Isopod Care Guide

Everything we know about keeping happy, healthy isopods, all in one place.

Whether you just found a roly poly in your backyard or you're building your tenth bioactive enclosure, start here. These are the care guides we've written from years of keeping, breeding and (occasionally) learning things the hard way at Holy-Poly Isopods.

Start Here

• Just Getting Started? The simple checklist for your first colony. Seriously, it's less than you think.
• What Is a Roly Poly? Bug, insect or crustacean? (Spoiler: crustacean.)
• How Many Isopods Should I Get? Not 10,000. Probably.
• Isopod Recommendations Which isopods for beginners, reptiles, frogs, tarantulas and more.

Care & Feeding

• Basic Isopod Requirements Temperature, moisture, ventilation, calcium and more.
• What Do Roly Polies (Isopods) Eat? Leaves, wood, calcium, protein... and pumpkins.
• Leaves & Wood for Isopods Which leaves we use, which we avoid, and how we prepare them.
• Springtail Starter Culture How to seed an enclosure and keep your springtail culture going.

Kids, Families & Classrooms

• How to Keep Roly Polies as Pets Build a kid-friendly roly poly farm, spot baby isopods, and try fun classroom projects.

Bioactive Enclosures

• What Does It Mean to Go Bioactive? Meet your unpaid, never-calls-out-sick clean-up crew.

Troubleshooting

• Why Isopod Colonies Crash The most common problems, and what to check first.

Shipping, Permits & the Rules

• Live Arrival Guarantee, Shipping & Hold for Pickup How we ship live animals safely.
• Our USDA-Permitted Isopods & Springtails The species our permits cover.
• Isopod Transport, Release, and Disposal The permit rules every keeper should know.

Ready to Start Your Colony?

Browse our fast-breeding isopods, all isopods, springtails and supplies. Still have questions? Check our FAQ or contact us.

Thanks for rolling with us!