Isopods in Captivity
Isopods go by as many names as there are sizes, shapes and species. Woodlice, pill bugs, rolly polys, Boat-Builders, Butcher Boys, Cheeselogs, Cheese Bugs, Doodlebugs, Chucky Bugs, and a whole host more names. Whatever you like to call them, they are however actually crustaceans, being closely related to their seafaring relatives like crabs.
No matter what you want to call them, they play a very important role in the soil microfauna. They are in the first lines of the detritivores, thriving on the leftovers of larger organisms. They happily chew through dead leaves, rotting wood and in many cases animal waste.
Here we'll focus on their role as custodians in a vivarium. In this situation, they work to help break down waste from the inhabitant into much smaller pieces and begin the process of recycling it back into the soil. Of course, this doesn't get you out of doing the cleaning! It does help keep naturalistic vivaria clean, however, as even the most fastidious of keepers will inadvertently miss something occasionally.
Here at The Legless Millipede we keep all kinds of isopods, and where possible we try to find climates and vivaria they will thrive as custodians in. That said, there is really no reason you can't keep them in their own enclosures, as they make easy to keep and fascinating terrarium subjects all on their own.
Below you will find some of the species we keep, along with a little information about each. All the info we share here is from our own experiences keeping and breeding these engrossing little critters. Where we can, we've included where they are from and what kind of microclimate we find works best for them to help you choose the right species for you and your needs.
We've split the species list here in to the major families we're working with. There are 2 main groups we're interested in as custodians, with a few oddball outliers for good measure. Porcellio and Armadillium are the most obtainable and most common in captivity, but we'll cover some of the oddball outliers in the final section too. Only the Armadillium family can roll up into a ball to earn their name "Rolly-Polys", while the other species rely on their armoured backs and wide skirts, or their outright speed, to evade predators.
Pop over to our social page on Facebook or drop us a message on the contact form if you need anything more!
No matter what you want to call them, they play a very important role in the soil microfauna. They are in the first lines of the detritivores, thriving on the leftovers of larger organisms. They happily chew through dead leaves, rotting wood and in many cases animal waste.
Here we'll focus on their role as custodians in a vivarium. In this situation, they work to help break down waste from the inhabitant into much smaller pieces and begin the process of recycling it back into the soil. Of course, this doesn't get you out of doing the cleaning! It does help keep naturalistic vivaria clean, however, as even the most fastidious of keepers will inadvertently miss something occasionally.
Here at The Legless Millipede we keep all kinds of isopods, and where possible we try to find climates and vivaria they will thrive as custodians in. That said, there is really no reason you can't keep them in their own enclosures, as they make easy to keep and fascinating terrarium subjects all on their own.
Below you will find some of the species we keep, along with a little information about each. All the info we share here is from our own experiences keeping and breeding these engrossing little critters. Where we can, we've included where they are from and what kind of microclimate we find works best for them to help you choose the right species for you and your needs.
We've split the species list here in to the major families we're working with. There are 2 main groups we're interested in as custodians, with a few oddball outliers for good measure. Porcellio and Armadillium are the most obtainable and most common in captivity, but we'll cover some of the oddball outliers in the final section too. Only the Armadillium family can roll up into a ball to earn their name "Rolly-Polys", while the other species rely on their armoured backs and wide skirts, or their outright speed, to evade predators.
Pop over to our social page on Facebook or drop us a message on the contact form if you need anything more!
Armadillidium
Armadillidium maculatum
A. Maculatum (Risso, 1816) are a small, zebra patterned isopod from France. They are a great little, active species with tons of character.
To keep these successfully, keep them somewhat humid and provide ample decaying leaf litter to eat. They readily take extra foods like fish flakes and are generally very easy to raise. They have a few colour morphs too: Chocolate, Dalmation, Vanilla, and Spots. They suit most vivaria types, from the subtropical to the grassland style climates. |
Armadillidium kulgii v. Montenegro
A. Kulgii (Brandt, 1833) v. Montenegro is a small, heat-loving species of isopod. Native to Spain and specifically found in (You guessed it) Montenegro, they are quite uncommon in the wild but breed readily in captivity.
These guys like heat and don't new much humidity. We think they would do well in a more arid biotope. They don't have huge broods so would be best with non-insectivores! |
Armadillidium depressum
A. Depressum (Brandt, 1833) is one of the larger Armadillium species, these guys are prolific and tough. They look very similar to the more common Trillium Vulgare but differ in the pleon being more curved outwards, giving a 'splayed' appearance, and in typically in leaving a small gap in the exoskeleton when enrolled. Some have yellow flecks like they've been splattered with paint, giving them a nice textured look. We don't heat these, as being native to the UK, though quite hard to find, they are perfectly happy ar room temperature all year.
These guys would suit cooler vivaria, grassland biotopes, and everything through to the warmer tropical climates. |
Armadillidium opacum (Germany)
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Armadillidium versicolourPhoto coming soon!
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Armadillidium peraccai
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Armadillidium pulchellum
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Armadillidium werneri
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Porcellio
Porcellio sp. Canaries "Spiky"Photo coming soon!
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Porcellio sp. "Vallencia"
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Porcellio Hoffmanseggi P. Hoffmanseggi, (Brandt, 1833) is an absolutely enormous species of isopod. They easily tip the scales as one of the biggest and currently are the largest species kept here at The Legless Millipede.
These prefer drier climates, not needing anywhere near as much humidity as their smaller cousins. They also seem to benefit from more air flow, and we cut much larger air vents into housing for these. Coming from drier parts of Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, they would suit the drier vivaria. They reproduce well once established but take longer than others to reach adult size. |
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Porcellio FlavomarginatusWe're updating this info. Hold tight, we'll be back soon.
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Porcellio Werneri
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Porcellio Ornatus "Gold Spot"
P. Ornatus (Milne-Edwards, 1840) currently is considered to have two forms. The first in our list is the "Gold Spot" form, named for its distinct golden spots down it's back.
These are very, very fast breeders, and reproduce incredibly well in captivity. We use this species in all our tropical vivaria, and that suits them perfectly. They are another species that is very tolerant and thrive best with half their enclosure being watered regularly and half being left to dry more. P. Ornatus originates from Spain, so suits both the warm tropical vivaria and the warm middling humidity vivaria., They don't like to be too dry and don't like to be too cold. They are a very easy species to keep! |
Porcellio Ornatus "High Gold" (Spain)
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Porcellio Sp. Sevilla
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Porcellio Laevis "white"Photo coming soon!
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Porcellio Dilatatus
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Porcellio Scaber (UK, common/rough isopod)
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Others
Philoscia Muscorum (UK)
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Armadillo Tuberculatus
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Venezillo Parvus
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Porcellionides Pruinosus
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