Isopods can safely eat many common kitchen scraps as an occasional supplement - cucumber, courgette, carrot, squash, leafy greens, mushroom, and small amounts of apple, pear or melon all go down well, along with plain cooked potato, sweetcorn and a little porridge oat. The important thing to understand is that these are treats, not the main meal: an isopod's real food is the leaf litter and decaying wood in its substrate. Avoid citrus, onion and garlic, anything salty, oily or processed, and any produce that might carry pesticides. Offer small amounts, keep them to the drier side of the enclosure, and remove whatever is not eaten within a day or two before it moulds.
I have kept isopods for five years now, and animals of one kind or another - mostly reptiles - for over two decades, and one of the nicest things about isopods is how little their feeding costs - a good deal of what they enjoy is already sitting in your fridge or vegetable drawer. But there is a right and a wrong way to go about it, and getting it wrong is the commonest cause of mould and pest problems in an otherwise healthy enclosure. Here is exactly what you can offer from the kitchen, what to steer clear of, and how to do it without any trouble.
The golden rule: scraps are supplements, not the meal
Before the list, the single most important point. Isopods are detritivores - animals built to live on decaying plant matter on the forest floor. The foundation of their diet is a nutritious substrate of leaf litter and rotting hardwood, kept topped up, and that is where the bulk of their nutrition comes from. Kitchen scraps sit on top of that as variety, moisture and the occasional extra nutrient. Treat fruit and veg as the main course and you will get an underfed colony and a mouldy tub; treat them as the side dish and everything works. For the complete picture of a balanced diet, see our guide to what isopods eat.
Safe kitchen foods for isopods
Vegetables - the everyday staples
Vegetables are the most useful kitchen contribution: nutritious, low in sugar and slow to spoil. Good choices include cucumber (a near-universal favourite and a handy moisture source), courgette, carrot, squash, sweet potato, pumpkin and cooked sweetcorn. Leafy greens are welcome too - kale, spinach, spring greens and the darker lettuces are better value than pale iceberg, which is mostly water. Offer them raw in thin slices or small pieces, or lightly cooked, and there is no need to peel unless the skin has been waxed or sprayed.
Fruit - a treat in moderation
Isopods enjoy fruit enthusiastically, but its higher sugar content makes it a treat rather than a staple, and it moulds quickly in a warm, humid enclosure. Small amounts of apple, pear, melon, banana, berries such as strawberry and blueberry, and the occasional bit of grape or fig all work well. Offer a little at a time, no more than once or twice a week, and clear away anything left before it turns.
Other kitchen scraps worth offering
A few store-cupboard items are genuinely useful. A small pinch of plain porridge oats is a good source of slow-release carbohydrate and grazing material. Fresh mushroom is readily eaten and reflects the fungal matter isopods encounter in the wild. Plain cooked potato and rice in tiny amounts are fine, though they spoil fast, so keep portions small. Even plain, unprinted cardboard - corrugated packaging in particular - is cellulose and will slowly be grazed, doubling as a hide.
Do not forget protein and calcium
Two things the fruit-and-veg drawer will not supply on its own. Most isopods benefit from occasional protein - fish flakes, dried shrimp or a specialist food once or twice a week - and some species, the larger Porcellio especially, need noticeably more of it. And calcium is not optional at all: a permanent source such as cuttlebone or crushed limestone keeps moulting healthy. Our guides to supplements and calcium cover both, and everything you need sits in our accessories range.
Kitchen foods to avoid
A shorter but important list. Steer clear of the following.
- Citrus - oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit are too acidic and generally best avoided.
- Onion and garlic - along with other alliums, these do not agree with isopods.
- Salty, oily or processed food - anything seasoned, cooked in oil, cured or from a packet. Isopods are built for plain plant matter, not leftovers off your plate.
- Anything with pesticides or chemicals - the biggest hidden risk. Wash all produce, and use organic or home-grown where you can, especially for peels.
- Green or sprouting potato - fine when plain and pale, but cut away any green or sprouted parts, which contain solanine.
- Sugary fruit left to sit - not toxic, but the fastest route to mould and a grain-mite outbreak if it is not cleared away.
How to offer kitchen food without the mould
The method matters as much as the menu. A few simple habits keep everything clean.
Offer small amounts. A colony needs far less fresh food than people expect - a coin-sized piece for a modest tub is plenty. Use a small dish or a piece of bark as a designated feeding spot, which makes it easy to put food down and lift the remains away. Place fresh food on the drier side of the enclosure, since a moisture gradient means one side stays damp for the animals and the other stays drier for the food, slowing spoilage. Wash produce first to remove residues and any hitchhiking pests. And crucially, remove whatever is not eaten within a day or two. Isopods feed slowly and at their own pace, so there is no rush - but leftover fresh food is the single commonest cause of mould and pest problems in an enclosure, so clearing it up is the habit that matters most.
The short version
Your kitchen is a fine source of variety for an isopod colony, as long as it stays in its place. Build the diet on leaf litter and rotting wood, add vegetables freely and fruit in moderation, keep calcium and a little protein available, avoid citrus, alliums and anything processed, and clear away leftovers before they mould. Do that and your colony gets the enrichment of a varied diet with none of the downsides. If you are just starting out, our beginner's guide to keeping isopods covers the whole setup, and you can find hardy, captive-bred starter species in our isopods collection.
Frequently asked questions
Can isopods eat carrots?
Yes. Carrot is a good, safe vegetable for isopods, low in sugar and slow to spoil. Offer it raw in thin slices or lightly cooked, in small amounts, and remove anything uneaten after a day or two.
Can I feed cucumber to isopods?
Yes, and it is one of their favourites. Cucumber is readily eaten and a useful source of moisture. A small piece is plenty; take out what is left within a day or two before it goes slimy.
Can isopods eat potatoes?
Yes, in small amounts, and plain cooked potato is easier for them than raw. Keep portions small because potato spoils quickly, and always cut away any green or sprouting parts, which are mildly toxic.
Can isopods eat banana peels?
Yes - isopods eat both banana flesh and peel enthusiastically. Because it is sugary and moulds fast, offer only small amounts occasionally, and use organic or well-washed peel to avoid pesticide residues.
Can I feed isopods lettuce?
Yes, though lettuce is mostly water and low in nutrition, so darker leafy greens like kale or spring greens are better value. Offer small amounts and remove it before it turns slimy.
Do isopods like strawberries?
Yes, isopods enjoy strawberries and other berries. Treat them as a sugary treat rather than a staple - a small piece now and then - and clear away the remains promptly to avoid mould.
Can isopods eat mealworms?
Yes, as an occasional protein source rather than a kitchen staple. Dried mealworms and other dried insects are a useful way to meet the protein most isopods need, particularly the larger Porcellio species. Offer sparingly and remove any that is not eaten.
Will isopods eat cardboard?
Yes. Plain, unprinted corrugated cardboard is cellulose and isopods will slowly graze on it, so it makes a handy extra food source and hide. Avoid glossy, printed or heavily glued cardboard, as the inks and adhesives are best kept out of the enclosure.
What should you not feed isopods?
Avoid citrus, onion and garlic, and anything salty, oily or processed. Steer clear of produce that may carry pesticides, cut away green or sprouting potato, and never let sugary fruit sit long enough to mould. Plain plant matter and the occasional protein and calcium source are all they need.
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