Porcellionides pruinosus Isopod Care Guide
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- čas přidán 17. 12. 2020
- Isopods are some of the best pet invertebrates! In this isopod species care guide, I talk about Porcellionides pruinosus isopods, also known as a powder blue isopods, powder orange isopods, whiteout, and Oreo Crumbles isopods.
This is a great species of isopod for a pet invertebrate as well as bioactive cleanup crew isopods for reptile and amphibian vivariums of various kinds.
Check out these LINKS to Isopod foods and supplies below. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Vivariums in the Mist makes some great isopod foods: www.vivariumsinthemist.com/is...
Wally at Supreme Gecko makes a great Isopod food: www.supremegecko.com/shop-onli...
#ad When I feed my isopods Repashy Bug Burger, they love it:
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#ad Repashy morning wood is also a very popular isopod food my isopods love: amzn.to/2WdJq23
Isopods will munch on dried River shrimp as well!
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#ad To give your isopods calcium, you can use cuttlebone: twin pack: amzn.to/2S9H3hG
I own a copy of book on isopods by Orin McMonigle, a great source of isopod knowledge:
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#ad here is a link to the sphagnum moss I use to help hydrate my isopods: amzn.to/36BxXiz
#ad here is some organic compost. I use organic compost as an isopod substrate component: amzn.to/3ptpoPK
#ad here are the oak pellets I use for my isopod’s substrate: amzn.to/2JYaznQ
#ad here are some cork bark hides, perfect for isopods: amzn.to/3kyRaX7
#ad here is the coconut fiber brick that can be used in isopod substrate : amzn.to/38I4si6
#ad Here is a link to the 6-quart sterilite tubs I use to house many of my isopods: amzn.to/2syYGZJ
#ad Isopods love cork bark pieces as hides: amzn.to/2WaYOfu
#ad One of the best food/substrate ingredients for isopods are oak leaves, such as these heat-treated red oak leaves: amzn.to/2We6GNm
Isopod Substrate ingredients:
#ad 1 part Organic Compost: amzn.to/2Wn4VO1 (You can probably find it much cheaper at your local garden supply or hardware store)
#ad 1 part Alder Pellets: amzn.to/2MBYj9O
#ad 1 part pesticide-free hardwood leaves, you may collect them locally or purchased pre-sanitized: amzn.to/2We6GNm
#ad I make my own isopod substrate, but here is a link to Josh’s frogs isopod substrate : amzn.to/2TfyC1D
#ad For FREE 2-Day shipping on qualifying orders, try Amazon Prime: amzn.to/2N2HuFb
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. In other words, I earn a small commission when you use that affiliate link, at no cost to you.
Awesome and very helpful video as always! :) I just got my first powder orange starter culture, and having only kept dwarf whites in the past, I was AMAZED at how beautiful, bold, active, and inquisitive these wonderful little guys are! What a great species. Videos like yours inspire me to keep expanding my collection and learning more about these and other fascinating arthropods. Thank you!
I really appreciate how much easier it has become in the past year to gather info about isopods, especially when you're just starting out. THANK YOU for making videos like these that are easy to digest!
You’re welcome! That is my goal, so I am glad they are both helpful and digestible 👍🏽
@@Aquarimax Is it ok to keep the powder blues and oranges together?
@@hezler4430 They are the same species, so you can keep the, together; however, blue is genetically dominant over orange, so depending on the proportions you put together, you may find you don’t have that many oranges after a while.
@@Aquarimax Thanks!
Great video! The part about infestation only being a problem if you have a house filled with leaf litter was the funniest thing I've seen all week.
🤣👍 I am glad you appreciated that!
I have these little darlings as my first isopod. Only had them for a week. It will be fun to watch them reproduce like crazy.
its been 5 months now, how are they doing?
@@ja2931 So my very first colony died on me. Way too much ventilation. My second one EXPLODED. I have them with Cubaris murina and Armadillium maculatum and the pruinosus just took over. They won't stop reproducing and they literally carpet the enclosure. I may have to start selling them. Lol
What is too much ventilation can you elaborate more pls?
