Live Woodlice

Helpful and healthy food for bioactive setups

As helpful custodians who recycle nutrients, tasty snacks and even pets in their own right, live woodlice make for a fantastic addition to terrariums and vivariums. We have a wide range of isopods to suit many different reptile species, amphibians and invertebrates at various stages of development from soft-bodied woodlouse to trichorina species and many more terrarium custodians.

What are live woodlice and isopods?

Woodlice are a fairly large isopod group made up of a lot of species with similar properties. They all make a great ongoing food source as they are bio-active custodians, which essentially means that they will clean an enclosure by feeding upon any built-up waste. If set up properly, a small colony can breed prolifically and consume waste plus organic material, cleaning your enclosure while occasionally being fed up by your animals as a stimulating hunting challenge.

Why should I buy woodlice?

As both a clean up gang and a feed, woodlice are a fantastic addition to many enclosures. They require little food, although there are some supplements you can give them to build their strength and make them more active. Live woodlice are unlikely to harm your pet and should be able to provide regular snacks while keeping a sizeable colony. To ensure the colony is at a sustainable size, we recommend placing the woodlice in an enclosure about two weeks before adding your pet to give them plenty of time to settle in and start breeding.

What are the main types of woodlice for sale?

We stock four products in our live woodlice range; Dwarf white woodlice, Giant orange woodlice, Tropical grey woodlice and custodian food. Dwarf white woodlice are a smaller species of woodlice, best suited to an enclosure with smaller reptiles and amphibians. Giant orange woodlice are a larger species of isopod well-suited to Bearded dragon or monitor enclosures. Tropical grey woodlice are better suited to high-humidity, damp enclosures and make a good calcium-rich food source. Custodian food is a nutrient-rich food source that will bolster your woodlice and help them to become more active.

What should I look for?

When choosing live woodlice take the time to research each species, how they will react to your reptile and tropical species pet and whether they will be right for the conditions forest type setups. If you are planning to have a particularly large enclosure we recommend setting up multiple colonies to ensure a full and regular clean. Once your live food arrives, you can store your clean up crew in a cool, dry area anywhere in your house.