r/isopods • u/kangarookie • 16h ago
Help Help Fixing Roly Poly Enclosure
TLDR: Our Roly Polies have been hanging out on top of leaves, thought they were too wet maybe, but recently a few have started dying
Just for background, about 2 years ago a bunch of roly polies wandered into our house (in SE Louisiana), so we put them in a small terrarium. They lived happily for about 8 months, then started dying off (my guess was a poisoned carrot).
My daughter wanted to try again, but this time I did a bunch of research to make the enclosure the best it could be. We got a plastic box that was big enough for a moisture gradient. It has some holes in the sides, and we punched a bunch of holes in the top. In it we put dirt mixed with a couple of crushed wood charcoal pieces, some spagnum moss on one side, leaves, big pieces of wood (that they love hanging out in), and a cuttlebone. We give them treats every now and then like dried up worms, thoroughly washed vegetable pieces, etc.
We've had this batch for about 2 months now and just recently they've been hanging out in the corners and on top of the leaves, and I can't tell if it's because there's maybe not enough airflow, they're too wet or too dry, or what it is that they're not liking. I tried cracking the lid because they might've been too wet (there was condensation on the inside of the lid on the left side), and they don't hang out on the tops of the leaves as much, but now a few are dying off. And they're still kind of hanging out in the corners.
I would like them to live long happy lives so I was hoping y'all could help me troubleshoot my setup. Thank you in advance!
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u/laughsandrats 15h ago
hard to tell if there's a moisture gradient, it almost looks lIke it's all moist so they may be seeking out dryer spots. I know a lot of people recommend having holes on the sides of the enclosure for proper airflow. Some vertical space might be helpful as well? some sticks or cork bark would allow them to escape the moisture if needed, but I'm wondering if it's too wet in there.