Bearded dragons, the often misunderstood, but wonderfully interactive reptile, are the primary animal in the enclosure. Their waste and organic matter are managed by the clean up crew to help maintain a balanced ecosystem. But when you look at keeping isopods as a group of organisms forming a clean-up crew for Beardies, then you run into an issue of humidity and the risk of the beardies hunting and eating them.
Introduction to Bioactive Environments
Creating a bioactive environment for your bearded dragon is one of the best ways to mimic their natural habitat and promote their overall well-being. A bioactive enclosure is essentially a self-sustaining ecosystem, where live plants, a clean up crew, and a suitable substrate work together to keep things clean and healthy. The bioactive clean up crew—made up of small invertebrates like isopods and springtails—plays a vital role in breaking down waste, uneaten food, and other organic matter. As they do this, they recycle nutrients back into the soil, which helps support the growth of live plants and keeps the enclosure fresh for your reptile. By combining the right crew with the proper substrate and live plants, you can create a thriving, low-maintenance environment that benefits both your bearded dragon and the entire ecosystem. Not only does this reduce the need for frequent deep cleans, but it also provides enrichment and a more naturalistic setting for your pet to explore.
Humidity and Temperature in Bearded Dragon Enclosures
Humidity doesn’t need to be as low as you might read in some older textbooks, or some parts of the web. You want a temperature gradient along the viv, so you will get a humidity gradient.
Ideally, you want the surface temps to be in the region of 42-45°C (108-113°F) at the basking surface, and dropping to 25-29°C (77-85°F) at the cool end. These are the surface temperatures where your isopods will be, although they can burrow down into the substrate to avoid the highs and lows. The other thing to take into account is nighttime temps 12-24°C (55-75°F).
This will give you a humidity gradient from about 30% to 60% depending on where in the enclosure you are. Now that might seem high in terms of Bearded Dragons, but in Central Australia, there are a variety of weather conditions. Uluru the famous landmark in the middle of the desert area has humidity from 10-80% depending on the time of the year. The microclimate for bearded dragons leans towards cooler and more humid than the climate as they have been observed going into burrows and into bush scrub during the hotter parts of the day. Including a log in the enclosure can help maintain proper humidity and provide a moist, dark environment for isopods to thrive.
Substrate for Bearded Dragons
So often Beardies are kept on just sand, or worse, something like carpet or newspapers. In the wild they might be spotted out basking on sand, or more often on a fencepost or rock outcrop, but that’s what the basking spot is for. They spend more time under bushes and in semi-arid woodland. This means there is sandy soil, leaves, and other things for them to dig through looking for treats. Don’t forget their diet in the wild contains a lot of green leaves. That’s not possible if there aren’t any leaves to munch on.
Provide a sandy soil substrate at the warm end, but there is nothing wrong with some leaf litter at the cool end. Isopods and springtails in the substrate help aerate the soil, improving oxygenation and organic matter breakdown, which supports healthy plant growth and overall soil health. You can always alter thing to keep it in the ideal humidity range for the Bearded Dragon.
Will My Bearded Dragon Eat Isopods?
If you’re adding isopods to your bearded dragon’s enclosure, you might notice your dragon showing interest in these little bugs. Bearded dragons are opportunistic feeders and will often eat isopods, also known as woodlice or pill bugs, if they come across them. In fact, isopods like mini speckled woodlice are a great food source, packed with nutrients and perfect for encouraging your dragon’s natural hunting instincts. However, it’s important to choose isopod species that are safe and suitable for your bearded dragon’s environment. To help your clean up crew thrive and avoid being completely eaten, provide plenty of hiding spots using leaf litter and live plants. This not only gives the isopods places to hide and breed, but also adds to the natural look and feel of the enclosure. With the right balance, your bearded dragon can enjoy the occasional nutritious snack, while your isopod colony continues to do its job keeping the enclosure clean.
