Everything you need to set up and maintain healthy invertebrate enclosures, in one place. Whether you're building your first isopod colony, housing a group of millipedes, or putting together a bioactive vivarium, the right supplies make a genuine difference — and most of what's here costs very little to get right.

Substrate & Food

The foundation of any isopod or millipede enclosure is what goes inside it. Our leaf litter and shredded rotten wood are the dietary staples these animals evolved to consume — not optional extras, but the core of their diet. Both are sourced from Southern England woodlands and processed to be pest-free. Leaf litter substrate, chopped and milled from beech and oak, gives you a finer, ready-mixed option that's ideal as a surface layer or substrate blend. Flake soil — fermented European hardwood originally developed for beetle larvae — works brilliantly as part of a tropical isopod or millipede substrate mix. For species-specific nutrition, lichen sticks provide what Ardentiella species genuinely need in their diet, and bat guano offers a nutrient boost particularly relevant to cave-dwelling Cubaris.

Protein & Supplements

Protein matters for breeding colonies, healthy moulting, and overall condition. Tropical fish flakes at 47% crude protein are a versatile, easy-to-use staple across isopods, millipedes, and cockroaches. Bee pollen has become a hobby favourite for good reason — the broad nutritional profile supports reproduction particularly well in slower-breeding species. Spirulina algae wafers, oak and algae wafers, and pond sticks round out a varied supplementary diet without the mould risk of fresh food.

Calcium

Calcium isn't optional for isopods and millipedes — it's fundamental to healthy exoskeletons and successful moulting. Our cuttlebone is hand-collected from UK coastlines and washed in RO water before packing, giving invertebrates a soft, accessible calcium source they can graze on as needed. Crushed oyster shell offers a slower-release alternative that works particularly well mixed into substrate for millipedes and burrowing isopod species.

Enclosures & Ventilation

Good ventilation makes the difference between thriving colonies and struggling ones. Our screw-in air vents provide stable humidity and proper airflow without the hassle of organza or hand-drilled holes — they're what we use ourselves after trying every other method. For display setups, the top-opening acrylic enclosures from Exotic Enclosures offer 360-degree visibility, proper ventilation, and magnetic locking lids — ideal for showcase colonies or any species you want to actually observe.

Décor

Cork bark is the single most useful piece of décor you can add to any enclosure — it provides shelter, creates humidity microclimates, and gets gradually consumed as a supplementary food source. Lotus pods make natural hides that isopods will congregate in and eventually break down and eat. Boil both for use before adding to enclosures.

Shipping Supplies

During colder months, heat packs protect your invertebrates during transit. These 40+ hour packs are the same ones used by major UK invertebrate suppliers and are recommended whenever overnight temperatures drop below 5°C.

If you're just getting started, keep it simple: leaf litter, rotten wood, cuttlebone, and a screw-in vent or two. That's the foundation everything else builds on. Any questions, our live chat team is always happy to help.