I s o p o d C a r e S h e e t
The oniscidea family of isopods are among the lowest maintenance and easiest to care for pets you can own. They require little attention and breed year round producing numerous offspring. There are however a few specific requirements that are important to remember when keeping them as pets. Here we have provided a care sheet that will show you how to maintain a healthy breeding isopod colony of your own.
Enclosure Setup
Isopods require constant moisture and do the best in 60% - 90% humidity. To achieve this you should have a partially covered enclosure with small ventilation holes. The best substrate to use is a mixture of sphagnum moss, coconut fiber and\or organic potting soil 1" - 5" deep. The moss and coconut fiber hold enough moisture to maintain proper humidity and the high Ph of this mixture will prevent mold and fungus from growing. We recommend misting with distilled water to prevent a buildup of mineral deposits. A hygrometer can be helpful to determine when more water is needed. A few pieces of bark leaning up against the glass buried under the substrate will provide higher humidity chambers and a view of your isopods while they are hiding. Sticks, bark, pinecones and leaf litter on the surface will give your isopods social areas and encourage them to be more active. Be sure to submerge any bark or sticks you collect in a large bowl of water and microwave until boiling to remove unwanted pests. A less decorative option is to provide a terracotta saucer turned upside down on the substrate with moistened decaying leaves and vegetables underneath. This is all your isopods really need but you can be as elaborate or as simple as you like.
Dietary Requirements and Food Preferences
Feeding your isopods a varied diet will help ensure that all their nutritional requirements are met. Their natural diet consists of decaying leaves and wood but they are opportunistic feeders and will eat a wide variety of foods. Alder leaves have been proven to be of high nutritional value and can even serve as the only food source for a breeding colony. Banana squash is also one of their favorite foods and its high vitamin content and resistance to mold make it another ideal dietary staple. Soy beans, pears and potatoes are also readily accepted and nutritious foods as are most fruits and vegetables. The high calcium requirements of these animals make supplements necessary for optimal health. Cuttlebone is one of the cheapest and most efficient sources of natural calcium carbonate available (85%), and calcium deficient isopods will consume it eagerly. Purina rabbit chow and chicken laying mash are also good sources of calcium and carbohydrates. You can use many dry cat or dog foods as well but be sure that it is the brown kind with no added colors as these can kill your isopods. Commercial pet food will also at times contain grain mite eggs which can hatch and infect your colony. Alder leaves are the most nutritious but isopods will accept most other leaves too. You can collect green leaves and dry them in the oven in a paper grocery bag at 250F for 2 hours to remove pests and preserve more of the leaves nutritional value. This is also a great method to prepare larger quantities of leaves for storage. Your isopods will benefit from a simple compost pile of re-moistened dried leaves in their enclosure. You can cover this with bark or a terracotta plant saucer to keep moisture in and help control mold. With an mini compost pile in the enclosure you will notice an increase in reproduction as well as increased growth rates, and the babies will gather in the leaf compost.
Summary
Isopods will eat just about anything, including their own feces and dead so their enclosure rarely needs to be cleaned out. If you have a small compost pile in the enclosure, even molded and rotted food can be buried and covered and will be consumed. The most important requirements they have are humidity (60% - 90%), depending on species, and a mild temperature range (50F - 80F). Porcellio and Armadillidium sp can be kept drier and warmer than Oniscus and Philoscia sp. You can feed many different species the same diet but their temperature and moisture requirements will vary. Make sure your enclosure doesn't get overcrowded as your isopod colony will grow rapidly and your isopods may start to cannibalize each other. You should separate the largest, quickest growing and most colorful isopods from your breeding and put them in a different container to start the next generation. Isopods will be able to breed in 3-6 months but will continue to grow throughout their entire lives so be sure to identify and separate the isopods you want to breed before they reach full size. By using the process of artificial selection you will have a thriving colony of interesting and unique isopods in no time. We encourage you to send in your isopod photos if you would like to see them in our gallery.