Isopods...

The Big Post

Watching Porcellionides pruinosus eat

2/23/25

This weekend I gave my pods a bell pepper and it was interesting seeing what parts the different species seemed to like the most. Dairy cows, titans, and vulgare seemed to enjoy the fruit more but the pruinosus (and some of the young titans) were mostly focused on the seeds. They eat away parts of the outside to open the seed and eat whatever's inside. Pic below has a little guy with his head stuck all the way in the seed like a bag after he managed to open it. They also get territorial over these. Another one about the same age started nibbling on the same seed as this one and he started smacking him with his antenna and chased him away. They also look kinda jumpy when they do this, like how they are with mate guarding. Some kind of mold/fungus started growing on the main part of the fruit that had stalks with little balls on the end (might try to look up the real name and add later) and one of the adult oranges was grazing on that like a cow. He was walking around the stalks and eating specifically the balls off the tops. He would also tuck his antennae back when he was eating and that was pretty cute. These guys really do act almost exactly like my friend's shrimp. Easily the shrimpiest fully terrestrial guys I know


Hopes and dreams

I have armadillidum nasatum now I just need them to give me a peach baby
Cubaris sp. 'soil'

Pic from rubberduckyisopods
Pic from porcellio.eu

Keeping updates

Carved out a hide for the nasatum :P

Photos

All the species I keep or have seen irl. Sorry for the bad quality on some of them

Armadillidium nasatum

★ Armadillidium vulgare

Cylisticus convexus

Ligidium elrodii

Miktoniscus medcofi

Trichoniscus pygmaeus

Genus: Lirceus

★Porcellio laevis

★Porcellio hoffmannseggii

★Porcellionides pruinosus (oreo crumble)

★powder orange

Trachelipus rathkii

Porcellio scaber

★Trichorhina tomentosa


Books: Isopod Zoology and Isopods in Captivity (both by Orin McMonigle), Pet Isopods: The Ultimate Guide to Keeping and Caring for Your Tiny Crustacean Friends (Dr. Gerard Benjamin Phillips)

Wait...

You're not an isopod!!

My photo of the namesake nose on a. Nasatum. Not all isopods have this!

First species: T. Tomentosa as a cleanup crew for my corked vivarium

Favorite species: Tie between Porcellio hoffmannseggii and Ligia pallasii

Least favorite species: Whatever flat aquatic one (genus lirceus) that lives by my house bc I can't identify them or get good pics without hurting them

Easiest species: The dairy cows w/o question. First to breed and big eaters

Currently looking for irl: ligidium blueridgense