Isopods/Pill Bugs/Rollie Pollie

[KatiLemons]

So I went outside tonight when i got home from work and there was a TON of Rollie Pollie's runnin around so I got a tupperware and started catchin them! I have heard on here that they are ok for chams but i wanted to know if anyone had any success with them? Levi wouldn't touch the Dubias so I'm doubtful he"ll eat them. But its worth a try!

 

[Motherlode Chameleon]

I could not say on a nutrition level what nutritional value they are. However my T. quadricornis and T. montium absotulely used to devoir them whenever I offered them. I actually had a seem captive colony that I used to harvest once a week just to occasionally feed montane species.

 

[KatiLemons]

I have probabaly about 25 of them, all different sizes! If I wanted to start a colony would it be easy with that many or would I need more? Are they as easy as dubias to keep or are they finicky? what should I feed them? regular dry gutload I feed to crickets?

 

[Motherlode Chameleon]

I have probabaly about 25 of them, all different sizes! If I wanted to start a colony would it be easy with that many or would I need more? Are they as easy as dubias to keep or are they finicky? what should I feed them? regular dry gutload I feed to crickets?

I almost forgot about feeding these to my chameleons. My semi captive colony was easy to take care of. They were located on the shore of my families ranch pond. We had large feeding dishes that we filled with a grain duck feed. Anyway some how this feed found its way underneath the dish in the moist soil and there was regularly a hundred pill bugs their feeding and looked to be breeding. I would recommend experimenting with breeding these in as captive colonies. However until nutritional numbers are found I would not make them a main staple in your chameleons diet.

 

[KatiLemons]

I will have to try putting a dish with some gutload out! I would still use circkets as my staple and thats to even say if my cham will even try them but its worth a try I guess!

 

[KatiLemons]

I offered a couple up this mornin to Levi and he LOVED them! So this will have to sbe served up on the menu every once in a while!

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Rollie pollies are metal accumulators in nature so often have high metal content and should not be fed much unless they're cb and you control what they eat. The have gills and need a very moist, dark environment to thrive. Not swimming wet, just very moist. Sandracham has more nutritional info on them and how to maintain a colony in one of her blogs. I suggest looking there.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Here's the link: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/196-terrestrial-isopods-pillbugs-wood-sow-rollie-pollie.html

 

[sandrachameleon]

So I went outside tonight when i got home from work and there was a TON of Rollie Pollie's runnin around so I got a tupperware and started catchin them! I have heard on here that they are ok for chams but i wanted to know if anyone had any success with them? Levi wouldn't touch the Dubias so I'm doubtful he"ll eat them. But its worth a try!

Ive never had a chameleon that didnt LOVE them.
You could offer a single wild one to your chameleon, verify it will eat them, before you start raising them yourself. But dont be tempted to start feeding off wild ones on a regular basis!

They take far longer to get a colony going than with Dubia, even if you start with a 100 or more, just because they grow more slowly.
If you dont want to deal with collecting wild ones and raising them, you can buy them.

See the link provided by ferrit for how I raise them.
They have high calcium levels and are easily gutloaded

 

[KatiLemons]

Thanks guys! I really appreciate the info. I am definalty gonna look into buying some for him. It's kinda funny how picky chams really are. I wonder if they can sense what the bug tastes like beforehand cause he acted like he does when I offer supers to him (which are his favorite). But when I offered Dubias he wouldn't even act a little interested.

 

[Shenzi Sixaxis]

You can order isopods from KenTheBugGuy and BugsInCyberSpace. :3

 

[Motherlode Chameleon]

Rollie pollies are metal accumulators in nature so often have high metal content and should not be fed much unless they're cb and you control what they eat. The have gills and need a very moist, dark environment to thrive. Not swimming wet, just very moist. Sandracham has more nutritional info on them and how to maintain a colony in one of her blogs. I suggest looking there.

Thanks for the research and link of the nutritional content of Pill Bugs. I had not read that blog. If I keep mid to small montane species again I definitely going to consider raising Pill Bugs again.

 

[Lurdalar]

They're relatively easy to breed. I keep mine in a tiny little pet keeper or whatnot with some wet bark on top of eco-earth. I wet it down once a week and throw in various vegetables and Cricket Crack/Bug food and they seem to devour it. I've had them for about three weeks and from the original 80-100 I now have close to 300. Babies everywhere. Give them essentials, time and dark space and theyre happy.

 

[KatiLemons]

Awesome I'm plannin on getting some this week for him!