Manila Bulletin

LOW MAINTENANCE

Isopods are so low maintenance that it only takes one minute to feed a colony, and they don’t demand lots of attention, unlike Dogs or Cats.

The only other thing you can do when taking care of them is misting their terrariums regularly, especially in hot, tropical places like the Philippines.

Additionally, according to a 2020 post by Kevin Herrera on the website Weird Pets PH, aside from misting and feeding at least once a week, it’s important to add calcium to their diet at least once a month. Isopods need calcium to make their exoskeleton strong. Calcium can be found in cuttlebone, crushed eggshells or Reptile calcium.

POPULAR ‘PODS

According to Jeruel, the most popular species of Isopods are

Cubaris sp, Porcellionides and Porcellio. If you want a little color to your life (or terrarium, aside from green), these species come in a variety of colors.

If you have money to spare and would like to up your Isopod game, you might be interested in the Merulanella Sp.

WHAT’S IN A COLONY

There are usually 10-15 Isopods in a colony. As long as you give colonies proper care, they can live up to at least a year.

But there are some Isopod species that multiply fast, such as the Porcellionides. To avoid overpopulation, Jeruel advises you to either prepare a larger habitat for them or consider rehoming them.

He added that “multiple colonies and different species are not that hard to maintain, as long as you give time and proper maintenance.”

Cover Story

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2023-03-01T08:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-01T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://manilabulletin.pressreader.com/article/282402698594256

Manila Bulletin Publishing Corp