@@dianazaalberg1993 Yes, so my enclosure had so much air going through that it would quickly dry out my isopods and it gets hard to keep up with how fast your enclosure will dry up.
Now I got a small plastic shoebox with holes poked in it and I have had the same colony for two years. They get enough air to breathe but also enough so that the moisture doesn't evaporate.
I found 2 isopods of these species just crawling in my bathtub (Powder Blue varient I believe). One of them even appeared during Christmas, haha. I assume they were looking for a warm place during this cold weather so I decided to adopt them (I gave them the names Nick and Bea).
These are awesome! I love that they're active, a bit large, and reproduce with quite a lot mancae. This is one of my most favorite species.
Mine too!
Amazing❤ love to see the expert at work
😊👍
I love these isopods. I got a mixed morph colony about a week ago, and they're absolutely amazing! I will definitely look forward to my new colony's growth.
Hi Rus, just took delivery of these fellas today and was delighted to see you have them covered in your care guide playlist.
Thank you for sharing this info! I got a dozen of these at a reptile show and this is so helpful for their care ✨
This is exactly the questions i needed answered ❤following
Love my powder oranges! So fun to watch, always active and really aren't bothered by movement or light outside their tank
neat little isopod
This is so helpful for someone like me researching how to start my snakes in bioactives. Thanks, Rus!
Great video Rus!
Thank you, Crockett!
I just ordered some Powder Oranges for a lizard terrarium. Thanks so much for the great info! Love your videos.
Keep the knowledge coming! Thanks for the Utah tip!
You’re welcome! If you’re ever in Utah the Butterfly Biosphere is worth a visit!
I made a vivarium of sorts with them when I was about four, no kidding, a very long time ago. They sure were a lot bluer back in Cali. Now I know why. Thanks!
Yep! Must have been powder blues! I am glad you appreciated their charms at such a young age!
Absolutely stunning how informative your videos are while still carrying a comedic touch. Really a joy and very entertaining. Thank you for your hard work and dedication.
I appreciate that very much, thank you for the positive feedback! It helps keep me going!
I am getting a powder mix next weekend. Thank you for the information. I am so excited
They’re great fun…enjoy!
I just enjoy watching all your isopods habitats collection rus you do such h a great job
Thank you Crystal!
Just bought these little fellas to help with my hissing cockroach cage (the babies are too small to clean the cage out well without potentially losing them!), and your video just confirmed that this was probably the best choice. Any other bioactive roommates that would work well for hissing cockroaches? The less work I have to do and the more cool bugs in a cage, the better in my opinion.
Thank you for the info about this versatile isopod species!
I would like to see a species profile video for Porcellio haasi sometime in the future...
You’re welcome! I don’t have P. haasi yet, but once I am cleared to keep it, I will start working on that! It is a very beautiful species!
i don’t even keep any Porcellionides pruinosis and i had one magically appear in my bedroom today despite never having seen them in the wild before so you’re right about them getting around! getting him some friends when i go to a reptile expo next week, he was just too pretty to put back outside so i guess i have no choice but to start a powder blue colony!
Lovely species, I keep/breed these little guys.
A lot of fun, aren’t they?
hello great video
Thanks Rodolfo!
Super helpful video! I just got some powder blues last week!
For collecting them I actually took a piece of leaf litter and lightly bent it into a scoop shape and scooped them into their new enclosure/culture. I imagine it would work for other pods, soft bodied or otherwise
I like that idea!
Great info and a little humour, nice :-) I did miss having the livestream to watch on Wednesday morning though.
However my P. scaber sow cheered me up by having her babies in the week - I was really excited (even though I know the oranges are reproducing, I don't see it) I even managed to catch a little video of the mancae while they were still so small & white they were almost transparent. They look more like isopods today.
Congratulations on the babies!! I will look forward to seeing those, I am sorry about the livestream...we had one but I had lots of technical difficulties and ending up needing to delete it. Next week, though!
My party mix is currently having its first party! The inauguration of its stay at my casa, happy and active lil ones!
Thanks again Rus. Appreciate you, your service and your content! 🙏
My pleasure!!
