Armadillidium gestroi "Yellow Spotted"

Armadillidium gestroi "Yellow Spotted" isopods for sale!

An eye catching species with their dark black base color and super bright yellow spotting.  Native to France and is one of the largest in the Armadillidium genus, growing up to 2+ centimeters!   They're rather active, but tends to hide until the population grows in numbers.  They are a bit slow to get going, but once established, they reproduce at a moderate rate.  Gestroi prefer a semi arid environment with a moisture gradient and consistent calcium source.  They have been noted to eat live plants.  They're easy to care for and are a good beginner species.

Origin: France

Humidity: Arid to semi-arid

Ventilation: Moderate (See our ventilation guide in the isopod care sheet under the "Care Sheets" tab.

Housing and Care: A 6 quart shoe box or similar is sufficient to start a 10 count culture in and get established, and then will need to be moved to a larger enclosure once their population outgrows it. Provide a moisture gradient of about 40% moist and 60% dry. Use sphagnum moss on one end of the enclosure to help retain moisture between spraying (frequency of spraying will depend on amount of ventilation you provide and atmospheric conditions, just as long as the moss is always kept moist. Aim to spray down the sizes and make sure the water is reaching the bottom layer to make it last longer), a couple inches of substrate is sufficient, add a good amount of leaf litter, a hide such as cork bark or edible hardwood bark or both, a calcium source such as a cuttlefish bone, eggshell or calcium powder is a healthy addition for all isopod species, but is especially appreciated by this species. Rotting wood is also highly encouraged as well. You can supplementally feed them once a week with a small piece of sweet potato, carrot or squash and a protein source such as our own Bug Buffet Haus Blend, fish flakes, freeze dried shrimp/minnows or other commercialized isopod diet (small enough amount that they can consume it within 2 days to help minimize mites and mold.