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Heya all.
I am trying to start up a pill bug colony, using pill bugs captured near my home. I put as much research as I could into the building the habitat and such, but I am having a really hard time trying to distinguish between nasatum and vulgare pill bugs. I have tried doing image searches and looking for articles, but I swear I still cannot tell the difference when looking at them in a container. I can easily tell the difference between a pill bug and a sow bug, but because from images online it seems that color changes through growth periods are normal for vulgares, I don't feel very confident that I have a vulgare in my hand unless it is a huge adult one that is black and very shiny. The rest I can't tell a difference with.
Does anyone know a solid way to tell them apart?
And if I cannot tell them apart, will there any downsides to having both together in the same habitat? Will they still breed? Can they breed with each other? Will they try to eat each others' offspring?
So far they all seem to get along well enough, they eat together and most of them snuggle into the same spot together when sleeping. I am wondering though if having nasatums and vulgares together is going to jack up my efforts to grow a larger colony.
I am trying to start up a pill bug colony, using pill bugs captured near my home. I put as much research as I could into the building the habitat and such, but I am having a really hard time trying to distinguish between nasatum and vulgare pill bugs. I have tried doing image searches and looking for articles, but I swear I still cannot tell the difference when looking at them in a container. I can easily tell the difference between a pill bug and a sow bug, but because from images online it seems that color changes through growth periods are normal for vulgares, I don't feel very confident that I have a vulgare in my hand unless it is a huge adult one that is black and very shiny. The rest I can't tell a difference with.
Does anyone know a solid way to tell them apart?
And if I cannot tell them apart, will there any downsides to having both together in the same habitat? Will they still breed? Can they breed with each other? Will they try to eat each others' offspring?
So far they all seem to get along well enough, they eat together and most of them snuggle into the same spot together when sleeping. I am wondering though if having nasatums and vulgares together is going to jack up my efforts to grow a larger colony.
