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, allow me to suggest isopods. You can easily find isopods for sale in the UK from us — it's what we do, and we're properly good at it if I do say so myself.
Why Isopods Make Great Pets
I'm talking about terrestrial isopods here — the sort that burrow around in leaf litter, live in caves, or thrive in pretty much every habitat with a species adapted to live there.
You may be wondering about keeping an insect as a pet. But isopods aren't insects — they're crustaceans, properly closer to crabs than to creepy crawlies. They have a lot less of the "ick factor" of many small creepy crawl pets, and many species look downright cute. Once you've spent five minutes watching a colony of Cubaris potter about under a piece of cork bark, the idea that they're some kind of bug becomes properly silly.
They don't need a lot of space, and you can buy some stunning terrariums to make them a focal point in any room. Food is easy to come by, and while different species may have slightly different food preferences, it's 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 anymore?
You might think a goldfish is a sensible alternative, but goldfish kept in proper conditions can live 10-15 years (with the oldest recorded specimen reaching over 40), and they can grow to surprising sizes in adequate tanks. That's a substantial long-term commitment, and someone has to take care of it when the child leaves home.
Instead, how about a pet that:
- Stays small (tiny in the scheme of things)
- Can happily live in a terrarium on the sideboard
- Typically lives 2–3 years
- Breeds relatively easily, so you only need to buy a starter group once
- Can still provide hours of fascination
Isopods tick all of those boxes.
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 in the UK that need exercise, and there are about 100 million fish in UK homes that will need water changes at some point this week.
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 that more or less looks after itself, with occasional misting and food drops. They're properly the ideal low-maintenance, low-stress pet.
Basic Isopod Care
If you get the habitat right, everything else gets easier. That's not to say you need an expensive enclosure — you don't. But I'd say get something you'll enjoy looking at. I've seen some great setups in plastic boxes, but I've also seen stunning setups in small fish tanks, those little greenhouses you can get from IKEA, or proper glass terrariums.
If your aim is breeding, or you're happy with 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's properly an added pleasure in having a pet that also helps your house plants thrive.
Isopod Habitat and Enclosure Size
Isopods can be kept in a huge variety of enclosures, but there are some things to consider.
For most starter species, 5–8 cm of substrate is sufficient. Some larger species or deep-burrowing millipedes prefer deeper — but for typical beginner isopods, you don't need to go overboard. Above the substrate, leave space for extra leaf litter and any decorations. Generally something around 10 litres is a good size to start with — that's about a cube 33 cm on each side. If you're keeping one of the larger species (like our Porcellio magnificus or substantial Spanish Porcellio) you'll want a larger enclosure.
Setup layers:
- Drainage layer (optional): A thin layer of clay balls or gravel at the bottom can help if you're keeping species that need high humidity. The idea is that excess water can drain down rather than waterlogging the substrate. For drier-tolerant species (Mediterranean Armadillidium, for example), you can skip this
- Substrate: Organic potting soil or coconut fibre mixed with flake soil. Pesticide-free is properly essential
- Sphagnum moss: Patches in corners provide humidity refuge zones. Dried sphagnum is easy to source at most reptile stores or online; live sphagnum is an option if you want an extra growing challenge. See our guide to using sphagnum moss with isopods for more
- Leaf litter: A crucial step. You can buy ready-prepared leaf litter from us — properly worth doing rather than collecting from gardens that might have been treated with pesticides. If you do collect your own, make sure you know the species (oak, beech, magnolia all work well) and that no pesticides or herbicides have been used
Humidity, Temperature, and Light
Humidity requirements vary by species — properly more than older hobby articles often suggest. Broad guidance:
- Tropical species (Cubaris, Ardentiella): 70–85% humidity with strong ventilation
- Temperate Mediterranean species (most Armadillidium): 50–70% humidity with a moisture gradient
- Drier-tolerant species (Canarian Armadillidium, some Porcellio): 40–60% humidity
A hygrometer (humidity meter) is a properly cheap addition that takes the guesswork out. You can buy them for a few pounds online.
