Do Isopods Need Light or Should They Be Kept in the Dark?
A question we get asked a lot is should isopods be kept in the dark?
No, isopods do not require a lot of light and are nocturnal creatures that prefer dark, damp places. Although many will wait till things are dark to come out, a common mistake is to assume isopods need bright light—when exposed to bright light, they will generally wait until the light turns off to come out from hiding. Some isopods are nocturnal, which means that they come out to feed during the night, while others are crepuscular, meaning they’re out and about during evenings and early mornings. It’s important to understand these natural behaviors when setting up their environment to ensure their well-being.
Why are you keeping isopods?
There are a whole load of reasons to keep isopods, from clean up crew for reptiles, or amphibians. When considering isopod care isopods, it's important to focus on their housing, substrate, water, and environmental conditions to ensure their well-being. Maybe something to help improve the health of the soil in a planted terrarium, or as pets themselves. Isopods are detritivores, meaning they strictly consume dead organic material.
Natural habitat and environment
Isopods are fascinating terrestrial crustaceans that have adapted to life in dark spaces, often hidden beneath layers of leaf litter, rocks, and logs in the wild. These environments provide the proper humidity and moisture that isopods prefer, allowing them to thrive as they burrow, forage, and eat decaying organic matter. In their natural habitats, isopods are most active at night, exploring their surroundings and searching for food in the safety of low light.
To help your isopods feel at home in a terrarium or vivarium, it’s important to recreate these natural conditions as closely as possible. Enthusiasts often use a blend of natural materials like coconut fiber, potting soil, moss, cork bark, and plenty of leaf litter to build a rich, layered substrate. This not only gives isopods a place to burrow and hide, but also provides a steady supply of food and helps maintain the proper humidity levels they need for overall health and breeding success.
While isopods don’t require special lighting, a gentle cycle of ambient light and darkness can help reduce stress and support their natural rhythms. Too much light or heat can dry out the enclosure and make isopods less active, so it’s best to keep their environment cool, moist, and secure. Each species may have its own preferences for temperature, humidity, and substrate, so a bit of research goes a long way in providing proper care.
By paying attention to these factors and tailoring the enclosure to your isopods’ needs, you’ll create a thriving environment where they can explore, eat, and even breed. With the right setup, isopods make great pets for anyone interested in terrariums or vivariums—low-maintenance, endlessly interesting, and a joy to watch as they go about their nightly routines. Proper care and planning not only reduce stress for your isopods but also ensure their long-term health and happiness in your home.
Isopods as a part of a clean-up crew
Assuming you’re keeping some form of reptile or amphibian they will already have various forms of light, including UV and heat. Isopods can adapt to a range of environmental conditions, but their behavior may change depending on light and temperature. That might present its own issues with the heat from the lights reducing the humidity in the enclosure. Some species of reptiles do better in ultra-bright lights, so that might mean you need to look at isopods that you will see out and about during the day St Lucia Isopods Gestroi Isopods Snow White Isopods. To help maintain a consistent day-night cycle for your isopods, consider using a timer to regulate the lighting in the enclosure. If you add in places where the isopods can go and hide, these places may be more humid leading to normally outgoing isopods hiding out in these shady spots. In that case, see if you can mist a little more often and raise the humidity.
Changes in environmental factors such as light and temperature can significantly influence isopod behavior, physiology, and adaptation.
Planted terrariums
In the natural ranges of many of the house plants we keep the soil is made up of layers of leaf litter that gradually decompose to create a fertile healthy soil. Part of the reason many people consider soil to be overused is the lack of this natural decay cycle. Isopods play a huge part in breaking down leaf litter and creating humus, which makes them a great natural fertiliser and soil component. The leaf litter acts as a mulch to stop the soil and the roots from drying out, and isopods will outcompete many of the unwanted pests that might make themselves at home amongst your plants. A good option for substrate is a mix of coconut fiber and potting soil, and isopods do well on a variety of different substrates, including bioactive coconut soil mixed with golden sphagnum moss. The substrate should be kept moist and well-ventilated, allowing isopods to burrow and explore.
In this case, the plants will need light, these lights don’t need to be as drying as a heat lamp in a reptile’s enclosure but it’s still worth ensuring the isopods have somewhere to hide, although many will make use of the leaf litter itself to do that. Consider adding some cork bark and maybe add an epiphyte to the top to tie it into the planted aesthetic. Providing multiple safe shelters for isopods, such as leaf litter, cork bark, moss, or caves, is extremely important to reduce stress and support their overall health. Isopods require access to water sources, such as moistened substrate or shallow dishes, to maintain proper humidity. Isopods can be housed in plastic containers with holes drilled for ventilation or glass tanks, ensuring secure and suitable housing.
Isopods as pets
Isopods make great pets themselves. If you’re looking for the perfect children’s pet these might be it. Cheap to feed, they don’t outgrow their enclosures like fish often do, they don’t live for decades in the way many reptiles do, they don’t need walking, or vet bills, and they won’t pee on the floor. Even better if the kids lose interest then add some plants to a pretty vintage glass terrarium and let them loose in there, and they will be the perfect low-maintenance pets.
Terrestrial isopods, a group of land-dwelling crustaceans, have specific care requirements to ensure their health and activity. There are lots of isopod species and varieties available, each with their own preferences and behaviors. Some, like pillbugs, can roll up into a ball as a defensive behavior, distinguishing them from other types that cannot roll.
If you are the one that wants to keep them as a pet then there are plenty of species that are happier to come out in the light. Spend that bit extra and get something that bit more unusual. They have a bit more of a learning curve but Porcellio Werneri Isopods also known as spacepods make great display animals.
If you are keeping them on their own then they don’t need any special lighting at all, but it’s well worth getting some so that you can enjoy them. A simple rechargeable LED light can be enough to light up a small enclosure. Isopods require only low-intensity light such as LED or fluorescent bulbs, and do not require UVB lighting, as they do not synthesize vitamin D3 like reptiles. The ideal light cycle for isopods is 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness, with a color temperature between 5000K and 6500K. Using timers ensures isopods have consistent access to appropriate lighting conditions. The right lighting can influence isopod activity levels, breeding success, and even the molting process. Isopods thrive in room temperature settings (65-85°F) and prefer a temperature between 60-80°F with around 70% humidity.
Isopods tend to hide or burrow during the day, making them fascinating to observe when they emerge. Their reproduction involves mating, internal fertilization, and the female carrying eggs in a brood pouch until the young are ready to be released.
Finally, providing the right environment—including proper oxygen and lots of moisture—is essential for healthy isopods to thrive in a sealed or semi-sealed terrarium.
Isopods for sale
Buying isopods is as simple as clicking here to go to our shop. Each listing will give you most of the information you need, or feel free to drop us a message either here (link to contact form) or on our social media (link to which ever socials you find easiest to chat on)
