# Isopod (Pillbug, sowbug, rolly pollies) DIY habitat setup



## CosbyArt (Mar 24, 2015)

It seems there is interest in keeping Isopods (isopoda, pillbugs, sowbugs, rolly pollies, woodlice, whatever you want to call them) lately to provide the benefits as a cleaning crew insect in mantid habitats.

The isopods eat mites, mantis frass, leftover feeder insects and pieces, decaying plants and leaf litter, and more. They are very beneficial to keeping a mantis enclosure much cleaner. In that regard another insect worth having as part of your cleaning crew is Springtails (besides keeping the tank clean much like a isopod they also eat mold, literally thriving from mold growth).

Isopods can also act as feeders as some mantids will eat any that are available occasionally, so far I've had only one mantis who tried it once and dropped the isopod. Springtails on the other hand are great feeders for small mantid species, especially in the L1 and L2 instar stages.

As some mantid keepers keep their mantid habitats without substrate, or only paper towel - be aware that isopods require lots of moisture and are best kept with substrate. A thin layer of coconut, sphagnum peat moss, or a mixture will be best for them. I personally keep a 1" layer in all my mantid nymph cups and adult enclosures so it's never been a issue.

The isopods will usually bury themselves into the substrate, or live under any bark or rocks in the mantid habitat. Other than moisture not much is needed to keep them in mantid enclosures happily.

You can collect your own isopods from your backyard, or nearby rural areas, and purchase them online. Here is some collecting information I found from a article here...



> *Where to find*
> Look under logs, moist leaf litter, flower pots (a day after they have been watered), outdoor pet dishes, and under paving bricks or stones. Isopods live where it is moist and usually in a shaded area. To attract them, water soil or leaf litter in the shade and cover with plastic, piece of plywood or cardboard. Keep the area moist and check under the covering in a couple days. If you are unable to find isopods they can be purchased from: Carolina Biological Supply Company.
> 
> *How to collect*
> Before looking for isopods, prepare a container and tools to gather the isopods. If you are going to set them up in a container with soil in a day, you do not need to separate them from the soil (see rearing information). To collect them, use a spoon or shovel and a container. Look under a rock or log and be prepared to collect the isopods quickly before they scurry away from the light. Gently scoop up soil with the isopods and place them in the container. Look on the underside of the log or stone for others. They can be gently picked or brushed off with a finger into the container. Pill bugs often curl up and can be picked up individually or scooped up with the spoon. If you are going to keep the isopods a couple days before placing them in the classroom, use a plastic margarine or cottage cheese container with small holes poked in the lid and a moistened piece of paper towel lightly crumple inside. Use an old pie tin to sort the isopods from the soil before placing them in the container. The paper towel must be kept moist or they will die. When you are looking under rocks and logs be careful to avoid scorpions, centipedes and other animals that live there. Return the rock or log to the way it was when you found it.


With the basic husbandry issues out of the way, it is worthwhile to keep a main culture of isopods by itself. It will allow the isopods to flourish in a habitat just for them, and provide a great source to get your isopods to add to new habitats and enclosures as needed - or can even be kept as pets themselves.

*DIY isopod culture habitat*

I put together my most recent isopod setup from the notes and details I've found from many online articles and notes on keeping isopods (mainly scientific articles), most available only to members so I can not provide links that work. Besides keeping isopods in this habitat, many other varieties of insects can be kept in this setup or one slightly modified.

For isopods I did not add any mesh or openings to the lid. To control excess moisture the lid can be removed for a few hours to allow the excess moisture to dry out. While isopods can easily climb, I've never had any escape as they like to stay hidden. I also added in Springtails to prevent any mold growth and they thrive in the habitat, but are hard to harvest without affecting the isopods.

To harvest isopods to put into your mantis habitats and such - pick up one of the pieces of bark or stick from your isopod culture and simply roll them off and into the new habitat.

1. You will need a enclosure to house your isopods, something with a tight fitting lid. I find the plastic shoebox enclosures from Walmart for only $0.94 are nearly perfect. They are made by Sterilite and are 6 qt (5.7 L) size, and measure 14" L x 8" W x 4 7/8" H. If they only offered them twice the height, while keeping the other measurements, it would be great for most of my mantids too.







