Why do you keep isopods?

Ghoul

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jul 16, 2016
Messages
134
A question for all isopod keepers, why do you keep them?


I keep them because they are easy to keep, come in so many variations that can be kept together, and they eat literally anything (fun to see them react to different food).
Most people think isopods are just functioning, like robots, but if you watch them they have a bit of personality you wouldn't expect. My favourite thing are the food fights :happy: What about you guys?
 

Stugy

Arachnolord
Joined
Apr 21, 2016
Messages
649
I keep them mostly because they are super funny to watch climb over each other for nothing (or trying to get out of their closed deli cup. Plus there are so many really cool variations and sizes. Plus they are good clean-up crews but I don't use them that much. I'm currently using my native colonies as test subjects for some old turtle, hermit crab, and crayfish food I found and wanted to see if they were safe for roaches. Not much of a success since they eat when I'm not looking and the food begins to mold within 2-3 days. :p
 

Venom1080

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Sep 24, 2015
Messages
4,611
how does one go about keeping isopods? theres a bunch around my house and i think they woud make a neat little tank.
sorry OP, dont mean to hijack. if someone could pm me a quick care sheet id be grateful.:)
 

BobBarley

Arachnoprince
Joined
Sep 16, 2015
Messages
1,486
how does one go about keeping isopods? theres a bunch around my house and i think they woud make a neat little tank.
sorry OP, dont mean to hijack. if someone could pm me a quick care sheet id be grateful.:)
Really easy lol. Moist dirt + lots of decaying hardwood leaves (I use oak) + isopods = colony. You can add hides if you'd like.
 

Hisserdude

Arachnoking
Joined
Apr 18, 2015
Messages
2,453
I keep them because they interest me and are easy to keep in breed, plus there are many different color morphs you can isolate if you are lucky. To me, they seem about as close to roaches as you can get without them actually being roaches, their care aspects are similar, (only thing is most roaches don't need dead leaves in their diet like isopods, but there are some that do), and there are new species and color morphs entering the hobby all the time. :)
 

Aquarimax

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Messages
1,086
I keep them because:
1. They come in a wide variety of colors, patterns, and sizes
2. They tend do be a critter that a lot of people can relate to (even many people who think 'bugs are creepy' often think of isopods as cute)
3. They are excellent vivarium janitors
4. They're extremely easy to keep. You can go on vacation for a week and not worry at all about them, at least with the proper setup
5. It's fun to watch them go about their business
6. They're easy to breed
 

pannaking22

Arachnoemperor
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 25, 2011
Messages
4,226
I used to keep them for cleanup crews/feeders to an extent, but now I keep them as pets too. I have several species that are just pets now. Another perk is that you can go out and collect several species yourself, so you don't have to buy them or worry about shipping. If you decide you don't like the ones you caught, it's really easy to just go out and dump them in your backyard and they're good to go.
 

All About Arthropods

Arachnoknight
Joined
Dec 11, 2016
Messages
181
I keep them out of pure enthusiasm, interest, and enjoyment! The things I like most about these crustaceans are that they come in a wide array of colors, shapes, sizes, and patterns(even within species!), are simple to reproduce, have very good value as a cleanup crew, and display many isolatable phenotypes.
 

SlugPod

Arachnoknight
Joined
Sep 28, 2015
Messages
193
Why I keep isopods:
  • They're easy to keep. Don't require much space, easy to feed, easy to control humidity.
  • They're easy to breed and reproduce fairly quickly.
  • There are a lot of different morphs available for species, and it's possible to even develop some yourself. I have a few projects going even!
  • They're easy to get. You can often just go out into your yard or a park and collect some (depending on where you live).
  • A lot of people like Isopods, even if they don't tend to like 'bugs'.
  • They're good for vivariums and terrariums.
  • They're cute! And fun to watch.
Overall, they're just an awesome critter that I enjoy having and am enjoying expanding my collection of species.
They're something relatively simple but a lot of fun.
 

xsearcher

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 24, 2017
Messages
3
I initially got them to be used as janitors and occasional snacks for my geckos. Then I noticed that they are interesting to observe and are generally more active and interesting than my geckos. Low cost, ease of breeding and wide variety also makes them great pets.
 

InvertsandOi

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 12, 2016
Messages
233
Isopods are a perfect example of why I love inverts in the first place. They demonstrate that nature isn't just in far off wilderness places like national parks and things like that. Nature is in our backyards and everywhere we go. It is not separate from us, and we can see it everywhere if we just know how to look. They also demonstrate that an animal doesn't have to be exotic in order to be beautiful and fascinating.
 

moghue

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 25, 2012
Messages
96
I started keeping them as clean up crews when I kept dart frogs. due to health reason I pretty much sold off all my critters except some isopods and millipedes I had. Way easier to take care of and interesting to look at. plan on getting a few more typesof isopods and millipedes soon.
 
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