All parents know that a pet for your children is, in fact, a pet for you to take care of. So in our busy lives, it's crucial to choose a pet that is easy to care for, and will be interesting for children, and won't live for decades after they've gone off to uni, or otherwise moved out.
I give you the wonderful world of isopods. Small, relatively cheap to get set up, very cheap to feed, for many species, there is no need for heat or similar, you don't need to walk them, and there is no need to be cleaning out the enclosure weekly. Other than making sure the enclosure is at the right humidity and providing food, they don't need much more attention.
Equally, they can provide a fascinating insight into the world of creepy crawlies, teaching the responsibility of a pet, without a huge amount of work required.
You can’t cuddle an isopod
Correct, you can't, but so many children are injured each year after incorrectly interacting with a dog or a cat. If you have young children and aren't an experienced dog owner, then I'd suggest waiting till your children are old enough to be able to learn to read the dog's body language.
The are many pets that you can't cuddle, parrots and other birds, fish, most reptiles, and many more. Whilst you can stroke a rabbit or a guinea pig, that's something that can become boring after a few minutes, for both you, your children, and the animal itself.
The main part of owning a pet is taking care of the pet. So, are you getting something to accompany you on twice-daily walks? Or something to keep you company, even though most of us are out of the house all day? For children, a pet should be easy to care for, ideally so they can do the bulk of the care themselves.
Types of isopods
There are hundreds of isopods in the hobby. We normally have around 100-200 species available here in our shop (link to all isopods page in the shop), some need supplemental heat, some can be unforgiving if you get the humidity wrong, and some are tricky to breed. Instead, here are 5 species that are easy to care for, and large enough that you can easily see them when they are out and about foraging.
Dairy Cow Isopods (Porcellio Laevis)
So many people start keeping isopods with Dairy cows, with their black and white patched bodies, active behaviour, and easy to care for needs, they are a great species to start with. They're only downside is how good they are at breeding. A small group will quite rapidly become a large group.
Being an active species, they need a larger enclosure, and I'd recommend keeping them apart from other species of isopods.
Magic Potion Isopods
Outgoing, bold, easy to care for, stunning looking, and with a huge variation in patterns, meaning that you can identify individuals, what's not to love about these isopods?
Scaber Ghost Isopods (Porcellio)
There is a chunk of AI text left at the top of the description on this page.
A selectively bred mutation of the common wood louse or rough wood louse, these are the pill bugs or roly-poly that you are used to, but so much more to look at. Found across a range of locations, including most of Europe, this species is highly adaptable, which translates to being easy to care for, easy to breed, and will thrive in most setups.
Powder Orange isopods
A slightly different body shape from your traditional rolly-poly type, these are active, and the colour allows them to stand out against the soil. Don't fancy orange? We have them in Blue, White, Orange Dalmatian, Oreo Crumble, a Wild type, or you can buy a Rainbow mix of the colours.
Rubber Ducky Isopods (Cubaris sp.)
Rubber duckies aren't the easiest isopods to take care of, but before you decide against them, take a look at those little faces. The visual appeal is enough to convince me that these should be on the list. Many isopod keeper started their collection because they fell in love with one of the Cubaris sp.
The difficulty is that they need this warmer and more humid than other species on this list, and that means that for at least part of the year, you will have to have supplementary heat for them. Yes, it's an extra stage, and I'd never suggest that young children are in charge of looking after them, but if you're looking for a challenge that both you and the kids can enjoy, this is something to consider. If you're worried, start with an easier species and come back to this one as your confidence grows.