{"product_id":"vex-isopods-troglodillo-sp","title":"Vex Isopods (Troglodillo sp.)","description":"\u003cp\u003eWarm apricot from end to end, with a glossy, faintly translucent shell that catches the light like polished amber. What makes the Vex distinctive up close is the seaming: every tergite is edged with a fine pale line, so the whole animal reads as a set of overlapping plates rather than one smooth dome. The legs and antennae are almost white against it, and the eyes stay small and dark.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe body is broad and low. Where a Rubber Ducky is tall and rounded, the Vex is wide and flattened, built to wedge into a crevice rather than roll into a ball. It is one of the more striking orange isopods I have had through here, and photographs do not quite do the translucency justice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat Troglodillo actually is\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTroglodillo\u003c\/em\u003e is a genuine genus, erected by Jackson in 1937 and sitting in the family Armadillidae. It is not a recent split from \u003cem\u003eCubaris\u003c\/em\u003e, whatever you may read elsewhere. Only three species have ever been formally described, all of them cave animals from China and Thailand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Vex is not one of them. It is undescribed, and its placement in \u003cem\u003eTroglodillo\u003c\/em\u003e is an attribution made by keepers on the basis of what it looks like, not a published decision. I would rather say that plainly than imply a taxonomy that does not exist. If it is ever formally described the name may change, as it has for several species in this corner of the hobby.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt is reported as a Vietnamese animal, first appearing in the hobby around 2024. That locality comes from the European breeders who introduced it and I have not seen it independently confirmed, so treat it as the trade's best account rather than a documented collection record.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eSize and what to expect\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAdults are reported at up to around 20 mm, which is large for this genus. You will see it sold as the largest isopod in the hobby, and that is not true: several \u003cem\u003ePorcellio\u003c\/em\u003e comfortably exceed it. It is a big \u003cem\u003eTroglodillo\u003c\/em\u003e, which is a more useful claim and still an impressive animal in the flesh.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYou will also see it described as having reduced pigmentation and small eyes, on the general principle that cave isopods often do. Look at the photographs. This animal is vividly pigmented and its eyes are perfectly evident. That description has been copied from a generic cave-species template and does not match what arrives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eKeeping them\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTreat the Vex as a premium cave \u003cem\u003eTroglodillo\u003c\/em\u003e and it will settle. Aim for a stable 22 to 26°C, away from radiators, direct sun and sharp swings, because a cave animal is adapted to conditions that barely move.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOn humidity I am going to be honest with you: the sources disagree.\u003c\/strong\u003e Some European breeders keep this species noticeably drier than most cave Cubaris, in the region of 50 to 60%, and report better results for it. Others recommend the consistently high humidity you would give a Rubber Ducky. I have not kept it long enough to settle that argument.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat resolves it in practice is a gradient rather than a number. Keep one end damp with \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/postpods.co.uk\/products\/sphagnum-moss-for-inverts\"\u003esphagnum\u003c\/a\u003e and deep \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/postpods.co.uk\/products\/leaf-litter-1l\"\u003eleaf litter\u003c\/a\u003e, let the far end run distinctly drier, give it good cross-ventilation over the top, and let the colony choose. If they sit permanently at one end, that is your answer, and it is a better answer than anything I could tell you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eGive them depth and structure. \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/postpods.co.uk\/products\/shredded-rotten-wood\"\u003eRotten wood\u003c\/a\u003e, bark and a substrate deep enough to burrow into, with crevices to wedge under. A permanent \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/postpods.co.uk\/products\/cuttlebone-100g\"\u003ecuttlebone\u003c\/a\u003e and protein a couple of times a week. Everything they need is in \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/postpods.co.uk\/collections\/foods-and-supplements\"\u003efood and supplements\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eThey are slow, and you should expect that\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the single most important thing to know before you buy. The Vex is a slow breeder even by cave-species standards, with several months to a first brood and then a steady, unhurried trickle. Output drops off over winter. Nobody in the trade reports a fast colony.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThat is not a fault, but it does decide who this animal is for. If you want numbers, buy \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/postpods.co.uk\/products\/dairy-cow-isopods\"\u003eDairy Cows\u003c\/a\u003e and enjoy them. If you have kept \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/postpods.co.uk\/collections\/cubaris-isopods\"\u003eCubaris\u003c\/a\u003e or the other \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/postpods.co.uk\/collections\/troglodillo-isopods\"\u003eTroglodillo\u003c\/a\u003e through a full year and want something genuinely uncommon, this is a good one. It sits alongside our \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/postpods.co.uk\/products\/sunset-isopods\"\u003eSunset\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/postpods.co.uk\/products\/camouflage-isopods\"\u003eCamouflage\u003c\/a\u003e, both of them the same genus.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThey are nocturnal and secretive, so a display setup wants low, indirect light and the patience to watch at the right time of day. Expect to see less of them than you would a \u003cem\u003ePorcellio\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat you get\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCaptive-bred stock, posted Monday to Thursday by tracked next-day Royal Mail in an insulated double-walled box with damp sphagnum and a heat pack when it is cold, and covered by a live arrival guarantee. As with every isopod order, you get at least twenty per cent more animals than you paid for.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThese sell out everywhere, so if the size you want is unavailable it is worth checking back rather than assuming it has gone for good. If you are weighing this against another cave species and want a straight opinion, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/postpods.co.uk\/pages\/contact\"\u003eask me\u003c\/a\u003e before you order.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"PostPods","offers":[{"title":"5","offer_id":57794795700606,"sku":null,"price":60.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"10","offer_id":57794795733374,"sku":null,"price":115.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"20","offer_id":57794795766142,"sku":null,"price":220.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/0707\/2294\/files\/trogvexisopod.jpg?v=1785882391","url":"https:\/\/postpods.co.uk\/products\/vex-isopods-troglodillo-sp","provider":"PostPods","version":"1.0","type":"link"}