to get that environment like they want it.” he said. I keep my pods stacked where I can see through the ends without rattling around. Thanks Wally, always good advice! 👍😃🐛
"hey isopods i was walking by and I just wanted to take a look to make sure you were doing okay." That made me chuckle so hard, thats how I talk to all my little things, even if its just TRINKETS and not pets or little yard critters! Awesome video as always! Great demonstration of overwatching the pot so much that it never boils! 😂
Probably one of the most important videos for me so far as a beginner isopod owner. Especially the tip on not checking too often -- I just want to check every hour to be honest, but now I know need to resist!
I did the checking every other day in the beginning then I went to only once a week and I noticed a huge difference their number went way up. Excellent tips!!!
With my zebras I’ve had a ton of success by doing this: Zebra babies tend to die off if half of the enclosure is dry due to being too small to get to a moist spot in time, so I create a hill gradient and moisten the bottom of the hill so that capillary action drives the water table upward towards the top of the hill. It ensures moisture doesn’t create wet conditions while also giving babies their moisture throughout. My one colony has gone from 25 individuals, to more than 5,000 individuals. I keep them in a under-bed flat bin with lots of cork and tons of leaves. They do make a lot of frass. When their frass gets to about 1/2 a centimeter, I cover the frass with 1/2 a centimeter of my homemade ABG mix. Hope this helps!
I definitely appreciate the video! I’ve actually found it difficult to find good videos like this that take the time to go into more detail. Most videos that I’ve come across pretty much give the same basic info, so this is very much appreciated. 🙏
The absolute best part of your channel is the skits you put in the videos I laugh so much every time I love the videos I'm newly into isopods because of your videos thank you so much!!
I have a big natural tank with large fire ants I also have isopods springtails centipedes millipedes 2 little orb weavers and a ton of micro fauna I don't know the names of. It's a big community getting along and it's a perfect eco system. I didn't plan to keep isopods but they are thriving in the setup along with everything else
Ohh that's also why the white mold are still growing,(new to isopods and that time we're going to my grandmas house) first I mist sprayed the whole enclosure and (now) second I watered the wet side corner and the whole sphagnum moss but it seems they're all doing fine they have babies which is a relief and I'll probably keep that in mind to water only the sides and not all the sphagnum moss (thanks wally)
Yes, we will have first isopoda culture for first time by tomorrow, thankyou for this info, wow, you have a lots of isopoda, if i have home in US. A sure i will buy from you🙂
@@SupremeGecko armadilidium vulgare. Good Sir, i have 2 important question please, i have search for the answers around internet but hard to find it. Is it really we can not crossbreed armadilidium vulgare magic potion with armadilidium vulgare st. Lucia? I think thats weird, because from their scientific name, they're from same species but different variant?
@@Cleeon Great question- I am not sure if MP and St. Lucia can be breed successfully together. I really like the colors of both so I personally would not attempt this. To your point, I believe they are the same species. Even with same species, sometimes they do not breed together. When looking at P. laevis Dairy Cows and Orange, they are the same species (maybe, maybe not) and they will not breed together to form a separate morph. But, it looks like P. laevis Orange and P. laevis 'MilkBacks' will. So, my point being, they may be classified as the same Genus-Species right now but they may not be in the long run. Were there 2 questions? I only see one.
@@SupremeGecko thanks so much. Hmmm... You have answered 2 of my question, sorry, i write it on other comment, depend on what video is talk about. But for now, i am watching your isopod vlog 1 by 1. English is not my mother language, sorry when my English confuse you, thanks, lucky me can find your channel and i wish the CREATOR would always keep you and your family always happy with All of your pet🙂
It can be difficult to not check on new isopods especially if they are harder to keep or are more expensive. I have gotten much better at it but, I do find myself checking on the hoffmanzeggi a few times a week sometimes
@@Aquarimax It's sometimes hard to find. Reptile shows are usually best if you can find a vendor carrying it. If you find a good on-line source, let me know.
Noooooo! If you start with a couple cultures outside the enclosure (in their own separate containers), you could be harvesting isoopods at least once a month to feed your ackie (and your wheeleri). Just let me know if you have any questions.
Great video. I have a future plan of breeding my own isopods one day. I just have to find a good source of isopods and get the stuff to do it all properly.
