Isopod babies

[MatisIsLoveMantisIsLyf]

So i just found a big isopod in my garden, and i a placed it a container, hundreds of babies exploded out! What to do?

 

[Redmont]

You can put them in a cage with some moist coir and leaf litter, you can feed them carrot and sprinkle some fish flakes on the soil

 

[MatisIsLoveMantisIsLyf]

Thanks! They are so cute!

 

[LawnShrimp]

Isopods can be kept in coir, but the best substrate is a mix of coir and whatever soil the isopod was captured near. Leaf litter must be constantly provided and fish/pet food can be used as treats.

What species is it? Porcellio, Armadillidium, Onsicus?

 

[MatisIsLoveMantisIsLyf]

Well, idk xD. The mother was big and grey, and had some weird yellow marks in her shell.

 

[MatisIsLoveMantisIsLyf]

Should i move them in a very small container? they don't seem to eat the lettuce i gave them.

 

[Ghoul]

Give them a bit of space, they don't need too big of a container though. Anything that other animals can eat will be eaten by isopods too, the only thing you shouldn't feed is citrus fruits I think, also I'd avoid salty things because they need moisture. Any veggies are great, as is fish food, banana, lettuce, potatos, apple, ect. I usually feed leftovers from cooking like peels or bits. Cooked egg is also great. Oh and they enjoy moss, as food and hiding spots too.
The babies will be mostly living in the soil from my experience, until they grow bigger. Leaf litter always needs to be provided as the dead rotting leaves are their main food source. A bit of egg shell or cuttlefish bone should be added at some point to give them a source of calcium. You can grind it up and mix it into the soil/sprinkle it on top, or just place it in a spot and they will nibble on it themselves when they need it.
You shouldn't worry too much about mold, as they will eat the mold too, unless you like a cleaner look.
Make sure the container has some ventilation but at the same time needs to have a certain level of moisture (not soaked, just so the soil is moist and not dry) as they need it to survive.
That's it pretty much. Now just watch them grow

 

[MatisIsLoveMantisIsLyf]

i dont use soil, im scared they will suffocate. I got around 10 left. I baked some leaf to make it crispy but not brown, and to kill bacteria. The leaf i baked is a mulberry tree sp. I Mist them 2-3 times a day. all of them seem alive and good atm.

 

[Ghoul]

Don't worry about that, isopods love to bury so unless you actually stomp that soil down or dump a large bucket of soil right on them they should be fine :d

 

[LawnShrimp]

Isopods do not need much air at all. I keep at least 50 babies and 7 adult Armadillidium nasatum in a 5-cm high, 12 cm diameter deli container with only 10 holes poked with a pin in the lid. The flat species need high humidity and soil to burrow in, but species that can roll into a ball do not need high humidity.
I feed them shredded rotten wood and dead leaves. The leaves have to be brown; green tree leaves are inedible to them.
Isopods are fun to keep; there are many species and each species has different color morphs. Most species are usually grey, but there are rare orange, piebald, and white morphs for nearly every species. (My A. nasatum are all orange.)

If your isopod can curl into a perfect ball, it is Armadillidium vulgare. If it is flat and runs away instead of rolling up, it is Oniscus asellus. My guess is the latter species as it is larger, you mentioned the mother was 'big'.

 

[Ghoul]

I recently made a guide, that might help you a little! http://arachnoboards.com/threads/isopod-woodlouse-id-guide-and-faq-for-beginners.297876/