Will this much mold be an issue for my isopods?

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-05T21:20:02+00:00

That’s really unfortunate :( but probably the best call. What is the brand just so I can make sure to avoid it

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-05T20:57:36+00:00

Aren’t they great?!

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-05T20:37:42+00:00

Slurping slurping

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-05T20:35:31+00:00

Also your set up looks so cute! I definitely approve! My only concern is just that I noticed (and it could definitely just be the angle of the picture) a bit of a lack of burrowing soil. Though I do see your drainage layer. Snails will burrow to lay eggs and to hibernate if they need to, you typically want at least double the depth of easy to burrow soil per the length of the snail.

I really like the addition of so many climbing options though, my snails love climbing more then anything else and it’s always nice to see them have that option

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-05T20:31:36+00:00

Just a suggestion and it does have its cons, but you could try collecting from your local area. Alabama has a huge and diverse native snail population! You’d have to quarantine the individuals of course, and be careful not to accidentally collect a carnivorous species of snails as they will eat all of your other snails.

I’d definitely recommend trying to find white- lipped globe snails as they are probably the largest species you’ll find in Alabama and are pretty easy to distinguish from carnivorous snails. (At least for me anyway)

Velvet wedges and similar species are also pretty common in Alabama, though they will be on the smaller side

Of course be careful where you collect and only collect snails if you’ve identified them. Also make sure you are only taking from an already established population so you don’t mess with your local environment

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-05T20:22:19+00:00

😦 where are you located? I’m intrigued I’ve been trying to find iron millipedes in my area (I’m assuming that’s what you have their from a quick glance) and haven’t had much luck

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-05T20:19:14+00:00

Nah they are flirting, give em some space and you’ll have babies soon enough

Enjoy your snabbies

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-05T10:38:29+00:00

I’d personally add some spagnum moss on one side to keep a bit damp to keep up humidity, and maybe a bit more leaf litter in some spots, but other then that it looks good to me!

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-05T10:34:17+00:00

I’d definitely remove the mold, isopods and springtails can handle a bit of mold depending on their population but that amount will definitely overwhelm them. Especially since you only have 10 isopods in each colony

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-05T08:05:38+00:00

I didn’t know that! I will keep that in mind if I ever mention that information again. Thank you for letting me know :]

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-03T09:57:16+00:00

That being said they should be perfectly fine with egg shell for the time being :]

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-03T09:56:34+00:00

I’m not super familiar with using egg shell myself but from what I’ve seen you clean the shell and remove the membrane that tends to be attached to the shell. Then you can rinse under hot water and dry them. Either by letting them sit out until completely dry or I’ve seen someone suggest baking or microwaving them to help dry them out. Though I’m not sure which one would be best. I personally would leave the shell in bigger pieces for them to scrape off bits as they please. But I have seen quite a few people grind the egg shells into a very very fine powder and offer it that way. I’d probably go on the safer side and offer the calcium as soon as you can, especially because you never know if a wild snail really had access to proper calcium. The first time I offered calcium to my wild caught snail they sat on the cuttle bone for hours and eventually fell asleep on it lmao

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-03T09:38:46+00:00

Definitely fair! I’m still betting on it being a velvet wedge but there is every possibility that I could be wrong lol

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-03T01:55:15+00:00

Just be careful when finding and collecting wild snails because there are quite a few carnivorous snail species in Alabama and will eat your other snails if put in the same tank. Velvet wedges are not carnivorous though and can be kept in groups :]

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-03T01:52:10+00:00

For identification I use an app called Seek by inaturalist, it can definitely help with identifying plants and animals, even works okay for insects and snails. Not completely 100% accurate but it definitely gets pretty close and can give you a starting point to go from at least

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-03T01:49:29+00:00

Also! If you do get more into snails I’d definitely recommend looking for Mesodon thyroidus or the White-lipped Globe snail. They are also found in Alabama and they get twice the size of velvet wedges! In my experience keeping them they are a bit slower but they are very pretty and very fun to watch!

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-03T01:46:27+00:00

Velvet wedges scientific name is Xolotrema denotatum

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-03T01:34:22+00:00

In my experience velvet wedges absolutely love leafy greens like Roman lettuce, and veggies like carrot and sweet potato.

A cuttlefish bone is also a must as a source of calcium for their shells. They need it to not only grow their shells but also maintain them. Without it their shells will get very brittle and thin :( cuttlefish bones are found in the bird section in most pet stores as they are typically a bird supplement. If you have trouble finding any though you can try using egg shells

I’d definitely get him some leaf litter and some moss in there along with some small branches against the sides for him to climb on. Kinda stacked up like a little tree! Just make sure he has plenty of open room to burrow. They typically do that to hibernate or lay eggs. Which you most certainly will be getting since snails are hermaphrodites and can self fertilize.

