#hoping to use that for a millipede or isopods

[wtfgaylittlezooid]

Cannot wait until I get my first paycheck at my new job... gonna start chipping away at a dedicated mantis space in my room

[onenicebugperday]

Hello! I have a garden snail that had lots of babies and was hoping for some advice please! :) I want to make their enclosure as comfy as possible for them but I don't know how. Do they prefer dark environments? Hidey holes? What kind of substrate is best? Etc. Thank you!

(I'm in Southern California)

Congrats on your snabies! Firstly I would not take any substrate or decor for the tank from outside unless you want a lot of hitchhiker creatures in your snail tank. If you do, you'll want to bake it first.

A standard 10 (or larger) gallon aquarium with a mesh lid works great, but you'll want to modify the lid to cover most of the mesh to keep the inside humid. I just bought a squeeze tube of silicone and attached some plastic sheeting inside the lid to cover about 75% of the mesh.

Substrate can be any sort of animal-safe soil-like substrate - so soils meant for bioactive reptile and amphibian enclosures or for isopods. Repti-soil, Creature Soil, organic potting mix, etc. I personally have my snails in with my millipedes, and use a combination of eco earth and Josh's Frogs milli mix - can't recommend milli mix enough! Josh's Frogs ABG mix or isopod substrate would also be appropriate.

No matter which soil you choose, it should be 4-5 inches deep both to hold humidity and for burrowing. 10 quarts will fill a 10 gallon aquarium to the proper depth.

As for decor, I would avoid rocks since snails WILL climb the glass and other decor and probably will fall off from time to time. Rocks can shatter their shells. I would stick to wood - any aquarium safe wood is fine. Cork bark, mopani, spider wood, etc. I'd also recommend some dry/dead reptile-type sphagnum moss to keep up humidity and for nibbling, and some kind of leaf litter - I buy bags of dry/brown live oak leaves on amazon for pretty cheap. My snails don't seem to hide in holes or crevices much - when they're not active, they mostly hang out on the lid or the top glass of the tank.

You do not need lighting or heating unless your house gets particularly cold in the winter - they may be less active if it's too cold. You can put a low watt reptile heating pad on the side of the tank to keep the temp up around 70+ if need be. They are primarily active at night, so if you want to see what they're up to, a small light that doesn't give off heat near the tank would be okay.

Most important is humidity. Get all of the substrate and moss damp as you put it into the tank with distilled water. I use a reptile mister bottle and buy gallons of distilled water at the grocery store. They last a long time so not a big investment. You'll also have to mist the whole enclosure probably daily, maybe twice daily. It should be moist and humid but not sopping wet. Don't let the substrate dry out entirely. Occasionally you may have to stick your finger into the soil to make sure it's staying damp under the surface.

And finally, snails need calcium for their shells! I occasionally dust the top of the substrate with powdered reptile calcium, or you can throw a cuttlebone in there for them to nibble on.

Here's a list of safe/not safe foods for snails.

If you ever have more questions about setup that I didn't answer here, feel free to IM me! Happy to share creature keeping tips.

[crawlingkind]

Hi! A bunch of friends I found on a hike the other day. This was in [removed]

I don’t think there are any creechurs in the second pic, but goddamn the fungi in that tree hollow were AMAZING and I am going to share them with as many people as possible

I thought the isopod was really pretty, it had bright green flecks on its back which I’ve never seen before (though I am very much not an isopod aficionado so I dunno maybe they’re common like that) (I’m much more of a bird person than a bug guy) (adore bugs and arachnids and all manner of creepy slimy crawlies but don’t know a ton about them)

hope you’re having a good day!

your isopod there is Oniscus asellus, which can vary in pattern but commonly has at least a few white/yellow/green markings. small slug is an Arion, and larger one a mantle slug of some sort, I’m no good at distinguishing between Philomycus and Megapallifera. millipede belongs to Narceus americanus species complex. what used to be a moth is now mostly Akanthomyces fungus

[littlewigglers]

Hello! I'm considering getting a couple of these cute forbidden spaghettis, do they do well when two different species are in the same terrarium?

Hey there!

I haven’t been keeping millipedes too long but I’ve had about 8 different species together in tanks(form tiny bumble bees to giant olives)for a few months now and haven’t noticed any real issues! The mid sized ones have even been breeding quite often together. I have only seen one pair “fight” but I’m not experienced enough to know if it was an actual fight or a mating rejections which even same species would do.

I would say the only major issue with keeping different species together is temperature, different species need different temperatures and it’s been an issue I’m still working out myself after ending up with so many since I bought all mine through discounted surprise boxes.

I did use to keep my woodlice colony in the big tank with them as a clean up crew but they grew in number real fast and I think the millipedes didn’t do great with them as they seemed to be eating their legs when they slept. Also the would likely eat any eggs laid.

I do keep a much slower breeding and smaller sized breed of armadillo isopods in there now and they seem fine with them, also spring tails which do a fantastic job at keeping mold from the food under control.

Also if you can manage to get juveniles instead of adults I’d recommend it, simply because with adults you’ve no idea if they’re already nearing their end by the time you get them, you’d also not have to worry about eggs and stuff as well.

I know the last part wasn’t asked but I hope this helps!

[sunfish-exotics]

I moved my hissies into a (hopefully) escape proof tub last week. I was having a lot of babies get out of the old tub which had my typical soldering iron air holes… which they crawled through U_U

The new tub is roughly the same size (I think it’s around 70qt?) but has a really tight fitting gasket lid and I glued ventilation screens in instead of melting holes. They seem to be settling in well. I took out some of the heavier branches too since they didn’t use them much, it’s mostly piles of different species of bark (mainly oak and cork) with some smaller sticks and leaf litter (magnolia and oak). The pruinosus isopods spread in to my dubia colony as well which I guess should be expected haha. Dirt is a mix of topsoil, coco fiber, and a little leftover Josh’s frogs millipede mix.