Assuming your house remains warm year-round (above 18 °C), you probably don't need supplementary heating for most species. The isopods will be happy with a natural day-night cycle from ambient room light. Don't put the enclosure on a window ledge — direct sunlight can spike temperatures and dry things out quickly. Think about the forest floor and limestone caves where many 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 from the supermarket works perfectly well.
Decorations and Hides
Add some hiding places: cork bark pieces, branches, lotus pods, and anything else that catches your eye. Honestly though — you can also add less natural decorations if you fancy. Replicate a swamp scene from Star Wars. Add a miniature disco ball. Build a Lego castle in there. Your enclosure, your aesthetic.
Isopod Diet
There are commercial isopod diets you can buy that make life a bit easier, but leaf litter and the detritus within it provides a substantial part of what your isopods need. Add in some grated fruit and veg — carrot, courgette, sweet potato, cucumber, or a bit of apple. A pinch of fish food once a week always goes down well as a protein boost. A tiny tub of fish food will last you ages.
Make sure you clean out any uneaten food before it goes mouldy — less is most definitely more here. Replace fresh food every 24–48 hours.
Calcium is properly essential too — leave a piece of cuttlebone in the enclosure permanently for shell and exoskeleton health.
Save Money on Pet Keeping
For most of us, we have to be aware of how much we're spending. Isopods are an ideal value pet — 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, ongoing feeding and maintenance costs are properly minimal. You'll need to refresh substrate every so often and replace cuttlebone when it wears out, but overall they're low cost, low effort, and still genuinely rewarding. The challenge of keeping and breeding isopods can be enjoyed at all ages.
Pets with a Low Carbon Footprint
Do you ever feel that every time you do anything there's some guilt trip being laid on you about the environment? Well, here's a pet that shouldn't make you feel guilty. There's no carbon-intensive diet, you don't have to worry about whether their food was high welfare, and they don't produce a noticeable amount of waste.
However, there is one legitimate environmental concern about isopod keeping: wild collection. Some hobby species — particularly premium Cubaris and Ardentiella morphs — are collected from wild populations in Southeast Asia and other tropical regions, sometimes pushing species that are barely known to science to the brink of localised extinction.
We have good news on this front.
UK Captive-Bred Isopods
We aim to breed most of our isopods here in the UK ourselves. That means our carefully sourced stock has been raised by us, and as a family-owned business we put proper care into our breeding lines. This makes them an ideal low-carbon pet — you can own isopods with significantly less guilt about wild collection impact.
By buying from us, you're getting isopods bred in the UK, raised in the UK, and posted straight to you. There's no huge aeroplane journey involved. Check out our latest stock to see what's currently available.
Finding Isopods for Sale Near You
In the grand scheme of things, we're near you. Most UK addresses get next-day or two-day delivery from us. But if you want to chat in person and have a chance to pick them up yourself, keep an eye out for the invertebrate shows we attend around the UK throughout the year — follow us on Facebook for show announcements.
With free postage on orders over £65, why wait? Go get your new pet. You deserve a treat — and this treat isn't going to break your diet, ruin your morning routine, or need walking before you go to work.
Where to Start
If you're properly new to isopods, here are some starting points:
- Best beginner species: Our Porcellio scaber Mix, Armadillidium Jelly Beans, and Dairy Cow Isopods (Porcellio laevis) are all forgiving, prolific, and properly accessible
- If you want something more visually distinctive: Explore our Cubaris collection for premium tropical morphs (note: these need more careful husbandry)
- If you're setting up a bioactive vivarium: See our guide to setting up and selecting your first isopods
- For all your setup essentials: Browse our accessories collection — substrate, leaf litter, cork bark, lotus pods, cuttlebone, and everything else a starter setup needs
Welcome to the hobby. The little guys are properly more interesting than you'd expect.
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