When Karlee Friesen says to search rubber ducky isopods online because they’re adorable, the outreach manager at Victoria Bug Zoo is not wrong.
While cuteness may be subjective, the little roly-poly bugs with yellow faces and orange snouts certainly fit the bill. And they’re isopods, which Canadians can legally keep, she told a crowd at Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary as part of its series of educational and fun talks about invertebrates. The first week of spring break at the Saanich sanctuary focused on the diverse world of creatures that rely on exoskeletons or soft body tissues to compensate for the lack of a spine.
She shared a top four that can, and can’t, be kept legally in Canada, based on her role in animal care at the downtown Victoria attraction: isopods, tarantulas, discoid cockroaches and Chinese praying green mantis.
“These are the basic bugs people ask about quite often,” she said
Canadians can keep isopods, which come in all sorts of colours, including the dairy cow version, on hand during the event. Friesen said they can go by “so many cute names”, including roly-poly.
“There are no limits … you can have whatever isopod you want because they’re not deemed as a threat to our environment,” Friesen said.
Some are even more expensive than a tarantula. For example, the aforementioned rubber duck can run $100 apiece.
Tarantulas have some legal limitations because certain municipalities don’t allow venomous animals, including Campbell River and Surrey.
Banned across the board up until last year, Canadians can now keep discoid cockroaches – a specific type from Central America that cannot survive in the cold Canadian climate.
“These guys need very high temperatures to survive,” Friesen said of the bug frequently kept as feeders for carnivorous pets.
The Chinese praying mantis—originally introduced for natural pest control in greenhouses—is the only mantis species legally allowed as a pet in Canada.
“An established species, which means they’ve been here more than 100 years and we can’t get rid of them; there are just too many,” Friesen said. They’re commonly found in warmer climates, primarily the Okanagan.
Both the Chinese green praying mantis and tarantula are carnivores, so keep in mind they must be fed, Friesen said.
The bug zoo actually sells Chinese green praying mantis ootheca (egg sacs) on a first-come, first-served basis starting this time of year. Ootheca can hold anywhere from 50 to 200 babies, but fear not, Friesen said; they’ll engage in siblicide, weeding out the weak with only one likely left standing.
What bugs can’t you have? Orchid mantis (or most others), stick insect, giant African millipede or any “cool” beetle.
“All of these animals here are known as a PIO – potentially injurious organism – by the CFIA,” Friesen said.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency governs bugs in this country through plant protection regulations, limiting bugs to keep the environment safe from threats.
Learn more about the care and feeding of legally kept bugs at .
The program continues through spring break and the rest of the year at 3873 Swan Lake Rd.
Visit for more information on upcoming sessions.
