Can I Keep Different Isopods Together?

Cohabbing — in relation to invertebrates — is a term used to describe housing multiple species in the same enclosure together. The hobbyist exotic pet community is growing, and bioactive practices are evolving, so it's properly totally understandable why keepers would like to create a diverse ecosystem within their own homes. Your own little piece of the wild. Imagine how wonderful it would be to gaze into your home vivarium and admire tree frogs cohabbing with crested geckos or a chameleon, then look down to see Dairy Cows and Rubber Ducky isopods navigating through the leaves and twigs.

So can you actually keep different isopod species together? In theory, yes. In practice — in our opinion, absolutely not, except in specific carefully-considered circumstances. This article covers the direct answer; for the comprehensive treatment see our companion article keeping different isopods together.

The Short Answer

Don't mix different isopod species in the same enclosure, especially not different species of the same genus. The main reasons:

• Hybridisation risk within genera — properly closely-related species can interbreed, producing offspring with diluted colour expression and uncertain genetics
• Competition — fast-breeding species outcompete slower ones for food and resources
• Predation — larger Porcellio species will properly prey on smaller, vulnerable individuals (especially during moulting)
• Environmental mismatches — species from different climates have different humidity/temperature needs
• Visual identification problems — once mixed, separating animals becomes genuinely difficult, especially for smaller species

The Hybridisation Issue: Properly Within-Genus, Not Between Distant Groups

One common misconception is that mixing very different isopods is "safer" because they won't hybridise. Properly the opposite is true: hybridisation risk is highest between CLOSELY-RELATED species (same genus), not between distantly-related ones.

Why? Closely-related species have similar genitalia and compatible reproductive biology. Different Armadillidium species can interbreed; different Porcellio species can interbreed; different Cubaris morphs can interbreed within the genus. Whereas mixing, say, an Armadillidium with a Porcellio — they properly can't successfully interbreed because their reproductive biology is too different.

But the practical hobby concern is properly different too: even without successful hybridisation, attempted breeding between species can stress females, cause egg abortion, and lead to colony collapse. So properly within-genus mixing is the worst case — both hybridisation risk AND stress risk.

Predation and Aggression

At cleanup-crew level, some isopod species such as Porcellio scaber should be avoided in mixed setups because they are known to actually hunt and prey on other invertebrates. P. scaber are so aggressive they have been known to eliminate the "pests" of the isopod hobby — such as dwarf white isopods — because P. scaber will eat them.

Other common Porcellio species are properly even more aggressive: Porcellio laevis (Dairy Cow), Porcellio dilatatus, Porcellio magnificus, Porcellio expansus. Larger isopod species pose predation risks to smaller species like dwarf whites — and properly even to dart frogs in some cases. Slightly larger isopods can also inadvertently harm smaller species, especially if there are significant size differences during moulting events.

For more on aggression context see our aggression article.

Competition: The Dwarf White Problem

Some isopod species are properly notorious breeders and will take over other species' cultures. This is very true of Trichorhina tomentosa, or dwarf white isopod. Despite their small size, dwarf whites quickly overwhelm any other species in a shared enclosure. This is a unique combination of:

• Quick breeding behaviour
• Preference for burrowing (compete for vertical substrate space)
• Ability to swarm food sources before larger species can access them

Dwarf whites properly eat up available protein and other resources that larger isopods need in order to successfully reproduce. In a mixed setup, the dwarf whites typically end up the only species remaining within a few months.

Environmental Mismatches

Different isopod species have different environmental needs. Some like a cooler, less humid set up, while others thrive in hot and super-humid conditions. Therefore you will need to consider the environmental needs of all the species you wish to cohab together — properly an impossible task if their requirements differ significantly:

• Premium Cubaris (Rubber Ducky, Panda King, Pak Chong): Need 22-26°C and 75-85% humidity
• Ardentiella (formerly Merulanella): 22-27°C and 75-85% humidity
• Mediterranean Armadillidium (vulgare, klugii, gestroi): 18-24°C with humidity gradient (drier suits them)
• UK-native species (P. scaber, Oniscus asellus): 15-22°C, moderate humidity
• Porcellionides pruinosus (Powder isopods): Adaptable, properly tolerate a wide range

Mixing species across these temperature/humidity bands properly means one or more will be stressed.

What CAN Work (With Caveats)

For potential successes in cohabbing isopods, some combinations have been observed to work, though properly always with monitoring:

• Armadillidium vulgare and Armadillidium nasatum — two species observed as compatible. Many Armadillidium species in fact live together quite peacefully but should be monitored closely
• Rarer Armadillidium species need caution — for example, Armadillidium gestroi reproduces at a much slower rate than vulgare and may be easily overwhelmed
• Nagurus cristatus is another example of a small, compatible species that can thrive in bioactive vivariums due to its size and detritivore role
• Porcellionides pruinosus stands out as a particularly amicable roommate. This species has been the cause of frustration for many keepers because of its inherent wanderlust — it seems to spontaneously appear in cultures across the room

Bioactive Setup Considerations

Mixing isopods in a bioactive setup with other animals (reptiles, amphibians) is properly different from mixing them in a dedicated isopod enclosure. In a bioactive context with a vertebrate predator (dart frog, gecko), the predator helps keep populations in check, but properly the same compatibility issues between isopod species still apply.

For dart frog enclosures, smaller isopod species — particularly dwarf whites — are properly the standard choice due to their non-predatory nature and small size that suits dart frog feeding. See our dart frog enclosures article.

Practical Advice If You're Considering Cohabbing

While keeping many species together at a time may seem like a fun experience, we generally recommend avoiding it. Cohabbing is a practice that should properly only be done after very meticulous research and experience in keeping each species separately before housing them together.

If you're going to try it anyway:

• Different genera only — never two species from the same genus (reduces hybridisation risk)
• Compatible environmental needs — properly the absolute minimum requirement
• Similar size and aggression profile — avoid mixing large Porcellio with small dwarf whites
• Established colonies first — get each species thriving separately before combining
• Large enough enclosure — overcrowding amplifies all the problems
• Monitor closely — be ready to separate at first sign of trouble
• Accept potential loss of one species — the slower-breeding/smaller species is properly at risk

The Honest Answer

"Can I keep different isopods together?" properly comes down to whether the inconvenience of separate enclosures outweighs the risk of compromising one or more colonies. For most keepers, properly the answer is to maintain separate cultures. Each species thrives, breeding lines stay clean, premium morphs retain their value, and observation becomes more rewarding because you can see each species' distinct behaviour.

For comprehensive treatment of this topic see our main keeping isopods together article. For broader hybridisation discussion see our breeding different isopods article.

For setup essentials browse our accessories collection. For browsing the full isopod range to consider species individually see our isopods collection.

Please be careful when proceeding with this practice! Separate cultures are properly less exciting in concept but properly far more rewarding in practice.