Shredded Rotten Wood (Small bag)

Shredded rotten wood is a foundational substrate component and food source for detritivore invertebrates. This naturally decayed hardwood provides essential nutrition for isopods, springtails, millipedes, and roaches while creating a biologically active environment that supports healthy colonies. Organically sourced from Southern England woodlands and frozen to eliminate unwanted pests, this is ready-to-use decaying wood in convenient shredded form. This shredded wood serves as a versatile substrate material, making it ideal for use in invertebrate enclosures.

Product Details

• Contents: shredded rotten wood

• Source: Organically sourced from Southern England woodlands

• Wood type: Hardwood broadleaf mix—primarily birch and oak, may include other broadleaf species

• Processing: Frozen to -18°C for minimum 48 hours to eliminate unwanted pests

• Important: Contains NO pine or softwood (softwoods contain harmful resins)

• Price: £3.50

• Order: Place your order now for high-quality shredded rotten wood.

Why Rotten Wood Matters

Decaying wood isn’t just a nice addition to invertebrate enclosures—it’s essential. For detritivores (animals that feed on dead organic matter), rotting wood serves multiple critical functions in different ways, such as providing food, habitat, and supporting substrate health. The benefits of rotten wood may also vary depending on the species kept or the specific enclosure setup.

As food:

• The decomposition process breaks down tough cellulose, making nutrients accessible

• Rotting wood becomes colonised by beneficial microorganisms that aid digestion

• White rot fungus exposes cellulose and floods the wood with nitrogen-rich biocompounds

• Provides long-term, slow-release nutrition as animals gradually consume it

As habitat:

• Creates hiding spots and shelter

• Retains moisture, supporting humid microhabitats

• Provides burrowing substrate

• Mimics natural forest floor conditions

For substrate health:

• Supports beneficial microbial communities

• Contributes to nutrient cycling within enclosures

• Helps maintain moisture levels

• Adds organic matter that breaks down over time

• Using shredded rotten wood can help reduce waste buildup in enclosures

Benefits by Species

Isopods

Decaying wood is a dietary staple for all isopod species. As detritivores, isopods rely on rotting wood alongside leaf litter as their primary food source. The ideal size of shredded wood pieces for isopods is small, typically ranging from fine particles to fragments a few millimeters across, as these are easier for isopods to consume and digest. The wood should be soft enough to break apart easily—properly decayed wood crumbles when handled. Isopods consume the softened wood fibres and the microorganisms colonising them, extracting nutrients that support growth, moulting, and reproduction.

• Essential food source for all genera (Cubaris, Porcellio, Armadillidium, etc.)

• Particularly important for tropical Cubaris species from forest environments

• Supports healthy exoskeleton development when combined with calcium sources

• Provides shelter and moisture-retaining hideouts

Springtails

Springtails are detritivores that feed on decaying organic matter, fungi, and mould. Rotting wood provides both direct nutrition and supports the fungal growth that springtails consume. In natural habitats, fallen logs, rotting stumps, and decaying branches create ideal springtail environments—the wood retains moisture and provides substrate for egg-laying and reproduction. The presence of fines (small particle fractions) in shredded wood creates an ideal microhabitat for springtails, as these fine particles hold moisture and support fungal growth.

• Supports fungal growth that springtails feed on

• Provides moisture-retaining microhabitat

• Offers shelter and egg-laying substrate

• Particularly beneficial for soil-dwelling springtail species (Thai Reds, Orange springtails)

Millipedes

Rotten wood is absolutely essential for millipede keeping—it forms a large portion of their diet. Millipedes require properly decayed hardwood that’s soft enough to bite apart and digest. The wood must be “white-rotted” (pale, crumbly, with an earthy smell) rather than fresh or incompletely decayed. Before adding shredded wood to millipede enclosures, any contaminants should be carefully removed by hand to ensure the substrate is clean and safe for your pets. Without adequate rotting wood, millipedes cannot obtain the nutrition they need for growth and successful moulting.

• Primary food source—millipedes cannot thrive without it

• Must be soft and crumbly (properly decayed)

• Hardwood only—millipedes cannot digest softwood/conifer resins

• Mix throughout substrate for constant food access

• Supports healthy moulting cycles

Roaches

Many roach species, particularly wood roaches and those kept in bioactive setups, benefit from decaying wood as both food and habitat. When using shredded wood recovered from sustainably managed woodlands, you provide nutrition, shelter, and contribute to the overall health of bioactive enclosures where roaches serve as cleanup crews.

• Food source for wood-eating species

• Habitat enrichment and hiding spots

• Supports bioactive enclosure health

• Contributes to naturalistic environments

Why Hardwood Only

This product contains only broadleaf hardwood species (birch, oak, and similar). Softwoods like pine, spruce, and other conifers are deliberately excluded because:

• Harmful resins: Softwoods contain resins and aromatic compounds toxic to many invertebrates

• Indigestible: Most millipedes and isopods cannot properly digest conifer wood

• Wrong decomposition: Softwood decays differently and doesn’t provide the same nutritional value

It is also important to remove any non-hardwood materials during processing to ensure product safety and quality.

Properly decayed hardwood should be pale (white or light-coloured), soft, crumbly, and have an earthy smell. If wood is dark orange, very hard, or smells strongly of anything other than earth, it’s either conifer wood or not properly decayed.

Pest-Free Processing

Wild-collected wood can harbour unwanted invertebrates, mites, and other organisms. This shredded rotten wood has been frozen to -18°C for a minimum of 48 hours—a process that eliminates:

• Mites

• Fungus gnat larvae

• Unwanted invertebrates

• Other potential pests

Any contaminated or unsuitable wood is properly disposed of during processing to maintain product quality.

This means you can add it directly to enclosures without worrying about introducing pest species that could harm your colonies or become nuisances.

How to Use

Substrate mixing:

• Mix shredded rotten wood throughout your substrate when setting up enclosures

• Combine with organic topsoil, sphagnum peat moss, leaf litter, and other substrate components

• Provides long-term food source as animals encounter it while burrowing

Top dressing:

• Scatter on substrate surface alongside leaf litter

• Allows animals to graze as needed

• Easy to monitor consumption and replenish

Millipede substrate:

• Essential component—mix generously throughout substrate

• Millipedes require constant access to rotting wood

• Replenish regularly as it’s consumed

Bioactive setups:

• Contributes to nutrient cycling

• Supports cleanup crew populations

• Breaks down over time, enriching substrate

To achieve the ideal particle size for invertebrate use, shredded wood is processed using specialized machines. The wood first passes through a shredder to reduce its volume and break it down into smaller pieces. For finer material, a high speed shredder is used to further reduce the size of the particles. After shredding, the material is screened to remove oversized pieces and ensure a consistent, suitable size for use in substrates.

Storage

• Store in a cool, dry place if not using immediately

• Can be kept dry for extended storage

• Rehydrate by misting before adding to enclosures if dried out

• Avoid storing in sealed containers while damp (prevents mould issues)

Quality Indicators

Good quality rotten wood should be, depending on the specific hardwood species and stage of decomposition:

• Soft and crumbly: Breaks apart easily with fingers

• Pale coloured: White, cream, or light brown (indicates white rot)

• Earthy smelling: Pleasant soil-like odour, not sour or chemical

• Free from large hard chunks: Properly decayed throughout