Woodlouse

Ok, im not sure if this is the right spot, but, ive been looking into getting some woodlouse and saw some online. Kind of expensive but, would probably be worth it. Well my kids saw me looking at some pictures of them and grabbed a deli tub and lid and went outside. Its snowing, I thought they were gonna go make an igloo or something.
Kind of a small mold for igloo blocks, i know, but you dont know my kids lol. Anyhow about 20 mins later they came back inside with like 150 woodlouse lol. So now I get to try to breed these instead of buying them on the internet.
Is there any way to have too many in the tank with the Emperors? Its a 10 gallon with 2 hides. And how long do you think it would be before I can put some in the tank?
They were caught in the woods far, far away from any fields and anywhere pesticides would have been sprayed. Right now they are still thawing out from being outside in less than freezing weather. But ive noticed some cricket parts starting to mold inside the tank. So im thinking spot clean that tank and drop some louse in the tank in an hour? Next week? Maybe next month?

If you're sure they're pesticide free, it's probably ok to add them to your emperor tank. If you're in doubt about the pesticides, it's recommend to breed 2 or 3 generations and only add the offspring to your tank. Unfortunately, this can take several months which is why some people just buy a starter colony from a reputable dealer. You only need about a dozen to start a colony in your tank.

While im not 100% percent sure about being pesticide free, im 90% anyway. They found them in a woods of about 40 acres, 500 feet or so from any road and no farmable land for a ways. And I know that nothing has been sprayed in the woods, mostly overgrown by shrubs. So I might just put some in the tank, under the thinking that they wont get eaten. And if they do then ive still got well over 100.

Sounds fine. I'd put them in the tank, from where they were collected I doubt they have been exposed to pesticides.

well, i used woodlice from my garden in my hissing roach tank and they got everything the hissers missed, however they tend to eat anything that is tasty and not moving, and if there is one thing scorpions do better than most things, its not moving. With that many woodlice they might just eat your scorpions if there arent enough other bits in there to eat.
you could try it, but be cautious and only use a few.

_scorpio_ wrote:

well, i used woodlice from my garden in my hissing roach tank and they got everything the hissers missed, however they tend to eat anything that is tasty and not moving, and if there is one thing scorpions do better than most things, its not moving. With that many woodlice they might just eat your scorpions if there arent enough other bits in there to eat.
you could try it, but be cautious and only use a few.

I dont think they would eat a live scorpion, but I would keep an eye on the scorps if one of them was molting.

there is also the problem of parasites (mites etc.) being introduced.
give it a go and let us know how you get on.

I put 8 in there of assorted sizes, made a beeline for the hide entrances and filled some cracks. I will have to see if they come out tonight.