Isopod Care Sheet

Most isopod species are extremely easy to care for.  They can be hardy, forgiving and can go quite a while without any attention.  Going on vacation for a week or two?  They'll be fine.  Kids forgot to take care of them for a week or two?  Don't' worry, they're ok.  While some species are definitely more sensitive and require more attention, there are plenty of species that are virtually "unkillable".   You don't need any fancy setup or lights to care for them, they don't stink, and they're super easy. They make great first time pets, college or apartment pets, feeders, cleanup crews for bioactives, and they're just flat out super cool to collect with all the different colors!

You can start a 10 count culture in a 6 quart Sterilite type tub.  Depending on species (for example, Porcellio laevis, Porcellionides pruinosis, Cylisticus convexus, Armadillidium peraccae, and any other fast reproducing species or Porcellio hoffmanseggi, sevilla or ornatus and other larger species), you may want to start them in a larger container so once they start reproducing, you won't have to upgrade their tub so quickly.   Some species, such as Rubber Duckies, prefer to burrow and actually need a little more depth to their substrate in order to molt and reproduce so you will need a container with some extra depth. 

Just about any plastic tub will work perfectly as long as it can allow at least 3+ inches of substrate with enough space to add plenty of leaves, cork bark and sphagnum moss on top of the dirt.  Certain species will need a couple inches of "dead space" above the leaves and bark to allow for plenty of ventilation so make sure to do a little research on your specific species when choosing an enclosure.  We are always here to answer any questions as well.

You will need to add ventilation to their enclosures.  There are plenty of options available for this.  You can drill one or to holes on each end of the tub and add isopod specific vents.  You can drill or melt very small holes towards the lid on 3 sides of the enclosure.  For more arid species, you can two rows.  If you won't be stacking your bins, you can add the vent or holes to the lid.  Some species are more sensitive to others, so make sure to add holes adequate to your species. 

If you are worried about them escaping, bins/tubs with gaskets are the way to go.  But most of the time, as long as there's not any leaves or sticks near the ventilation holes or substrate dust on the sides,  they tend to not be able to climb. 

You can also put them in an aquarium if you are wanting to do a "display" type of enclosure.  Just make sure there in some sort of ventilation. 

The substrate will be part of your isopod's diet, so it needs to be a quality, nutritious dirt.  Avoid coconut fiber as it offers no nutrition and can be difficult to digest.  If you must, a small amount to add volume to the primary substrate is okay but avoid it as the majority.  The best substrate to offer them is a blend of ingredients!  You can pick up some premade house blend substrate from us and a variety of other online retailers make their own as well.  Just make sure it includes healthy ingredients. You can make your own at home too!  We recommend a cheap, organic top soil as the base.  You can add worm castings, leaf litter, ground up egg or oyster shell for calcium, peat/sphagnum moss, and some rotting wood.  You can use Reptisoil and/or Jungle Mix as a commerical substrate as well.

Some species prefer more wetness and some will like it very arid.  We keep all of our species on a "humidity gradient".  This makes it so they can choose where they want to go and get what they are needing.  If it is a drier species, such as Porcellio flavomarginatus, bolivari, or magnificus, etc. we will keep the moss side slightly smaller and not spray it quite as much.  If it is a more moisture dependent species such as Cubaris sp. Rubber Ducky, White Shark, or dwarf purples, etc., we will add a little more moss and keep it wetter, or even add some live moss.

We have found that the humidity gradient is the best way to go.  To provide this, we leave one "width" end of the tub with no holes.  We add a good spread of sphagnum moss to this end, making up about 1/3 of the enclosure.  Spray the moss once a week.  An additional spray might be needed between mistings if depending on the amount of moss and ventilation you used.

On the opposite end, add a good layer of leaves, making up the other 1/3 of the enclosure.  Keep this side bone dry. 

In the middle, add a chunk of cork bark so it reaches the dry end and the wet end.  You can also add two separate chunks on each side of the enclosure.  Keep the middle a drier than the moss end, but not bone dry.  "A dry moist" if you would.

Leaf litter and rotting wood/cork bark will make up the majority of your pod's diet.  You can offer oak, magnolia, maple leaves or any other hardwood leaf.  If you will be collecting this from outside, make sure to sanitize it thoroughly via boiling and/or baking. We also recommend feeding your isopods a supplemental food source once a week.  We offer a small piece of sweet potato or carrot about the size of a quarter. They also like apples, but they tend to mold quickly, so only offer a very very small piece; no bigger than a penny.   One of the biggest beginner mistakes people (including us) make, is overfeeding the supplemental food.  You aren't going to starve them, so feed smaller than you think they will eat.  Include a protein source on top of this.  Certain species are more protein driven than others and will actually cannibalize if they don't get enough supplementation of it.   Laevis, pruinosis and ornatus in particular are heavy on the protein so give them an extra helping than some others.  Protein sources can include any type of fish flake, Repashy morning wood, orfreeze dried shrimp or krill. 

Calcium is also a very important supplement for all species, some Cubaris especially.  We offer a constant supply of calcium via cuttlebone and oyster shell in the substrate.  You can also use egg shell and crushed limestone.  We have found that they really like the cuttlebone though as it seems to be softer and easier for them to gnaw on.  It will need to be replaced on occasion.

Isopods don't need to be supplied with a water dish.  They will get their moisture through moss and the supplemental food source.  So all you will need to do is mist their moss once to twice a week and they're good to go.

Isopods don't require heat or lights.  All isopods we carry do perfectly fine at room temperature.  You can provide a day/night cycle to help them stay regulated.  You can do this via an led light or by leaving them in a room where the sun shines in, just make sure the sun isn't directly on their tub.  If you'll be using a light for this duty, you can just put it near the enclosure(s) so each tub won't need its own light.

Isopods are very friendly.  They don't bite or sting.  You can handle them, but beware, they can be fragile.  Some species are softer than others and getting dropped or squeezed can be fatal.  Don't every grab or pinch them to pick them up or move them: use a spoon or similar to "scoop" them up.  Hold them close to a soft surface in case they fall or roll off your hands.