Common Rough Woodlouse

The common rough woodlouse, and one of the hardiest isopods in the hobby — a good first colony and a dependable clean-up crew. It copes with drier air than most, but still needs a damp corner: it has no waxy coating and dries out in a tub that is dry end to end. It does NOT roll into a ball; it clings and freezes when disturbed. Scaber is protein-hungry — offer fish flake, dried shrimp or similar once or twice a week alongside leaf litter and rotting wood, with calcium always available. Well fed, a colony grows fast and can outgrow its tub. The trade sells many colour morphs of this one species (Dalmatian, Calico, Orange, Ghost and others). A bright BLUE scaber is not a morph — the colour comes from an iridovirus infection, and the animal should be removed. DETRITIVORE, harmless.