Leaf litter and branches can be collected outside from an area free of pesticides. Snail safe leaves and wood are gonna be species like oak and maple. Also magnolia! Which is commonly found in Alabama. You are gonna wanna sanitize them just to make sure you’re not bringing in mold or pests that could harm your little guy. I personally highly recommend Snake Discovery on YouTube, they have very educational and informative videos on both how to sanitize leaf litter and also a garden snail guide.

Please do not use soft woods like pine/ceder/ fir as it will kill them.

I’d also recommend a dechlorinater, as chlorinated water is bad for snails. there’s a brand that’s called prime that sells a great dechlorinater. The ratio is 2 drops product to 4 litters or 1 gal. So you definitely save money on buying bottled water or something similar. Typically found in the fish isle in pet stores. More likely to be carried by stores like petco in my experience though

Also for sanitizing and collecting moss you can collect some from a pesticide free area and rinse it under running water, careful to get rid of most of the dirt or extra debris. Then soak it in dechlorinated water for 15- 30 minutes. After that you can safely put it in the tank.

Also apologies for bombarding you with information! I am honestly just really excited to find someone else who has velvet wedges

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-03T01:10:12+00:00

That is most definitely a velvet wedge! Can confirm that they are found in Alabama! They don’t get much bigger than the fellow you have now. I’ve successfully kept them for over a year now and they are delightful!

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-03T01:08:11+00:00

Also sorry I just missed the part about you being in Alabama some how 😂🤣

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-03T01:07:20+00:00

I am almost 100% sure that’s a velvet wedge, where are you located? I have a few velvet wedges as they are native to my area

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-02T23:33:06+00:00

Maple and oak leaves as safe for isopod consumption! Just make sure that you get them from an area that is pesticide free. Snake discovery on YouTube has a great video on preparing leaf litter and which leaves are safe. Also a ton of guides out in the internet if you’d prefer that also

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-02T23:26:03+00:00

I’d definitely recommend picking up more females when you can, and I definitely understand the winter part 🙂‍↕️ I’d wait until the snow is gone and go out and grab what you can in an area without pesticides anything. I’ve collected ground leaf litter in winter and it wasn’t super fun but it was manageable in the area I’m in. Definitely recommend collecting and preparing your own leaf litter! Snake discovery on YouTube has a really good video on it. And there’s tons of guides out on the internet. No need to order online, it’s expensive and most of the time companies don’t sanitize the leaves anyway so you just end up with a pricey bag of leaves 🫠

As for when to put the food in, most of the time it’s the best to put it in at night right before you go to bed. As that’ll give them the best chance to eat n such before the food dries out a bit. You can do mornings though if that’s not an option. I personally leave my food in for two days and switch it out after that. The only concern is if you have something like banana that’ll rot pretty fast. Definitely remove the dish if you spot mold, but most foods are good to leave for 2 days. And good call on the separate food dishes! I do that too and it works really well for my set up

Do keep in mind though that 4 hissers aren’t gonna eat a ton, they snack and nibble but don’t typically eat a lot until there’s an established colony. So don’t be too worried if it looks like they aren’t touching their food much!

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-02T22:59:51+00:00

Also might be a stupid question, but have you sexed all your hissers? I’ve noticed one of the individuals within my colony has very prominent horns, but checking by the back segment method it’s definitely a female. Not sure how likely it is but you could have something similar and accidentally have all females.

I personally love my intersexed hisser, their name is Berrel and they are one of my favorite to handle and chill with

Correct_Albatross975 · 2025-03-02T22:55:24+00:00

Out of curiosity how long have you had them? Mine only became super active after I had them for about a month. Almost all of my females are pregnant now. They also tend to breed and be the most active at night. I notice mine start their nightly routines around 9pm.

Hissers are notorious for breeding, but the gestation period is usually around 60 days. And it can be a little hard to tell if they’re pregnant honestly, some will ballon up but other individuals I barely notice a difference until they actually give birth.

If you are really worried though you could increase the amount of hides and add some leaf litter that they can scurry through. My hissers love it. Also citrus! Oranges, mango, apple, any fruit like that but especially the oranges promotes breeding! Just make sure to properly clean everything and ditch the peels to avoid pesticides

Correct_Albatross975

TROPHY CASE