What Are Isopods?

Isopods, often called ‘slaters’ or ‘rolly-pollies’, are small land crustaceans that love damp, dark environments. Varieties like Grey, Orange, and Powder Blue are popular for terrariums thanks to their hardiness and their role as decomposers.

They consume larger organic debris like rotting moss, fallen leaves, and dead plant matter — keeping your terrarium clean and your substrate healthy.

Best Use: Closed Terrariums

Isopods do best in closed terrariums that stay consistently humid. Provide areas with sphagnum moss, leaf litter, and bark pieces for them to hide and feed under. These conditions allow them to thrive and slowly reproduce over time.

While they often hide during the day, they’re actively cleaning beneath the surface.

Introducing Isopods

Your isopods from Eko Lab arrive in a small container with damp sphagnum moss, often with fish flakes for food during shipping.

To introduce them:

• You can tip the entire contents (moss and all) into your terrarium, gently place a selected number in, or let a few isopods crawl from the container, into their new home.
• Cover with leaf litter or cork bark to give them shelter.
• Lightly mist the area to maintain humidity.
• Let them settle — they’ll find hiding spots and begin working almost immediately.

They’ll find enough natural material to feed on in most healthy setups and won’t need regular feeding.

Feeding & Maintenance

Isopods in terrariums typically feed on decaying plant matter. If food is scarce in a new setup, offer:

• A pinch of fish flakes
• Small bits of vegetables like zucchini or pumpkin
• Crushed eggshells or cuttlebone for calcium

Only add small amounts and remove anything uneaten after a couple of days to avoid mould.

Keeping Isopods in Cultures

If you’re holding them in the container for a while:

• Pierce several small holes into the lid (our containers are sealed for shipping).
• Keep the container in a cool, dark place with ventilation. Monitor the moss to ensure it stays damp, and check for mould (this can occur without enough airflow).
• Offer a little food once a week — fish flakes or veggie scraps work well.
• Include some leaf litter or bark for grazing and hiding.

They can thrive in this culture for a couple of weeks before being added to a terrarium. If you’re planning to have a dedicated isopod culture, please reach out to us and we can provide more specific advice!

🔗 More care guides: Care Instructions