Product description

This listing is for 6+ Porcellio Haasi Bright Isopods. You will receive a mix of juveniles and adults. All orders are over packed 5% to 10% to compensate for any nominal losses in the shipping process.

Porcellio Haasi "Bright" is the same species as it's "High Yellow" counterpart. The bright variety is simply a locale and not a color morph. Specimens originally collected from a different area of Spain have a mottled gray base with splotching in light yellow andor white. Each isopod is unique, and color patterning and intensity will vary in any given group. P. Haasi are among the few terrestrial isopods that reach an impressive sizes as adults with large males reaching 1 to 1.25 inches in length. Males are easily distinguishable having much longer uropods than the females. This species is typically on the shy side and you won't see them out in the open moving about during daylight hours like some other isopod species. But once their numbers are up they will be a bit more bold to show themselves periodically during the day. They spend much of their time on the undersides of cork bark, rotting wood and thick leaf litter. But once night time arrives and lights go out, they will be much more active and out in the open.

For housing, a sterilite gasket sealed bin or glass tank measuring at least 18-24 long by 12 or more inches wide is ample for a starter colony with some room to grow. Males can be territorial and an off balance ratio of males to females can result in the females being "harassed" by eager males which causes stress and other potential issues. Be sure to provide multiple hides to minimize any conflicts. Enclosures can be enhanced with natural botanical items to simulate the isopods habitat in the wild. This helps them feel secure which in turn promotes their natural processes like eating and breeding. The ideal temperature range for P. Haasi is 68-78F. Slightly warmer is desirable if you wish to see a thriving culture that is active and reproduces faster.

Moisture gradient and ventilation is where the potential challenging aspect of this species comes into play. They need a modest amount of moisture, but also an area or two that is dry to bone dry. Ideally if your set up is large enough, a few different areas that vary in this way can be beneficial. Such as having two separate moist corners and some dry area in between. They will often migrate between moist and dry areas at different times of the day to facilitate their biological processes as needed. A second layer of needs that further makes them a little more involved is that they need medium to high ventilation. This is easiest achieved with an enclosure that has some level of height up and away from the substrate. In the areas that are to be moist, the substrate can be a bit deeper which in turn retains humidity longer. A few pieces of cork bark strategically placed over some of the moist side will also help retain the humidity levels and reduce the frequency of watering needed to maintain a proper moisture gradient. They also seem to appreciate some stacked cork bark which gives them another dimension to regulate their moisture needs by climbing higher away from the substrate.

Isopods are detritivores. Their primary diet in nature is leaf litter and decayed wood. Both of these should always be available in abundance. They will also happily consume any other decomposing organic plant or animal matter they come across. As such it is vital to supplement your isopods with other food sources on a semi regular basis. They enjoy food options like squash, radishes, carrots and other veggies along with commercial isopod powdered food like Repashy. Being a Porcellio, they do appreciate some protein occasionally which can be things like freeze dried minnows, shrimp, fish pellets, dried insects and other protein based food sources. Be sure to feed these on the drier side as they can spoil quickly in humid environments and attract unwanted pests. It should also be noted it's highly recommended to have some form of calcium available at all times.

Porcellio Haasi Bright is a unique spin off of the more common high yellow version. This particular isopod at this point in time is not as readily available and common, but we have a massive breeding colony and thus far a substantial amount at most any given time. Be among the few to own this rare and highly desirable gem! P. Haasi does require a little bit of extra "work" far as isopod care goes, but nothing extremely demanding compared to other species. We have numerous other isopods in our storefront as well!

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