Armadillo officinalis 'Red Brick' Isopods

Almost no isopod makes a sound you can hear. The Red Brick is the exception. Armadillo officinalis is the hobby's "hissing isopod", able to produce an audible rattle or hiss unlike anything else you can readily keep, and this is that species in a warm brick-red. Add a substantial 2 cm size and genuinely easy care and you have an isopod that is both a talking point and a rewarding first colony. Every colony we send is captive-bred here in the UK.

Introduction

This is the 'Red Brick' colour form of Armadillo officinalis, a Mediterranean Basin species found from Spain to the Black Sea coasts. Worth knowing: the genus Armadillo is a separate one from Armadillidium, despite both rolling into balls, and it has its own quirks, the stridulation, a slightly longer face, and a habit of staying tightly curled far longer than most rollers, taking its time before it cautiously opens back up. It sits among the more distinctive conglobating isopods, near the Zebra and its dry-climate cousin the Armadillo tuberculatus.

The hissing, and the look

The stridulation is the headline. Curled up, the isopod rubs its legs rapidly against the inside of its shell to produce the sound, which research puts at around 9 kHz and reads as a secondary defence. You will not hear it from a handful of animals; the effect emerges as a colony grows and a startled group rattles together, at which point it becomes genuinely audible. The colour is the other draw: a rich terracotta-to-brick-red that deepens with age, so a settled colony shows bright red adults over paler yellow-orange youngsters. Like the rest of the genus it rolls into a near-perfect sphere when disturbed.

Care

Red Bricks are Mediterranean, not tropical, and that is the one thing to get right. They want low-to-medium humidity, around 55 to 70%, with good ventilation and a clear gradient: one damp corner with sphagnum for moulting animals to retreat to, and the larger part of the enclosure kept drier under leaf litter and bark. Constant wet brings moulting problems, so err drier when in doubt, though they still need that damp corner. Normal UK room temperature, 18 to 26°C, suits them without heating. Give a substrate of organic topsoil and flake soil with decaying hardwood, limestone chips through it for the calcium a big roller needs, and plenty of cork bark for the cover they spend much of their time under. Our calcium guide covers the mineral side.

Diet

Broad tastes for an isopod: a constant base of mixed hardwood leaf litter and decaying wood, vegetable once or twice a week, and a little protein such as fish flake. They are notably fond of oat flakes, often eaten lying on their backs, and will take the odd soft-bodied plant. Keep a permanent calcium source going for clean moults, and lift uneaten fresh food within a day or two. A springtail culture keeps the damp corner clean.

Who is this for?

The Red Brick suits the beginner who wants a first isopod that actually does something, the keeper after a large, hardy, prolific roller, and anyone who will enjoy a colony that hisses back. It sits well beside the other Armadillo, the granular granulatum and, as a non-rolling contrast, the Dairy Cow. It is a poor fit only for a constantly wet tropical tub or anyone wanting a always-on-show species, since it is shy and stays curled.

All stock is captive-bred here in the UK and ships under our live arrival guarantee, in a ventilated deli tub with a damp sphagnum corner inside a double-walled box. We post Monday to Thursday by Royal Mail next day before 1pm, with a 20% overcount included. Setup kit is in our accessories range.