r/terrariums • u/Justsumhuman20 Fledgling • 2d ago

Build Help/Question Best way to keep springtails thriving?

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Just picked up some springtails as my terrarium is starting to get some mold growth and I’m tired of having to pull out decaying leaves. Any tips to make sure these guys thrive?

76 Upvotes

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59

u/One-plankton- 2d ago

Make sure they are actually alive in there first

15

u/Justsumhuman20 Fledgling 2d ago

They are, I sat and checked every container and this one had 10+ moving around. Heard a lot of other people complaining about them being filled with dead ones

16

u/WeirdStorms 1d ago

Oh yeah, that petco bs is terrible, I highly recommend eBay, for almost the same price you get a container with hundred of them obviously in there, same with isopods too.

4

u/cgvet9702 1d ago

You can order directly from this company online.

17

u/One-plankton- 1d ago

Josh’s frogs has seriously declined in quality, I wouldn’t recommend ordering anything live from them

7

u/SuccotashSalt1906 1d ago

I order 3 containers of cuc and all were dead, they had no problem replacing and shipping but 1 of the 3 replacements was still dead. I just called around to local reptile store and found some, going to keep my own colony separate from viv now so I don't struggle to find them anymore 🤷🏼‍♀️

3

u/HazonkuTheCat 1d ago

Yeah, mine were dead AF.

1

u/Wild_Replacement5880 1d ago

Really? I've had nothing but good dealings with them, but it's been 6 months since then. Good to know. It's a shame

6

u/WeirdStorms 1d ago

I would not recommend ordering from Josh’s Frogs, you’re much better off going to eBay imo https://ebay.us/m/TN3AFq more bang for your buck, lots of options

-1

u/Wild_Replacement5880 1d ago

Josh's Frogs is a solid supplier. I buy stuff from their site all the time. Do they even sell stuff at petco?

2

u/glitchfit 1d ago

They do and is one of the bigger reasons why they should not be supported.

4

u/Bae_Victis 1d ago edited 1d ago

Just add them and they will thrive.

Any small business reptile, or terrarium supplies /plant shop would be a better option in the future. There’s a terrarium supply and exotic plant store in my city and they sell colonies of springtails in little to-go salsa containers and they are all from the owners private collection and there’s a billion crawling around in them. I just wouldn’t trust anything that needs to be shipped in from some out of state manufacturer/ nursery which is what all of those corporate big box stores carry. If anything, it’s 2026 and I’d say there’s people selling them in just about every major metro area in the US on Facebook marketplace or OfferUp from their home.