I'm thinking about starting an isopod colony in a 3 cup square plastic container. Would damp aspen bedding mixed with maple leaves and/or pecan leaves be a good mix for then to live on or will i still need soil/ecoearth in with them to? Also what would be some of the better types to start with?
Question about starting an isopod colony
- Thread starter Randomjoe
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I'd recommend using potting soil or coconut fiber as a substrate but most of them are so hardy that I'm sure moist aspen bedding would make an acceptable substrate. Don't mix the leaves in though, just lay them on top of the substrate.
Porcellio scaber is probably the most hardy species available, they do great under a wide variety of conditions. Cylisticus convexus and Oniscus asellus are pretty hardy too, those three species are the ones that have done best in my care.
Porcellio scaber is probably the most hardy species available, they do great under a wide variety of conditions. Cylisticus convexus and Oniscus asellus are pretty hardy too, those three species are the ones that have done best in my care.
Are you looking to rear feeders, cleaners, or pets?
I collected maple, pecan, and pear leaves and set up the container with coconut fiber and mulched leaves then put maple and pecan leaves on the top. I also found some isopods in an unused flower bed i'll try to get pics later to post for an id. thanks for the help so far.
Those are Armadillidium nasatum, you say you caught them yourself? You got some rare orange specimens there that you should isolate from the others, congrats on the rare find. 
thanks for the ID. Yes i caught them in an unused flowerbed at one end of my house i was surprised they were still out and about. They really enjoyed the pecan leaves they ate all of them before eating much of the maple leaves. I have 2 more containers so I might go out and look for more and isolate the orange ones.
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