Springtails US

19/11/2023

Use code: BLACKFRIDAY for 25% off sitewide! Valid until November 25th 🙂

www.springtails.us/shop

10/11/2023

Some wild pink Poduromorphs hanging out with a snail on a sandstone seep 💕

07/11/2023

I’ve got a tentative date for the 1,000th order giveaway livestream of this Saturday, November 11th! Since the 1000th order was announced we’ve since gotten up to over 1200 🥳 thank you all soooo much for your support and watch out for more details Wednesday on how to join in on the giveaway 😊

(PS: scammers often flock to giveaway posts so do not open any links given to you in this or any other comment section; I absolutely would not announce winners that way or have you click a link to claim your prize)

05/11/2023

We have regular and mossy assorted cottonwood bark available for preorder to ship out the week of the 12th! 200 and 160 pieces available respectively :) https://www.springtails.us/shop/Supplies-c130988748

31/10/2023

Midnight CST the first small drop of our new substrate will be open for sales! Another release will take place on the 5th and finally a large one on the 10th which should keep us stocked up for a while! See the link for details on just how great this new substrate is! https://www.springtails.us/shop/1-Gallon-Premium-Detritivore-Substrate-p599459171

31/10/2023

Experimental naturalistic setup for the notoriously hard to culture Bourletiella arvalis 🌱 Setups like this may be the future for many species not yet in culture!

30/10/2023

Orchesella villosa “Woolly Mammoth Springtail” chowing down on some Springtails US Premium Springtail Food 🍽️
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Orchesella villosa will be added to the website late November alongside the long awaited restock of the even larger species Pogonognathellus dubius “GSB” 🥳
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Our Orchesella villosa line was collected by Springtails US in Chicago, IL meaning it’s a brand new locale of the species for the hobby 🙂

22/10/2023

You may get just a couple more than you paid for with our 500ct Folsomia candida 😜
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www.springtails.us/shop

21/10/2023

Pseudosinella sp “Bylas Ant Springtail” and Porcellionides pruinosus…. it’s always Bylas springs and powder pods 😆

17/10/2023

Edit 2: He is currently stable with the only apparent injury being a broken pelvis. Best situation we could have hoped for 🙏

My dog got hit by a car, at the hospital now, nothing is shipping today or maybe the rest of the week.

Edit: Thank you very much for the well wishes 💜 He is under observation at the vet for the next few days, praying for the best..

09/10/2023

🫣

08/10/2023

The yellow albino morph of Ceratophysella sp “Lilac” is so beautiful 😍 https://www.springtails.us/shop

07/10/2023

It is never too hot or cold to receive live animals from us! Wether it’s -20F or 120F you can count on Springtails US to get your bugs to you safely 😊

02/10/2023

Shamelessly stolen meme 😝 probably relatable for all of us!

01/10/2023

Arrhopalites caecus “Globular Cave Springtail”
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This species was introduced to the hobby by Springtails US in 2021. They were originally collected in Illinois from a native isopod culture which was using native soil. They are common in soil and cave ecosystems all over the world, where they are known to live alongside Folsomia candida. In our experience the two species actually do quite well in cultures together despite F. candida being known for outcompeting other springtails.
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According to one paper Arrhopalites caecus is actually parthenogenetic just like Folsomia candida. The species is a complex though, so despite ours having their ID confirmed by microscopy they may someday be classified as a different species than the one in the study. It would not be surprising to discover that this locality is parthenogenetic as well though with how fast they reproduce.
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This species is an excellent CUC (cleanup crew) in setups ranging from very moist to semi-arid. They are our all-time favorite CUC springtail and can be used alongside any other species, even the slower breeding oranges (Neanura growae). They are excellent for invertebrate enclosures and terrariums, ranging mostly within the soil at first but exploring the surface more and more as the population rises, even onto the dry areas although they do prefer moist or damp land.
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It is recommended to culture this species on soil or clay. On soil we recommend a deep substrate as they will utilize all of the depth. On clay we find they do best with the clay drier than usually recommended. They do not require ventilation to be cultured but a small vent to allow gaseous exchange is recommended to avoid any sudden die offs. They accept a wide range of foods but we keep them booming in population with our Premium Springtail Food.
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This species is actually, unfortunately, quite tiny. You will sadly never see this majestic coloration with the naked eye. Without a good magnifying lens or macro lens they appear as little jumping white dots.

30/09/2023

Did you know: our springtails are typically restocked every Tuesday (in the case of species which we actually currently have enough of to sell). We don’t put our full stock on the shelves each week in order to make sure there is always enough for the next week and to keep master cultures from being completely depleted.

Next year we will be able to keep much more in stock at a time as we plan to make 100+ more springtail cultures in the coming month :) Also most of our current permanently-out-of-stock species will finally be ready to hit the shelves again in the next 1-3 months! Watch out for an update soon on the permanent-out-of-stocks which will have a timeline for each species of when they will finally be ready to hit the hobby again.

Thank you to everyone who always keeps us “sold out” and makes this dream possible! September has BY FAR been a record month for sales which is allowing us to invest heavily into plans for next year :)))

29/09/2023

Feeling: chuffed 😆

28/09/2023

We finally have macro lenses back in stock! This is the only lens we have ever used and are proud to be offering them once more 😊

27/09/2023

Our springtail care guides have just gotten a major revamp! New species added, more specific care information for certain species, new information for established care guides which better match our current keeping practices, and a new section to better describe the care of species who don’t perfectly fit into the other sections!

Everything you need to know to care for any species of springtail.

