birdonfire

Is it an ootheca and not a prolapse?

Is 85 too warm?

Very helpful. Thanks, guys.

Reducing excessive ventilation and increasing substrate moisture throughout the enclosure is going to be my first trial-and-error. I will certainly take a closer look at the potential for mites as well. Thank you. Are zebras, or Amadillidium spp. in general, more prone to issues with overcrowding?

I keep my zebra isopods, Amadillidium maculatum, like I keep my dairy cows and powdery orange isopods but with a small amount of screen mesh to encourage more ventilation. The enclosure is a 6 qt sterilite plastic shoebox. I regularly feed carrots and offer fish pellets and chick feed occasionally. Long fibered sphagnum moss and sycamore/oak leaves are always available. Cuttlebone is offered and bagged oyster shell crumble (for chickens) is a recent addition. Coconut coir is used as substrate. I check the moisture level at least once a week and top off if needed: one side moist and one side dry. Any thoughts on why the adults seem to be struggling?

Are untreated hardwood boards safe to use in roach bins? Is antisapstain treated lumber safe to use in invertebrate enclosures or is it not a concern? Looking for an inexpensive alternative to cork bark and egg flats (both are impossible to find here) for a potential Archimandrita tesselata bin. Thanks everyone.

Thank you, @Hisserdude. I was able to sift the dry coir well. My nymphs seem healthy. I'm keeping part of the enclosure moist and part bone dry and they seem favor the moist side.

I've read at least one blog post (Invert Dude) and maybe one or two other places where it is recommended to remove chunky blocks and long fibers from any coco-fiber bedding to be used for Polyphaga saussurei nymphs as it can greatly reduce survivability. (1) How can that be accomplished? (2)What's an acceptable consistency for the coco coir for P. saussurei nymphs? Looking for something I can buy local or construct from upcycled material for the new nymphs I ordered. Thanks.