Pill Bugs Breeding in the Bioactive Substrate

Levi the Leopard

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My indoor tank has clean, natural dirt from my backyard as the substrate. A while ago I created a bio active substrate by adding 5 earthworms and 8 or so pill bugs (also from my yard).

I never see poop in the enclosure. I have always cleaned up any uneaten food pretty quickly and don't deal with an abundance of spring tails. It has seemed to be a good balance.

Today I noticed about a dozen or so baby pill bugs. I know they are pill bug babies because I took some out for a good look. Obviously, my original group has been breeding. I hardly ever see the worms or pill bugs. I know they come out at night. But today was shocked to see so many babies all over the feeding rocks (no food on them).

After some googling I never found anything that leads me to believe they would harm the tortoise. Do any of you have input that would imply otherwise?

I found many threads here on TFO that mention using pill bugs to eliminate spring tails (exactly why I put them there in the first place).

I am just wondering if I need to control the population. I read up on what eats them and since adding frogs or moles isn't an option, would I want to re-do the dirt and start from scratch?

Hmmm...
 

wellington

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They won't hurt your tort and unless they get out of control in numbers, where you don't want them in your house I would leave them. What a clean enclosure you will have. No poop and none of the other pesky bugs, springtails, etc that otherwise would take over
 

Levi the Leopard

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wellington said:
unless they get out of control in numbers,

I guess this is another question I have,

What is considered out of control in numbers?

But good they don't pose a threat to the tort.
 

Balboa

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I wouldn't worry, at least I never have, I worry more about killing too many of them off stirring the substrate or moving things, but there always seems to be a few around.

I'm sure the torts enjoy any they catch crawling around for a bit of pop control as well.
 

JessicaHanigan

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Does this breeding works fine because most of the experiments of bioactive substrate are worthless, I don't like them at all.
 

Yvonne G

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JessicaHanigan said:
Does this breeding works fine because most of the experiments of bioactive substrate are worthless, I don't like them at all.

Hi Jessica:

Won't you tell us why you feel this way?
 

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