OAK HARBOR, Wash. — These aren't pests. They are pets!
“We have thousands of isopods in this house,” laughed Nalyssa Jackson, who keeps them in a trash can at her home on Whidbey Island.
Isopods are not insects. In fact, they are members of the crustacean family. They are also part of Narissa Jackson's family.
It started like many things do…
“I saw an ad on Craigslist with some Sedro Woolley sisters selling isopods, so I got a few different types from there. [it] It just spread from there,” Jackson explained.
She bought them to serve as scavengers for her pet reptiles (isopods eat decaying material). She soon became obsessed with the colorful family of potato insects that were common in her garden.
Jacksonian isopods are more exotic than garden varieties. They have names like “Magic Potion,” “Dairy Cow,” and “Panda King,” and they have wide black stripes that make them look like pandas. Rare isopods like Ty Spikey, which Jackson covets, can be expensive.
“Yes, some are very expensive, over several hundred dollars per bug,” Jackson said.
Other than the occasional escape, they are usually low maintenance.
“I came out of the shower the other morning and looked at the floor and there was one crawling on the floor and I had to rescue it and put it back in the trash can,” Jackson said.
Jackson's family was also infected with the bug.
“They're certainly really happy to help me take care of them. It's kind of fun to be able to watch them and take care of them and dive into their little world.” she said.
These small relatives of crabs and shrimps do not sit or catch. However, for some people they are perfectly practical pets.
“I don't think they have any personality. They're just fun to watch,” Jackson said.
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