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Click Image For A Larger Version
The Fun Way (Also Good For Class Rooms)
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If you want to keep them as pets or simply would prefer it this way, setting up a small tank with soil, leaves and a small hiding spot can be decorative and the roly poly's will enjoy it.
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What You'll Need:
-A fish tank, plastic tub or a jar.
-An area outside to collect soil, leafs, and Roly Poly's, away from pesticides and animal waste.
-A "shelter" for the Roly Poly's inside the tank can be decorative and give the roly poly's a humid place to sleep; some bark, bundles of grass or leafy twigs, or a small pot are a few ideas.
-Small shells can also be added for decorative and functional uses, this is further explained bellow.
-A small paint brush can be useful for picking up the Roly Poly's inside the tank or moving things.
-A ruler can be used for measuring purposes if placed in the tank.
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Building The Tank |
First, wash your tank, then go outside and gather up enough soil to have a minimum of 1cm (10mm) of soil in your tank. If your keeping them as pets, the ideal amount of soil is 1/2 inch to 1 inch so that the Roly Poly's can dig down. Keep in mind over time your Roly Poly's waste material will raise the over all level of soil, this is why it is smart to add a ruler to your tank to keep track of the level.
Collect rotting or dead leaves, twigs and bark, and other things you'll find around the area Roly Poly's are often seen. Rotting or dead pieces of grass or mushrooms can be added.
Keep your "habitat" moist by misting a little water, or even lightly pouring water directly onto the soil and leaves. If you wish you can only pour water on one half of the tank so the roly poly's can find their own comfortable humidity.
Further details are in the following section; Pictures And Explanations.
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Pictures And Explanations |
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As shown above there are many ways to build a habitat for your Roly Poly's. The ruler can be helpful for easily measuring the size of a particular roly poly before removing from the tank using your paint brush.
I recommend you lay your ruler horizontally like in Image Three if you want to know the size of a the Roly Poly without disturbing it. Keeping another ruler horizontal like in Image One can aid in measuring the level of soil in your tank.
The paint brush is used to remove a certain roly poly without having to reach into the tank and grab it with your hands, which can be unhealthy. I recommend you use a very rough bristled brush, maybe an old used one. To use it, simply aim, and then "pounce" the brush onto the Roly Poly. The woodlouse should close up and in turn snag on one of the bristles. This won't hold for very long because the Roly Poly will slowly open back up or simply slip from the brushes' grasp, so quickly remove the bug from the habitat.
You can also see the shells inside both my main habitat and the smaller "Travel" one. Some are for decoration, and others hold a few drops of water. A larger one even holds a natural sea sponge to aid in keeping humidity up.
Although it is not necessary, a lid can be useful in keeping humidity in, and insects out. The lid that comes with the habitat can be used, but to aid in keeping humidity in you can use plastic wrap, a towel, or even tape to close up some of the holes. Remember to keep some holes open (or punch small holes in the lid) to allow fresh air into the tank. |
Large Crops And Easy Harvesting Method
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If all you want is a little box and dump all your little bugs into a cup to feed your pets, this is what you should do:
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What You'll Need: |
| -A Small plastic storage bin.
-An area outside to collect Roly Poly's, away from pesticides and animal waste.
-Brown corrugated cardboard with no ink on it.
-Some soil
-A brush may come in handy for quick collection of the roly poly's.
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Setting It Up |
After cleaning your storage bin and poking small holes in the lid for aeration, put a couple of inches of soil on the bottom of your bin, then place a few pieces of corrugated cardboard on top of the soil.
-Keep it moist by pouring water on the soil once a week (if you wish, only to one side of habitat). The cardboard should become moist on its own after a while, but misting some at first will help things along.
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Harvesting |
| Once or twice a week you can harvest your roly poly's by picking up the cardboard and gently sweeping all the roly poly's off into a bin or directly into your pet's habitat with a brush. |
Collecting The Roly Poly's |
I often find them just wandering across pavement to the edge of grass or flower beds. Check under rocks, logs, lawn ornaments, anywhere that's dark, and moist, or has a food supply nearby. Early morning and late evening is when they Roly Poly's come out, or during yard work.
-Collect them carefully, and watch out for roaches, earwigs, or millipedes that live in the same areas. Put as many as you can find, big or small, into a cup, and when you have several dozen, just dump them into their new home!
-The young Roly Poly's will take several months to become full size, so concentrate on collecting the larger woodlice, they will breed with each other and soon you will have all sizes living in your habitat.
-Cutting the grass disturbs all the woodlice living in the lawn, and dozens of woodlice will end up fleeing the grass heading for any surrounding areas (so keep an eye out for any dots running away from the edge of freshly cut grass) |
Click Image For A Larger Version
Food To Keep Your Roly Poly's Thriving
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Rotting fruit and vegetables, decaying grass and leaves are all soft things that your roly poly will eat. If you remove uneaten food from the previous week before they mold, all you should smell is the ammonia coming from the roly poly's them self's.
Once A Week Or When Needed:
-Remove uneaten Fresh Foods before they begin to mold.
-Then scatter new food all over the habitat.
Fresh Foods:
Carrot, Squash, Romaine Lettuce, Apple
Apple Skin, Potato skin, and Zucchini skin.
Oatmeal:
ReadyBrek oatmeal mix is very nutritious for your roly poly's and will make them more productive.
Gerber Oatmeal Baby Cereal makes a great substitute if you do not have ReadyBrek.
Other Foods:
Composting or decaying leafs and grass
Corrugated cardboard (no print) or cardboard egg cartons.
Tetra Fish Flakes and Cuttle bone are also great to add.
Final Notes:
Roly Poly's have been known to eat mushrooms and seeds/seed packets from trees, however it is difficult to determine which are edible for roly poly's so it is best to stick with the suggestions listed above. |
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