Genuine question, because I’m new to isopods and how to keep them, but does it really affect them even just by opening the lid to observe them and not even touch them, or am I taking your advice a little too seriously? I love the video btw! I learned a little more about isopods.
Good question. It's more about opening the lid, moving the bark, picking them up...... If they are under the bark, it's ok once in a while to check them out but not every day. Thank you for the question!
Great video…when you water just the sides, do you find it spreads out anyway? Also, I never got on with sphagnum moss as it always kept drying out, do you find that? Thank you! X
Hi there! I really appreciate the great video! I'm new to the hobby and have done a lot of research, but it's super helpful to see a video that's so specific :) I currently have armadillidium sp. marbleized, maculatum, klugii, vulgare, and p. hoffmannseggi - and I've got 6 more species coming in this week! My question is about ventilation. I started out with holes in the rim of the plastic tubs I've been using, but after doing more research, realized I needed more aeration. So last night I got a little trigger happy with the soldering iron and I cut holes that are slightly under 1/3 the size of the lid and covered them with window screen. My idea was that I could put sheet moss or sphagnum under the side without the hole, and use that as my wet side. Do you think this will create a good gradient or will vent holes that big dry out the enclosures too fast?
Thank you so much for your questions. That's what this channel is all about. And congrats on that SUPER collection for just starting out. For your question- here's my answer :) It depends :) Unfortunately everyone's home is a little different with temps/humidity levels. More ventilation is ALWAYS a good thing, but sometimes like you mentioned will cause the enclosure to dry quicker. As long as you have that moist area and keep it moist, you should be fine. This will take some experimenting (try checking the tubs and how moist every other day, then every third day, etc until you find a happy medium. PLEASE keep me posted. Also, not to sound like a salesman but if you are looking for any other isopods, please let me know (you can find my available isopods on the Supreme Gecko web page) and I will most definitely give you a discount for watching my videos.
You said you went 3 to 4 weeks without checking on zebras.. i just received some yesterday! I have only checked 13 times ha ha :) my question is can I go weeks without watering them? Is that really ok ? I would be worried about moisture.. I am brand new to hobby . Ty for your knowledge you have helped me immensely
To clarify, I feed and water every week. I don't check under the bark that often. BUT, it is not uncommon to check frequently when you have new ones :) Understandable.
I've got a new colony of dwarf whites and my room gets chilly at night (about 72°) would it be helpful to give them a heating pad or something like that or would it be better to leave them be? Edit: would powdered crested gecko food be good for them?
Where I can find isopods? I tried to search in parks and large forest like parks under rocks or rotten wood but I couldnt find any and it seems to be too dry here, any tips on finding any?
I know. I got too into it. This was one of my earlier videos. I'm getting better :) Thanks Oh, and I think HIGHLY of my subscribers! I promise, comments like this are taken under consideration all the time. Thanks for leaving the comment.
Isopods are secretive little prey animals. Everytime you open the enclosure to check on them you are scaring them out of they're tiny minds. If you want your 'pods to flourish, leave them the heck alone. That is just as important as temperature, humidity and feeding
@@SupremeGecko what you demonstrated in your video although exaggerated it still highlighted an important point. I remember when I first started I was constantly checking on them...and they did suffer for it. It's different now and my isopods are really benefitting from it and the only thing that's changed is the frequency of checkups
@@SupremeGecko would be interesting to set up a simple experiment. 2 enclosures containing 20 dairy cows in each, in one do your usual checks that you do now and in the other check them every day, lifting the wood and checking under leaves etc. Check the numbers after 3 months. I know which one I would bet on
Supreme Gecko yea, thanks, I actually ordered some powder orange and dairy cows the other day, I eventually want to work with all of them, I never knew I would be as interested in them as I am in my Snakes and lizards, thanks for the help, I appreciate it
I have to check in on mine every other day or we wind up win bins that dry out too fast due to our heating situation. I have no lack of mancae though, lol. If I don't feed my laevis every other day they'll start chowing on each other. I'm TOO successful with those guys! :O
Great point. I appreciate the candor. I completely agree. When I recorded and edited it made sense but now that I watch it again, it does seem like I did the opening of the tub one or two too many times. Thanks again and tanks for watching.
