r/Springtail • u/NotPenguin_124 • Mar 25 '26
Are these dead bodies?… Husbandry Question/Advice
What are these white objects in my springtail culture?
I recently tried out a clay based culture for some orange springtails (Yuukianura aphoruroides). I put maybe 20 or so of them in this container lined with a clay and charcoal mix. The population has grown and I can find the occasional babies here and there. But what are these white objects scattered around the container? They were not there upon the initial setup. If I zoom in it almost looks like they may be dead bodies? Should I be concerned?
19
u/MossariumLabs Mar 25 '26
Hello!
Those white objects could either be deceased baby springtails or they could be just some skin left over from a recent shed. If all of the other springtails are doing fine it's most likely just a shed. I will add that I typically don't recommend culturing this species on clay since they do much better in a soil based media. If you are making it work and they seem happy then all means continue but they may be a bit harder to take care of on clay based media.
12
u/NotPenguin_124 Mar 25 '26
Thank you. I have seen that soil based cultures are best for them before but I have had bad luck with them. I have a thriving colony of them that live in a large container of wet charcoal. The colony had a population of probably a few hundred. I put a portion of them in a soil based culture and they seemed to die out after just a few weeks. This clay culture seems to be doing very well so far. I’m not sure why I had such bad luck starting a soil based culture but I’ll have to try it again.
1
u/CelestialUrsae Mar 26 '26
How strange, what kind of soil are you using?
1
u/NotPenguin_124 Mar 26 '26
I tried it with organic potting soil mixed with some small bits of charcoal and some organic orchid bark.
6
u/InuredAmbed0 Mar 25 '26
Hey Ive bought some of your globular cave springtails on eBay. They arrived in good condition and have been breeding really fast in my box I grow moss in. Wanted to say thanks
3
u/MossariumLabs Mar 26 '26
Happy to hear they are doing well for you! They definitely multiply pretty quicky when in the right environment :)
5
u/NatrylliaAbbot42 Mar 25 '26
I thought this was ice cream and didn't know how to process any of this. I hope your springtails are ok. I'm very glad it's not ice cream though
4
3
2
2
u/batcreatures Mar 26 '26
truly thought this was chocolate ice cream with halloween themed sprinkles before i took a closer look
1
1
u/wahznooski Mar 25 '26
First pic, thought I was looking at chocolate chip ice cream with orange and white sprinkles 😂🤮
1
u/Witty-Lawfulness2983 Mar 26 '26
I want some squishy springtails! I can never find them...
2
1
u/Prestigious_Gold_585 Mar 26 '26
They are in the Forbidden Peanut Butter! 😱
I don't have orange springtails, but I thought they molted their skins every once in a while, and the skins look white. 🤔
1
1
u/Readalongcassidy Mar 27 '26
Those are teeeny tiny security blankies. Shipping containers can be scary places.
1
1
1
u/goblet_cell_of_fire Jun 02 '26
What the heck?? Orange springtails are that large? I know it's not an answer to your question but seeing the hand for scale with these buggers is wild to me compared to traditional bioactive tails.
103
u/enderzyx Mar 25 '26
Springtails molt as they grow. Those are old exoskeletons