Hi everyone! Haven't been active on the sub in a while. Lately my focus has been on my reptiles but I am still very much involved with my isopods!

I wanted to make a post about some of my findings on keeping different species in less than optimal temperatures. I have seen many people on this sub ask about temperature and it is something I was concerned with myself going through my first winter with my pods.

I keep my pods in an unheated basement. For most of the winter it has stayed at a pretty steady 65f. For the past month or so though the basement has been hovering around 60f and occasionally on very cold nights, dropping into the 50s. For most of the pods, I wasn't too concerned with 65 but once it dropped below that I worried a little about some species in particular. For the most part, my findings have been very positive. Here are some noteworthy things I have observed!

All species have survived in regular 55 - 65 degree temperatures. One species is of slight concern. Most species survived well. A few species seem to have thrived.

The only species in concern is A. gestroi. I have noticed at least one dead individual almost every time I check the culture. This has been going on since I got the culture in early fall and I did discover one gravid female last week so I have my doubts about the cold affecting them negatively. Could be older individuals passing or something not quite right with my setup.

Some species that seemed to thrive were P. pruinosus, P. scaber, A. maculatum and A. nasatum. All four species were not only very active but seemed to have been minimally affected in growth or reproduction. Armadillidium nasatum has absolutely boomed and seems completely unaffected in any way by the temperature. It is my most productive culture, more so than my P. laevis.

One interesting thing about P. laevis is that while activity and growth have drastically slowed, reproduction has not. The laevis all huddle under one piece of bark and don't move much when disturbed and they are growing very slow but I am finding new broods almost weekly.

Most other species in my collection seem to have slowed down for the winter. Less active and little to no reproduction but nothing to indicate they aren't doing well. I have witnessed no deaths and all species are eating regularly and growing. This includes N. "Shiro Utsuri," Cubaris murina, A. pallasii, A. marbleized, A. perracae, A. granulatum, P. laevis and T. rathkii.

The two species I was most concerned about with the cold temperatures are also the two I'm most excited to report on. This is Cubaris "Panda King" and Cubaris "Amber." Both of these species are southeast Asian isopods and are typically said to require temperatures of 70f . The Cubaris "Amber" are eating, growing, and are quite active. I have witnessed no breeding but this is one of my newer cultures with only six individuals and being Cubaris is a slower reproducing isopod anyway. The Cubaris "Panda King" on the other hand didn't reproduce for me all summer yet once the temperature dropped they started having babies. This could suggest a seasonal drop in temperature in their natural environment triggers breeding or it could be completely coincidental. Both species seem to be doing just fine in temperatures from 55f - 65f which leads me to believe most other isopods from similar environments should be able to handle these lower temperatures which are up to 20 degrees lower than recommended temperatures.

I apologize for the long post. I wanted to be as thorough as possible and I hope this information can be of good use to the community!