Milkback Porcellio Laevis Advice
Hi team, I’m in a pickle. I completely underestimated the variety of isopods and everything going into them. I thought I understood what they would need but I’m seeking out some guidance to double check.
I have a terrarium that I grow a variety of plants in for my tortoise to eat. It’s easier to keep them separate since he demolishes greens and they need time to grow! I decided I wanted to start a bioactive terrarium(vivarium? It has bugs in it so perhaps vivarium). It’s got about 8 inches of dirt and 2 inches of sand and pebbles for drainage. I started off with some red wigglers from someone and decided I needed more friends in there to get this thing going.
But now I’m worried I’ve made some mistakes. I have a moss corner, I put a piece of cuddle bone in, I have a variety of leaves(oak for eatin magnolia for hiding) and a piece of bark I added in. I put my some of my tortoises poop and some old greens of his. I have little sea shells I put some fish food in, one wetted and one dry in hopes the protein will make babies.
What I don’t have is a very good moisture gradient. Since getting them I’ve made sure to water the moss side more, but the whole thing has plants so I still have to water it all. I also added in my springtails at the same time and didn’t let them take off before adding isopods. I’ve been looking around and all I see are predator mites. I’m worried I got a weak pack of springs and they all got eaten! Is this possible or am I just overthinking it? Will I don’t think the predatory mites will bother my isopods but I’m worried they’re causing more harm than good. I wish they’d eat more of the fruit fly eggs!
Lastly I’m worried I’ve gotten too powerful of an eater to go with a tortoise. His enclosure is actually kept at a pretty decent humidity so I’m not worried about them drying out, but I’m worried about them nibbling on him. They’re specifically Milkbacks and not Dairy Cows but I’m worried they’re too close as relatives and will have the same issues.
Should I restart with armadillidium vulgare? Are my springtails just hiding? If they did get eaten and I have to restart with a bigger batch will the isopods manage? Sorry for the Great Wall of text, I’m just fascinated by these little guys and want to do what’s best for them. Is pod tax a thing here? I’ll leave pod tax just in case.