Defining Characteristics:

• Hardy species of isopod that produces quickly once established
• Laevis Isopods are a large, active species. Many keepers say laevis are a joy to watch!
• One of the longer living isopods in the hobby

Name: Porcellio laevis ‘Wild Type’, commonly known as the swift woodlouse or smooth-back isopod.

Recommended Enclosure Size & Setup: A 6 quart Sterilite container or something similar works great for a starter culture. Upgrade to a 37 quart Sterilite gasket box or similar for larger cultures. Josh's Frogs Isopod Substrate works great as a bedding!

These pods are ferocious eaters, but reproduce too slowly to make a good long-term clean-up crew in most environments.

Temperature (°F): 50-85 degrees is the ideal temperature range for these isopods.

Humidity: 55-80% which can be accomplished by regular misting when the enclosure starts to get dry.

Size: These isopods will be at least 1/4 inch at the time of sale. You will receive a variety of sizes in our 10 count cups.

Age: They can live for 2-3 years. Due to the mixed nature of our 10 counts, they will contain a variety of isopod ages.

Feeding: Josh's Frogs Pod Power, Repashy Bug Burger, Repashy Morning Wood, and a calcium supplement two times per week in portions according to the population of the colony.

In rare cases, starving isopods may attempt to consume the carapace of freshly molted invertebrates or even gnaw on small or delicate reptiles or amphibians. We strongly recommend providing supplemental food to your clean up crew in the enclosure, such as Josh's Frogs Clean-Up Crew Cuisine. When in doubt, using dwarf species of isopods, such as dwarf tropical whites, may be a safer option.

Sexing: Males have a penile papillae on the underside of their tail, and their pleopod segments (underside of the tail) are more angular while females' are more square. Due to their age, isopods sold by Josh's Frogs are sold as unsexed animals.

Color/Pattern: The Wild Type of P. laevis are quite large and can range in color from light gray to dark gray.

Social Behavior: These isopods do great in groups of 10 or more, but are best kept with their own species. This variety is known to be aggressive and use their large bodies to outcompete other isopods, especially for food.

Females will show maternal instincts, building small nests for their young. They're voracious eaters, so be mindful of how much you're feeding!

Breeding: P. laevis will readily breed in well set up colonies or enclosures. These are hardy, fast breeders.

Natural Range: P. laevis is native or introduced to most of the world.