How to keep and care for Woodlice

Thanks for all the interest, everyone! Unfortunately I never go on YouTube for my own videos anymore, so if you have any questions, you can feel free to leave them in the comments. The odds of me answering them are abysmally low, but maybe some other viewers will have an answer for you. Of if you look down there in the comments, someone probably already asked it.

You might think it's kind of weird I would make a video like this, but I noticed there wasn't a Youtube video about this particular subject. Maybe there's a good reason for that. Maybe.

A summary of what I've read about woodlice (roly-polies, pillbugs, potato bugs, armadillo bugs, etc.) and my personal experiences with them.

Do I really sound like that? I don't really have a lisp, it's just the camera I was using seems to have problems with S's.


Info I forgot to include in the video:
Sorry, just a few tidbits I forgot:

1. Changing the dirt: if you find that the amount of decaying vegetation is piling up, the number of unwanted beasties in your tank has gotten too high for your liking, or the dirt doesn't have the right texture or quality it used to (this has happened to me once), then you may wish to change the dirt in your tank. The first step to doing this is to get a small tupperware container lined with wet papertowels or napkins. Scoop out as many pillbugs as you can and put them in there. Make sure the edges of the towel are not close to the mouth of the container or they will be able to climb out. Next, empty the old dirt out of the container. (My preferance is not throwing it away but dumping it outside where i got it from, because ever since my original four gave birth I now do not know the exact number of pillbugs in my container. So, if i missed a few I am releasing them into the wild instead of throwing them away.) Next, put some more dirt into the container. This can be done in the exact same manner that you got your first batch of dirt. Pat it down and put in some carrots, apples, lettuce leaves and rocks and such (i kept all my rocks and stuff) and put the pillbugs back into the container. Hurray! Now your container is nice and clean.

2. Wetness: I think I said this, but make sure you don't over-water them. I think my misting of the container in the video was a bit over the top. the minimum for misting is about once a day. So if you forget, don't panic, they'll be fine.

3. Tank Mates: If you so choose, there are a few species that may live close to your pillbugs that can be placed in the container with the pillbugs for added amazingness. two species I have are Millipedes and slugs. IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Milipedes are herbivorous. The carnivorous centipede will NOT make an acceptable substitute as if they are big enough they may eat their tank mates! And as for slugs, it is important to not that, while pillbugs and milipedes cannot climb the walls, the slugs can. And leave a slimy trail all over it. Mine tend to stay in the container just because of how damp it is compared to the surrounding area. But it is possible they will make an escape attempt, so if you are not prepared for this extrememly slow event don't put any in your container. Also, make sure the slugs aren't too big compared to the pillbugs otherwise they will get coated in slime and be unable to move. Poor guys... Anyway, the three species eat pretty much the same thing and live in the same environment, so they should get along pretty well. For food, i recommend lettuce. The slugs swarm to it. Eating is one thing they do not do slow!

4. One thing everyone keeps asking me is how to tell the sexes apart. I'll admit I have no idea; there's supposedly some difference between them but I've never been able to see it. I just put a bunch in the container and odds are there'll be both genders if you want them to breed.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• care
• of
• woodlice
• woodlouse
• wood
• lice
• louse
• pillbug
• pill
• bug
• roly-poly
• roly
• poly
• crustaceans
• how
• to
• keep
• as
• pet
• armadillo
• bugs

[omgwookienookie]

cheers for the vid i have a aquarium of them and it started from 10 to about 100 now im gonna think about getting something bigger but there ok for now(if theres a dead woodouse in the tank should i let the others eat the decaying carcass?

[flamingmuffincowpie]

@omgwookienookie It never seemed to hurt mine any to leave the decaying carcasses in there; I imagine it might give them a little extra calcium in their diets too.

[PurpleMelon18]

i was reading that its best to keep a bottlecap with water in it in the cage if i doo that do i still have to spray them or is the cap just for drinking

[flamingmuffincowpie]

@PurpleMelon18 It couldn't hurt to put in a bottle cap of water but if you keep the ground moist it's not necessary and the ground has to be moist

[animalcollector102]

This is a great video btw how can you sex a woodlice? And what do they eat? Plz !!!! Tell me soon cause every time I lift a rock I see Like 10 !!!

[flamingmuffincowpie]

@animalcollector102 I never really figured out how to tell the sexes apart, it really depends on the species. I think there's supposed to be some difference in the body structure but I could never see it. I usually just put in a bunch and chances are there'll be some male and some female.

As for what they eat, pretty much anything you feel like putting in that's vaguely edible: fruits, vegetables, grass, leaves, flowers, etc. They are detritivores or scavengers, after all.

[TheLegoShot]

it helped soooo much!!!! thanks.

[Mocknbird67]

@bugzNstuff Isopods are crustaceans.

[Mocknbird67]

@KingRob1998 Woodlice is a common term for isopods in the UK. They call aphids plant lice, too.

[Mocknbird67]

@dreadfulcreation I was doing that too. I needed something to feed my spiders and these isopods are everywhere here in the Pac NW, and apparently a natural food source for the species I keep. Unfortunately, they are cute and I feel bad feeding them to the spiders. So much so, that I'm probably going to release all of my spiders. Dont worry, they'll do fine. They are indigenous to this area ( and just about every other)

[pinksunflower100]

@flamingmuffincowpie i figured to just put them in your hand the males bite and the bemales roll up

[Cornka5]

wow this video is GREAT! Not only that it gives a really good idea of how to keep those bugs, it is also incredibly funny! LOL! My fav part is 0:54 to 1:02 :D

[dreadfulcreation]

im gonna start a colony of these to supplement feeding my other pets. Nice video tho

[flaco20flaco]

Great video. U love keeping pill bugs.

Also, sow bugs get along with pill bugs as they are a very similar species.

You can sort it tell when u r looking at the bottom of a female pill bug. They tend to have two round plates near the rear. I believe they store the eggs underneath.