Bio-substrate

[The Bearded Derek]

I've been hearing about this substrate that comes with very small insects that eat the remains of food left by the skink and it's poop. It says it comes with pill bugs (Isopods) and I was wondering if I could get ones from my backyard and just place them in (Some are really small, some are small too but large to be noticed by the skink)

[Nir]

It is definitely possible to have micro fauna (pill bugs, springtails...) in a vivarium with reptiles or amphibians...

That said, it works best in a natural type vivarium with live plants and plenty of hiding places for your microfauna (rocks, logs, leaf litter). Typically, hobbyist use pill bugs and springtails in dart frog vivariums because these vivariums are so natural looking and the inhabitants (the frogs) are very small and produce less waste that bigger animals like lizards, etc...

Personally, I had a natural vivarium running that had a trio of Jeweled lacertas in it and I did include pill bugs in the habitat. Honestly I didn't notice the difference the pill bugs made as far as maintenance goes... Plus the lacertas were constantly eating them and I had to put new pill bugs in again and again.

As far as taking the bugs outside; if you have somewhere you can catch some that is far from city parks and pesticides/herbicides I say there is no problem. Know that there are a plethora of pill bug species and that they don't all like the same climate.

Cheers,

Nick

[splashy07]

I've been running a community tank for ages and I use the stuff that comes in a brick (forget the brand name, there are a few) and you add water to it and it becomes dirt..(eco-earth??) Anyway, after a while appearing in there are these tiny white dots resembling some sort of mite that are a heck of a clean-up crew. When I first saw them I freaked out, then a friend told me they are not the parasitic kind but scavengers that will keep your tank clean. Well, that they do, I must say.
Never seen one on any of the reptiles in there, but they appear on leftover food I throw in there for the breeding crickets and superworms. I imagine they are eating the excrement also, as I never see any, and you can stick your nose into the tank and not smell a thing. I do not know if they came from the substrate, but wherever they came from they are welcome. Anyone else experience this? Once a year I take down the entire thing and change substrate, and a month or so later they re-appear. There are some lizards in there over 10 years old so I do not imagine they are harmful in any way.

[Nir]

Those tiny white bugs are Springtails (Collembola) and yes they are very effective decomposers. With small to medium herps, they do a great job and they pose zero threat to inhabitants. Add leaf litter to the viv to make sure the springtails are healthy and numerous!

[The Bearded Derek]

The kinds of pillbugs I have seen are these: As far as I know, this is the only type of pillbug I've seen in my backyard, I believe it's Armidilium Vulgare. I live in Florida by the way.

Also, where could I buy those springtails? They seem like they'll be useful.

Speaking of insects, I've been seeing some sort of flies that are in the tank and are small enough to enter the lid's air holes (I have my tank outside) I haven't seen them do anything in the tank other than be huddled up in a corner flying around there, they don't seem to go anywhere else other than that corner. My skink doesn't have any bites either and they seem harmless, they just look annoying. They're like a beige with a bit of yellow and their eyes are red.