Hope you guys are doing well!

[buglife]

tumblr has been screaming at me to follow you forever so i finally checked out your blog and i actually really like it. any interesting or obscure bug facts you can share??

Sure, thank you for following :3 All bug facts all the time!

-Insects exist on all land masses on Earth. There are even species that live in Antarctica, mostly in the form of springtails and mites. There are few that live in the ocean, as the ocean is mostly dominated by crustaceans and mollusks.

- Cockroaches think we are hella nasty. Upon being touched by a human they will immediately groom themselves as soon as they find a safe place to do so.

- About 40% of all living beings are insects. 1 in 4 animals are beetles. Beetles make up 25% of all currently recorded insect species.

- Insects are currently believed to have evolved before true trees did.

- Ants are one of the three known species of animals (the other being humans and crows) that make battle formations when waging war.

- Dragonflies were one of the first creatures on Earth to fly. They are also the fastest and can fly at around 60 kilometers per hour / 37 miles per hour.

- Spiders and Tarantulas walk by using a hydraulic system.

- The largest flying insect to have ever lived had a 28 inch wingspan. (Meganeuropsis permiana, a type of griffinfly)

- The largest terrestrial insect to have ever lived was about 18 inches wide and 6ft long. (Arthropleura, a type of millipede.)

- The largest aquatic insect to have ever lived was 8ft long. (Jaekelopterus rhenaniae, a type of sea scorpion)

- Insect size is limited by the amount of oxygen available, as they breathe through spiracles. This is why ancient insects were so big, and modern ones are so small.

- Caterpillars can have up to and a little over 4000 muscles in their bodies, depending on specific species.

- Some Tarantulas keeps tiny frogs as pets.

- You can eat terrestrial isopods and they taste like shrimp. (But why would you want to :,( ) (Isopods are not insects but I love them too much to not include them)

- Termites will chew wood faster when you play Heavy Metal music for them.

- Fruit Flies were the first living organisms in space (Launched in 1947, they were eventually parachuted to earth where they were recovered)

- Only 1% of currently recorded insect species are harmful to humans, the most deadly being the mosquito. (You are more likely to be bitten by a mosquito if you have type O blood.)

- Aphids are born pregnant (which is why they are so hard to get rid of >( )

Hope you all enjoyed some cool BUG FACTS. <3

[primrose-fr]

Wildlife of the Scarred Wastes

Hey I put together a list of all wildlife found in Plague, for writing purposes. Because it's pretty unique from the rest of Sornieth. Thus can be a bit difficult to write for.  It's also interesting to note that most of the creatures can be found in other locations too, I picture the varieties found in plague to be more...plague-y. I hope this is at least a good jumping off point for you writers/worldbuilders!

Includes little personal notes here and there about possible uses, ecology and real-life equivalents, and interesting notes from the items bio too.

Everything under the cut. Long post ahead

Meat:

