Porcellio laevis “Orange”: Care & Breeding Guide
Sep 03, 2025
The even colouring of Porcellio laevis “Orange” stands out against dark leaves. A fixed feeding spot makes the animals easier to watch. For keeping and breeding them, focus on a practical setup: enough floor space, several shelters and a moist corner.
- Temperature · guideline
- 22–26 °C
- Moisture
- Moist substrate area with a drier option
- What stands out
- Even orange colouring
Getting to know your isopods
The flat, elongated body distinguishes Porcellio laevis from the rounder pill isopods. “Orange” names the colour form. The colouring stands out against dark leaves and cork, but keep plenty of cover in the enclosure so the animals can retreat whenever they need to.
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.
A small Bell Cup can provide an additional shelter at ground level. Position the hollow fruit shell with its opening facing sideways and secure it against rolling. Check that your isopods can enter and leave easily. The shell is a furnishing, not a food or water dish.
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.
Spread several shelters across the floor for Orange. Leave room to add another feeding spot or retreat as the colony grows.
Managing temperature and moisture
Use 22–26 °C as a practical guide. Keep a moist corner available at all times, with less damp substrate alongside it.
Water the intended area rather than soaking the whole box. During warm weather, check the moist retreat particularly carefully and keep the enclosure out of direct sunlight.
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.
Orange may accept supplementary food readily. Check for leftovers dragged under the cork before adding the next portion.
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
Porcellio laevis “Orange” can breed well in suitable conditions. Think ahead about housing a larger colony.
As numbers increase, add shelters and divide the group if needed. Young isopods need accessible food and sheltered moist areas.
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
Orange and Porcellio laevis “Panda” are colour forms with very similar care needs. The choice is largely between even orange colouring and black-and-white patches. Porcellio scaber “Lava” belongs to a different species and has more varied markings.
Keep the groups separate for breeding.
Questions about care
Does Orange need a different climate from Panda?
No. Both can follow the same basic approach: a moist retreat, less damp areas, leaf litter and ventilation.
My isopods eat a lot. Should I offer more?
Increase portions gradually if they are being finished. Check beneath bark for hidden leftovers first.
How often should I completely clean the box?
Not on a fixed schedule. Remove leftovers, replenish leaves and replace portions of substrate when needed. A healthy enclosure does not need to be emptied regularly.
Further reading
These sources provide more information on the care described here. Temperature ranges are guidelines; always check conditions in your own enclosure too.
