isopod terrarium

terrestrial crustaceans for fun and relaxation

OK full disclosure this is something I'm into. I discovered this video naturally, not on my usual hunt for peaceful videos, but because I was searching for "isopod terrarium" to gain information directly relevant to my life. The video is, you guessed it, about an isopod terrarium. Isopods are those little pill bugs, there's a million names for these guys. I used to call them roly polys (ROE lee POE lee) though only a few varieties actually roll up in a perfect little ball. Terrarium is like a tank with dirt in it and... honestly both these terms you should be able to figure out from the context. If bugs yuck you out I understand but maybe this is OK because of the timidity and cute loaf shape of the bugs in question (which are technically crustaceans). You should know by the thumbnail if you want to click. OK I've intro'd way too long. Here's the vid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCAe-Ih5fys

Pretty nice right? I'm sure many of us have tried as kids to keep bugs in a jar, but have we tried as adults? Have we tried after watching a few tutorials on the subject? Have we tried with a peaceful Beethoven accompaniment?

Isopods is a real scene and there's a billion videos where people talk about them, videos that you will probably start seeing in your automated recommendations. I think it started because people got them as "clean up crews" to live alongside lizards and snakes. That's why I was interested, for lizard reasons. Pardon my French but "ils mangent la merde du reptile". But then they're so fun to watch and easy to take care of that people got into them for regular reasons. Reasons like "this is nice" and "look at these little guys". They're beautiful when you really zoom in:

As with every single hobby people got mega into it and started seeking out and breeding rare variants and vibrant colorways and selling them for $$$ mucho ducho $$$ on eBay. But you can still just get some from under a rotten log and see how they do in your terrarium, or order some of the cheaper ones, which still look extremely cool. Then you get an old tank from Craigslist, add dirt, add your guys, put some dollhouse furniture in the tank so the isopods seem dog-sized by comparison, and enjoy. FYI I'm the only person with the furniture in there-- a search for "terrarium armoire" "terrarium credenza" "terrarium Eames chair"... nothing. But everyone does enjoy making a cool environment, that's a key aspect of the hobby that we share.

I'm not a meme guy but I'll leave you with one from r/isopods on reddit:

and an old infographic from the UK:

If you're interested in getting started with Gramfer Gravies / Doddamees / Cheeselogs / Pishamares / Billy Buttons / Monkey Peas / Isopods, and you live in a region about to enter either winter or summer, I'd act soon. There's a limited time of the year that they'll ship these guys to you in the mail, when it's not too hot, not too cold. If you want to just click through a million videos that start off "what's up isopod fam", that is also an option. And of course "not for me, thanks", that's always there. :)

Peace everyone.

If someone sent this to you because you like bugs, or things in a loaf shape, or you hate bugs of all kinds and someone's trying to get a rise out of you, well even in that last instance you STILL may enjoy other things I write about. This is Pleasant Realms, an email newletter for mostly unstressful YouTube videos, all kinds.