Bumblebee and rusty millipedes

[CladeArthropoda]

A few weeks ago, I collected a some rusty millipedes and bumblebee millipedes from a pile of leaf litter by a tree near my house. I put them in a 7 x 11 plastic box with a screen on top. There is a layer of soil, on top of which is a bunch of dead leaves and a small piece of rotting wood. I pour a little be of water every once in a while to keep things hydrated? Is this a good set up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anadenobolus_monilicornis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigoniulus_corallinus

 

[mickiem]

You probably need to cover more of the top to get the humidity up. Good luck!

 

[Millipedematt]

A few weeks ago, I collected a some rusty millipedes and bumblebee millipedes from a pile of leaf litter by a tree near my house. I put them in a 7 x 11 plastic box with a screen on top. There is a layer of soil, on top of which is a bunch of dead leaves and a small piece of rotting wood. I pour a little be of water every once in a while to keep things hydrated? Is this a good set up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anadenobolus_monilicornis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigoniulus_corallinus

my bumblebees and rusty reds are wild caught as well. I keep mine in a L 15 in. W 11 in. H 6 in. sterilite tub with the lid latch. i don't use a screen lid because the tank dires out faster. but if yu want to keep the screen lid i recommend covering atleast 3/4 of the screen. i have 10 holes drilled into the lid (im not sure if the size of the hole its either 1/4 or 1/8 of an inch). I go out and collect rotten wood and leaves (the wood is generally oak and looks white but crumbles very easily) and i normally get oak leaves. Then i bake the leaves and wood at 250 degrees for 2 hours. This kills all the ants and other small isopods that may have been in the leaves. also small isopods eat baby and molting millipedes i learned that the hard way. I mix the leaves and wood into reptisoil that i buy at the pet store. And i put 3-4 inches of mixture into the tub. Make sure to make the substrate moist but no water should come out when you squeeze it. And i mist the cage with a spray bottle like 3 or 4 time a week. And a good book to get its Millipedes In Captivity by Orin A. Mcmonigle its full of information. good luck with your new found millipedes

 

[LawnShrimp]

The lid should be sealed plastic, preferably. Tupperware, plastic shoeboxes, and airtight plastic boxes are great starter enclosures.

Otherwise, take a look at @mickiem's substrate post, as well as most other millipede threads here for ideas.

Welcome to the world of millipedes! As you live in Florida, there are 3-4 other millipedes that you can wild catch (with a little searching) as pets, inlcuding N. americanus, N. gordanus, C. spinigerus, and Floridobolus sp. Enjoy your scarlets and bumbles for now though!

 

[CladeArthropoda]

my bumblebees and rusty reds are wild caught as well. I keep mine in a L 15 in. W 11 in. H 6 in. sterilite tub with the lid latch. i don't use a screen lid because the tank dires out faster. but if yu want to keep the screen lid i recommend covering atleast 3/4 of the screen. i have 10 holes drilled into the lid (im not sure if the size of the hole its either 1/4 or 1/8 of an inch). I go out and collect rotten wood and leaves (the wood is generally oak and looks white but crumbles very easily) and i normally get oak leaves. Then i bake the leaves and wood at 250 degrees for 2 hours. This kills all the ants and other small isopods that may have been in the leaves. also small isopods eat baby and molting millipedes i learned that the hard way. I mix the leaves and wood into reptisoil that i buy at the pet store. And i put 3-4 inches of mixture into the tub. Make sure to make the substrate moist but no water should come out when you squeeze it. And i mist the cage with a spray bottle like 3 or 4 time a week. And a good book to get its Millipedes In Captivity by Orin A. Mcmonigle its full of information. good luck with your new found millipedes

For my substrate, I just have dirt from outside. Is this harmful?

Plus, I see a lot of small amphipods in the dirt. I don't mind them as they don't seem to do much harm, but I could be wrong. I'll post a picture of the box later so you can get a little more context.

 

[LawnShrimp]

Dirt from the wild probably won't be harmful to millipedes if they were caught in it, but dirt does not contain enough organic matter to sustain millipedes. Dirt from other places may also contain pesticides or other pollutants that can cause problems with millipedes. Many species of bacteria, virus, mold, nematodes, and parasites such as mites live in dirt, and without careful sterilization can lead to the collapse of an otherwise thriving culture. Both species you have are tolerant of pretty much all of these problems, as I've found them in huge numbers and all healthy in nutrient-deficient urban habitats.

Both T. corralinus and A. monilicornis do not require too much rotten wood, as their primary diet is leaves and other detritus. Other, larger species, are far more dependent on wood.

Experiment with them if you want and find out what leaves and treats they like best. The colonies of these species I found in Miami were attracted to rotting mangoes and ate primarily mango and bamboo leaves, as well as scraps of rotten boards.

 

[CladeArthropoda]

Dirt from the wild probably won't be harmful to millipedes if they were caught in it, but dirt does not contain enough organic matter to sustain millipedes. Dirt from other places may also contain pesticides or other pollutants that can cause problems with millipedes. Many species of bacteria, virus, mold, nematodes, and parasites such as mites live in dirt, and without careful sterilization can lead to the collapse of an otherwise thriving culture. Both species you have are tolerant of pretty much all of these problems, as I've found them in huge numbers and all healthy in nutrient-deficient urban habitats.

Both T. corralinus and A. monilicornis do not require too much rotten wood, as their primary diet is leaves and other detritus. Other, larger species, are far more dependent on wood.

Experiment with them if you want and find out what leaves and treats they like best. The colonies of these species I found in Miami were attracted to rotting mangoes and ate primarily mango and bamboo leaves, as well as scraps of rotten boards.

Huh. The only stragglers I've seen are a bunch of tiny amphipods and a very tiny spider once. Plus, it's worth nothing that not all mites are parasites and to go on a massive sterilization spree after seeing a single mite isn't the most reasonable desiccation. Anyway, my box has a good supply of dead leaves. I tried feeding an apple slice once with no success.

 

[Aquarimax]

My bumblebees and scarlets have proven to be some of the hardiest and the most prolific of the Millipede species I have kept. Mine do seem to enjoy apple, as well as orange, sweet potato, etc. they go through oak/maple leaf litter quite quickly too.

 

[Millipedematt]

Huh. The only stragglers I've seen are a bunch of tiny amphipods and a very tiny spider once. Plus, it's worth nothing that not all mites are parasites and to go on a massive sterilization spree after seeing a single mite isn't the most reasonable desiccation. Anyway, my box has a good supply of dead leaves. I tried feeding an apple slice once with no success.

Try feeding them cucumbers. I feed all my millipedes thin slices of cucumbers from time to time. I put them in my bumblebee/rusty red cage in the morning and by night they all come out and swarm the cucumber. By the 3rd day most of it is eaten.

 

[LawnShrimp]

Cucumber is the favored food of all millipedes. Apple is a favorite of Narceus but not scarlets or bumblebees.

As far as mites go, I know some are harmless but there are just too many chances taken to allow any in. I microwave all leaf litter, soil, and wood I feed my millipedes and so far I have had no pest problems.

 

[CladeArthropoda]

Cucumber is the favored food of all millipedes. Apple is a favorite of Narceus but not scarlets or bumblebees.

As far as mites go, I know some are harmless but there are just too many chances taken to allow any in. I microwave all leaf litter, soil, and wood I feed my millipedes and so far I have had no pest problems.

Well, the soil I found my millipedes in is the same soil they where already living in in the first place, so I figured they could cope with it with no trouble.