See this man knows his stuff I have live moss for my isopods and they have exploded using the moss as hiding spots and as food. I use other things as a food source but the moss is a must for isopods. Not just dirt and leafs .
These are my fave so far. I wish they had more color morphs!
I am sure more will he coming in the not-too-distant future!
Isopoda are cute.
I thought I had secure enclosures for my isopods until I found a powder orange running up my wall.
They teleport!
You can handle them, I kept the deli cup they came in, and when I want to hold one I simply coax them into it with a tiny piece of sphagnum moss, then you hold them in the cup :) there you go
That is a good way to do it!
thanks! you're vids are always helpful.
one question. maybe I missed it but what substrate depth would you recommend?
I've been trying to find out which species are diggers and which only use an inch or 2 of substrate.
I am glad to hear you have found my videos helpful! P. pruinosus doesn’t need very deep substrate-an inch or so is fine 👍🏼.
I have these guys upstairs in my bedroom and I kid you not I found one in my kitchen downstairs once. I also find them pretty often wandering around my room I have no idea how they escape my setup.
Have you seen my video on isopod teleportation?
thanks for the info! i think I'm going to get some whiteouts and try to get them established to survive my toads snacking
You’re welcome! For a toad, I would definitely recommend settting them up in a separate bin, and adding them as needed. You might get them breeding in with your toad…but a little insurance wouldn’t hurt. 🤣👍
@@Aquarimax I'm starting a new enclosure, so I'll try to get them situated , along with some other cleaners, before Large Marge comes hopping in. In the end, it'll be up to her discretion, who is on the cleanup crew and who is on the menu.
I would love to se dart frog, fishes and videos of that sort
I’ll try to do a dart frog video soon👍
These good for hens feed
yeah, i used to use them for my quail
Thanks for your job, I find your videos really helpful! Do you think that different morphs of the same species (as P. pruinosus powder blue and powder orange) could cohabitate the same enclosure?
Thank you, and yes, absolutely! That is how the ‘Party Mix’ is produced. You can keep any and all morphs of P. pruinosus together and they can reproduce. Since the wild type is genetically dominant, if you put a large number of wild types with a small number of other varieties, you may find that your mix isn’t very colorful after a few generations. I have found that by putting no wild types in a mix, they will produce some wild types, but since the genes for the other morphs are in there as well, you can have many generations with a colorful mix.
@@Aquarimax That's exactly what I was thinking to do. Thanks for your answer!
Thanks for the informative video. I have a leopard gecko tank but for some reason I noticed my dairy cow isopods were dying. I think it's because their moss was drying out too fast and not covered enough to protect from evaporation with the heat, now I'll be keeping bark over it . If modifying the moist area for them, would powder blue, orange, or desert canyon be more appropriate as opposed to dairy cow? I appreciate the response, but regardless appreciate your time as well.👍
As long as they have a moist area that doesn’t dry out, dairy cows are similarly tolerant as the species you mentioned
Dwarf whites next
Ah yes, these are an interesting species, my 4th species I own.
They were on of my earliest too...perhaps even my fourth!
👌
Thanks Frank!
Hello! May you please make a video on gendering the Porcellionides pruinosus(specifically orange ones)? I am having trouble and I need to breed my isopods.
It is not very practical to sex this species, as they are soft-bodied, small, fast, and skittish.
They usually breed pretty readily, though…what seems to be the trouble?
Question on 1:15. What kind of screen tape did you plug those ventilation holes to prevent them from escaping??
Any escapees head for the patio doors and then promptly die. So no really issues around the home. Unfortunately they are good at finding their way out of the small ventilation slits in the Exo Terra vivariums I have. Tiny micro crickets also escape that way but again no biggy. 🙉🙈🙊🐸
Can you have a bioactive terrarium for your gecko using only isopods?? Or will springtails need to be added as well?? 🤔
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There needs to be a video these vs scabers seem just about the same lol
They are similar in many ways. I should do a video showing the differences! A few key differences are that Porcellionides pruinosus is a smaller species with a more ‘velvety’ look that is tolerant of drier conditions.
