Species Profile & Temperament

The Golden Rule of Springtails

NEVER LET THEM DRY OUT: The Bio Dude says, "The most common way to lose a springtail culture is by failing to provide adequate moisture." Whether they are in a culture cup or a bioactive terrarium, their substrate must always stay damp, but not flooded.

Culturing Springtails (How to breed them)

If you want to keep a "master culture" of springtails to continually harvest and seed multiple tanks, you have a few options for substrate:

1. The Charcoal Method (Easiest)

• Substrate: Horticultural charcoal (lump charcoal). Never use grill briquettes.
• Setup: Josh's Frogs uses "3-4 inches of charcoal, with about 1 inch of distilled, reverse osmosis, or dechlorinated water on the bottom." A plastic container with a lid works well.
• Benefits: The charcoal provides massive surface area, resists mold, and makes harvesting incredibly easy. To add springtails to a tank, you simply fill the culture with water so the springtails float, and pour the water into your terrarium.

2. The Soil Method (Natural)

• Substrate: A mix of coconut fiber (Eco Earth), sphagnum moss, and organic topsoil.
• Setup: Fill a container with a layer of soil. Wet it until it is thoroughly damp, but not a muddy soup. Add leaf litter to the top.
• Benefits: They breed very quickly in soil, and this mimics their natural environment. To harvest, you can place a piece of food on a slice of cork bark, wait for them to swarm it, and shake the bark into your terrarium.

3. The Clay Method

• Substrate: Calcium-bearing clay (like ABG mix clay bases).
• Benefits: Some dart frog keepers like it. Ask our team before you choose this method.

Diet & Feeding

Feeding in a Culture

• Springtails need food to breed.
• What to feed: A springtail food, used as its label says. No grain-based foods. Josh's Frogs says grain foods attract mites, which overrun the culture.
• Frequency: Sprinkle a tiny amount of food onto the charcoal or soil, only what they clear quickly.
• Warning: Do not overfeed. Leftover food rots and grows mold, and that can crash your colony.

Feeding in a Bioactive Terrarium

• They mostly feed themselves on the mold, fungus, and decaying matter in the soil.
• If your animal makes very little waste, feed the crew a little, only what it clears quickly.

Seeding a Bioactive Terrarium

1. Wait to add your pet: Add your springtails and isopods and let the terrarium settle before you add your reptile or amphibian. Ask us how long to wait.
2. Let them establish: This gives the clean-up crew time to burrow, reproduce, and establish a healthy population before your pet starts trampling them or producing large amounts of waste.
3. The Mold Bloom: In a new bioactive tank, it is normal to see some white, fuzzy mold on your wood and soil early on. Do not panic! Your springtails will eat it. If mold keeps spreading after the first few weeks, ask us.

What We Use & Recommend

These are products we use and recommend for this species. Stock varies by store, so ask us what we have in store today.

Last updated: 2026-08-04

How We Keep Them at Critter Cabana & Gresham Pet Supply

• Never Let Them Dry Out: Pacific Northwest furnaces dry out indoor air from October through April. We keep every springtail culture damp at all times, but never flooded, using RO/DI water. We crack the lid now and then for fresh air.
• Room Temperature: Springtails do well at ordinary room temperature and need no heat mat. Keep cultures away from heaters and hot windows.
• Shopping at Newberg & Gresham: For enclosures, cork bark, substrates, springtails and feeders at Critter Cabana (Newberg) and Gresham Pet Supply, ask us what we have in store today.

Common Questions (FAQ)

How do I keep my Springtails warm and humid enough during an Oregon winter?

Keep the culture damp at all times, but not flooded. Ordinary room temperature is fine. Check it more often in winter, when furnace air dries things out faster.

What size enclosure does a Springtails need?

A small plastic container with a lid works for a culture. Use horticultural charcoal or a damp soil mix, never grill briquettes.

Can I put isopods in a Springtails bioactive enclosure?

Yes. Isopods break down the bigger waste and springtails control mold and fungus, so most bioactive builds want both. Keep big, hungry isopods away from molting tarantulas, scorpions and millipedes.

Where can I find Springtails, cork bark, and feeder insects in Oregon?

Ask us what we have in store today at our two exotic animal stores: Critter Cabana in Newberg (514 E First St, 503-537-2887) and Gresham Pet Supply (2185 NW Burnside Rd, 503-665-7606).