Your Basic Guide on Caring for Isopods
- Jamie Finch
- Jan 9
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 5
People often message us asking how to care for isopods, so we’ve created this brief guide on caring for isopods that tells you all you need to know. Some species will require more specialised care, but this guide covers everything if you are just getting started. When caring for isopods, you will need to consider 6 main requirements: Habitat, ventilation, substrate, leaf litter, food and privacy. Let’s take a closer look at each.
Habitat
The habitat is the enclosure where your isopods will be staying. Isopods will walk through the bars of a cage, so you will need something with solid walls instead. Glass and plastics are good choices, provided they won’t leak chemicals. Wood and cardboard are not good choices because they will easily decay and even be eaten by the isopods.
The size of an isopod habitat can vary depending on the number. If you have a small number like 10 or fewer, then a habitat about the size of a sandwich box, like the one below, will be perfect.
You will need to move your isopods into a larger habitat as your colony grows, and many people keep their colonies in a large plastic shoe box, as shown below.
Make sure your habitat is sealed to prevent your isopods from escaping and unwelcome intruders from getting in. You should leave your habitat out of the way to prevent accidents and out of direct sunlight and overheating.
Ventilation
Your isopods will need fresh air, so your habitat should have adequate ventilation. Some boxes come with ventilation provided, or you could add ventilation yourself with a drill or a sharp tool. If you want ventilation that’s effective and looks good, consider using our specially designed vents that come in a range of sizes, colours and designs.
Your vents should ideally be placed to allow cross ventilation. This usually means having a
vent on either side of the box so air can easily flow in one side and out of the other.
You should also consider ventilation in the roof of the box to help moisture evaporate where needed. However, bear in mind that too much ventilation can impact another essential isopod requirement, which is humidity.
Humidity
Isopods are closely related to shrimp and other crustaceans, and you will even find isopod species living in the deep ocean. Marine species need gills to breathe, and terrestrial isopods have not lost their gills, so they must have access to moisture to breathe. Land isopods get this moisture from the surrounding environment.
Most isopod keepers use absorbent substrate and sphagnum moss to help hold moisture in the habitat. Leaf litter is also essential because it helps create a barrier that prevents evaporation, creating a layer of high humidity below.
Getting the right level of humidity typically involves having a wet end and a dry end. The level of moisture should gradually decrease from one end to the other, which is known as a moisture gradient. The moisture gradient will then let your isopods go to the wet end or the dry end as they need to regulate moisture levels in their pleopodal lungs.
The correct amount of moisture at the wet end should ideally be damp to the touch, and you should not be able to squeeze water from the moss or substrate. If water is dripping from the substrate or moss in the wet end, then you probably need more ventilation or less leaf litter to help some moisture escape. You should also have less or no ventilation at the wet end to prevent water evaporation.
Getting the moisture levels right can be tricky, especially if you use the spray method. It can be easy to make the moss and substrate too wet, whereas not spraying enough can lead to the habitat drying out altogether. It is essential to prevent your habitat from drying out completely because a dry habitat = dead isopods. If you want to get the ideal level of moisture with minimal fuss, then our Hydro-Pods could be all you need. These pods will automatically maintain the correct moisture levels and can be refilled easily from the outside, which is only required every few days or so.
Substrate
Substrate for isopods typically needs to offer various benefits, including:
Shelter and Tunnelling: Many isopod species like to dig and live underground. As such, a good substrate will be easy to tunnel through and keep its shape to prevent collapses.
Hydration: Isopods take much of their water from their substrate, so using substrate with good moisture retention properties is a good idea.
Food: As detritivores, isopods get much of their food from nutrients in the substrate you give them. As such, it’s best to give them a substrate that is packed with nutrients.
An ideal substrate for isopods is typically a blend of various soil types, including:
Compost: Rich in nutrients from decomposing vegetable matter
Commercial potting soil: Typically blended for plants and +rich in nutrients
Nutrient Additives: Isopod substrate often includes natural additives like worm-casting and bat guano for added nutritional value. Such additives will already be found in commercial potting soil, but you can add more.
Natural Top Soil: Top soil is the top layer of soil taken from sources, like your garden. Good-quality topsoil is usually full of nutrients and free from harmful chemicals.
Coco-Peat: The use of coco-peat in isopod substrate is debatable because it contains no nutritional value. However, some blends will use about 20% cocopeat because of its excellent moisture absorption qualities.
You don’t need to get the substrate perfect – just make sure it is nutritious in the same way you would provide plants with nutritious soil. It is best to provide at least 2 inches of substrate so your isopods can make tunnels. More substrate will also maintain moisture better, helping to create a more stable environment.
Leaf Litter
Terrestrial isopods typically live in forest or woodland floor among fallen leaves and other natural debris. These leaves provide shelter and food, plus they create an ecosystem beneath the layers that isopods can thrive in.
You can use any leaves that you find on the ground, but make sure to submerge them in water for 24 hours to prevent unwelcome pests. You will find by trial and error which ones they like, and isopods tend to have favourites like Orchid Tree Leaves. However, the leaves are often eaten so quickly that they don’t provide cover for long. As such, it is best to have a mix of different leaves so you give your isopods food and shelter.
Your leaf litter should also include rotten pieces of wood and bark, which also double up as shelter and a source of nutrition. Not only that, but they also add to the aesthetics of the habitat.
Leaf litter is also essential for helping to maintain humidity in your habitat because it prevents moisture from evaporating. If your soil is drying out too quickly, adding some leaves will help to keep it moist until you add more.
Food
Your isopods will take most of their nutrition from leaves and substrate. However, giving them additional nutrients is best to ensure their well-being.
Fresh cucumber is one of the best choices that is enjoyed by all isopod species. You can also offer other fruit and vegetables like carrots and mango, although different species tend to have different preferences, so it is often a matter of trial and error before you find something they like. If you don’t want to spend time experimenting, cucumber will be fine.
Isopods also need protein, which can be provided by fish food that comes in flake form, dried shrimp, dried mealworm and even dead animals you find on the ground. Some species need more protein than others, and you will discover what each species prefers as you go along. Another essential nutrient is calcium, which can be provided by cuttlefish bone.
Privacy
A common mistake made by new isopod keepers is to keep spying on their new pets, but too much disturbance can have a negative impact. It is fine to feed and water them daily, but digging through leaf litter will disturb them. Many keepers notice population booms after periods of minimal interactions with their isopods.
This doesn’t mean you don’t get to enjoy your isopods. Even shy species will come into the open to explore and look for food when they think nobody is watching. But you will need to be patient and not worry too much if you don’t see your isopods for a while.
Comments