Panther Anole (Small, fool hardy, easy prey for hatchlings) Plague Bat (Bat that carries plagues?? Probably a small snack for adults and a meal for hatchlings) Satin Mouse (Magically charged mice, might have been introduced from Arcane) Java Sparrow (Small songbird, Nutritious) Shrew (Small and mole like, cannot be tamed) Marsh Rabbit (Oily water repellent fur, probably like a softer beaver pelt. Decent meal. Probably farmed for fur) Dappled Clucker (Chickens whose females brutally fight over males. Probably farmed for meat) Steppes Box Turtle (known for it's shell pattern) Musk Scrapper (Like a brown skunk, stinks but apparently the meat is incredible.) Flecked Bushrunner (Type of quail. males race each other to impress females. Proabably a common type of wild game) Wood Duck (Probably a common type of wild game) Silver-Laced Rooster (There was a play about a rooster trying to woo a dragon. Ended poorly.) Arroyo Toad (Most dragons are immune to it's toxin but Mirrors are allergic to it.) Plantain Poacher (Type of squirrel monkey. Common pest that raids produce stores.) Bush Rat Wallaby (Probably a decent sized meal) False Podid (Decent meal, cousin to common podid, tastes best when roasted in the shell) White-Eared Hummingbird Coral Snake (VENOMOUS. Rear-fanged. But edible to dragons if eaten carefully. Snakes store their venom in the head area. Body meat is generally fine.) White Squirrel (Cannot jump, probably easy prey. Most likely is native to Ice) Tokay Gecko (DEADLY. Covered in a potent poison from head to toe. (Note: real tokay geckos are not poisonous, just massive bitey assholes)) Bleeding Heart Crow (Only Males have the "Bleeding Heart" coloration) Ferret (a treat for most dragons, might also be kept as pets and for hunting small game) Sugarglider (Common pest in sugarmelon crops. might also be kept as pets.) Bar-Headed Goose (Might be farmed for meat/feathers) Hellbender (Massive salamander (one of the largest species on earth!)) Emerald Striker (VENOMOUS. Emeralds contain the toxin) Silver Raccoon (Known to steal and hoard silver.) Green Iguana (apparently very friendly and probably common pets (Important Note: Real green iguanas are NOT friendly and want nothing more than to whip you to shreds. Make terrible pets!)) Bog Canary (Song is apparently horrible, but plumage is pretty, might be kept as pets (Note: the art depicts a budgerigar not a canary)) Golden Reefprince (Regal and golden, best served to someone you're trying to impress. Probably farmed and marketed in the same vein as Valentine Roses) Black Swan (Probably farmed for Meat/Feathers) Green-throated Skink (More confident then it's cousin, probably more common to see skittering around in daylight) Dustrat (Seen as vermin, a sign to clean your lair) Banded Dart Frog (POISONOUS. However NOT deadly. Instead it's hallucinagenic. Probably farmed as an legal and/or illegal narcotic. Probably a big market for them.) Collared Lemming (Probably has a local superstition about it staring into your soul and knowing all your secrets) Webwing Alpha ( might be farmed for meat or plumage. Or kept as familiars) Yellow-Throated Sparrowmouse (kept as Familiars. Plumage might be used in crafts) Basilisk (Direct eye contact can turn dragons to stone. Probably Hunted as Big/trophy game. Also Kept as familiars) Clown Charger (Skin is poisonous. Might be hunted as Trophy Game but not eaten. Also Kept as familiars) Parasitic Fungus (Has mind controlling fungus, however fungus rarely takes. Also Kept as familiars) Fungalhoof Qiriq (Leaves a trail of fungus where ever it goes, easy to track dangerous to hunt. Might be hunted as big/Trophy game or as possible rites of passage . Also Kept as familiars) Roving Lionsnake (Large dangerous ambush predators that stalk long grasses. Might be hunter for trophy game or possible rights of passage. Also kept as familiars) Murkbottom Gull (Common seabirds, most likely a common sight at waterways. Also kept as familiars) Giant White Toridae (Large! Has Myths and urban legends surrounding it. Probably hunted as Trophy game or even rites of passage. Also Kept as familiars.) Ultramel Amphithere (Amphithere displaying the "Ultramel" color morph. Probably popular pets. Also kept as familiars) Auburn Woolly Walrus (Hostile due to chronic pain. Probably Farmed for meat and fur while also being hunted as big/trophy game. Also kept as familiars.) Hooded Dodo (Completely blind despite three sets of eyes. Probably farmed for meat and feather. Also kept as familiars) Infestation Hound (Wild ones are ambush predators, baiting and eating scavengers. Probably Domesticated by plague clans and bred then raised as hunting partners and companions. Kept as familiars) Heartred Croaker (Meat is uniquely brown and green in coloration. Kept as familiars) Mossy Cerdae (Healing magic-less Unicorns. Population is rising exponentially. Probably hunted for meat/fur/horns. Kept as familiars) Hippojay (Might be farmed for meat or hunted as big/trophy game. Or kept as familiars) Bluetail Skira (Blue algea clings to their tail fur causing the blue coloration. Might be farmed for meat or hunted like big game. Or kept as familiars) Paddyfowl (Common predator to smaller amphibians, might be farmed for meat or plumage. Or kept as familiars) Moordwelling Trunker (Displays are a lot like jousting. Probably farmed for meat. Or kept as familiars) Glowing Pocket Mouse ( A light snack. Or kept as familiars) Grey River Flight ( Probably farmed for meat and water resistant hide. Or kept as familiars) Brown River Flight ( Probably farmed for meat and water resistant hide. Or kept as familiars) Bearded Pupowl (Actually a vertebrate! Amphibian and probably distantly related to salamanders. Kept as familiars)

Aquatic Life:

Crawdads Wetland Vampire (Leech) Glass Minnows (maybe kept in dragon aquaria?) Mussels Clown Shrimp Warmouth (A mid sized bass/perch-like fish, probably decent eating) Wave Skippers (Flying fish?) Sea Hare (Sea slugs) Sunset Sea Dragon Dumpling Squid (bio implies they’re eaten and dipped in sauce.) True Rainbow Trout Green Corydoras Catfish (tiny bottom dwelling catfish, maybe kept in dragon aquaria?) Golden Cushionfish (Pufferfish) Seabed Pincher (Hermit crab) Blackwater Jester (Appears to be a cardinal fish of some sort) SeaHeart (Some kinda urchin) Aether Hermit Black Maiden (type of Black Guppy, possibly poisonous? maybe kept in dragon aquaria?) Ruby Tetras (possibly a red version of the blackskirt tetra, maybe kept in dragon aquaria?) Blue Ring Octopus (DEADLY. Venom can straight up kill smaller dragons. Considered an accomplishment to catch and eat properly. Probably equivalent to Fugu.) Striped biter (Similar to a cat shark in appearance. Apparently very common.) Devilsnap (Apparently an oyster that bites back) Blue Dragon Seaslug Cobra Snakehead (mid-sized carnivorous fish) Nebula Floaters (Jellyfish of some sort, very sweet may cause tooth decay) Pond Slip (Come from dirty water, VERY important to clean) Cinnamon Loach (Popular gift among the seafood eating dragons, may also be kept in dragon aquaria?) Deviant Darter (Covered in pustules, looks plague-y) Giant Isopod Billy Bass (Breaks into song when taken out of the water, mid-sized fish probably decent eating) Discus (Popular, beautiful, and challenging to care for in irl aquaria. Possibly kept as decorative fish for the upper class in dragon aquaria) Four-Eyed Butterflyfish Pincushion Urchin Gaseous Megashrimp (Big, kept as familiars. this is speculation but depending on the size it may also be used as a seafood alternative to whole roasts like pig) Skittering Megashrimp (See above) Longjaw Lurefish (Based on the jawfish, probably much bigger. preys on birds) Glow Star (glowing starfish. Glow fades when it leaves the water. Might make good underwater decoration) Wave Sweeper (Patrols shallow waterway. Probably hunted for meat or ignored, Kept as familiars) Plantation Pincher (Considered a rampant pest on farmland.)

