Cubaris “Panda King”: Care, Feeding & Breeding
Sep 03, 2025
Cubaris spec. “Panda King” are not always easy to spot: these small isopods often shelter beneath leaves or in the substrate. Loose bedding, a moist retreat and some patience give your group a good start. Keep the feeding spot accessible so you do not have to lift the shelters every time you check it.
- Temperature · guideline
- 22–26 °C
- Moisture
- Consistently moist, never waterlogged
- What stands out
- Small and often hidden
Getting to know your isopods
Panda King suit patient observation rather than an enclosure where every animal is always on display. Resist lifting the bark whenever you cannot see them.
A fixed feeding spot helps you monitor the colony without constantly disturbing its hiding places.
Setting up the enclosure
Build your own setup
If you are choosing your own substrate and furnishings, our Assel Box with Quad Ventilation (11 L) provides the enclosure on its own. It measures 37 × 26 × 14 cm, is stackable and has four ventilation areas. Keep these clear on the shelf and fasten the lid on both sides.
Start with a set
Our Isopod Starter Set includes the same 11-litre enclosure, TropicSoil, sphagnum, feeding leaves/leaf mulch and cuttlebone pieces. An XL feeding dish and Mini insect drinker are included too. Cork and our isopod food are optional additions, not contents of this set.
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.
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.
For a little more variety in your isopod enclosure, place our lotus seed pods between leaf litter and cork. Their recesses and gaps offer additional nooks for small isopods. Position the pod securely on the floor and choose openings that suit the animals’ size. These pods are furnishings, not a substitute for feeding leaves or a moist retreat.
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.
Panda King need room to retreat into loose substrate and beneath the leaves. Keep food near cover so checks do not require opening every shelter.
Managing temperature and moisture
Aim for a steady location around 22–26 °C, away from direct sunlight. Keep one side reliably moist and the other less damp.
Check the soil beneath the leaves rather than relying only on a hygrometer. Avoid both muddy, saturated substrate and a completely dry enclosure.
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.
A fixed feeding spot helps you monitor a small, hidden Panda King group. Start with very little food and increase only when portions are being eaten.
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
Allow the group time to settle after arrival. Juveniles are easily overlooked in the substrate; daily digging will not help the colony establish.
Keep moisture steady and avoid replacing all the bedding without good reason. As the colony grows, it will gradually need more leaves, food and space.
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
Despite the similar name, Porcellio laevis “Panda” is not Panda King. The laevis have flatter bodies and are often noticeable at feeding time.
The guide to Cubaris spec. “Pak Chong” describes familiar setup basics, including leaves, loose substrate and moist retreats. Similar care is not a reason to combine the groups: each form should have its own breeding enclosure.
Questions about care
Do Panda King need a heater?
Only if their location is otherwise too cool. Measure the temperature inside the enclosure first. Extra heat must not dry out the moist retreat.
How often should I add water?
That depends on the enclosure, ventilation and room temperature. Check beneath the leaves regularly and water the moist area before it dries out.
Is condensation on the lid a good sign?
Not necessarily. Check the substrate and ventilation too. Heavy condensation does not replace a suitable balance of moist and less damp areas.
Further reading
These sources provide more information on the care described here. Temperature ranges are guidelines; always check conditions in your own enclosure too.
