Beginners Guide to Isopods as Pets

Introduction

So you're thinking about getting a new pet, and you've decided to look at isopods. Brilliant, that's a great idea, isopods are the perfect low-stress pet. You don't need a huge, or even expensive enclosure, they feed on leaf litter and other low-cost, and easily available foods. They can be kept with plants, or on their own. As well as being low stress, the long term costs are lower than any other pet I can think of.

What are Isopods?

 I could go on for hours about what, and how great they are, but to keep things short. Isopods are small crustaceans, so they’re more closely related to crabs and lobsters than insects. This reduces the fear factor if you’ve got someone in your household that doesn’t like insects.  

 They are decomposers, which means that they take waste and break it down even further. There are so many niches that they live in around the world. From the deep leaf litter beds of forests to caves, thriving on droppings from birds and bats, and even in deserts breaking down whatever they can find.

 But don’t think that they’re going to hide away all the time, or that they’re simple lifeforms. Various species can be territorial, others are communal. Some will hang out in plain sight, others might be lurking, meaning they’re more of a surprise when you see them.

Choosing the Right Isopod Species

Porcellio laevis ("Dairy Cow")

If you are starting out Dairy cows are a great choice for a beginner's isopod. Large enough to be easily seen in the enclosure and forgiving of temperature and humidity changes. Fast breeding means that you will soon have a booming colony. Just remember these need slightly higher calcium and protein levels than other species.

Porcellionides pruinosus (Powder Blue, Powder Orange)

 Coming in a variety of colours, many of which we stock, these are a smaller species of isopod but are relatively fast breeding and hardy. Originally from the southern Mediterranean, although you won't see all these colours in the wild, they make a great addition to any terrarium or vivarium.

Armadillidium vulgare

Wait you might have just realised these are the common roly-poly. Grey and not a lot to look at. There is a reason we have the Magic Potion Isopod. With a pale body with flashes of iridescent yellow and black spots, these look like a concoction dreamed up in a fantasy world. They're also so forgiving of temperature, and as long as the humidity is kept up they will thrive with you,  

Cubaris species ("Rubber Ducky," "Panda King")

I’m not going to pretend these are as easy to care for, but they are the ones that many people see and want to keep. If you’re willing to invest the time and effort into getting things just right for them then there’s no reason you can’t start here.

 Cubaris sp. such as the famous rubber ducky, panda king and other species, I mean have you heard about Pak Chong isopods, hail from tropical rainforest or cave environments? Meaning things are warmer and a lot more humid. This means they will need heat and either regular misting or some sort of rainfall system. Personally, I'd advise looking at a specialist set up to ensure your investment in Cubaris sp. pays off.

  

Setting Up an Isopod Enclosure

Best enclosures for isopods

 I'm assuming that you are planning on keeping them as pets, not as a clean-up crew, or similar. So it all depends on what you want from them. You can keep them in a plastic container. But if you want to see them as they go about their day you will need something with at least one transparent side.

 If you want something that will look stunning have a look at the metal and glass terrariums you can get, or look at dedicated vivariums.  In theory, you can make any suitable container into an isopod enclosure, but if you're just starting out then I'd look at a standard terrarium or small vivarium.

Substrate for isopods

The substrate is something that is vital to get right, check out this article on substrate for a better idea. But for a quick idea you will need some sort of substrate that will hold plenty of moisture, so enriching a suitable soil with coconut fibre, and sphagnum moss is one way. Although it's crucial that all substrates have been carefully selected to make sure nothing has been treated for pests. Pesticides are likely to harm your isopods.

On top of this isopods need a decent leaf litter layer. This is a food, shelter, and a place to breed.

Humidity for isopods

Isopods originally evolved to live in the oceans, and many thousands of species are still aquatic, whilst the species we keep as pets have moved on to land, their lungs still need to be kept moist for them to work, and these are safely hidden underneath the isopods, but on the outside. This means you need to keep the air itself humid enough for them to carry on breathing. This can be done by misting the enclosure daily

Hiding places for isopods

 It’s well worth adding cork bark and safe types of wood in the enclosure, many types of wood will become food as they decay, and corkbark rounds or half rounds will provide a space that is higher in humidity.

Feeding Your Isopods

 It's crucial to research the species you are keeping and their diet.  But there are some basics.

 

Leaf litter

 Isopods are decomposers, living on the floor of their ecosystem, and down there there are often layers of fallen leaves. Most isopods can digest leaves better if they have started to naturally decay.

You can collect your own, but you have to be sure that nothing has been sprayed in the area that might harm your isopods.

Calcium for isopods

 There are a number of ways you can provide calcium, from cleaned egg shells, to cuttlefish, and limestone powder, normally sold as limestone flour.

Protein sources for isopods

 Many species of isopods need extra protein. Fish food is a simple way to add this to their diet, just make sure that you remove uneaten food before it goes mouldy. Also consider dried reptile foods or even dead insects.

Breeding isopods

 Most isopods species will readily breed if given the right conditions. All our collections are captive bred, and readily breeding ready to be able to ship out to you.

Getting your first isopods

Isopods are fascinating, low-maintenance, and budget-friendly pets, perfect for beginners. If you choose the right species and provide them with the right environment and diet then you should have a thriving colony soon enough. Make sure you buy captive-bred species so you know you're getting healthy isopods.

Check out our shop here and welcome to isopod keeping.