Babysitting Mill. and I think it's dead or dying

[Nicip]

:8o AAAHHH I am babysitting my neighbors giant millipede and I think he's dead or dying. How can I tell?
They have him in a box with potting soil and told me to put a slice of potato in it with calcium scraped on it.
But it just stayed rolled up in a ball.
My husband gently unrolled it and now it's just a stiff "stick." From time to time it "seems" like a leg or two are moving, but there are a lot of legs.....
I read online that it needs SOME moisture and I believe that this soil was pretty dry.
How can I tell if it's dead???????????

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Nicole

 

[NrthCstInverts]

Well for the most part, the millis dont take off and run like other "bugs" or animals soooo it may just be resting. if it seems like the legs move once in a while then they probably are. Usually they ball up when frightened, and if you pull them straight sometimes they dont ball back up right away... but thats just my personal experience.

Did they give you instructions other then the potatoe with calcium scraped on it? Like mist it or give it water or anything?


One thing you can try, is mist the side of the enclosure and leave it alone for a bit. If its a AGB or something similar that needs some moisture, and its as dry as you say..... then it should go right to the water .
Other then that.... im not gonna say much else. Dont like to throw out too much info not knowing exactly what we are dealing with.

 

[zinto]

Agreeing with wildnmildpets, it's hard to say what's going on without knowing what it is. Did your neighbor happen to tell you what it is, or can you give us a description? Good luck!

 

[crashergs]

i highly recommend you remove the milli, and combine water with the substrate to make it very nice and moist but not into a marsh. they like cucumbers, and mushrooms. if it did not retract from the curl position and seems lifeless even when you put it on its back, then chances are its dying...

millipedes hate with a passion to be on their backs, and they always need to be on their shoes if they are not grooming themselves, so if it stays in that position RIP milli

 

[bugmankeith]

Could it be a female with eggs?

 

[Bark]

millipedes hate with a passion to be on their backs, and they always need to be on their shoes if they are not grooming themselves, so if it stays in that position RIP milli

Uh oh. I recently acquired 2 male millipedes. The smaller one (in the picture) has been laying like this for 2 days. At one point he was laying in the water dish. No chance he is molting eh? Its legs do wiggle from time to time. It moves its head too occasionally

 

[crashergs]

looks like a mortar shell threw her/his across the tank, did you drown them? why is the substrate all over her/his body, that makes me kinda curious.

its kinda strange, if its dying its too late, you cannot save it, it could be molting, id move it out of tank into a sterile tank and see what happens in a week or so, theres not much you can do but to wake up and see if its still moving.

 

[Bark]

looks like a mortar shell threw her/his across the tank, did you drown them? why is the substrate all over her/his body, that makes me kinda curious.

its kinda strange, if its dying its too late, you cannot save it, it could be molting, id move it out of tank into a sterile tank and see what happens in a week or so, theres not much you can do but to wake up and see if its still moving.

It was on the other side of the tank under a plant. The other millipedes were crawling over him, so I moved him and layed him down on his other side. I didn't clean off the dirt and he can't seem to do it himself. I will put him in an extra Kritter Keeper with very moist substrate and hope for the best.

Thanks.

-Edit: When I moved him I saw 3 little white mites on him and I removed them with a Q-tip. There was also a fast moving brown mite, but I have read on here that they are ok. He was shipped to me on Wednesday, so maybe he wasn't too fond of Fedex's handling.

 

[Bark]

Well he is dead.

I checked on him today and the two or 3 little white mites that I must have missed when cleaning him off have multiplied. The brown mites have increased 10 fold. I am still certain this millipede died due to shipment issues. I suppose the mites can multiply faster in an ICU and on a dead pede.

I checked on my other millipedes and they don't seem to have any on them. Should I let the soil dry out a bit? I could look into getting predatory mites or pillbugs.

 

[Kasha]

Aww..I am so sorry Bark. What a crappy thing. Poor guy. I, so far, have not had mites at all. So I have no advice for you

I just found this post in another recent thread. The mite sugesstion mite (hehe) help you.
http://scolopendromorpha.com/diseases.htm

 

[Bark]

I just found this post in another recent thread. The mite sugesstion mite (hehe) help you.
http://scolopendromorpha.com/diseases.htm

Thanks, I have screen tops on the tanks and a ceiling fan running in that room. Hopefully it will dry out quickly. I will give the millipedes water and not mist for awhile.

The guy wasn't here long enough for me to get attached to him . He didn't even get a chance to make the sweet nookie with his two cagemates.