Isopods for sale

The Perfect Low-Stress Pet (Much Better than a Goldfish)

Isopods as the Perfect Low-Stress Pet

Pets can be a big responsibility, but never fear there are options that don't include standing outside in the rain waiting for a dog to find the perfect spot to pee, or having to empty a litter tray daily. Sadly most low-stress pets aren't cuddly, but we know that watching fish in a tank can reduce stress, and you can get the same mindful relaxation from watching and caring about any creature in a contained world.

 

If you're looking for a new pet for yourself or a child, then allow me to suggest isopods. You can source these exotic-looking creatures here in the UK. You can easily find isopods for sale in the UK,  from us, it's what we do, and we're pretty good at it if I do say so myself.

 

Isopods make great pets

 

I’m talking about terrestrial isopods here, the sort that burrow around in leaf litter, or live in caves, or well nearly every habitat has an isopod that is adapted to live there.

You may be wondering about keeping an insect as a pet. But isopods aren't insects, they're crustaceans, so closer to crabs, they have a lot less of the ich factor of many small creepy crawl pets, and many species look downright cute.

 

They don't need a lot of space, and you can buy some stunning terrariums to make it a focal point in any room. Food is easy to come by, and whilst different species may require different food, it is all relatively cheap and simple. 

 

A great pet for young children

 

As much as we'd love to get our kids a pony, a puppy, or whatever they decide they want this week, we all know they're not going to be the ones taking care of it in the long run. Added to that what happens when they get bored and don't want to be taking care of it? You might think a goldfish is perfect, but they can live 25-40 years and get over a foot long. That's an expensive tank, and someone has to take care of it when they leave home. Instead how about a pet that stays small, tiny in the scheme of things, can happily live in a terrarium on the sideboard, will only live a year or two (but you can breed relatively easily so you only need to buy a breeding group once) and can still provide hours of fascination.

 

Isopods as pets for busy people

 

You know what about 10 million people did this morning? They took the dog for its morning walk, there are over half a million horses that need exercise, and there are about 100 million fish that will need their water changes at some point this week. This is all great, but that takes a lot of time, time many of us don't have. That's why isopods make great pets for busy people. You can have a planted paradise. They are the ideal low-maintenance, low-stress pet.

 

Basic Isopod care

 

If you get the habitat right then everything else will be easier. That's not to say that you need an expensive enclosure, but I would say to get something that you will enjoy looking at. I've seen some great setups in plastic boxes, but I've seen some stunning setups in small fish tanks, those little greenhouses you can get from Ikea or glass terrariums. If the point of isopods for you is breeding, or you are happy to have an enclosure that only you see, and doesn't need to be decorative, then as long as it's large enough you can use whatever you like. But there is an added pleasure of having a pet that will help your house plants to thrive.

 

Isopod habitat and habitat size

 

As just mentioned Isopods can be kept in a huge variety of enclosures. There are some things to consider. They need about 10-15cm of substrate to live in, so you will need something deep enough for that, and then space above for extra leaf litter, and any decorations you want. Generally, something about 10l is a good size to start with, so that's about a cube 33cm on each side. If you are keeping one of the larger species then you will need a larger enclosure.

 

Start with the drainage layer, a layer of clay balls or gravel is a good layer at the bottom. The aim is to keep the humidity quite high, but you don't want water-logged soil, so this thin layer means that any excess water can drain down. Then add a layer of organic potting soil, then some moss, sphagnum moss (link to sphagnum moss article) can be purchased dried at a lot of reptile stores or online, but if you want an extra challenge sphagnum moss, and a variety of other mosses can be purchased as live cultures. This will give you all the benefits of the moss in terms of maintaining humidity, but with an interesting plant to try and grow as well.

 

Next, add leaf litter, there is too much to discuss about leaf litter for this article, but this is a crucial step in your set-up. You can buy leaf litter online, but be careful where you source it from as some imported plant materials are treated to prevent pests from entering the country with them. Or you can collect your own, but you need to be sure you know the species of leaves and that no pesticides or herbicides have been used.

 

The humidity of the enclosure needs to remain around 70-80%, you can buy a humidity meter, a hygrometer, to monitor the levels, and also look for plants that will thrive in these levels. Again when adding plants make sure that they haven’t been treated with anything that might harm your new pets.

 

Now add some hiding places such as branches, cork bark, and anything else you may like. You might want to add some less natural decorations, you may want to try and replicate one of the swamp scenes from Star Wars. You might want to add a miniature disco ball. That sort of thing is entirely up to you.

 

Assuming your house remains warm year round then you don't need extra heating, and the isopods will be happy with a day-night cycle from light coming into the room, so you only need to worry about extra light if the plants need it. But don't put them on a window ledge as it might get too warm and too bright for them. Think about the forest floor and caves where many of the popular species live, it's not dark all the time, but it isn't glaring sunshine either.

 

You’ll need some way to mist the enclosure, a simple spray bottle that you can get from the supermarket for a couple of quid works well enough.

 

Isopod Diet

 

There are isopod diets that you can buy out there and that will make life a bit easier, but leaf litter and the detritus in there is a large part of their diet. Add in some grated fruit and veg such as carrot, courgette, or a bit of apple. A pinch of fish food will always go down well. You can often buy a tiny tub of fish food, and it will last you a while.

 

Make sure that you clean out any food before it goes mouldy, less is most definitely more here.

 

Save money on pet keeping

 

For most of us, we have to be aware of how much we are spending. Isopods are an ideal cheap pet, even though I'm loathe to describe any pet keeping as cheap. Once you've bought the enclosure the isopods, and any plants that catch your eye feeding and maintenance is minimal. You will need to refresh the substrate every so often, but overall they are low cost, low effort, but still quite rewarding. The challenge of keeping and breeding isopods can be enjoyed at all ages.

 

Pets with low carbon footprint

 

Do you ever feel that every time you do anything there is some guilt trip being laid on you? Well here is the pet that shouldn't make you feel guilty at all. There is no carbon-intensive diet, you don't have to worry if their diet was high welfare, and they don't produce a noticeable amount of waste.

 

However, there is the concern that isopods are being taken from the wild, pushing species that are barely known to science to the brink. Well, we have good news here.

 

Isopods for sale in the UK

 

We aim to breed most of our isopods here in the UK. That means our carefully sourced stock has been bred by us, and as a family-owned business we have put a lot of care into our stock. This makes them an ideal low-carbon pet. You can own isopods with no guilt. They are content and can thrive in a moderate-sized enclosure. You know that by buying from us you are getting isopods bred in the UK, isopods raised in the UK, and then posted straight to you. There is no huge aeroplane journey to bring them to your door. Check out our latest stock here.

 

Finding isopods for sale near me.

 

In the grand scheme of things we are near you, but if you want to chat to us in person and have a chance to pick them up yourself, then keep an eye out for the shows we will attend around the UK. Although with free shipping on orders over £100 why wait, go get your new pet, go on you deserve a treat, and this treat isn’t going to break your diet, or require you to get up early to make sure it’s been fed and walked before you go to work.

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