Insect Life:

Fungus Cutter (Large fungivore ants) Glade Swarmer (Builds large hives and defend it fiercely, disturbing it will end in either a feast or a healers visit) Crop Cutter (Pests that can devour entire fields. Plant eater hate them while others feast on them.) Maggot (common on the many festering corpses of the scarred wastes) Harlequin Ladybug (perform intricate aerial acrobatics, can be challenging for hatchlings to catch) Salt-Marsh Mosquito (Carry many diseases, numbers swell in summer) Tachinid Fly (Their carapace can be ground into tincture and tonics with restorative capabilities. Valuable. Probably farmed for medicinal purposes) Redwing Hopper (Spend most of their time gliding. low-flying dragons end up with face fulls of them.) Greenworm (Blends in well and challenging to find) Land Snail Rainbow Grasshopper (Taste terrible. seems to be a common prank to tell younger dragons that they taste like rainbows.) Tinder Bug (Tastes good if properly cooked, also effective tinder) Earwig Craftsman Brightback (Crafts intricate nests around spherical fruit, to which the fruit inside is eaten leaving behind the dried structure.) Redknee Tarantula Dusty Cicada (Collecting their shells and placing them in unexpected places around your den is considered a fun pastime) Millipede Wasteland Pauper (In an event known as the Blue Harvest vast numbers of this butterfly go migrating.) Stinglash (DEADLY. Aposematic. Skull pattern on it's head is a threat display. When stinger is removed however it's considered a delicacy) Shale Skitter (Pillbug relative. Completely flatten themselves when threatened) Parasitic Grub Red and Black Froghopper Fever Fly (Ingesting this fly is fine. being bitten by this fly leads to fevers and muscle spasms (dancing!)) Two-Tone June Beetle (Best served lightly toasted) Blackshield Cockroach (Fae use rocks to crack it's shell for eating.) Yellow Jumper (Deadly? Very tasty apparently) False Veneer Moth (Pattern on it's wings shines to distract predators) Yellowtail Caterpillar (Commonly eaten in piles with pepper sauce, cucumber, rice, and wrapped in seaweed) Orchid Beetle (Native to the Starwood Strand. gets its coloration from the plants it eats) Water Bug Catocala Moth (Cryptic patterning on wings) Giant Prickly Stick Insect (Has a hard time find mates due to effective camouflage) Autumn Pennant (Dragonfly. Scarce, only appears towards the end of autumn) Sugarbee (Feeds on sugarcane. Popular as sweet treats. might be treated like candy to insectivores) Firefly (Probably native to Fire. Has a crisp, crunchy texture with an extremely spicy flavor.) Dead Leaf Mantis (Feeds entirely on brain matter. (braaains)) Hydra Scorpion (It's said that cutting off it's tail grows two more in it's place. Probably large and treated like big/trophy game. Kept as familiars) Triple-Sight Firebug (Dragons closely bonded to this bug can use it's sight for short periods of time. Possibly used for rough reconnaissance. Kept as familiars) Tufted Leaf Beetle (Pests. A swarm of these beetles can devour a field overnight. Kept as familiars.) Tender Larail (Consumes all parts of a plant except seeds, which it carefully buries. Might be a Keystone species. Kept as familiars.) Spoiling Scorpio (Probably large and treated like big/trophy game. Kept as familiars)

Plant Life:

Highland Dryleaf (Hardy. Tastes awful. Plentiful) Marsh Choker (Named for it's choking pollen. probably grows in wetland areas.) Desert Scrub (Plentiful. Tastes like dirt) Diseased Fungus (Has a following that believe it tastes zestier than normal fungus. Probably cultivated or foraged for.) Carnaval Tulip (Pretty, often in bouquets. considered by plant eaters to be "edible arrangements" Probably cultivated for food and appearance) Crisp-leaf Amaranth (Seeds are edible and commonly eaten, while the leaves are eaten less commonly.) Wild Catsup (grows along cliff-sides in thin patches with bright red flowers. might also go well with wild mustard greens) Always-Autumn (Thistle. Blooms year-round with sun-dappled colors.) Canyon Ruffage (Staple for herbivorous animals and dragons alike, common in dry areas) Blood Acorn (Filled with nutrient rich nectar) Cinnamon (Probably cultivated for exportation in the spice trade) Chickweed (Used in herbal remedies to sooth itchy scales. Probably cultivated for medicinal purposes) Herbal Plantain (Leaves of this plant can be used as an effective anti-toxin. Probably cultivated for medicinal purposes) Peace Lily (Pretty and edible, it's petals are a favorite snack of peace doves. Probably cultivate for decoration and consumption.) Gryphon's Blood Sempervivum (Appears to be a type of succulent that grows in sandy red (clay rich?) earth near gryphon territory. does not actually use blood in cultivation.) Treasure Plant (Considered to bring good luck if kept in the lair. Possibly cultivated for decoration or as gifts.) Boxwood (Has a subtle flavor?) Winter's Delight (Sweet red berries that taste the best at the coldest point in winter, Most likely native to Ice) Bonebark Mold (Plentiful. grows on dead trees.) Ashfall Prickler (Nectar on the inside has a spicy flavor that oddly goes well with anything.) Honeycrisp Apple (Probably cultivated for food. Most likely food source to Craftsman Brightbacks) Turnip (Does not keep long and must be eaten immediately. Probably cultivated for food.) Wasteland Pear (Common. but finding an edible one is not.) Cindermint (crunchy texture with a  fiery kick. Often dried and crumbled up to help accent desserts or teas. Probably cultivated for this reason.) Butcher's Fig (Fruit has a crimson coloration, juice stains the mouth for days.) Leechroot Mushroom (Parasitic fungus native to the Scarred Wastes. Pests. Targets healthy plants.) Green Plantain (Has a tart flavor and can be stored in cool places for long periods of time. Probably cultivated and exported to other flights.) Daffodil (Can be boiled, mashed, and used in stews. Blooms are also pretty. Probably cultivated for these reasons.) Grassland Grain (Easy to spot and filling meals. Great for foraging on the road.) Water Lilies Crimson Jadevine (Extremely rare. ground up to make war-paint. Might be cultivated for this purpose and might also be treated as sacred.) Sour Strawberry (It's a strawberry, but sour) Wilting Rose (Its a rose, but wilting) Pompom Mums (Vibrant, cheerful petals. Very attention getting to pollinators. might be used to attract pollinators to fields. Also useful for decorative purposes) Sand Creeper (Type of ivy that spreads prolifically over sand. Might be a good crop for those in barren wastelands.) All Seeing Shroom (Disgusting looking, covered in veins and tumors. Unknown if edible but can be traded as currency in select venues.) Ancient Mushroom (Rumored to aid with a dragons growth) Over-ripe Cherries (Cherries that ripen then go bad at a break-neck pace. Probably not cultivated.) Melon Marzal (Behaves like a normal plant until it matures in which it will become more animalistic. Weird. Kept as familiars)