@@Aquarimax yea I think some videos like that would be great alot of people aren't sure which route to go , especially for bioactives, you have videos showing good options but maybe a series of pros cons 1 vs the other options especially cuc options
what do you think about feeding them to bearded dragon (somewhere they said it could be a good subistute for dubia roaches)
This particular species is pretty small, but these could work well for younger dragons as a food item.
Would these work well with Milk Back isopods in my bioactive leopard gecko tank?
milkbacks are a similar but different species, they are Porcellio laevis. however, this videos info should still work well
Hello
I have a question "do isopods get clogged with coconut fibers"?
While coco fiber is definitely not the best substrate for isopods, the risks to isopods from coconut fiber are often exaggerated. I raised many thousands of isopods successfully on cocofiber and leaf litter for years before switching to better substrates.
I have some that are spotted with white on them are those Oreo crumble?
It could be the same mutation!
This is great! I’m trying to find a few isopods to use for my bioactive enclosure next summer. Are there any species that shouldn’t be together? It’s going to be a fairly big enclosure (6x2x2 ft). Pretty dry too as its main inhabitant will be a bearded dragon :)
I’m curious about Porcellio scaber species! Or maybe a Porcellio Hoffmannseggi? Or maybe Armadillidium depressum? Haha there are so many I would like to know more about, if you already have videos on any of them please send me a link :)
For a beardie, I would recommend Porcellionides pruinosus or Porcellio dilatatus. I wouldn’t recommend keeping more than one species of isopod together, most combinations will eventually end up with one out competing the other.
For now, check out mt playlist entitled ‘isopods’ I have lots of videos on other species coming soon ! 👍
@@Aquarimax Okay, thanks! Porcellio dilatatus has been recommended to me a few times so it seems like that’s the one I should be aiming for :) For some reason they are so hard to find here...
@@stuckinthelazycorneragain4016 Are you in the UK?
@@Aquarimax Unfortunately not, Sweden :)
I have been checking online in the UK but they don’t seem to ship to other countries.
@@stuckinthelazycorneragain4016 Well, if you can’t find P. dilatatus, Porcellionides pruinosus is a pretty good option too. 👍🏽
Can I kindly make a request ? I'm not English mother tongue and I usually use "subtitle automatic translation" in my native language. But for THIS video subtitle are not available and translation is not possible. Can you add English subtitle ? :-) :-) Many thanks. Regards (and thanks for your fantastic videos !!)
I will see if I can enable subtitles for this video 👍🏼
Sadly all but a few of mine have died. So far it isn't pesticides because I only use fish flakes, leaves, and bark. No invasive predators or mold either. I wet only the sphagnum moss with a slight mist elsewhere. My room is room temperature. Could it be the ventilation? I have them in one of those common critter keepers.
Possibly, if you have any left maybe tape up some of the holes, and put thin mesh over the majority :) hope this helps
@@mrpede7779 What will it do? The critter keeper has the top with the slits on the sides and the tank itself doesn't have any holes at all. It is plastic all around. Just mesh the lid to keep more moisture in?
I have a question. I have a mixed colony of Powder Blue and Powder Orange, and lately I’ve been seeing less and less Powder Blue and more Powder Orange. Is Powder Orange a dominant gene or do they require different care?
Based on the breeding that others have done, and the breeding I have done myself it appears that orange is a recessive trait. However, in small captive populations, the gene can become very common in that population after a number of generations.
@@Aquarimax Woah, thanks! Your isopod videos are awesome by the way!
Hello, I would like to ask if they can attack molting tarantula?I'm worried since they like protein. I gave them a freshly killed cockroach and they started eating it right away. I can't find this information anywhere. Thank you for your reply.
Dwarf whites will munch on freshly molted tarantulas, i am not sure about this species. Probably better safe than sorry.
Hey,
I just got a few of these here in the UAE, Dubai.
It's pretty dry here most of the year and gets cold in winter no moss here so I just added sand + some dry tree branches and chick feed also added some green leaves.
I was wondering do they need rocks? like to eat I guess am new to this :D
I also had a question I saw a few isopods well a lot actually near the sea on the rocks I was wondering what were they maybe sea roaches and if I could culture them but they run like horses and would they thrive on normal water after being in the salty water environment?
