Choose Carefully: Picking the Right Isopods for Your Bioactive Setup

So, you’re setting up a bioactive enclosure. You’ve got the soil mix picked out, plants, and even the leaf litter. Now you need these “bugs” called isopods and springtails to help with the dirty work...and as it turns out, there are a LOT of different kinds of isopods out there. Just pick some out that look nice and aren’t too expensive, right? 

As it turns out, it’s not that simple. (Nothing is ever simple with herp keeping, it seems.) 

Isopods can be found all over the world, and even though they look similar, they’re all adapted to different habitats — which means they have different needs in captivity. You wouldn’t keep a leopard gecko like a cave gecko, would you? Or a White’s tree frog like a Pac-Man frog? Exactly. It’s the same way with isopods. But don’t worry, we’ve got a quick guide for picking which isopods are likely to do best in your particular setup. 

Isopods for semi-arid bioactive setups 

Most drought-tolerant: 

Generally prefer more moisture, but flexible: 

Isopods for temperate bioactive setups 

Prefer cooler temperatures: 

Prefer warmer temperatures: 

Can go either way: 

Isopods for tropical bioactive setups 

Less wet: 

More wet: 

Should you gather isopods from your yard? 

Best not. Aside from the fact that it’s unlikely you’ll be able to gather enough of them to start a good population (unless you have a robust garden/compost pile or live near a forest), using wild-caught CUC unnecessarily introduces risk to your setup. Specifically, they could be carrying parasites that could harm other members of your CUC, or they may be carrying toxins (e.g. heavy metals, pesticides) that could harm your pet if ingested. 

Can you use multiple species of isopod? 

It depends on which species you plan to use, as some are better about sharing space than others. For best results, choose one type of surface-dwelling isopod and one burrower. This way they’re less likely to interfere with each other, and your substrate will be maintained on multiple levels. 

Conclusion 

This is just scratching the surface of the hidden needs of a bioactive CUC. Your pet’s habitat will be their habitat, too, so you need to incorporate their specific needs into the enclosure’s layout and your maintenance routine. For example, Porcellio laevis and Porcellio scaber need more protein in their diet than others, so they need to be fed a higher-protein diet so they aren’t tempted to start nibbling on your pet. Another factor to consider is whether they are nocturnal or diurnal — if you use diurnal isopods with a diurnal, insectivorous reptile, they’re more likely to get eaten. 

When you are intentional about the CUC you include in your bioactive enclosure, you reduce the risk of a population crash and will be more likely to enjoy a healthy bioactive setup for the long-term.