I’ve been lurking here for a while and finally bit the bullet last week—picked up 25 dairy cow isopods and officially joined the hobby.
Well… it didn’t take long. One of them already had babies, and the rest are… let’s just say they’re staying very busy 😅
They’ve been ravenous. I’ve been adding fresh leaf litter and wood every couple of days, plus a nutrient-rich protein mix. I even ground up eggshells for calcium (never thought I’d be doing that in my kitchen lol).
Between that and the bioactive soil we pulled from our worm bin + reptile enclosures, they’ve also got a solid little springtail population going.
Setup-wise:
- They’re in a HUGE round tank/bowl we already had (10-12 gallon)
- My husband basically MacGyver’d a terra-cotta pot setup in the middle that holds water and keeps humidity high
- Temps stay around low–mid 70s
- Humidity is… very high. Like ~99% most of the time (but the soil is not “wet” - just moist)
- There are dry parts throughout and some plants
They’re technically pets (I’m way more attached than I expected), but I know with how fast they’re going, some will eventually become feeders for our leachie and pixie frog.
I wanted to share the setup and see what you all think—anything you’d tweak or adjust? Especially with humidity that high… am I about to create a dairy cow paradise or a swampy disaster? 😅
Would love any feedback or tips!