What a starter colony needs

A 6 quart shoe box is enough for many starter colonies. Drill or melt modest ventilation, then cover extra holes if the bin dries out in your room.

Give them leaf litter, a piece of bark or cork, and crushed hardwood or a similar substrate. Feed lightly. Leftover food that molds is a sign to offer less next time, not to add more.

Dairy cows and powder isopods are usual beginner animals because they tolerate mistakes. Rubber duckies and panda kings are display animals. They are a poor first colony if the keeper has not kept a moisture gradient steady.