PORCELLIO SILVESTRI

Porcellio silvestri • Silvestri Isopod

A highly attractive, medium‑sized species becoming increasingly popular in the UK hobby, valued for its striking pattern and bold colouration. Adults reach around 15–18mm, with a smooth, slightly glossy body marked by a deep dark brown to black base and bright, irregular cream, yellow, or orange mottling and bands across the back and sides. Not a “roly‑poly”, but they will tuck their legs and flatten when disturbed. Hardy but with specific humidity needs, they are active foragers and make both an excellent display species and a reliable cleanup crew. Best suited for intermediate keepers and perfect for bioactive setups or dedicated culture tubs, where they break down organic matter efficiently to help maintain substrate health.
📖 Care Guide

• Temperature: 18°C – 26°C; ideal range 20°C – 24°C — avoid prolonged heat above 27°C

• Humidity: 60% – 75% — needs higher moisture than Armadillidium, but still requires ventilation; provide a clear damp/dry gradient, with the damp side holding moisture well

• Substrate: Coco fibre mixed with organic topsoil and a little sand, 4–6cm deep, heavily enriched with oak/beech leaf litter, rotting hardwood, and sphagnum moss on the moist end

• Food: Staple = dried leaf litter and decaying wood; supplement regularly with vegetables (carrot, sweet potato, courgette), fish flakes, dried shrimp, and a constant calcium source such as cuttlebone or crushed eggshell

• Housing: Well‑ventilated plastic tub or glass tank; add plenty of hides like cork bark, flat wood pieces, or bark slabs — they feel secure under cover and are most active at night

• Growth & breeding: Moderate breeders; colonies build steadily if conditions stay stable. Juveniles grow well and mature in roughly 5–6 months
🌍 Origin
Native to Southern Europe, primarily Italy and surrounding Mediterranean regions, where they live in forest floors and shaded, humus‑rich habitats. This species is now widely kept and bred in captivity. All our Porcellio silvestri are 100% UK captive‑bred, raised in stable, clean conditions to ensure strong, healthy specimens that settle quickly into new enclosures.