2. This is optional but will help provide moisture as the habitat needs it, and many of the articles I read recommend this step. To the clean shoebox a 3/4" to 1" layer of Plaster of Paris is mixed and added to the empty/clean habitat. The plaster will hold lots of water once it soaks in, and will slowly release it as the substrate dries (the substrate wicks the water from the plaster).

It is easy to mix the plaster to a pancake batter consistence and pour in. For a better result, once you have about 1" poured into the habitat, lightly bang the habitat off a table flatly several times to remove excess air bubbles. Be sure to leave the habitat on a flat level surface to dry evenly.

Also recommended is to either cut away a corner section of the plaster before it sets, or simply insert something into the plaster near a corner. I used a small empty pill bottle - poured in the plaster and before it hardened removed it, just a few hours after of the plaster curing. The hole will allow water to wick into the plaster thoroughly much easier.

Let the plaster harden a full 24 hours before you move it or continue to the next step.






3. To help with drainage a thin layer of small gravel is put on top of the Plaster of Paris. Just enough to cover the plaster is plenty. If you used Plaster of Paris and made a hole in it, fill the hole with gravel. I had some clean aquarium gravel handy so I used that, although some river stones or pea gravel would be a better choice. That way you would have no worries of anything eating the paint off the rocks (I'm not worried though as it is safe for fish which I find the most easy to get ill from anything).






4. A 3/4" to 1" layer of soil is added. A mixture of sphagnum peat moss, coconut substrate, or top soil will work great.






5. Next add in a thin layer of leaf litter. Collect the leaf litter from the base of trees, plants, or even fences and light posts - just be sure there is no trash mixed in. You can put the leaf litter in the freezer for 24 to 48 hours to kill off any insects, or bake at the oven minimum for a few hours, or leave it natural.






6.The final thing to add is some pieces of old sticks, bark, and such. It is best to collect them from the leaf litter, when you gather it up for step 5. These will often contain centipedes, small beetles, slugs, and more so clean it by freezing or baking as described in step 5.






7. Mist the habitat thoroughly several times to completely soak everything. Let it set for several hours to ensure everything is damp. If you used Plaster of Paris and made a hole in it, soak that area extensively so the plaster soaks up a lot of water. As you can see I mixed in some of the leaf litter into the substrate too.

After everything has been soaking for a few hours and if there is any excess water it can be poured out of the habitat. Isopods like plenty of moisture, but not standing water.






8. Finally put in your isopods. I put in a few hundred of various aged isopods to ensure a thriving culture.

I like to give them treats every so often of lettuce, peeled potatoes (and peels separate), and carrots. Also you can add in dead feeders from other cultures, they seem to like them (such as crickets and such) too. I mist as needed which is usually no more than once a week. If the leaf litter seems to all been eaten mix in some fresh leaf litter.

In time you should notice the isopods molting occasionally, and should see some eggs on their back legs, and finally live babies on the underside/belly of the adult mother isopod.


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## dmina (Mar 24, 2015)

Thanks Thomas... that is very helpful... I just got the isopods from you...so I can't comment on them yet.. but I like how you did their habitat up... looks easy enough...


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## CosbyArt (Mar 24, 2015)

dmina said:


> Thanks Thomas... that is very helpful... I just got the isopods from you...so I can't comment on them yet.. but I like how you did their habitat up... looks easy enough...


Your welcome glad to hear it. The tank will keep them happy and growing.

In my mantis cups I just use some substrate and keep them moist and they keep my cups clean. If they don't survive or get ate by a mantis, I can always add a few new ones from the main culture too.


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## MantidBro (Apr 6, 2015)

CosbyArt said:


> It seems there is interest in keeping Isopods (isopoda, pillbugs, sowbugs, rolly pollies, woodlice, whatever you want to call them) lately to provide the benefits as a cleaning crew insect in mantid habitats.
> 
> The isopods eat mites, mantis frass, leftover feeder insects and pieces, decaying plants and leaf litter, and more. They are very benifical to keeping a mantis enclosure much cleaner. In that regard another insect worth having as part of your cleaning crew is Springtails (besides keeping the tank clean much like a isopod they also eat mold, literally thriving from mold growth).
> 
> ...


Wow, VERY nicely done Thomas!


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## CosbyArt (Apr 6, 2015)

MantidBro said:


> Wow, VERY nicely done Thomas!


