Is My Millipede Dying?

DeeJ

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 26, 2018
Messages
22
So just recently, I did a checkup on my millipedes after not checking for a couple of days (I opened and looked inside the enclosure rather than just glancing through the lid) and one of my millipedes was acting and seeming really weird.

So I have two Tonkinbolus Dolfusii (Vietnam Rainbow Millipedes) and one is considerably larger than the other, and she is doing perfectly fine. But the smaller one is the one acting 'weird'. First off I notice she was secreting a red/orange/yellow fluid from her body (I'm hoping this is the defensive liquid that they use, and she's just acting dead/lifeless). This was as I opened the container, could I have startled her or something? This is new for her to do this, even though I've only had them for just under 2 weeks or so. She also then started curling her head underneath her and rolled over with her legs to the side, and she wouldn't put her legs back onto the substrate.

She does move her legs slightly, and I was going to spray their enclosure to increase the moisture as it started to dry out a little.

Is this an unfortunate sign of her demise? The other millipede looks, and is doing great as far as I can tell.

Many thanks for the replies,

Dom.
 

DeeJ

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 26, 2018
Messages
22
Hi All,

Although nobody replied, I have already found the answer to my question, which is that I believe she unfortunately passed away. I'm unsure on what caused it, it could've possibly just been sheer chance of her just not being completely healthy when I received her, or possibly something else which I'm unsure what.

Please note that the conditions in the container will be good, as the other millipede, is, and as far as I know, fully healthy. (She's buried currently, but the last I knew was that she was healthy).

Does anyone know what or why she passed away? If so could you please just drop a reply here, I'd appreciate it.

Many Thanks,

Dom.
 

pannaking22

Arachnoemperor
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 25, 2011
Messages
4,226
Sorry to hear your pede passed! Unfortunately it just seems to happen sometimes with millipedes. I think T. dolfusi is a species that has a tendency to randomly die off on occasion, so that might be what happened here. Bumping up the humidity was really all you could do, but it still sucks when one dies. Others might know more on this than me, so hopefully we'll get a couple others chipping in.
 

DeeJ

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 26, 2018
Messages
22
Sorry to hear your pede passed! Unfortunately it just seems to happen sometimes with millipedes. I think T. dolfusi is a species that has a tendency to randomly die off on occasion, so that might be what happened here. Bumping up the humidity was really all you could do, but it still sucks when one dies. Others might know more on this than me, so hopefully we'll get a couple others chipping in.
I was hoping that it'd be something like that, as a beginner it'd knock my confidence quite a lot knowing that it was something I could've prevented or at least helped against.

It's quite unfortunate though, although the other millipede is much larger than her, and I think she may have grown since I got them two weeks ago, so I know that the conditions and everything in there is at least manageable to keep them alive with the correct food, substrate, moisture and temp (And whatever else).

Do you have any tips on what I should do with her body? Should I let my springtails break down her body, or should I dispose of her any different way?
 

pannaking22

Arachnoemperor
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 25, 2011
Messages
4,226
Yeah I think you just ran into some bad luck with that one. Glad to hear the other is doing well though!

I usually throw mine in ethanol if they're in good shape or in the trash if they're starting to rot. Rotting pedes can be a major fly/mite attractant and it's always a pain to get those out of an enclosure.
 
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