Giant Spanish isopod

Porcellio hoffmannseggi is a large Iberian isopod with conspicuous antennae and rear appendages. Its size does not make every advertised giant-isopod line equivalent.

Plan a spacious dedicated culture with ample food and refuges; do not assume suitability for every bioactive habitat.

Arrange dependable holiday care and keep money available for food, replacement equipment and appropriate veterinary help. Test the habitat before the animal arrives.

Wildform proposes 45 × 30 cm or larger for a small starter colony, with secure ventilation, several bark shelters and a damp refuge separated from drier ground.

Measure usable internal space after substrate, guards and furnishings. Check ventilation, cable holes and access against the smallest occupant. Fix heavy furnishings independently of loose substrate.

Assess actual colony density and usable space. No named enclosure here is confirmed to meet the full adult requirement, and large size does not establish bioactive compatibility.

The breeder uses 20–25°C. Retain a cooler refuge and check actual conditions during heatwaves.

Record the warm and cool locations, overnight minimum and daytime maximum. Air, surface and substrate readings are different measurements. Any added heater needs compatible thermostatic control and safe separation from the animal; assess summer cooling as well as winter heating.

Use ambient day/night light and opaque refuges; no mandatory UVB target was established.

Keep the night dark and provide retreat from daytime light. Lamp percentage, electrical wattage and a product name cannot establish the exposure reaching an animal. Check the finished installation after changes to mesh, branches or lamp position.

Keep the lower refuge modestly moist while allowing other areas to dry. Avoid a stagnant wet box; air humidity alone cannot establish the gradient.

Inspect the occupied refuge and substrate as well as the air reading. Adjust water provision and ventilation together, and clean contaminated drinking surfaces. A single humidity number cannot describe every microclimate.

Maintain abundant decayed hardwood leaves and suitable rotten wood, with plain calcium and small regular assessed supplements.

Record what is actually eaten and follow changes in growth and body condition. Food size, life stage and the full diet matter. Supplement products require an individual plan; do not combine calcium, vitamin D and multivitamins by guesswork.

Check food supply against the actual colony.

Provide multiple refuges and feeding access. Observe crowding or damage before increasing numbers.

Make necessary maintenance predictable and allow voluntary retreat. Prepare a secure transfer container before essential moves. Observation should not repeatedly interrupt feeding, rest or moulting.

Investigate unexplained losses through food, density, moisture and contamination rather than adding more heat or spray by default.

Keep dated observations of appetite, activity and condition. A sudden decline, injury, abnormal breathing or repeated failed moults needs appropriate professional assessment. This guide does not provide a diagnosis or medicine dose.

Keep scientific identity, source and colony records and prevent escape with spent substrate.

Ask for a dated source record, scientific identity, life stage and established care history. Keep new arrivals and their equipment separate while an appropriate quarantine plan is agreed. Check current official rules for the exact animal, route and transaction before importing or buying; this page does not establish legal clearance. Never release animals or viable eggs outdoors.

Check the damp refuge, food base and enclosure security. Review adult/juvenile numbers, refuge availability and substrate condition. Keep a dated record of measurements and observations, and revisit the full advice when conditions or life stage change.