Getting Started: Your First Blob Setup

So, you want to be a Blob Keeper.

You’ve seen the videos, you’ve read about the 720 sexes, and now you want a liquid pet of your own. The good news is that keeping a Physarum polycephalum is one of the easiest and most rewarding entries into amateur biology.

Here is your checklist for the Zero-Stress Starter Kit.

1. The Habitat (Petri vs. Plastic)

You don’t need fancy lab equipment. A blob just needs a clean, moist, and dark place to live.

• Petri Dishes: Standard 90mm plastic dishes are ideal because they are stackable and easy to photograph through.
• Tupperware: Any small, clear plastic container with a lid works. Just make sure it’s food-safe and cleaned with soap and water (no bleach!).
• Ventilation: Your blob breathes! Poke 2-3 tiny pin-holes in the lid, or just don’t seal it completely tight.

2. The Bedding (Substrate)

The blob doesn’t sleep on dirt. It needs a moisture-wicking surface.

• Paper Towels: The easiest method. Cut a circle of paper towel to fit your container.
• Filter Paper: For more serious Keepers, laboratory filter paper is smoother and better for seeing slime trails.
• Agar: If you want to get professional, Non-Nutrient Agar provides a jelly-like surface that stays moist longer. (Avoid ‘Nutrient Agar’ used for bacteria; it will get moldy too fast.)

3. The Food (Breakfast of Champions)

This is the easy part. The blob’s favorite food is Rolled Oats.

1. Use plain, old-fashioned oats (not quick oats, not flavored).
2. Organic is better because some commercial oats have pesticides that can annoy your blob.
3. Crucial Rule: The oats must be dry when you put them in. Let the blob’s own moisture soften them.

4. The Adoption (Where to get one)

The best first move is to ask people, not shops. Many keepers can share a small dried piece called sclerotia, which is easier to post and wake up than an active culture.

• The Club and community: Ask other keepers first. Start with our Obtain Your Pet guide for groups, a copyable request template, and reviewed backup shops.
• The forest: After rain, you may find slime mould on rotting wood, leaf litter, or mulch. Only collect where it is allowed, take a tiny sample, and never disturb protected sites.
• Science supply stores: Some biology shops sell sclerotium, a dried dormant state. Use this as a backup if nobody nearby can share.

5. Setting Up: Day One

1. Moisten Your Bedding: Spray your paper towel or agar with distilled water (tap water has chlorine which blobs hate). It should be damp, but not a swimming pool.
2. Place Your Blob: Put your piece of slime mold or sclerotium in the center.
3. Add a Snack: Place 2-3 oats near the blob, but not directly on top of it. Let it “smell” and reach for them.
4. Go Dark: Slime molds are photophobic. Wrap the container in aluminum foil or put it in a dark drawer.

What happens next?

Within 2-12 hours, your blob will wake up. It will fan out into a beautiful golden web (a plasmodium) and surround the oats.

Tamagotchi Tip: If your blob isn’t moving after 24 hours, it might be too cold or too dry. Check the humidity and make sure it’s in a warm spot (20°C - 25°C).

Ready for the next step? Check out our Advanced Feeding Guide.