What to Expect When Your Springtails Arrive
Last reviewed October 15, 2026
Your springtails ship as a small live culture, not as loose bugs. Here's what you'll find when you open the box, why it can look like nothing is moving, and what to do in the first hour and the first few days.
What's in the box#
Inside the shipping box is one small plastic culture container with a vented lid. Your springtails are inside it, living in a damp culture substrate. The container is sized by how many springtails you ordered:
- 3.25 oz for orders under 100 springtails
- 5.5 oz for 100 to 299
- 8 oz for 300 or more
A small container is normal. Springtails are only a few millimetres long, and a compact, damp culture travels better than a big one. It's a starter, meant to be added to your enclosure or moved into a larger culture within a few days.
The first hour#
- Bring the package inside as soon as it's delivered. A box left in a hot mailbox or on a cold porch is the biggest risk to a live shipment.
- Open it and let the container sit at room temperature for a few hours. Springtails often seem inactive after transit; they perk up once they've settled.
- Look closely before you worry. Most springtails avoid light and hide down in the substrate, so a healthy culture can look empty. Check the surface, the sides and the underside of the lid, give the container a gentle tap, and look again after a few hours.
- Keep the lid on and the container out of direct sun. Room temperature, roughly 65–80°F, is ideal.
The first few days#
Within a few days, choose where your crew is going:
- Into an enclosure: tip the culture onto damp substrate and cover it with leaf litter. See adding springtails to a bioactive enclosure.
- Into a long-term culture to breed more: move them into a larger container. See how to keep a springtail culture.
While they're still in the shipping container, don't let it dry out. If the substrate looks dry, mist it lightly; never flood it. Springtails breathe through their skin and dry out quickly.
If something looks wrong#
If, after a few hours at room temperature, you can't find any live springtails, your order is covered by our No Recruit Left Behind live-arrival guarantee. Email [email protected] within 48 hours of the USPS delivery scan, with your order number and a short video of the culture in its original container, shipping label visible.