Can Isopods Climb Glass?

Although isopods are abundant in our surrounding environments, many people want to keep them as pets. Moreover, some people want to cultivate them for commercial purposes as well. And for keeping them as pets or cultivating them commercially, most people want to keep them in glass containers.

But little did they know that isopods can climb. So, the question is can isopods climb glass?

No, isopods cannot climb on glass. In fact, they cannot climb on plastic as well. They have a hard time climbing smooth surfaces like plastic and glass. Isopods have numerous legs and claws. That’s why they can crawl through any obstacles even though they’re slow climbers. But isopods can hardly climb through any smooth, vertical containers or surfaces.

So, if you’re considering keeping isopods as pets or cultivating them for commercial purposes, it’s crucial to know beforehand which type of containers to use, so they cannot climb and escape; this guide will be helpful to you. So keep reading to the end….

Are Isopods Bugs?

 No, isopods are not bugs. In fact, isopods belong to the group crustaceans.

I guess you already know isopods have a hard shell in the body. This type of hard shell is present in all the members of the group crustaceans. Besides this, isopods belong to numerous families like Aegidae, Ancinidae, Aselloidea, etc. In contrast, insects or bugs belong to the class Insecta.

Other than this, normally, insects have 6 pairs of legs. But in the case of isopods, the number of legs is 7 pairs.

Apart from these factors, other anatomical differences make an isopod different from a bug.

So are isopods bugs or insects? I guess you now know!

Can Isopods Climb?

Yes, Isopods can climb.

Isopods have 7 pairs of legs, 14 in total, which function simultaneously. Besides, they have sharp claws to hold or grab objects nearby and climb through any horizontal obstacles.

Isopods are slow climbers. It’s seen that isopods can climb through any obstacles in their path smoothly. They use their legs and claws to climb or crawl through obstacles.

Although isopods can move or climb through any obstacles, they have a difficult time climbing over smooth surfaces. The reason being in smooth surfaces, they cannot use their legs and sharp claws to hold onto any part.

So if you look carefully, you’ll always find isopods climbing through leaves, dead woods, or even trees easily. But you won’t see them climbing through glass or plastic containers vertically.

What Materials Can Isopods Climb On?

There are thousands of species of isopods. Among them, some are fast movers, whereas some move slowly. But no matter whether they’re fast movers or slow movers, they can literally climb through any horizontal surface!

Isopods mostly live in the wild among dead leaves, dead organic bodies, garbage, and waste. As different obstacles surround them, they have been climbers since their early life.

Due to this, isopods develop this adaptability characteristic of climbing through objects no matter what type of material it is. Although they’re tiny, their legs and claws give them the added advantage of gripping and crossing obstacles easily.

Wrapping it up, isopods can move through garage dumbs, stones, dead woods, or dead animal bodies.

What Materials Can Isopods Can Not Climb On?

 From the above part, you already know what materials isopods climb on. But the question is, as isopods are good climbers, are there any objects or materials they cannot climb on?

Yes, there are some smooth materials like glass on which isopods cannot climb on. Alongside glass, isopods cannot climb on plastic objects as well.

Isopods find it tough to climb or crawl through smooth vertical objects. Their legs and sharp claws cannot help them to grab and climb on objects like plastic and glass.

Can Isopods Climb Glass?

 No, isopods cannot climb on a plain, smooth surface like glass.

 Isopods already have trouble climbing on vertical surfaces. So when it comes to glass, their legs and claws aren’t enough to hold on to the surface and climb up.

Isopods can literally climb on anything but glass or smooth surfaces like plastic. And when it comes to vertical climbing, this process gets even more difficult for the tiny little bugs.

When climbing, isopods always try to latch onto some obstacles or anything they get. So, the problem with smooth glass or plastics is that there is nothing isopods can hold on to or grasp while they try to climb through.

However, you’ll often see isopods try to climb through the walls of plastic or glass containers. Although they try to climb through the walls, they can only climb a little. But if you see the isopods can climb through vertical walls easily, know that the walls aren’t completely straight and vertical enough!

Why It’s Important to Know about Isopod and it’s Ability to Climb on Glass?

Reading this far, you might wonder why it’s important to know whether isopods can climb glass or not. Well, it’s important to know if you want to keep them as pets or cultivate them for commercial purposes!

If you’ve ever wanted to keep isopods as pets, you’ve certainly researched where to keep them. Even if you haven’t researched before, you know that they are often kept in plastic storage boxes or aquarium pots made of glass.

Most of the time, isopods are kept in glass containers. So, if isopods can climb through the surfaces, it’ll be very difficult to keep them in glass containers without any lids.

There have been many cases where isopods have escaped from captivity. The reasons are the wrong choice of containers and keeping large holes.

As isopods are tiny in size, they can easily escape through holes more than their body size. So, you might question, should I not keep holes in the containers? What about the ventilation?

Well, yes, you should keep holes in the walls of the containers for air passing and ventilation. But keep in mind that the size of the holes should be smaller than the isopods.

So, if you wish to keep isopods as pets, our suggestions would be to keep them in smooth glass or plastic containers. Doing so, they can’t climb through the walls and escape.

Simply put, isopods cannot climb through smooth surfaces like glass or plastic. So you can keep isopods in these types of containers. Make sure the container walls should be smooth, and there should be no obstacles. And lastly, do use a lid so that isopods cannot escape.

FAQ

How Many Legs Do Isopods Have?

Ans: Isopods have a total of 14 legs (7 pairs) that are equal and work simultaneously. On top of that, they have numerous claws and a segmented body that helps them to crawl and climb through obstacles.

Will isopods try to escape?

Ans: Yes, isopods try to escape when they’re kept in enclosed containers as pets. Isopods love to roam around in the wild. So when they’re kept in an enclosed environment, they try to find holes, climb through them and escape from captivity!

Can isopods climb out of tank?

Ans: Yes, isopods can climb out of the tank or a container. As isopods can climb through obstacles, there have been quite a few cases where isopods were found to be escaped from containers. So to be safer, smooth surfaces should be ensured, ventilation holes should be small enough, and lids must be used.

Conclusion

So, can isopods climb glass? Well, as you’ve read this far, I guess you already got your answer.

Isopods can climb but cannot climb on smooth surfaces like glass and plastic. Their legs and claws aren’t enough to help them climb through these smooth surfaces.

So, if you’re wondering about keeping isopods as pets, we recommend using glass or plastic containers. But be careful while selecting these materials because they shouldn’t have any obstacles and should be fully smooth! Thank you!