???:

River Muck (Goopy. probably common in or near waterways. Probably a pest/hazard) Poultrygeist (Ghost?? Probably some kind of urban legend. Kept as familiars) Undying Featherback (Undead and requires magic to kill permanently. Probably a serious threat to plague clans. Can be kept as familiar) White Rot Deer (An older wood ear deer, not hunted nor eaten. Cultivated by dryads for protection. Also Kept as familiars) Sanguine Multimist (Sentient mist?? Probably has urban legends surrounding it. Kept as familiars.) Creeping Tendril (Animal like?? Shy, only moves when no one is looking. Kept as Familiars) Blue Vein Pansy (??? Uproots and moves itself to more optimal locations when required.) Ancient Fungus (Has a cracked, stone hard outer shell. Kept as familiars)

[piermanwalter]

MILLIPEDE PRECAUTIONS

The space heater has made the millipedes much more active. I see Huge girl and Long guy every day now instead of every few days. As a large sapient mammal with stupendous physical tolerance to a wide range of conditions and equally stupendous emotional strength allowing me to power through extremely suboptimal conditions, I have to accept that small and simple creatures are reliant upon and sensitive to things like temperature. 

I am growing increasingly unsure of the sex of the millipedes. After I read about male millipedes being able to return to a sterile juvenile state to eat more, I’m starting to think that Huge girl might have done that. For the sake of recognition, Huge girl will continue to be referred to as Huge girl even if she turns out to be male. For the time being, I can’t be completely sure until I have a confirmed adult female millipede in person to compare to. I won’t be buying any more ivory millipedes for the next few months because I’m worried it is too cold to ship. 

On one hand, if Huge girl is male, that spells doom for the state of the millipedes as a whole, but on the other hand, I don’t need to feel guilty about harvesting their poop to feed my plants in case there are eggs.

I have noticed a worrying pattern. Lazy man as you may recall was very small and pale and inactive before dying and now Another little one is starting to be lazier despite the space heater. I read about millipedes getting paler and less active before molting, and it could be that the enclosure is not good for molting so they die. This is contradictory to what I have read about ivory millipedes getting paler as they age, as exemplified by Huge girl. But the similarly big Long man is bright pumpkin spice orange, so maybe he’s an unusual color morph. 

Too many contradictions and not enough research. Literally every source on millipedes says they are poorly researched. Either that or kindergartener-level comparison between centipedes and millipedes which consumes the search results for everything. I am making my way through an article on millipede gut bacteria and growing increasingly concerned.

Another explanation is the substrate is contaminated with pesticides or evergreen resins and the smaller millipedes were more affected. But this doesn’t seem right since Little one is fine and I already changed out the substrate with leaves from a public park with trees so tall and dense that it activate my ancient wolf detection instincts. If there’s significant pesticides in that, then there is no hope for a single living organism on this planet except for deep sea tube worms. Inherit the world and make it a better place than what wretched thing we made of it, where even little millipedes can’t get something nice to eat. 

Another explanation is that both Lazy man and Another little one had a disease from either the distributor or my substrate. I think if they were sick, they got it from the distributor, because Lazy man was lazy and Another little one played dead in their original container. Is this normal little millipede behavior? I don’t know. 

Another explanation is that they are super inbred, as many pet arthropods are, and suffered from various ill effects of that. I can solve this problem on a colony-wide scale by getting millipedes from a different distributor, but I can’t do anything for individuals. 

Fortunately, all these potential problems can be solved by further improving the substrate quality before Another little one dies. Aside from the inbreeding. This is effectively proven by human royalty, who throughout history lived in the finest of substrates, but still succumbing to various genetic diseases and going extinct, or outcrossing with wild-type humans.

As said before, I don’t trust using potting soil because of the fertilisers and nutrients. Alternatively I can get coco fiber from a nearby plant store, but I also don’t trust this specific coco fiber because it smells suspiciously good.

I have ordered some isopods and springtails to make the enclosure more reasonable. Why am I fine with ordering these creatures in the cold and not more millipedes? Ivory millipedes are from Florida and Porcellionides pruinosus woodlice are British. If all 16 oz of springtails die, then there is no hope for a single living organism on this planet except for deep sea tube worms.

I got blue and orange isopods because they are hilarious to look at.

[fantabulisticity]

Referring to this post (picture of BIG, spindly spider)

@tumbling---star I'm a big bug nerd and have seen, read about, and sometimes handled these bugs a significant amount :) Since you don't want to see pictures, I will describe physical characteristics instead.

