# Springtails/Woodlice for desert setup



## Carl6688 (Jan 18, 2011)

Are there any species of springtail/woodlice that can be kept in a desert setup? My new river poos all over the place and shes quite tank defensive so going in there and getting it out all the time is pretty annoying lol. I do have a water bowl in there that I overflow for a few seconds a week if that helps.


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## Soulwax (Jan 6, 2009)

If it's hot and dry you won't need them... As far as I'm aware they won't eat waste?


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## Lucybug (May 10, 2011)

They do eat all the bolbus up, and any possible mold that grows, not sure about poop.

What my other half has done, is gatherd a few woodlouse from out side (Native UK louse), and has bred them to forth generation louse, and has used the 4th generation for the job :2thumb:

They work wonders :Na_Na_Na_Na:

Pritty simple to do also,

He uses 3 inch of coir, throws them in, and then throws in some bolbus, and the odd occasion fresh prekilled crickets in there, with the legs taken of and thrown in, then the body cut in half so all the young right through to adults have a chance at some food : victory:

hope this helps


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## Poxicator (Nov 14, 2007)

Woodlice need a level of moisture to breathe as they are remnants from the sea crustaceans. Without such a level they'll just die off, although they may survive around your water bowl.
I certainly don't feed them and wouldnt encourage you to do so, they'll self regulate according to the amount of food in the enclosure which should only be leftovers, bolus and moulds.
I don't use them for my dry enclosures, its just not needed.


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## joeyboy (Jul 19, 2008)

I doubt they'll survive really apart from spring tails being on the surface film of the water bowl. But really surely if it's pretty much bone dry you're not going to need to worry about a build up of mould, just remove the faeces where you can?


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## Carl6688 (Jan 18, 2011)

Ok thanks guys, I'll just continue to remove the poop then. Is there any reason why my new river does it so much? I've never seen any in my other tanks, yet its there on a weekly basis in the new rivers tank. She even pooped on me the one time I held her lol.


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## aaronsweeting (Feb 3, 2011)

lmao the Aphonopelma sp.new river?
Had exactly the same problem it shat everywhere I just ended up selling her mate...


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## Carl6688 (Jan 18, 2011)

aaronsweeting said:


> lmao the Aphonopelma sp.new river?
> Had exactly the same problem it shat everywhere I just ended up selling her mate...


Yeh thats the one. She likes to climb right to the top of the tank to do it, so theres a long streak of it going down the tank -_-


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