We came home from a reptile expo on September 26 with twenty dwarf whites. Twenty was overkill. Every dwarf white is a female, and every one of them can have babies on her own.
Care legend: dwarf white isopod
Get it if you want a tiny, fast cleanup crew for a damp tank. Skip it if you want to see your isopods. Most of them live in the dirt.
How we rate: difficulty and visibility come from our own tub. Breeding speed ranks our species against each other, from what we see in our tubs. Size is what keepers and field sources report. Dated counts are still coming.
What they are
Dwarf white isopods are Trichorhina tomentosa, a tiny tropical isopod from Central and South America. Adults reach about 2 to 4 millimeters. Nobody has ever found a male. They reproduce without males, a trick called parthenogenesis, so one animal can start a whole colony. Most of the colony lives down in the damp soil and almost never comes up in daylight, which is why keepers love them as a cleanup crew in humid tanks for frogs and small reptiles.
Our tub
Our twenty went into their own 6-quart tub with deep, damp substrate, leaf litter, bark and springtails. It has one vent instead of the two our drier species get, because this tub needs to hold its moisture.
A damp tub grows fuzz, and ours does. White, cottony mold shows up on old food and on wet litter. That is normal here. The springtails eat it, and we pull leftover food before it turns into a fuzz farm.
Humidity and the wet side
Dwarf whites want it wetter than most isopods. Keep most of the substrate damp and leave one corner a little drier, so the colony can choose. If the top layer dries out, they dig deeper and you will see even less of them. A dry tub is the fastest way to lose them.
Food and protein
Leaf litter and rotting wood are the staple. Add vegetables like zucchini or cucumber, and a pinch of protein twice a week, like fish flakes or dried shrimp. Leave a piece of cuttlebone in the tub for calcium. Bury food slightly or put it under bark, because that is where they are. Pull whatever is left after a day or two.
How fast they breed
Very fast. Tied with powder oranges at the top of our shelf. When every animal in the tub can have babies, the colony grows from the whole group at once instead of from a few pairs. Keepers report dense colonies once they settle in. We will post dated counts here when we have them.
Buying them
Our dwarf whites are not for sale yet. We expect to skim the first ones in early 2027. Join the waitlist and we will tell you when they are ready. If you are setting up a tub first, read our guides on substrate and what isopods eat.
Questions people ask
How big do dwarf white isopods get? Tiny. About 2 to 4 millimeters, smaller than a grain of rice.
Are dwarf white isopods all female? Yes. Nobody has ever found a male, and each female can reproduce on her own.
What humidity do dwarf white isopods need? High. Keep most of the tub damp with one drier corner.
Are dwarf white isopods good for a dart frog or gecko tank? Yes. Keepers use them as a cleanup crew in humid tanks for small frogs and reptiles, because they stay in the soil.
Do dwarf white isopods escape? They can. They are small enough to slip through gaps, so use a tight lid.
What we use in this tub
The litter is what the colony eats every day. The dwarf whites themselves are not for sale yet.
Mixed Hardwood Leaf Litter, Heat-Treated (1 gallon)
$16.99, free shipping
Food on top, cover underneath, and it holds moisture in a damp tub.
Dwarf White Isopods (Trichorhina tomentosa)
Not for sale yet, early 2027
Our own colony, started September 2026 and still building. Join the waitlist and we will tell you when we can skim it.
Every pack starts in our bins. Ours, not a wholesaler's.