1. Brown recluses have a different body shape than OP's spider. They also have a little "violin" shape on their back (cephalothorax). Brown recluses have thicker, shorter legs (relatively -- still long and thin, but not quite like OP's spider) and a slightly hairier abdomen. Those non-recluse basement spiders have long, spindly legs and a smooth abdomen. And I've been bitten by them a bunch of times. Those non-recluses aren't venomous enough to hurt us (more than the slight pinch of the initial bite). To someone who isn't constantly looking at spiders, I can see why they look similar, but I can assure you OP's spider is harmless. :)

2. You're right, they aren't the same thing. Brown recluse spiders are not generally known as Daddy Long Legs as far as I'm aware. Recluses didn't even come up in the first page of a google image search when I looked. EDIT: and yes, OP's spider can bite.

3. People who live in regions where millipedes roll into balls call them rolly polies! There are a bunch of different kinds of millipedes, not just the tube-shaped ones you're probably picturing. I don't know how you feel about seeing pictures of these guys, so I won't include any, but there are some really fun millipedes who are shorter than the tube-shaped ones and have a similar looking shell to rolling isopods. And they can and do roll up into balls just like isopods :) They're very cute, and I want some someday!

I hope this was helpful :) I promise I know what I'm talking about. I've been looking at, reading about, and handling these creatures for a long time. If you don't believe me, check out my instagram or my bookshelf, lol 😂

[the-awkward-turt]

Hello! I have a few questions! What substrate did you use for your hognose bioactive? How often does it need watering? Now that you've had Suki on bioactive for some time, is there anything you would do differently? Is there anything that worked really well? Any general advice? I want to switch my hognose to bio but I'm not finding a lot of resources for hognoses specifically :(

Suki’s substrate is about 60% soil and 40% sand. I spent several months doing fieldwork in wild hognose habitat, so I tried to replicate the soil I found there as much as possible.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to keep live plants alive in any of Suki’s enclosures because she likes to burrow in the roots and dig them up (some people might not call her enclosure a full bioactive for this reason). So mostly I just water enough to keep the deep substrate area moist enough to hold burrows and offer a humid retreat for her cleanup crew (Suki also likes to burrow when she sheds, so the humidity helps with that too). How often you need to water will probably depend on what kind of enclosure you have and the ambient humidity of your house.

If I were going to try again with plants I would use something very hardy that doesn’t mind disturbance and preferably with a strong root system (maybe pothos, since that seems to grow in anything).

Her current cleanup crew is mealworms and mealworm beetles, but I’m hoping to eventually add some blue death feigning beetles and more carnivorously-inclined isopods. I wanted to have desert millipedes in her enclosure (more to replicate the biotope of wild hognoses rather than to clean anything up), but the fact that they are mildly toxic and hognoses have occasionally been known to eat invertebrates made me too nervous.

I hope that helps! It’s definitely challenging because there aren’t as many resources on dry bioactives as well as the fact that hoggies are fairly large, active snakes and tend to mess things up (hence the reason I now have fake plants and rocks that are a permanent part of the enclosure). If you have more questions feel free to shoot me a message or another ask. 

[adragonsoulants]

Hi, been a while since I did an update. Been dealing with some mental shit and then I got covid on top of it. Thankfully over covid now.

For the most part all the colonies are doing fine. Gotta make sure I feed the Campos a little extra now so they can get some good reserves going into hibernation! The C. Subbarbatus colony is doing well and I am in love with their colorations, not used to having ants this small too but they're very cute!

All the colonies I'm founding this year have been moved back to my room as the night time temps were getting too cold to keep them where they were. All but the P. Imparis and C. Subbarbatus are in a box near my snake's heat source to keep them a little warmer.

Sadly the T. Immigranis queen passed recently, she was doing pretty well but prior to the move ate all her brood and was behaving real stressed, looked like she had been doing better but I guess not.

Nothing much on the other girls, still too soon on the Lasius and Formica's are very easy to stress out, tbh I might just move her to the closest with the others even tho it's not as warm it will be more calm of an environment.

The remaining two P. Imparis queens had the brood growing mold return... I also discovered one of the queens appears to have a stiff leg with mold growing on the joint of it, so she may be the reason for it's continuous return... It was recommended I separate them in hopes of having one make it and give extra ventilation to the moldy one to try and clear out the mold or at least hinder it.

I definitely didn't realize how easy Camponotus was to care for compared to other species, or that I've just been having some really bad luck with it this year.

But I still look back in awe of having randomly found the C. Subbarbatus queen earlier this year, an ant species I have never seen before and have yet to see in the wild. As well as having 0 issues with founding her colony.

So I guess I'll take that at least. ^^

Also fed a super worm to my C. Penn and they gladly feasted on it, read in a few places that they didn't like super worms but they didn't even hesitate.

As far as isopods go they're all doing alright, dairy cows are getting pretty munchy and I need to top off their leaves fairly frequently. Had a flour mite issue arise from trying to raise meal worms myself, they made it into two of my iso containers that didn't have mesh ventilation and just holes punched into the lids. Cleaned up best I could, I don't think they really made it down in the container itself. Did have to freeze the mealworms though, no saving that.

My pink foot millipedes alas have had an ongoing mite problem for a little bit now, I believe the mites are harmless to the millipedes but they are definitely annoyed by their presence and hate when the mites are crawling on them. I've seen a few in my Smokey Oaks but I've been keeping it a little drier to try and cut back on them and stop them from exploding like they did in the other tank.

Long winded post, thanks for reading this far ^^

[tser]

Hi, Recently I was given an empty 10 gal tank/terrarium and curious to know if any small creature could comfortably live in one since just about every small reptile I've read up on suggests a 20 gal at minimum.

There aren’t many animals that do well in so small an enclosure, but there are some! In almost all cases, bigger is better. 

However, it does well as a grow-out enclosure for animals that will need a bigger enclosure when they grow up, but you should have the adult enclosure ready well ahead of time.

