You won’t realize the depth of the world of crustaceans unless you dive down, and it is dominated by the extensive variety of isopods living in different corners of the world. While the physical features are not distinct, the same cannot be said about their coloration as it depends on various factors like genetics, diet, substrate, and environmental conditions. If you are looking for a colourful species, Oniscus Casellus Orange Isopods is a good choice because of their vibrant orange shade and beautiful appearance that most keepers like. Also, they make a great addition to any isopod collection you have in your home and want to expand.
Oniscus Casellus Orange Isopods: A Glimpse
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Origin: British Columbia, Canada
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Scientific Name: Oniscus asellus
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Difficulty: Easy
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Rarity: Not rare
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Temperature: 18-25°C
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Size: Up to 16 mm
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Humidity: 50-70%
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Favorable Foods: Leaf litter, rotting wood, fruits, vegetables, eggshells, fungi, dead crickets.
An Overview
Originating from British Columbia, Canada, Oniscus Casellus Orange isopods are a colorful species unique because of their bright orange bodies and hardy exoskeletons, which protect them from predators in the wild.
They grow up to 16 mm and are easy to maintain as they have minimal requirements and care needs, which is usually not the case with other isopods. Even better, they are not rare and are easily found in the pet trade, or where they sell isopods, so you don’t have to search a lot to have them in your collection.
Oniscus Casellus Orange Isopods: Basic Care
Here are some essential care tips for your isopods:
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Adaptable in nature, Oniscus Casellus Orange isopods has a tendency of tolerating a range of temperatures as long as it is between 18-25°C and don’t swing much. Also, they are made with robust physical appearance and strength.
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Maintaining the humidity between 50-70% without not making it excessively wet to avoid mold growth or shedding issues.
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You can use a plastic tub to ensure good ventilation so your isopods enjoy smooth airflow and do not have trouble breathing.
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Since Oniscus Casellus Orange isopods are shy creatures, add plenty of leaf litter or cork flats, so they have enough hiding spots within the enclosure.
Oniscus Casellus Orange Isopods: Feeding
As they have in-built hunting tendency and feed on a large variety of things, like leaf litter, rotting wood, mushrooms, dead insects, and fungi that are available easily in the wild. However, they also need calcium sources like eggshells and cuttlebone to have a stronger exoskeleton and protect themselves from predators. To make their diet more appetizing, add fresh fruits and vegetables, but not too frequently, as it can cause health problems.
Oniscus Casellus Orange Isopods: Appearance & Behaviour
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Oniscus Casellus Orange Isopods’s striking orange feature sets them apart from their brown or grey relatives of the same genus.
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Although more active at night, they also move around during the day if they feel safe and have no predators to attack them.
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They are not aggressive and prefer to live in groups, so you see them piling together under moist bark or leaf litter.
Oniscus Casellus Orange Isopods: Habitat
Setting up a comfortable home is essential to owning isopods, regardless of the species or difficulty level. You can use a simple 5 to 10-litre plastic container and add moist and dry zones so your isopods can live and breed happily without struggling for survival. Since they thrive in a forest-floor-like environment, they cannot tolerate bright lights and strong airflow, so you need to remember these things before getting them.
Oniscus Casellus Orange Isopods: Substrate Mix
Your isopods spend most of their time on or under the substrate, so you must get this part right and not mess it up to cause problems. A good substrate mix contains coconut fiber, peat moss, leaf litter, and rotting wood chunks because they are good at retaining moisture and don’t let the environment dry even hours after misting the terrarium. Just stir the substrate occasionally so it stays fresh for a long time and prevents mold or pests from destroying the setup.