Thanks. Also in case your wondering they are doing great in the setup and seem to be mating lately - so I should have some new little ones coming up.


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## MantidBro (Apr 6, 2015)

CosbyArt said:


> Thanks. Also in case your wondering they are doing great in the setup and seem to be mating lately - so I should have some new little ones coming up.


That's great! I'd bred them before as well -- though my set up was far less impressive! LOL

The babies are miniscule!!


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## CosbyArt (Apr 6, 2015)

MantidBro said:


> That's great! I'd bred them before as well -- though my set up was far less impressive! LOL
> 
> The babies are miniscule!!


Thanks again  

I bet they are tiny. I have captured some that are about the size of rice, but I imagine true babies are even smaller.


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## LAME (Apr 9, 2015)

Hey Thomas, how'd this project work out for you? I just collected a nice amount myself and was wondering if anyone had tried to colonize. Let me know man, definitely interested in this!


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## MantidBro (Apr 9, 2015)

CosbyArt said:


> Thanks again
> 
> I bet they are tiny. I have captured some that are about the size of rice, but I imagine true babies are even smaller.


Oh yes, very tiny, maybe half the size of rice, or smaller! I may have photos on my DA, I outta check.


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## CosbyArt (Apr 9, 2015)

LAME said:


> Hey Thomas, how'd this project work out for you? I just collected a nice amount myself and was wondering if anyone had tried to colonize. Let me know man, definitely interested in this!


The isopods are still thriving, and active. I haven't bothered to look but I imagine there are some photos I could get of them with eggs and nymphs on the mother's bellies.  

I guess it is a easy species to colonize as I've read at various forums online that some members have had the same cultures for 5 to 10 years, and one even longer. Give it a shot - it is rather interesting.  



MantidBro said:


> Oh yes, very tiny, maybe half the size of rice, or smaller! I may have photos on my DA, I outta check.


Nice, post it if you find it. I'll post more photos in my original thread on my species here when I get some photos.


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## MantidBro (Apr 10, 2015)

CosbyArt said:


> The isopods are still thriving, and active. I haven't bothered to look but I imagine there are some photos I could get of them with eggs and nymphs on the mother's bellies.
> 
> I guess it is a easy species to colonize as I've read at various forums online that some members have had the same cultures for 5 to 10 years, and one even longer. Give it a shot - it is rather interesting.
> 
> Nice, post it if you find it. I'll post more photos in my original thread on my species here when I get some photos.


i didnt save any photos unfortunately but i may have videos on youtube, ill check there too lol. and ok!


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## CosbyArt (Apr 1, 2016)

Thought I'd do a one year update (from when I started this).

My isopods are doing well, at least once I discovered a large centipede was eating them (must have tagged along on some of the bark I added) and promptly removed it.

Since then I've had many new ones born, and some have grown rather large. I've of course added new isopods from time to time, but their colony is nearly outgrown their current container. I just give them a light misting every few days, and add in fresh vegetables as needed (besides adding in new leaves and pieces of tree back as required).

Here are a few photos I took of them late Thursday/Friday morning.  The first photo is finally a shot I got of one of the smaller nymphs.

The large isopods on the carrot photos are different. The first is one of my larger ones with a typical sized wild caught isopod. The second is two of my larger isopods together (looks about the same but that is after moving things around to get the other large one out).

The last two are is one of my larger ones out running on my metal ruler - I really need to get a ruler that I can photograph better. Both photos show him at rest (that's why the difference in size numbers on the ruler itself) it loved to move of course, but I'll have to try to get a photo like that to see how much larger it is stretch out moving. As it is now at rest, it measures in at nearly 15mm (0.59 inches) long not counting antenna or anything silly.


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## Hisserdude (Apr 5, 2016)

Very nice setup, very detailed and informative! I think this should be a sticky thread!


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## CosbyArt (Apr 5, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> Very nice setup, very detailed and informative! I think this should be a sticky thread!


Thanks.  It's up to the powers that be if it gets a sticky (as it wouldn't be right to sticky my own thread  )

So far it has been a great setup, although it is time to upgrade as my colony is running out of room. Every piece of bark has a solid mass of isopods now when I flip them. It'll also give me an excuse to separate the species, and collect more to add to the new colonies.


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