There are other considerations as well. Many smaller fish, reptiles, and amphibians are more delicate. They require specialized food sources and may be far more sensitive to improper parameters, so I would recommend them for more advanced keepers.

Some ideas:

Grow out for crested gecko; adults need 18 x 18 x 24 high. Young geckos do well in a smaller enclosure so you can monitor if they’re eating enough. I have a guide to grow-out sizes here.

Grow out for ambush predator frogs, like tomato frogs or pacman frogs. The smaller size will help them find their food when they are small froglets, since they are ambush predators that often wait for the food to come to them, but once they get bigger they should be upgraded to a larger enclosure. Most such species need a 20 gallon long minimum.

Small geckos like small day geckos (not the larger species) or mourning geckos (with population control). Not handleable but do very well in planted, bioactive vivariums. They will do better in a 10 if you turn it so it’s vertical. You can buy 10 gallon vertical conversion kits to make them into vertical vivs. 

Several small dart frog species (large species need more space; again, turned vertically with a conversion kit, in a planted bioactive viv). 

A single Betta splendens. This fish will use all the space you give it and display many wonderful behaviors in a larger aquarium! They do best alone, but a ten gallon could also house a single snail like a nerite or mystery snail in addition to the betta.

Nano and dwarf community fish. As mentioned, since they are smaller fish they tend to be more delicate, so I wouldn’t recommend them to people who haven’t kept fish before. Smaller aquariums are actually harder to maintain and keep stable than larger ones.  Some very small centerpiece fish are possible. If this is up your alley and you have aquarium experience I’m willing to answer more questions.

African dwarf frogs. They do best in species specific tanks with no other tank mates. 

Freshwater shrimp. Do best in a planted tank.

Freshwater snails; several nerites, or up to two apple or mystery snails.

So many invertebrates! Many species of tarantulas, other spiders, scorpions, centipedes, millipedes, isopods, beetles, roaches, and more would do wonderfully in a ten gallon enclosure!

Or, keep the ten gallon as a hospital or quarantine enclosure.

I hope this is a good starting point!

[onenicebugperday]

I have a 20 gallon terrarium recently vacated (don't worry, the previous owner was merely upgraded to a bigger one) and I was thinking of putting some millipedes/isopods/other detrivores in it. Do you have any advice on what to include, things to be aware of, how many/how many species, etc? Sorry if you're the wrong person to ask, heh. Hope you're well!

That really depends! Are you purchasing your new friends, or going out to collect them near where you live?

I have LOTS of advice, but would need specifics first. Please feel free to IM me when you have the time, and I'll happily give you some useful tips.

If you don't feel comfortable IMing, you can just reply to this post with this additional info. Just make sure to tag me so I see the notification.

[buglife]

Hi, I have a question about keeping millipedes as pets! Do they need friends, or do they prefer to live alone? Also, do you know of any good care guides (online or books) for info on how to be the best millipede parent possible? Thank you :)

Hello and welcome!

Millipedes can be kept alone or within a group. They are communal and don't really seem to care how many are around them. They don't fight and just kinda bumble into each other lol. So you can have realistically as many as you can care for in one container. If you keep more than one member of the same species, they could possibly breed and then you'll have a bunch of little millipedes!

Millipedes have nearly identical care instructions to isopods, and I have a handy dandy guide written for them! They require the same type of diet as isopods as in most of their food comes from dead leaves and their substrate. They require a source of calcium and they require places to hide to reduce stress. You can also give them fruit, veggies, and fish flakes/dog food pieces as a supplement to their diets.

There are a couple differences however, and I will list them here.

(Anadenobolus monilicornis Source)

- Millipedes can either thrive in three different environments. Temperate, Tropical, and Desert. Millipedes are adapted to usually one or two of these types of climate and do not like the opposite.

Temperate: Species that are found in the northern parts of the world. These millipedes hibernate through the colder months and like warm and moist (not sopping wet) substrate. They are most active at night. Example species: Narceus americanus

(Source)

Desert: Species that are found in dry parts of the world. These species are used to dry substrate layer on top and a moist and cooler layer below the top. They are used to extreme heat and will shelter from the worst of the heat and during the freezing nights. They are most active at dusk and dawn. Example species: Orthoporus Ornatus

(Source)

Tropical: Species that are found in the warm and wet parts of the world. These species are used to consistent heat and humidity and do not tolerate the cold and dry very well. Some need to be kept at 75+ F in order to thrive. They tend to be day active but will also be active at night. Example species: Chicobolus spinigerus

l (Source)

It's important when getting a millipede to research the type they are and be sure to tailor their enclosure to match what they need. Example, if you have tropical species, it would be a good idea to invest in either a ceramic heat emitter or a heating pad to keep the temperature consistent, and to mist the tank daily to be sure it's humid enough.

Millipedes like water, so you can either spray the sides of the tank so they can drink from the water droplets, or have a bottle cap with water in it, or just keep one corner of the tank wet and they'll drink from the substrate.

Millipedes also need to burrow, so be sure you have at least six inches of substrate they can dig down into. I recommend putting bits of wood in there so they can make chambers where they will molt and rest.

A really good care guide to look at is the one from Bugs in Cyberspace. I get most of my millipedes from this guy so he knows what he's talking about! Awesome :3

You can handle millipedes and they are very gentle. However if startled, some species will extrude a bad smelling chemical that can stain clothes and hands, so be careful if you have sensitive skin! Be sure to wash your hands before and after handling a millipede! Don't be surprised if they nibble on you, they are after your dead skin cells XD

I recommend starting off with a species native to your area, as all you need to do is replicate conditions indoors that they are used to outdoors.

I hope this helps you out, feel free to ask more questions if you need it!!!

