OAK HARBOR — Narissa Jackson opened one of the many bins covering the surface of her kitchen table, revealing a small habitat. Carefully, she lifted a chunk of wood from the dirt to show the small bug-like critters hiding beneath, gently scooping up one and letting it explore her fingers.
“These are my favorite,” Jackson said, smiling at the panda king in her hand. As she pointed at its “little panda butt,” she raised the pitch of her voice.
Though the “panda” was actually related to shrimps and crabs, its wiggly legs and white and gray shell elicited in Jackson a response comparable to one’s reaction to a baby panda.
Jackson keeps over 1,800 of these small crustaceans, known as terrestrial isopods. On top of being “cute” and entertaining, the isopods help her with some house chores.
About a year ago, the Oak Harbor resident bought some isopods from Craigslist in hopes that they would help keep her crested gecko’s and albino corn snake’s terrariums clean. As she and her three young children admired the tiny workers eating decaying matter and moving around, she found herself growing quite fond of them and wanting more.
After doing extensive research on the many types of isopods, Jackson began to expand her collection, eventually reaching 15 colonies. Some bins contain a few critters, others up to 500.
Some powder orange isopods hang out on a piece of wood. (Photo by Luisa Loi)
She had always been fascinated with bugs. She recalled being a child and lifting her mom’s flower pots to observe the roly polies — the most common isopods — roll into tiny balls. Now, the full-time medical assistant raises and sells isopods as a side gig, evoking reactions ranging from excitement to repulsion.
Her selection of isopods available for sale include whimsical names, such as magic potion, papaya, orange or blue powder, dairy cow, orange koi and orange dalmatian. As they reproduce, they keep growing in numbers. This way, Jackson — who is ironically very scared of spiders — doesn’t need to venture outside to find more isopods to add to her inventory.
Jackson advises prospective or new isopod collectors to start small and to research how to take care of them. Some food, like dead leaves and wood, can be simply found on walks or by taking a short trip to the backyard. She advises against feeding them dog or cat food, as it can be harmful in the long term. To boost their health, she feeds her isopods cuttlebone, yeast flakes and even their distant relatives, shrimp.
“It’s so cute to watch them carry a whole baby shrimp away,” Jackson said.
Although they may be unconventional pets, isopods have brought a sense of childlike wonder into Jackson’s house. She is happy to share her passion with community members, who can reach out to her with questions at narissaj12@hotmail.com.
This story originally appeared in the South Whidbey Review, a sibling publication to The Herald.
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