Isopods - Backyard Critters

[GrandMoneyMake]

If I ever touch those I'll mother fkers I would scream like hell

[jleer1]

3:57 - baby gets run over!

[UnicornSquirrel73]

Uhh...

[brandonn1233]

and also I find that if i put a moist substrate and in corners i throw letuce the isopods have food and also i feed them carrots works well also but the turantula dont have good eyesite so it real;ly never is looking for food because i feed at least twice a week..

[brandonn1233]

what type of isopod is this?? i live in texas and the isopods that live in my yard there is just thousands that i can dig up i only took around 20 and now i have 150... around there its just a guess but its really awsome the way they move like i look att here feet and they just are all in unison its pretty rediculous and they do VERY good jobs of keep my turantula tanks clean and they never eat them because i feed them strictly crickets and mealworms.. but i like this video btw subscribe.

[StowAlex]

Nice informative video, enloyed.

[Sepiaapama]

Isopods are so cool!!

Thank you! This was very interesting and informative. Maybe someday I'll start my own farm...

[katherinemch]

Very thorough! I love these weird little dudes!! I'm hoping you may be able to help me identify one I met on vacation. It was on the coast of Vancouver Island, by a hotspring, so I don't know if he was from the Red Cedar rainforest, the hot freshwater, the intertidal zone, or just visiting from the sea. He was identical to your pets except 2-3 inches long! Maybe he was the same, just older &/or the hospitable climate made him grow...but he was SO BIG. Any ideas? Thanks.

[hulitoons]

@katherinemch I'm leaning toward a specific species rather than environmental hospitality. What you saw sounds smaller than the 'Giant Isopod' or the genus Bathynomus. Isopods can grow to about 2 inches though. There are photos of the giant isopods though if you do a google search....do these look like what you saw?

[mudkipping]

watching them breed i get kind of arroused. do you get this too?

[bluone84]

ROLLIE POLLIE'S!

[moepippy]

Ew, Tomato bugs. I like to squish the shit out of these

[hulitoons]

First of all, these are not insects at all. Isopods are crustaceans. Tomato bugs/insects you are referring to are most likely paracitic insects that feed off the eggs laid by tomato hornworms.

I've actually given tomatoes to my isopods to see if they would eat them and that meal failed to lure them at all. Isopods like green leafy vegetation as well as decaying ground wood.

So, whatever you are killing are not these animals.

[SpockAndLoad]

I'm collecting some of these guys for an Environmental project and I kinda want to keep them going. What should I put in their little container "home" for them to eat? I have an apple tree in my yard and there are tons of decaying apples laying around. Should I put one of those in?

[hulitoons]

I experimented with various fruits and vegetables and had no takers until I started giving them leafy greens. They love green leafy lettuce and will really tear into the leaves! Also put in pinches of yellow cornmeal on occasion. Don't forget bark for them to climb under!

[SpockAndLoad]

Thank you so very much! I can't wait to start catching these guys!

[MultiSoccerMan]

when I put bark or wood in my tank it goes moldy because of the moisture.

Any help?

[hulitoons]

Don't worry about the mold! The critters will eat it. You can pull the lid back a bit (if you have one on the tank) to let some of the humidity equalize. But don't worry too much about mold since it's fairly common and even natural...it's still food!

[ferni1023]

i have both species

[ShadowNinja5408]

This was a very informitive video,I didn't know about half the things in this until now

[jeeperkreeper13]

i use to have an isopod farm in a little plastic olive contaner when i was 12. i didn't know as much as you do but living in orlando florida you see them all over the place. after about eight days of light watering and old lettuce and carrots i started seeing a hundred of these little white babys running all over the place and the adults had grown about as big as my thumbnail. i let them go about two weeks later under an old rotted stump in my backyard.

[eric10686]

How many isopods can fit in each container you have?

[hulitoons]

About 200 and then I have to open a new container and move some out. I now have four containers and am ready to begin a fifth!

[eric10686]

Well I guess I will use like a 10 gallon where they will have plenty of space. You wouldn't happen to know where I can buy some of these? I don't have this species by me but I do have the pill bugs that role up. thanks.

[hulitoons]

You are very lucky to have the pill, roll-up guys! These are difficult to find in my area! I suggest you NOT to buy but rather collect your own (these guys) and begin from there. They will readily multiply when they are happy. IF you would like to have some like mine, I can mail you some to begin your breeding. I would only ask for the postage. These have to be sent via 'live animal' packaging via FedEx.

[eric10686]

Yea, Ill try to breed the roll-up guys from my yard, I didnt think they would breed as fast as the ones you have. But I will let you know if I want some or not. thanks. ^_^

[Wulfslove]

They are so cute!

Thanks for sharing this video with us.

[LWELKE]

This is fantastic, you did a very good job with this science education.