Weird looking Isopod...

[Hisserdude]

Hisserdude - How can you tell if a color is a morph and not just a phase of growth? I picked up several orange isopods and they are beautiful. How long do they live? Do they need to hibernate? I'm going to pick up some ultraviolets, too. They fascinate me. You know some of the most beautiful tulips started as a response to a virus.

I have some big black ones around here. And pink ones... I'm having isopod confetti for Christmas!

Well when isopods are young, they are all pretty pale in color, but once they get half grown they usually start showing their adult coloration. Besides that initial color change, they don't really go through different color phases, so if it's half grown or older, what you see is what you'll get.

Don't quite know how long the standard species live to be honest, most of what I have are big colonies, so I don't keep track of how long they live. I'd assume an adult Porcellio sp could live a year, I know the pill bugs, Armadilidium sp, can live a few years as adults.

No hibernation is needed.

If you are talking about the specimens infected with iridovirus, I wouldn't bother collecting any, they'll die quickly, and the virus usually dies out in captive colonies, so it's not like you'll have a sustainable population of them.

Be sure to take pictures of your cool isopod morphs, would love to see your orange and pink ones.