In stock
Shaker cap
The everyday size. A sifter cap lets you sprinkle a pinch straight into the bin, and the jar reseals tight between feedings.
Cubaris and starters,
bred in our bins.
Rare Cubaris and hardy starters from our own colonies, plus the food we feed them. Shipped FedEx Overnight with a live arrival guarantee.
Ships Mondays and TuesdaysFedEx Overnight, or free pickup in Oklahoma City
Live arrival, guaranteedReplaced or refunded, your choice
Captive bred, never wild-caughtWe don't sell wild-collected animals
Featured isopods
A few of what's ready to ship right now.
We keep what we sell
Every species listed lives in our own bins. If a colony isn't producing well, it doesn't get listed that week.
Packed for the trip
Damp moss, cork to grip, an insulated box and a heat or cold pack matched to the forecast at your address.
Answers after the sale
Email us about a molt, a mold bloom or a colony that stalled. We keep these animals, so we can actually help.
Our isopods
Rare Cubaris come in packs of 5, 10 and 25, and Giant Cannonballs in 5 and 10. Beginner species start at 10: Panda Kings and Papayas in packs of 10 and 25, and Dairy Cows in 10, 25, 50 and 100. Bigger packs cost less per isopod.
Colony Blend
Our premium isopod food, blended and packed in small batches: ground oak leaf, green pea flour, dried mealworm, freeze-dried krill, calcium carbonate, spirulina, dried yeast and bee pollen. Jars for a single colony, bags for breeders.
In stock
Resealable pouch
For two or three colonies, or a refill for your jar. Works out cheaper per ounce than the jar.
In stock
Breeder size
For anyone running a rack of bins. The best price per ounce we offer, packed with a desiccant to keep it fresh.
Feeding: a small pinch per 10 isopods, once or twice a week. Add food to an isopod order and it ships in the same box at no extra shipping cost.
Supplies
The bedding, cover and hides we use in our own bins. Cleaned, dried and ready to drop straight into an enclosure. Add supplies to any order and it all ships together.
Coming soon
Sold by volume
Thick and waxy, so it breaks down slowly and lasts months longer than oak. Doubles as cover for shy species.
Coming soon
Sold by the piece
Natural hides with dozens of chambers. Isopods pile into the holes and graze the biofilm, and they look good in a display bin.
Coming soon
Sold by weight
Hides, climbing surface and grazing all at once. Cork resists rot, so it outlasts wood in a humid bin.
Coming soon
Long fiber, dried
Holds water without going sour. Use it to build the damp corner, or to line a shipping cup.
Want a specific size or a bulk amount for a rack of bins? Email us and we'll quote it.
Care
Everything from unboxing day to a thriving colony. Written from what keepers report, not from guesswork.
Your first 48 hours
A printed copy of this comes in every box. Do the first two steps within an hour of delivery.
Species care sheets
Setting up your first bin
A 6 quart bin is the hobby standard for a new colony, and Rubber Duckies do well in anything from 6 to 15 quarts. Give Cubaris at least 4 inches of substrate, since they dig. Use organic soil with no pesticides or fertilizer, then add deep leaf litter, a few pieces of cork or rotting wood and a calcium source. Crowding a colony into a small bin is a common way to lose one: stagnant air, waste buildup and stress killed an entire colony of 300+ in one keeper's 12 x 6 inch tub.
Moisture and ventilation
Vent only about half the bin so one end stays humid and the other stays dry, and put holes along both sides for cross ventilation rather than only in the lid. Top-only ventilation leaves air stagnant. Both extremes kill: wet substrate with poor airflow can crash a colony quietly, and too much ventilation leaves the damp corner dry by the next day. A substrate that holds moisture well means less misting, which means less disturbance.
Feeding without causing problems
Leaf litter and rotting wood are the staple, and everything else is a supplement. Offer protein in a small pinch about once a week, in one spot, and pull it if it molds. Most pest outbreaks trace back to overfeeding: fungus gnat maggots appear when there is too much food sitting in the bin, and mite numbers rise when there is excess protein-based food. Keep a calcium source in permanently, since bad molts are often tied to inconsistent humidity, poor nutrition, or calcium shortages.
Mold, mites and other visitors
A little mold in a new setup is normal while it establishes; lower the moisture slightly and keep a healthy springtail population. Springtails belong in every isopod bin, because they eat mold that could hurt the pods and stop it before it spreads. Most mites are harmless, and cutting protein for a couple of weeks makes them disappear. Remove any pest snails on sight, since they prey on isopod mancae, especially while molting.
