Armadillidium Isopods for Sale UK

Armadillidium are the classic true pill bugs, and most of them roll into a complete, sealed ball when threatened. Several genera can conglobate to some degree, and Armadillidium are the animals most people picture when they think of a pill bug. That behaviour is part of the appeal, but it's the sheer variety that makes this one of the best genus collections on the site: nearly 50 species and morphs, spanning every point on the difficulty and price scale.

The colouration across the genus is impressive - from the bold black-and-white stripes of the Zebra to the vivid yellow-and-black spotting of the Clown Montenegro, the acid-yellow patches of the Gestroi, and the extraordinary variation of the Jelly Bean (St. Lucia locale), where individuals in the same colony range from deep burgundy through bright orange to yellow - all from the same species.

Unless a listing says otherwise, everything on this page is bred or grown on here in the UK, posted Monday to Thursday by Royal Mail Tracked 24 or Next Day, with a live arrival guarantee and a 20% overcount as standard.

Best Choices for Beginners

Magic Potion (A. vulgare) is the obvious recommendation - bulletproof hardiness, striking white, yellow and black spotting, and two lines to choose from depending on whether you want faster breeding (Japanese) or larger adults with more pronounced markings (American). The Vulgare Gem Mix and Granulatum Orange are similarly forgiving.

The Zebra and its Yellow and Chocolate morphs are a step up in visual appeal without being significantly more demanding - see my Zebra care guide for the detail.

For Collectors

• Armadillidium peraccae - a distinctive and increasingly sought-after species.
• Armadillidium nasatum - a pill woodlouse from south-west Europe that is also found wild in southern England and south Wales; my nasatum care guide covers the wild type and its Orange, Dalmatian and White lines.
• Armadillidium granulatum - large, granular-textured Mediterranean species, notably drought-tolerant.
• Jelly Bean - genetically variable, so no two individuals look alike. My Jelly Bean care guide explains why.
• Armadillidium hauseni 'Triceratops' - a Greek island species with a raised, scalloped crest on the head; my Armadillidium hauseni care guide covers the drier care.
• Armadillidium flavoscutatum 'Redhead' - an Albanian locality with a red-orange head shield on a glossy, near-black body, and one of the quickest of the genus to build a colony; my Armadillidium flavoscutatum Redhead care guide covers its drier Mediterranean care.
• Armadillidium scaberrimum 'Sandstone' - a pill woodlouse from the Dalmatian coast with a densely granular back, cream to peachy tan, long sold in the hobby as A. omblae; my Sandstone isopod care guide covers the name, the size and its drier care.
• Armadillidium pallasii 'Orange' - the big Adriatic and Black Sea species with a raised frontal plate and a published maximum of 21.5 mm, in a semi-translucent orange line bred from Corfu-labelled stock; my Armadillidium pallasii care guide covers the name, the size and its drier care.

Care Varies More Than You'd Expect

Armadillidium are broadly European isopods adapted to Mediterranean conditions - they want a moisture gradient rather than uniformly high humidity, and good ventilation over sealed enclosures. But within that, there's a meaningful spread.

The Zebra morphs and Clown Montenegro prefer it fairly dry - the Clown in particular wants a sharp wet-dry divide with mostly arid conditions and excellent airflow. The Magic Potion and Vulgare Gem Mix are among the most forgiving isopods in the hobby, tolerating anything from semi-arid to moderately humid. The Gestroi and Jelly Bean lean slightly more humid than their cousins, and the Granulatum Orange is notably drought-tolerant. The individual product listings cover this clearly for each species.

My Armadillidium care guide covers the genus in full, and the humidity guide explains how to build the gradient they want.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do all Armadillidium roll into a ball?
Most do. Armadillidium are true pill bugs, and most conglobate into a complete, sealed sphere when threatened, though not all: Verhoeff wrote that A. omblae can never roll up completely. Other genera such as Cubaris and Armadillo also conglobate, but if you specifically want the classic rolling behaviour, this is the genus to buy.

What is the best Armadillidium for beginners?
Magic Potion (A. vulgare) is the standard recommendation - hardy, forgiving of mistakes, visually striking and reliably prolific. The Vulgare Gem Mix and Granulatum Orange are similarly beginner-friendly. All three are fine in a normally heated UK room without supplementary heating.

Do Armadillidium isopods need heating?
Not to keep them alive. Most are temperate and Mediterranean species, so a normally heated UK home suits them year-round. A few warmer-leaning species, the Clown (A. klugii, 22 to 26°C) among them, tolerate a heated room but breed better with some additional heat from autumn to spring. Armadillidium want good ventilation and a moisture gradient far more than they want warmth - and sustained heat past the top of a species' range does more harm than good.

Can you keep different Armadillidium morphs together?
Not if you want to keep your colour lines pure. Different morphs of the same species will interbreed and dilute over generations - so keep each morph in its own enclosure for any breeding project.

Will Armadillidium eat my plants?
They can. This genus has a reputation for nibbling live moss and soft plant growth, so if you're building a planted vivarium, factor that in and choose your plants accordingly. They're excellent in a bioactive setup otherwise.

How long do Armadillidium isopods live?
Most woodlice live about two years and some three or four, and the common pill woodlouse, A. vulgare, can live up to about five. A well-kept colony outlives any individual, so a healthy culture keeps going indefinitely.

All Armadillidium pair well with springtails in a bioactive setup. The accessories range has everything you'll need for the enclosure, including leaf litter, calcium and screw-in air vents for getting ventilation right without losing humidity control. New to the hobby? Start with my beginner's guide to keeping isopods, or browse the wider range in isopods for sale.