Porcellio scaber “Lava”: Care & Feeding Guide

Getting to know your isopods

Lava is a colour form of Porcellio scaber. Its irregular pattern makes a group particularly varied.

Leaves and bark provide cover, while a fixed feeding point lets you observe the colony without constantly moving the setup.

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.

   A lotus seed pod for the isopod enclosure adds structure between existing shelters, with small nooks and another surface to explore. Choose openings wide enough for your animals and position it securely on the floor. Leaf litter and cork remain the basis of the setup.

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.

Leaves and cork provide surface structure for Lava. Lava rock is unnecessary: the name refers to the colouring. A moist corner remains essential.

Managing temperature and moisture

Use 18–23 °C as a guide. Keep one section reliably moist with less damp areas alongside it.

Check beneath the leaves before watering. In a ventilated enclosure, the surface may dry faster than deeper layers.

Avoid direct sun and complete drying.

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 dish makes Lava’s leftovers easier to find and remove, but cannot prevent mould by itself. Small portions and regular checks still matter.

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

Maintain steady conditions and replenish consumed leaves. Tiny juveniles are easily missed among substrate particles.

Check material removed during maintenance before discarding it. Keep a separate, labelled culture for deliberate line breeding.

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

Lava’s uneven patches differ from the more uniform colour of Porcellio laevis “Orange”. They are different species too: Lava belongs to Porcellio scaber.

The larger body of Porcellio ornatus “Yellow” makes suitable floor space and shelters especially important. This guide uses a lower temperature range for Lava, so do not simply copy the climate recommendations for another Porcellio species.

Questions about care