# Where can I buy tropical isopods?



## Blaise and Echo

I tired culturing some native ones to seed a vivarium with, but I have had no luck at all. They all seem to die. I need to find some place to buy them from. Is there a reputable dealer I can buy them from. I need some cleaners in my vivarium pretty badly, haha. Springtails can't keep up with it enough any more. I tried a wanted ad, with no luck. Thanks!

Jim


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## bobberly1

Regular springtails are technically tropical isopods, any local hobbyist should be able to give you a starter culture. However, if you're a discriminating buyer, Michael Shrom sells all different specific genera with special qualities. I don't think he's shipping right now but if you can wait a little while he's a great choice.


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## Blaise and Echo

I'm looking more for like roley poleys or pill bugs or sow bugs (IDK what else people call them) I was thinking like the dwarf white ones or something. Sorry, I don't know too much about them.


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## Omead

You can see if Randy at EandKBestBuys.com has them. I think I saw something like that on his site but I could be mistaken. I would check for you but my phone is about to die. If I spelled the website wrong just google it.


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## Ed

bobberly1 said:


> Regular springtails are technically tropical isopods.


Since when? 

Tropical springtails are not isopods.. there are white springtails and there are dwarf isopods..and they are different but white springtails can colonize isopod cultures. 

One of the reasons the larger temperate isopod species can be difficult to culture is because they can take as much as 15 months to sexual maturity. 

Ed


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## Omead

15 months is a long time.


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## Boondoggle

Omead said:


> You can see if Randy at EandKBestBuys.com has them. I think I saw something like that on his site but I could be mistaken. I would check for you but my phone is about to die. If I spelled the website wrong just google it.


I highly recommend his striped dwarf isopods. They breed faster than any of the others I have.


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## dam630

Here you go:
Isopods - Flightless Fruit Flies


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## BugsInCyberspace.com

I raise a variety of isopod cultures including the following:

Armadillidium spp. pill bugs
Gray sow bugs
Bright Orange sow bugs
Oniscus skirted sow bugs
dwarf white
jungle micropods
New Dalmation breed Porcellio sow bugs
Giant Canyon Isopods

PM me or visit my website, please!


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## tachikoma

BugsInCyberspace.com said:


> I raise a variety of isopod cultures including the following:
> 
> Armadillidium spp. pill bugs
> Gray sow bugs
> Bright Orange sow bugs
> Oniscus skirted sow bugs
> dwarf white
> jungle micropods
> New Dalmation breed Porcellio sow bugs
> Giant Canyon Isopods
> 
> PM me or visit my website, please!


I went to your site and the only feeders I could find for sale were on this page.

buy live feeder insect species roach flies and more

Which had none of the above mentioned bugs. Is there another link or are you out of stock?


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## BugsInCyberspace.com

Thanks for asking tachichoma!

As you may suspect, feeders is a relative term. In nature, our frogs are not so discriminating. I raise 40+ species of roaches, nymphs of which are suitable as feeders for many species of frogs in the early states.

Of course, one person's feeder is another person's pet, so herp-oriented browsers to my site may a have certain shopping perspective. Here are a couple other links that may prove useful for the uninitiated to my site:

Pill bugs sow bugs and isopods for sale

Live Pet Cockroaches and Feeder Roaches

Thanks again for asking for clarification. I am a bug guy with a wife and kids that also enjoy amphibians and especially lizards. Their pets eat my pets!


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## tachikoma

Wow you have quite a selection! Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Now which to choose.

EDIT:

Tried to buy a batch but I think paypal is down for the moment. I will try again tomorrow.


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## packer43064

tachikoma said:


> I went to your site and the only feeders I could find for sale were on this page.
> 
> buy live feeder insect species roach flies and more
> 
> Which had none of the above mentioned bugs. Is there another link or are you out of stock?


Are you blind?  

Click on his site and press "online store" then press "live pet bugs" scroll over now and you willl see all of what he is talking about.

EDIT: LOL


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## Boondoggle

BugsInCyberspace.com said:


> I raise a variety of isopod cultures including the following:
> 
> Armadillidium spp. pill bugs
> Gray sow bugs
> Bright Orange sow bugs
> Oniscus skirted sow bugs
> dwarf white
> jungle micropods
> New Dalmation breed Porcellio sow bugs
> Giant Canyon Isopods
> 
> PM me or visit my website, please!


Welcome. Since most potential buyers here would be purchasing iso's to start a culture, it would be helpful if your site contained info on adult size, and reproduction rates.


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## BugsInCyberspace.com

Thank you for the suggestions, Boondoggle. I have made some updates on my online store, and will place additional info here as well. All measurements are approximated maximum sizes. Remember, isopods can begin reproducing by the time they are half grown (they become sexually mature prior to attaining ultimate size).

Armadillidium nasatum are slightly smaller than A. vulgare at ~14mm max.
Gray Porcellio sow bugs ~13mm
Bright Orange Porcellio sow bugs ~13mm
Oniscus skirted sow bugs ~15mm
dwarf white ~3mm
jungle micropods ~2mm
New Dalmation breed Porcellio sow bugs ~13mm
Giant Canyon Isopods ~20mm


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