Will My Bearded Dragon Eat Isopods
Yes, so choose a species that is both suitable to eat, but also will breed fast enough to keep up with your beardie having the occasional snack. When selecting isopods, consider their size, as larger or smaller isopods may be more or less suitable as food for your bearded dragon or for cleaning the enclosure. I’ll also add that I wouldn’t keep a very expensive species in there. As much as I’d love to sell you the more expensive isopods, but that wouldn’t be fair to you. We have a number of species that are a great food source for your Bearded Dragon, will breed if you give them the opportunity, and won’t hurt your wallet too much if a few end up being munched on.
Suitable Isopods
Porcellionides Pruinosus are the first isopod we will recommend for Bearded Dragon enclosures. Native to Southern Europe and the Mediterranean then are comfortable at the same temperatures as Bearded Dragons although they will tend to live towards the cooler end. That also means they will be at the end that has the higher humidity. These isopods grow to a size that is ideal for both cleaning the enclosure and serving as an occasional food source for bearded dragons.
They have a softer body and when gut-loaded are nutritionally a fantastic part of their diet, and are often bred as a food source for smaller reptiles, so if your dragon manages to catch some it won’t be an issue. In fact, this is a fantastic source of enrichment for them.
Even better they come in a huge range of colours. From orange to blue, white, and orange spots. More commonly known as Powder Blue, and Powder Orange isopods, as well as other types, these are well known for being adaptable to a variety of conditions.
Be careful if you buy more than one colour that they might not breed true, but equally you might some new interesting morph.
Implementing a Clean Up Crew
Setting up a clean up crew in your bearded dragon’s enclosure is easier than you might think, but it does require a bit of planning. Start by researching and selecting the right species for your setup—common choices include isopods, springtails, and even beetles. Make sure the species you choose can handle the temperature and humidity gradient typical of a bearded dragon enclosure. For high-demand clean up, red wigglers are a popular option, as they’re excellent at breaking down waste and recycling nutrients into the substrate. Once you’ve chosen your crew, introduce them to the enclosure before adding your bearded dragon, giving them time to establish a healthy colony. It’s important to provide a combination of moisture levels in the substrate, as well as plenty of hiding places, so your clean up crew can thrive. Regularly monitor the enclosure’s temperature, humidity, and substrate moisture to ensure the conditions remain suitable for both your dragon and the crew. With the right setup, your bioactive clean up crew will help keep the enclosure clean, reduce maintenance, and create a healthier, more natural environment for your bearded dragon.
Bioactive Vivarium
You might be wondering if you need a fully bioactive vivarium to keep isopods. No, as long as there is a suitable environment for all the inhabitants, you can keep them how you want. Fully bioactive involves a variety of inhabitants to form the clean up crew, various microbes in the substrate, and often fully planted areas. But isopods are a great first step in that journey. Starting with a small culture of isopods and springtails helps establish a thriving clean up crew, creating a living, breeding ecosystem that supports a healthy vivarium environment.
Clean Up Crew
What actually is a clean-up crew? The idea was that you would have a full clean-up crew that would get rid of any and all waste produced by the main inhabitant. It’s a great idea in theory, but that would mean that you’d need a similar bioload of clean-up crew to your main reptile, and that’s a lot of isopods or springtails, or other critters.
In reality you should still plan on cleaning out any larger waste, but even a small amount of isopods will be able to help clean up the smaller bits that you might miss. The clean up crew works to break down waste and organic debris, supporting a healthier enclosure. That gives bad bacteria and pathogens less of a chance to proliferate, keeping your enclosure healthier and less of a risk of smelling bad.
Why Add Isopods to Your Bearded Dragons Vivarium?
Enrichment for your Beardie, a source of food, and as a clean-up crew, those are three great reasons, but I’m going to add a fourth. Because isopods are great all on their own, start as a clean-up crew, then you’ll have a separate colony to breed, and then you’re looking at a new species.
Additionally, mealworms can also be included as part of the clean-up crew, providing both waste management and an extra food source for your bearded dragon.
There’s nothing to lose, and a lot of real positives in terms of the welfare of your Bearded Dragon, and your enjoyment of their enclosure.