They don't need rocks for feeding, they need a calcium source though like eggshells or cuttlefish bone or shimp tails
The ones in the sea can't thrive in freshwater environments as far as i know.
Does it reproduce certain times of the year? Or any time like the dwarf white?
With proper care, they will reproduce year round.
So I can not keep them in a closed plant terrarium because of ventilation 😢?
This would not be my first species to try in a closed terrarium. You may be able to make it work, but definitely not my go-to.
Are there any isopods that would be bad for insectivores if they decided to snack on them? Since these guys are so prolific, if they had a really strong colony would they be OK if they got snacked on by young geckos that ran out of crickets? Makes me wonder because of the red eyed tree frogs possibly having to do with that colony’s demise
Terrestrial isopods in the hobby are not known to have significant toxins, and can make a good supplemental food for various reptiles and amphibians
@@Aquarimax awesome, thanks!
Cookies and Milk...lmao
I have heard that powder oranges like dryer conditions, so i planned on only watering the hydration station and not spraying anything else. Does this sound like it would work well, or should i do something else?
They are extremely adaptable. That will work (it is similar to what I do) but they can also do well in moister conditions with good ventilation.
@@Aquarimax I also have holes cut for the dry side of the enclosure. I have 3 medium holes in the lid, and 1 large holes on each side of the container. I then covered all the holes with a fine aquarium netting.
@corydora2894 that should work!
@@Aquarimax thank you for your help. I apreaciate your videos and they have been very helpful to me as im getting into the Isopod hobby
I found one on my floor and now I'm here tryna figure out if they do bad stuff or good stuff
It's probably a common woodlouse rather than a powder blue isopod
Is 10 enough to start a colony?
Yes, that should work fine.
Hmmm my whole house as a bio active environment .... no need to fight with the dogs always bringing the outside in. need to begin with aquatec flooring and go from there .... or radiant flooring ...
Let me know how that works out 😂
@@Aquarimax looks like convincing the wife might be an up hill battle. That I will lose ... at least she is laughing
First!!!
Legit, I’m excited for the video!
Fairly certain they are cannibalistic? Had 20 in a container and later transferred them and found only 7-8.
I hear they will resort to cannibalism if they are very hungry or low on protein
You didn't mention if they conglobate. I guess they don't do that ?
Your guess is correct…they do not conglobate. 👍🏼
@@Aquarimax thanks. and are they diurnal?
Some of the most diurnal isopods I have. 👍🏼
@@Aquarimax they arrived today ('Powder Orange') and I have experienced it first hand. Great. i have noticed though that they are aggressive towards others (of their same species) some times. I really like that they are so active!
PLEASE I NEED HELP so
my goldfish has tail rot disease poor water quality no filtration pumps or ANYTHING just food and decoration we have a bubble maker and it caused a lot of stress for her which lead her to her disease the thing is she's 8 years old and has never had anything else but water no medication or filtration pumps i want to cure her and give her the right stuff needed i just don't know please can you list EVERYTHING i need for her tank pumps etc also a cure to this disease i don't know how much time she has and i cant even help her as i am a young kid and my parents cant even afford to help her i will try to raise money on my own I'm just asking for the stuff i need and we will figure it out from there i just cant let my goldfish die she's very dear to me im willing to buy and do anything for her i just need to know if we ever get the money that im spending it on the right things if ANYBODY can help i would really thank you for it this is my last resort
As a starting point, what size is the goldfish, and what size is the tank?
i found this tank for my goldfish and im not sure if she will be ok in there dose anything else need to be added? PetsBazaar 15Litre/20Litre/30Litre/35Litre/50Litre Small Medium Nano Starter Aquarium Fish Tank Tropical/Coldwater with Integrated LED Light: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies
Which size did you pick? A healthy goldfish will grow out of even a 50 litre tank fairly quickly, but it could work for a few months.
How to kill them I have a lot disturbing in my home
You can either sell them (profit) or i they are annoying, try using pesticide
+47 points for non cookies n milk joke...
Yes! Thanks for appreciating my avoidance of that attempt at humor!