🧡 Powder Orange Isopods — Porcellionides pruinosus
They’re hardy, extremely prolific breeders and one of the most adaptable isopods available. Powder Orange Isopods thrive in a moderately humid environment with good ventilation, plenty of leaf litter, decaying hardwood and a reliable moist refuge. Their bright orange colour and active nature make them an excellent choice for bioactive enclosures, clean-up crews and as a supplemental live feeder. 🦎🧡
🌍 Origin: Porcellionides pruinosus is considered native to the Mediterranean region, with the species now widespread throughout Europe and many other parts of the world through human-assisted spread. The Powder Orange is a captive colour morph, not a separate species or specific wild locality.
Excellent for bioactive enclosures ranging from semi-arid to humid, provided they always have access to a consistently moist refuge. They are particularly adaptable and can tolerate a fairly wide range of conditions, but should never be kept completely dry.
A good setup is:
- 💧 Moisture: Keep approximately ⅓–½ of the enclosure moist, with the remainder less damp and well ventilated. The moist area should always be available for hydration and moulting.
- 🏜️ Semi-arid setups: They can adapt to drier environments as long as a moist retreat is maintained.
- 🍂 Food: Leaf litter and decaying hardwood should form the foundation of their diet. They also appreciate vegetables and supplemental protein such as dried insects, fish food or shrimp.
- 🪵 Hides: Cork bark, rotten hardwood and a generous layer of leaf litter provide excellent cover and help maintain humidity.
- 🦴 Calcium: Keep a continuous calcium source such as cuttlebone, calcium carbonate or crushed eggshell available.
- 🌡️ Temperature: Approximately 20–27°C (68–80°F) is a good general range. They can tolerate warmer temperatures when adequate moisture is available.
- 📏 Adult Size: Approximately 1–1.5 cm (0.4–0.6 inch), depending on the individual and line.
Powder Orange Isopods are one of the best beginner-friendly species because they establish quickly, reproduce rapidly and tolerate a wide range of conditions. Their speed and small size also make them excellent at getting into areas of a bioactive enclosure that larger isopods may not reach.
Hardy • Extremely fast breeding • Adaptable • Great clean-up crew • Excellent supplemental feeder
*12–15 Isopods