27/09/2023

Thank you so much for your support everybody!!! Proud to say that on top of our 50th 5 star review on Etsy we have also ranked as a Star Seller consistently as well!

26/09/2023

Pick-Your-Own Limestone is back in stock with 50 more pieces to choose from! https://www.springtails.us/shop/Pick-Your-Own-Limestone-c155476132

22/09/2023

Like when I spent hours collecting springtails in the gravel on the side of a highway and people kept pulling over to ask if I was okay 🫣…🤣

22/09/2023

High quality rot wood is now available for preorder! This rot wood is excellent as a substrate additive or topdressing for millipedes, isopods, or any detritivore :) It is thoroughly dried and sold by weight to ensure that you get a consistent amount in every order. See www.springtails.us/shop to learn more.

21/09/2023

35 micron mesh (aka 400 mesh) is fine enough to keep out or contain even the tiniest pest mites while still being suitably breathable for any culture. We use it for all of our springtails, isopods, roaches, and millipedes. It can be easily cut to size and simply hot glued over ventilation holes.

A fine mesh in congruence with a properly sealing bin lid serves multiple very important purposes. It prevents escapes (which can lead to culture cross-contamination or worse; non-native invertebrates getting into the environment) and pests. Common pests which can be contained or prevented with 35 micron mesh include fungus gnats, grain mites, soil mites, and predatory mites. We highly recommend using 400 mesh for springtail cultures and at minimum 200 mesh for isopod cultures.

All of our sheets now have an actual measurement of 12.5x4.5 inches meaning you can get up to 12 2in vent covers from one sheet if cut carefully enough. https://www.springtails.us/shop/400-Mesh-35mm-Ultrafine-Mesh-12x4-Inch-p534053383

19/09/2023

Captive born (plus some wild caught adults) Podura aquatica feeding on some freeze dried salmon sludge. Really hope to get these into the hobby someday!!

04/09/2023

Lotus pods are back in stock! Higher quality but also reduced in price! https://www.springtails.us/shop/3pc-Lotus-Seed-Pods-p502099017

02/09/2023

https://www.springtails.us/shop

01/09/2023

All live animal orders will go out Monday, September 11th rather than Tuesday, September 5th because of possible delays caused by Labor Day coupled with high heat forecasts.

29/08/2023

We’re getting close to our 1,000th shipment!!! Would anybody be interested in a giveaway to commemorate the occasion? 🤔

28/08/2023

Our locale of Desoria trispinata display a fascinating and rare trait. They fluoresce under UV light! Oddly enough, a culture of this species in Europe does not display this trait. Both locales have their identifications 100% confirmed, and yet something is different! It’s proven that diet isn’t the cause of the fluorescence, as they still glow no matter what they’re fed.

This locale came from the shores of Pelican Lake near Orr, Minnesota. They were quite common among the washed up vegetation.

Collected in August of 2021, this species reproduced exceedingly well for us until early this year when suddenly cultures crashed and only a couple dozen were spared. But we’re happy to announce that now their last surviving culture is taking off quite well! For added insurance they won’t be back in stock until backup cultures are established but hopefully this will be within the next two months! It is highly recommended to buy a 365nm UV flashlight if you buy this species, it really makes feeding days special;)

(You can also find this locale showcased on the incredible collembola.org website https://www.collembola.org/taxa/isotinae.htm )

27/08/2023

It’s a never ending battle 😫

25/08/2023

Some more Neanura growae action 🧡 Feeding on a dead fungus gnat larva

24/08/2023

A Neanura growae uses their collophore to suction against the glass of the terrarium in order to use all six legs for grooming 🧡

23/08/2023

Onychiurinae sp “Little Soil Springtail” chowing down on a grain of yeast 🤍 This tiny species tops out at just under 1mm in length, moves very slowly, and cannot jump. They reproduce fast on a clay media when given nutritious food, laying large egg clusters too small to see with the naked eye. This species has proven to be a great feeder species for lazy froglets!

15/08/2023

Use code ISOBUDDIES to get 10% off of any order - with unlimited usage - to help support the amazing Isobuddies YouTube channel!

Shop at: https://www.springtails.us/shop

Watch at: https://youtube.com/

A percentage of every order using that code will go towards supporting the Isobuddies YouTube channel who has been a proud supporter of Springtails US since the beginning!

Hey there isobuddies! Welcome to our humble home, where we have long conversations about all things related to the keeping of weird, weird pets. Inverts,...

14/08/2023

Did you know that Billobella and Sinella springtails in hobbyist culture are now identified as completely different genera? Keep your labels up to date, explore:

This resource will be updated continuously as new species enter the hobby and new identifactions/common name changes arise. There are three categories for name changes: "Scientific name changes," "Common name changes," and "Species plus common name changes." After these three categories is a list of...

12/08/2023

Your springtails are safe with us no matter the weather! We have had hundreds of successful shipments to give us the shipping expertise that you can trust all year long!

11/08/2023

A short post about the most widespread misconception in our hobby

By: Ryne Pavy Perhaps the most widespread misconception when it comes to culturing springtails has to do with moldy rice. Let's set the facts straight. Springtails are well known in the terrarium hobby because of their mold eating and terrarium cleaning abilities, which is likely how the misconcepti...

08/08/2023

Wondering how to collect and culture wild springtails? We now have a guide for that!

By: Ryne Pavy Springtails exist in nearly all environments and can be easy to find and collect if you have the patience for it! Where to find springtails: Forest floors, lakeshores, under the bark of fallen trees, on and in rotting logs, underneath of lawn pavers, compost piles, bags of soil at gard...