Armadillidium gestroi: Care, Feeding & Breeding

Getting to know your isopods

Gestroi can roll into a ball when disturbed. Leaves and bark provide both cover and food.

A small starter group may therefore be difficult to spot. Patient observation at a feeding point is better than repeatedly rearranging the enclosure.

Setting up the enclosure

1. Add substrate and leaf litter

   Add several centimetres of loose, suitable substrate with decomposed leaves and white-rotted wood, then cover the surface with leaf litter. With the starter set, prepare the sphagnum according to its packaging and arrange the TropicSoil, leaves and moss to create a moist side and a less damp side.

2. Arrange shelters and a moist retreat

   Our Cork Fragments 200 g provide cover. Choose suitable pieces and position them securely, leaving sheltered spaces underneath. Spread the shelters across different moisture levels and leave one corner accessible for watering.

   If there is space beside the leaf litter and cork, Elephant Ear can add another sheltered area at ground level. This is a curved, woody pod, not a living plant. Choose a piece with enough room for your isopods beneath its curve and position it securely. At around 8–16 cm, the pod should not obstruct movement or the feeding spot.

3. Keep the feeding spot accessible

   Position the feeding dish so you can remove it for cleaning without rearranging the shelters. Keep the drinker accessible too. Both are already included in the starter set, so you do not need an additional Carefree Bundle for this setup.

For gestroi, place some cork at the edge of the moist area as well. This gives the animals cover where the substrate holds moisture.

Managing temperature and moisture

Use 21–24 °C as a guide. Sheltered areas beneath leaves or moss must not dry out.

Keep other parts less damp. Add small amounts of water to the intended area.

The substrate should hold moisture without becoming muddy, while ventilation allows air to circulate.

Food, calcium and a practical feeding spot

Keep leaves, wood and calcium available

Leaf litter and white-rotted wood provide food as well as habitat. Replenish them as they are consumed and keep a calcium source such as cuttlebone available. Cuttlebone pieces are already included in the starter set.

Portioning our isopod food

Offer our Premium Sowbug Food in small portions with the included wooden spoon, either dry or lightly moistened. The plant-and-mineral mixture contains herbs, vegetable ingredients, brewer’s yeast and algae-derived calcium. Check what has been eaten before adding more, and remove leftovers before they spoil.

Choosing a feeding dish

Our Isopod dish provides a compact feeding spot. The Isopod double dish keeps food and minerals separate. Choose the Isopod dish XL when larger animals or more isopods need room around the food. A larger dish does not mean you need to fill it with a larger portion.

Gestroi may eat little supplementary food when plenty of leaves and wood are available. Adjust to your group rather than routinely filling a dish.

Choosing a dish and drinker together

Already have a furnished enclosure and want to add a feeding and watering station? The main difference between our Isopod Carefree Bundles is the dish:

• Isopod Carefree Bundle M: a standard isopod dish for a compact feeding spot.
• Isopod Carefree Bundle L: a double dish with two separate feeding areas.
• Isopod Carefree Bundle XL: an XL dish with more feeding space.

Each also includes a Mini insect drinker, a 30 ml bottle and three cotton pads. Enclosure, substrate and food are not included. Fill the drinker with water only, clean it regularly and replace the cotton pad.

Young isopods and a growing colony

Patience is useful when establishing a colony. Groups do not all develop at the same speed.

Maintain steady moisture and temperature and avoid frequent major changes. Juveniles are easy to miss among soil particles.

More heat or extra food is not automatically the answer when you have not seen offspring yet.

To start another culture, you can furnish an additional Assel Box with Quad Ventilation (11 L) in the same way. Label each separate group with its full species or form name so that offspring remain easy to identify.

Your quick care check

• Check moisture beneath leaves and cork; the moist retreat must never dry out completely.
• Check the dish, remove leftovers and refill according to consumption. Keep the drinker and cotton pad clean.
• Replenish leaves, keep ventilation clear and provide more floor space and shelters as numbers increase.

Do not release isopods outdoors. Wash your hands after maintenance. Before adding them to a terrarium, check that its climate and inhabitants suit the species.

Choosing between isopods

Gestroi’s pale spots clearly distinguish it from striped zebra isopods. Armadillidium klugii “Montenegro” has a more colourful pattern and can have a drier surface. Moist shelters are particularly important for gestroi, but all three still need a moist retreat.

Questions about care