Breeding and babies
Stability breeds isopods; fiddling does not. Duckies are not a species that rewards daily excavation, and a stressed colony stalls. Set the bin up, feed lightly, keep the gradient steady and leave it alone for weeks at a time. Mancae are tiny and white, and they hide in the litter layer, so seeing none does not mean there are none. Ten animals is the practical minimum to start a breeding culture.
When a colony crashes
Work through this list: air (is there cross ventilation, or only lid holes?), space (is the bin too small for the population?), moisture (is the whole bin soaked, or bone dry?), waste (is there old food or frass building up?) and heat. Isopods generally struggle above the low 80s°F, so a hot room is a real risk in summer. Fix the environment first, and move the survivors to a fresh bin with clean substrate if the old one smells sour.
FedEx Overnight, every order
Isopods don't handle three days in a truck. We ship one way only, and only early in the week, so nothing sits in a facility over a weekend.
1
You order
We ship every Monday and Tuesday. Orders placed Wednesday through Sunday go out the following Monday.
2
We check the weather
If it's below 45°F or above 85°F here or at your address, we'll email you. You can pick Hold at FedEx Location or wait for better weather. Your animals keep eating here in the meantime.
3
We pack it
Deli cup with damp moss and cork, inside an insulated box. A heat or cold pack goes on the opposite wall, chosen for your route.
4
It arrives next day
Tracking comes when the label scans. When it's below 45°F or above 85°F at your address, Hold at FedEx Location is required for the guarantee, and the box must be picked up the same day.
$52flat rate per box, any quantity
Freeon orders over $250
Includedheat or cold pack, every box
Freelocal pickup in Oklahoma City
Live arrival guarantee
If your animals don't arrive alive, we replace them or refund them, whichever you'd like. Here's all it takes.
What we need from you
- Bring the box inside as soon as FedEx delivers it, or pick it up the same day if it's held at a FedEx location.
- Email clear photos or video of any dead isopods within 1 hour of the delivery time on your FedEx tracking.
- Include your order number and keep the box and packing until we reply.
- If it's below 45°F or above 85°F at your address, choose Hold at FedEx Location at checkout.
What isn't covered
- Claims sent more than 1 hour after the delivery time, or without photos or video.
- Home delivery when it's below 45°F or above 85°F, or a held package not picked up the same day.
- A wrong address, missed delivery, or refused package.
- Shipping costs, and losses after a live arrival. Message us anyway and we'll help you troubleshoot.
We pack a few extra isopods in every order, and the guarantee covers the count you ordered. Isopods often play dead after shipping, so take your photos right away, then set them on damp moss at room temperature. Many get up within 30 minutes, and we'll go by the final count.
Shipping by state
The USDA regulates land isopods as possible plant pests, and some states limit which species can come in. Pick your state to see what we can send.
Choose your state
We'll show which species we can ship there.
- FloridaDairy Cow and Papaya only. Florida allows only isopod species that are native to the state or already established there.
- OregonPapaya only. Oregon allows only invertebrates on its approved species list.
- Alabama, California, Delaware, Louisiana and VermontNot available yet. These states restrict live isopod shipments, and we're confirming their rules before we ship there.
- Alaska and HawaiiNot available. We ship to the lower 48 states only.
- Everywhere else in the lower 48All species. If a state's rules change after you order, we'll contact you and refund anything we can't send.
Questions
Still stuck? Email support@karstandclay.com and someone who keeps these animals will answer.
How many should I start with?
Ten is the honest minimum for a breeding culture. With fewer, one bad molt can set you back a year. That's why we recommend a 10-pack or larger.
Are these wild-caught?
No. Everything we sell is captive bred. Several Cubaris come from limestone caves in Thailand and Vietnam that are under collecting pressure, and we don't sell wild-collected animals.
Can I pick up locally?
Yes. Choose local pickup when you check out and there's no shipping charge. Pickup is in the Oklahoma City area, and we'll email you to set a time and place after you order. We'll count your isopods together at pickup, so there's nothing to claim later.
Can I choose sizes?
Orders ship as mixed juveniles and subadults, which travel better and settle faster than adults.
Why is my order on hold?
Almost always weather. If it's below 45°F or above 85°F here or at your address, we email you the same day. You can switch to Hold at FedEx Location or wait for the forecast to open up. Your animals are fed here in the meantime.
Where do you ship?
The lower 48 states. A few states limit which species we can send, so check Shipping by state before you order. We don't ship internationally yet.
I'm new to isopods. Where should I start?
Dairy Cows or Papayas. Both are inexpensive and forgiving, and Dairy Cows breed fast. Panda Kings are the usual first step into Cubaris before you move on to Rubber Duckies.