General Isopod Care

[frail river]

General Isopod Care

I have been keeping Isopods for almost a year now, and have over 2,000 of them on top of multiple sales. This is my experience with them.

The best enclosures for cheap are DIY, and if you want to spend a bit more without going for arts and crafts, almost any terrarium that's leak proof, made of glass, and has a screen lid works great. For the tubs, you will need to cut about half of the lid out and replace it with mosquito netting of the finest (smallest holes) you can find and hot glue that on the outside of the lid. More screen space helps with ventilation for High Vent species like the Porcellios.

For substrate, it must remain damp. I use rehydrated Ecoearth mixed with a species specific additive for the main substrate at 2" or more depth. On one end, usually the end that isn't covered by the screen, I have a 1" deep 'moat' dug out that I place 2" of rehydrated sphagnum moss. I spread more sphagnum moss around the top of the substrate intermittently. Fir bark is spread next in a layer, commonly called orchid bark in stores. Then, dried leaves are spread over the substrate, preferably from dried veggies or hardwood trees. Finally, wooden hides are placed, usually large chunks of cork bark. You can freeze wood you find locally and use that as well but make sure it's a lethal freeze. After this is all done, one species of isopod and one species of springtail is introduced to the enclosure, and a sprinkling of protein and 2 cuttlebones are added. If it's a porcellio species, limestone chunks are added as well (usually about three 2" or smaller rocks per square foot). Protein added should be simple and in an amount small enough that it does not grow mold before the isopods finish it. Red River Shrimp are highly recommended. Insect sheddings also work great. Mood moss can be added to glass terrariums that receive mild sunlight to liven up the terrarium visually and give baby isopods a place to hide from adults.

If you have questions don't be afraid to ask.

Porcellios love limestone, and specific beach species like Werneri (Greek Shield) need calcium sand added to their substrate and kept at slightly drier humidities. (Like 40-70% instead of 60-90%)

[frail river]

Most humidity can be covered by having a visible 1" waterline in the bottom portion of the substrate. This waterline can be increased or decreased for humidity control, and specific species have different humidity needs. My dairy cows have done amazing in the 60-90% humidity range, usually sitting at a 70. My Cubaris have been doing best in a 70-80 range. Porcellionides, Philoscia, Armadillidium will be updated over time and experience.

Dairy Cows are extremely prolific, and the general rule of thumb is that starting with 10 dairy cows should end with 100 after 6 months. I started with 20, and currently have about 1,800 after a year, so they breed VERY fast. I cannot give an exact number as it is too fast for me to realistically count while working full time.

Light level is negligible, just make sure it isnt too bright. Heat lamps are unnecessary and UVB and grow lights are for the plants you add as decorations or hides, not for the isopods. Most isopod enclosures use no lights or plants.

Care for young isopods are the same as adults. I can usually determine male to female isopods by what my family and I have nicknamed the Forceps, but the technical term is Uropods. Males have much more pronounced Uropods that extend past the ending of the body. You can also look at the underside tail region due to the fact that Uropods form during isopod puberty or later, and checking their underside can be done while still very young. https://www.smug-bug.com/post/how-to-sex-isopods has a guide on determining whether your isopod is male or female.

The most common health issues I have had with isopods are solved by the following answer.

Detritus Mites eating food meant for isopods: Swirskii mites hunt the detritus mites and eradicate them while leaving springtails and isopods untouched.

Grain Mites are eating the substrate: See Swirskii again

Fruit flies, fungus gnats, and nematodes eating isopod food and substrate: Steinernema feltiae nematodes hunt and kill these pests without harming isopods or springtails.

Sudden die offs in one location where a plant was added: Plant might have had pesticides on it from the store. Remove and change out substrate within 2" of the plant, as well as the dead isopods.

Sudden die offs in entire terrerium: Check food. Isopods need high protein and calcium to survive, and adults eat the protein and calcium slower than younger isopods. Add river shrimp and cuttlebone.

Isopods molting tend to burrow and hide while they molt. Do not handle while molting, or within 2 days of them molting. They are soft and can be easily damaged during this time. They handle it safely on their own.

Isopods feed on protein, calcium, detritus, and more. The fir bark in the substrate as well as the sphagnum moss provide the bulk of their diet and the energy to move and reproduce, while the protein and calcium help them to grow into their adult stages and form eggs. Cork bark is less about the nutritional value and more about a place to comfortably hide, so getting local/backyard wood and bark for them will have them eat it over time. No worries, as you can just safely grab more. Adults will sometimes cannibalize their young if they are experiencing nutrition problems. See the above answer under Sudden Die Offs in Entire Terrerium for the answer to this problem.

COHABBING WARNING:
ISOPODS WILL EAT MILLIPEDES WHILE AFTER MOLT AND ARE SOFT. DO NOT COHAB ISOPODS AND MILLIPEDES.

[frail river]

Final addition: keeping springtails in your isopods is extremely beneficial to limiting excrement build up, mold, and wasted food. It is highly recommended you get a springtail species that shares temperaments to your isopods for their assistance in keeping the enclosure healthy and clean

[frail river]

@wraith thorn for the isopods

[frail river]

UPDATE ON SUBSTRATE: due to having even more experience with isopods, i would like to make an update. While the ecoearth is great for maintaining humidity, it should be a bottom layer of the substrate. Overtop of the substrate should be a healthy topsoil mixed with sphaghnum moss, the soil I personally use that works wonders being Coast of Maine quoddy. The Cactus mix can be used for sandier isopods.

[umbral sigil]

i love isopod

[ashen cedar]

What is your preferred method of cutting the plastic lids? having donw hamster cages in the past, that part is always a disaster