Anything About Isopods

Do you keep isopods? If so, feel free to post here!

Some things to discuss:

• What substrate do you use?
• What species do you own?
• What is the temperature and humidity of your isopod colony?
• Do you keep isopods for fun, or as feeders?
• Where do you get your isopods?
• Caresheets.

1) eco earth
2) A. vulgare
A. nasatum
dwarf whites
brickworks
unID'd species from Huntington Beach
3) Room temp, pretty moist.
4) All of the above plus I use them as cleaner crews for roaches, my geckos moist hide, and to help control mites and fungus.
5) That is classified information
6) depends on the species but most follow by this:
Keep them moist, plenty of substrate and hiding spots (bark seems to be preferred), and if you want a lot fast, add heat. Simple as that.

Substrate: I keep mine on coco fiber with the addition of generous quantities of oak and maple leaves, bark, and sticks. I add pieces of cuttlebone and/or baked eggshell.

Species:

Porcellio sp. 'Orange'
Porcellio scaber 'Dalmatian'
Porcellio dilatatus Giant Canyon Isopods
Porcellionides Powder blue isopods
Dwarf striped (species unknown)
Trichorhina tomentosa Micro white woodlice,
Costa Rican 'purples' , also known as jungle Micropods (species unknown)
Armadillidium maculatum Zebra pillbugs

Temperature and humidity: I don't measure. I keep them at room temperature, and the humidity is higher than ambient, but I've never checked what it is. I try to provide a humidity gradient, though, by misting one side of the enclosure.

For fun or feeders? I started keeping them a couple of years ago as a cleanup crew for my geckos. I continue to use them that way...they clean up after so many species! I use some of the more prolific species as feeders, but not as a staple food. I freely admit I really enjoy them as pets too. Some species I will probably never use as feeders.

Where do I get them?
I obtained my first ones in a trade with a local dart frog hobbyist. I got some Oranges and Costa Rican purples in the trade. Within a few months it became apparent that Micro Whites and Dwarf Striped had hitchiked along! Most of the rest I also traded with locals for, although I just purchased the Zebra Pillbugs, the Giant Canyon Isopods, and some additional Dalmatians from Elytra and Antenna on this forum. (I'm very glad I did.)

In Lieu of a caresheet, here are some basic care videos I put together. All isopod species have similar care, but there are some important differences. Some, for example, need more ventilation than others.

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