Porcellio Ornatus "Witch's Brew" Care
Housing- A standard 6 to 8 quart gasket sealed storage tote or small glass aquarium 5-10 gallons is sufficient for a small starter colony of 8-12 ornatus isopods. Be aware the males of this species are territorial and will chase off other smaller males if there isn't adequate space. This causes stress to both males which we want avoid as constant stress can lead to more obvious negative long term consequences. Provide hides such as cork bark, rotting wood slabs and leaf litter on both the damp and dry side. This allows your isopods the option to move to different areas of the enclosure that best suit their biological processes at any given time while still having the security of not being exposed in the open. These furnishings also create "micro climates" within the enclosure by adding more dimensions than just a moist and dry side which in turns facilitates a strong healthy culture.
Temperature- Ornatus isopods do well at average room temperature of 68-78F. Ideally closer to the mid 70F range if your set up and location can facilitate it. A night drop no lower than the mid to low 60sF will not do them any harm and is actually beneficial as it mimics their natural environment. Carefully consider the room and location where they will placed to ensure a relatively stable temperature range. Low wattage plant seedling heat mats with a thermostat can be used for supplemental warmth at night or during colder seasons if needed. Avoid reptile heating pad type items as they are almost always much too hot even on the lowest setting assuming it has an adjustment option (most do not).
Humidity- Porcellio Ornatus frequent cliffside areas in Spain. As such they get the needed moisture to stay hydrated, but also are accustomed to high ventilation. Around 1/4 to 1/3 of the enclosure should be damp with a middle section somewhere in between moist and dry. Then of course the remaining area can be allowed to stay dry. A slightly deeper substrate depth combined with a thin layer of leaf litter on top of some sphagnum moss will do well to retain humidity and reduce the frequency of watering needed to keep the moist side from drying out. Many other keepers report simply keeping one corner area damp works as well. Long as the general rule of minimal moist, some in between and the rest dry is followed you can arrange your isopods habitat any way you please.
Ventilation- Porcellio Ornatus does best with modest to high ventilation. Air flow is the biggest factor when determining how to keep stable humidity levels. It is essential because without it, the entire enclosure can quickly get stagnant causing mold and pests like gnats and mites to appear. More vital though for species like P. Ornatus, consistent high humidity in all of the enclosure will cause them to die out as they are not biologically suited for tropical environments. On the other hand, to much ventilation means more frequent watering and the risk everything could dry out to the point the isopods perish. There is no one size fits all answer on how to facilitate good ventilation. Numerous factors like the ambient air temperature, where the enclosure is placed in your home, substrate depth, substrate type, top and/or cross ventilation holes along with how the enclosure is furnished are typically the biggest influencers of humidity and airflow. Making adjustments to any or all of these specific aspects as needed and observing the results after a day or two will help you dial in the ideal balance between humidity and air flow that suits your unique set up.
Diet- Always have an abundance of dried leaf litter and soft rotting wood as their primary diet. They will eagerly accept most any veggies like cucumbers, carrots, and squash. Commercially available isopod foods like Repashy morning wood, bug burger or meat pie can be offered on a supplemental basis 1-2 times per week. A good protein source like freeze dried shrimp, minnows or fish pellets should also be offered on a supplemental basis 1-2 times a week. Be sure to place protein based foods on the dry side as they will spoil quickly in humid conditions. Any supplemental foods not fully consumed in 12-24 hours should be removed from the enclosure.
Supplements- Crushed oyster shell, eggs shell or cuttlebone are highly recommended for calcium and can be replaced as needed. A good calcium source helps ensure easier molting, fast growth rates and optimal reproduction success for your culture.
Breeding- If you desire to grow and expand your ornatus isopod numbers, the slightly elevated temperature range of 74-78F mentioned earlier will help expedite this. Even though P. Ornatus can survive in the high 60's to low 70'sF, expanding numbers will also subsequently be a little slower and generally take longer as cooler temperatures also slow down biological processes like reproduction. Try to ensure your ratios of male to female are not extremely off balance. 50/50 is of course ideal, but if you are seeing you may be in the 30/70 ratio or more it may be a good idea to either separate excess males or females or just add more of what is needed to get your ratio more favorable. Mancae and juveniles are unfortunately difficult if not impossible to accurately identify. Sub adult to adult size males however are easily identified by their large pronounced uropods where larger females will have noticeably smaller uropods.
Not letting the calcium supplements lapse for too long will also make growing a larger culture easier and faster. Though Porcellio Ornatus is a little bit more involved than other ispods far as care and needs go, once you get it dialed in and give them a month or two to adjust, they put out average brood sizes fairly regularly. More so in the warmer months, but none the less just give them good consistent proper care and you'll see clusters of little babies much sooner than you think!