Woodlice??

[Katie]

hello again lol
I have been reading old posts and have seen that people keep woodlice in their tanks with the snails. So i went out and caught three, they are now in a seperate tub for a bit.
I am just checking to make sure that the woodlice will DEFINATLY not give my snails mites or diseas as i don't want to go through the whole mite thing again lol
So does anybody who is looking at this thread had woodlice and have they been good or bad if you know what i mean?
thanks xx

[Katie]

p.s) sorry if this has allwready been covered in a different thread.
any info on keeping them would help

[Rachel]

if you make sure you quarantine them for a few weeks it should be ok, but occasionaly snail will react badly to them. It is partly dependant on the size of the snail. big ones are less likely to have problems but i don't put them in with little ones or babies. checkwith everyone else as well as i don't really have them apart from for natives.

[spook]

HI there,
I keep woodlice in my tanks but i keep tropical woodlice!.......places like this sell them.. www.dartfrog.co.uk/livefoods.html

I personally wouldn't be keen on just catching them from the garden incase they do carry other bugs and things....but i think other people have done this!?

Woodlice are great at eating left over food and snail poo and generally keeping the soil clean,i wouldn't be without mine!
They do breed lots though,but the snails don't seem to mind house sharing!!

[Katie]

Are they big enough to carry mites and stuff around as i cant see any on the ones i have caught which are now in a sandwitch box?

I wont be aloud to but any woodlice of internet as my mum wouldn't let me

Shes not to keen on the whole snails keeping thyng and wont let me but mutch for them, but she lets my sister by loads for her hamster

[coyote]

I have a couple of woodlice (which are called pillbugs) from my garden in with my garden snails. Everybody seems happy and healthy.

[whodoesntlovesnails]

May 29, 2008 20:06:09 GMT coyote said:

I have a couple of woodlice (which are called pillbugs) from my garden in with my garden snails. Everybody seems happy and healthy.

me 2, they are great little cleaners ;D

[Paul]

I have loads of woodlice in the tank. They are industrious but they don't make that much of a dent in what needs cleaning. Incidentally I also keep worms because compete with nematodes really well and they keep the soil fresh. But back to woodlice...

All life can carry parasites and I don't doubt woodlice could also. But I wouldn't worry too much, the physiology between woodlice and snails are very different so I doubt they share many parasites. I've never had any snail react badly to them.

If you want to err on the side of caution, keep them in a new tank or tub, and keep one snail with them. If that shows adverse affects you'll know they aren't safe. I've been keeping them for a year or so without any problems and I just bunged them in the tank.

[Katie]

so are yours with the african snails or with the garden snails?

[Katie]

Would it make a differance if i bred the woodlice and then put the captive bred ones in the tank?
That way i no that they are safe?

[Paul]

May 30, 2008 14:33:08 GMT Katie said:

so are yours with the african snails or with the garden snails?

I've kept them with European and African snails.

[Paul]

May 30, 2008 14:36:14 GMT Katie said:

Would it make a differance if i bred the woodlice and then put the captive bred ones in the tank?
That way i no that they are safe?

Woodlice carry their eggs around with them, on the underside of their body. So you'd not be able to take "clean" eggs and hatch them away from their parents who potentially may be carrying something.

[Katie]

oh so what if i take the babies out when they have just been let out the pouch?
And are yours frrom the garden or online?
*sorry about all the questions*

[Paul]

After hatching they'll come into contact with the parents thus being exposed to anything the parents may be carrying. Although the exposure time is short is there much point in going to all that trouble if you can't guarantee it will be successful? I dunked mine in some water to wash them and then put them in the tank.

[Katie]

Okay, so what do you mean by dunked, do you mean the whole woodlouse or just its back for a couple of seconds?
Does anybody have any good or bad reports on them?
sorry about all the questions, i must be getting annoying now lol

[Paul]

Basically, I completely submerged the woodlice for a few seconds.

[kimikofairy]

hmmm i personaly don't like all the legs on woodlice but after reading all this i think i'll go and catch a few.

[kimikofairy]

do they really clean up the tank?
like eat leftover food and snail poo?

[Katie]

they eat the fungi and poo in the tank

[Katie]

so will the 5 monthy old snails be ok with them or should i move them to a different tank?

[Katie]

I have had them in quarintean for a bit now and have submerged them in water, so i desided to put them in the tank to see what happens, well i put 3 in but can only find 2
They keep getting stuck in the water lol
will keep you updated

[coyote]

An interesting thing about woodlice is that, like all isopods, they need calcium almost as much as snails. I often see the pillbugs in my tank clinging to the underside of the cuttle.

[Katie]

yes i noticed that they hid under the cuttlefish bone. well i took them out anyway as i could never find them and they kept getting stuck in the water

[coyote]

Mine never go near the water. I wonder why yours are in your water?

[Colin]

Anybody any idea how many woodlice would be needed to do a decent job of cleaning up and how fast they breed?

Thanks.