[buglife]

Social Spiders: A Ramble

HELLO FRIENDS!

@nurgletwh was wondering about if there are any 'social spiders', and I decided to write here instead of spamming it on AO3.

Firstly, lets define the difference between 'social' and 'communal', as both exist and can be used to describe various species of invertebrates.

Communal means that the organism can exist with other organisms with it's type and generally not have any problems. They don't actively help each other, but are kinda like buddies in the same room. Millipedes and Isopods are examples of communal invertebrates, just hanging out doing invert things.

Social means that the organism exists with other organisms of it's type and have active, defined roles within to benefit the group as a whole. Ants and honey bees are good examples, as everyone actively works to better their colonies/hives. There is active care for each other involved, such as feeding each other, grooming each other, or conveying messages and signals. Think of them like a family. Swarming occurs when the colony gets too large and splits, with the leaving group establishing a new colony elsewhere.

Most spiders are solitary and only pair up when it's time to mate. Many are maternal and will carry/guard their eggs until they hatch, which then they go off on their own when ready. Either by ballooning (letting a thin string of web catch on the wind and carry them away) or by just jumping off mom and going their own way. Point is that slings (baby spiders) don't stick around too long.

Annnd under the cut, we will talk about spiders that DO stick around! Warning! I will be including pictures of spiders under the cut! I hope you will still read if you are able, but don't distress yourself in the process!

NOW, on to SOCIAL SPIDER BUDDIES!

Firstly, lets look at perhaps the best example of a social spider, the Anelosimus eximius. The entire genus of Anelosimus has a sliding scale of social interactions by individual species, which makes it excellent for studying social behavior and how it evolves.

Anelosimus eximius are quite small, and are less than 8 millimeters at the largest size of the spectrum. This is an adult female. Teeny.

Here is a colony all grouped together. You might think, 'oh, this is just a small little nest', but you are WRONG.

Their nests are HUGE (around 25 feet LONG) and can contain more than twenty to fifty thousand individual spiders. (Don't worry friends, this particular species only live in warm tropical areas of central and south America.)

But you ask yourself, why would these spiders choose to work together when they can just fuck off and do their own thing? Well, it's for the same reason we humans lived together in colonies. You would find more similarities between us and them than you can think!

1. Food. By using this wide net, these spiders can catch very large prey, including BATS and BIRDS! Mostly however, they eat larger insects. The colony shares their catches with the rest and allows the injured and sick to share as well. They may not be able to catch big prey very often, but when they do its a influx of nutrients that an individual spider would never even dream of getting!

(Anelosimus eximius swarm their prey like a wolf pack!)

2. Reproduction. To keep this species in check, only a few females in the colony will lay eggs at a time. This isn't due to a caste system, since they have none, it's just a way to be sure there is enough food to go around. Since there are less females laying eggs, the entire colony participates in guarding and caring of the eggs and slings. The quality of their young is much higher than those of a solitary spider, who have a lot of babies in hopes that some will make it to adulthood. But with these guys, the babies are cared for and have a much better chance of making it and becoming another member of the colony. A.eximius females even feed the slings like a mother bird does to her chicks!

(Delena cancerides live in family groups, headed by the matriarch (mother) spider.)

3. Altriusm. This is a trait where you do something because it is kind with no real reward involved. These spiders have undergone experiments where they have adopted slings from other nests and seem to not really care about where they came from. Some other spiders will do this as well, such as wolf spiders. However, by developing altruistic traits, it helps out the rest of the colony in ways that will keep philosophy majors debating for centuries. Also, with more spiders helping, individual spiders have more time to rest and eat, reducing stress and becoming healthier!

(Theridion nigroannulatum is another social species, and you can see females with their egg sacks being guarded by other members of the colony)

4. Defense. The more individuals are in one place, the better they can defend themselves. These spiders often have to deal with kleptoparasites, other animals that feed themselves by stealing from others. Having more individuals helps them drive away these nuisances and protect their resources.

5. Maintenance. More hands (or spinnerets) means more can get done in a shorter amount of time. Some spiders of the colony will repair webs or lay down new lines. Some will remove mold and parasites and dispose of them. Some will keep the web and other members clean. A rainstorm that destroys the web of a regular spider will take a long time to repair, but for Anelosimus eximius, there's already someone fixing it as soon as it happens. Oddly enough, many members of this species fall into roles they feel are most suitable to them. They are egalitarian!

(Stegodyphus dumicola work together to repair the web and keep it clean.)

A great big negative however, is lack of genetic diversity. It is difficult for 'new blood' to enter a colony, because the colonies around said colony are offsets of said colony. Colonies within a specific area tend to be related to each other, so the spiders themselves are essentially clones.

The positives outweigh the negatives in terms of forming a colony, so why don't all spiders do this?

Because different spiders occupy ecological niches and some of those roles don't allow for much socialization. The amount of food needed to feed large colonies is huge and it must have consistent prey. Environment and weather provides a factor too. It takes the right environment, weather, and prey density to allow a species to evolve to band together for mutual benefit. Some species figured out that banding together gets them through rough times and have stuck with the strategy since.

(To study how social spiders divide labor and develop personalities, some poor intern had to catch a bunch of Stegodyphus sarasinorum and put paint on their butts.)

There are only about 23-27 confirmed (some debated) species of social spider (that we know of here in Aug 2021), which is quite small compared to the large number of other kinds of spiders! There are over forty thousand species of spiders currently recorded as of Aug 2021, so that means that social spiders only make up around 0.06% of total recorded species of spiders! You can see just how rare they are and why they are studied so much in the entomology field!

I hope you enjoyed my little ramble about these precious and rare critters <3

(Anastoechus nitidulus: AKA the author of this post)