Millipede Newbie

[slightscost]

Hey so I’ve never had bugs before but after researching millipedes I really want one! I’ve cared for snails and other odd animals so I’m not completely clueless about substrate, spacing or humidity. I’ve heard that Florida Ivories are the safest bet for new owners but what about Texas Golds? I’m in Arizona so the dryness would be much less of a dealbreaker with them, but I’m still not sure. I don’t want to test my luck and then end up hurting them .

Also, is it dangerous to keep 2 different types of milli in one enclosure? Say if I were to get a Texas gold and house it with a Narceus Americanus, would they be uncomfortable? I’ve seen debates on it but I’d like a safe and solid route to decide before I order them. Thanks!

 

[chanda]

Hey so I’ve never had bugs before but after researching millipedes I really want one! I’ve cared for snails and other odd animals so I’m not completely clueless about substrate, spacing or humidity. I’ve heard that Florida Ivories are the safest bet for new owners but what about Texas Golds? I’m in Arizona so the dryness would be much less of a dealbreaker with them, but I’m still not sure. I don’t want to test my luck and then end up hurting them .

Also, is it dangerous to keep 2 different types of milli in one enclosure? Say if I were to get a Texas gold and house it with a Narceus Americanus, would they be uncomfortable? I’ve seen debates on it but I’d like a safe and solid route to decide before I order them. Thanks!

I believe Narceus americanus prefers a moister environment than the Texas Gold (Orthopus ornatus) so it might be a little tricky to balance the requirements of the two species. An alternative that would be a lot easier to pull off, if it was acceptable to you, would be to get different morphs of Orthopus ornatus. In addition to the colorful Texas Golds, they also come in a solid reddish brown: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1293267 and dark brown/black: https://bugguide.net/node/view/32212/bgimage that would give you the visual appeal of a mixed-species tank, without the challenge of balancing the needs of multiple species.

 

[slightscost]

I believe Narceus americanus prefers a moister environment than the Texas Gold (Orthopus ornatus) so it might be a little tricky to balance the requirements of the two species. An alternative that would be a lot easier to pull off, if it was acceptable to you, would be to get different morphs of Orthopus ornatus. In addition to the colorful Texas Golds, they also come in a solid reddish brown: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1293267 and dark brown/black: https://bugguide.net/node/view/32212/bgimage that would give you the visual appeal of a mixed-species tank, without the challenge of balancing the needs of multiple species.

I’ll totally look into those two. They’d make a nice balance to the Texas’ color pop . Thank you so much!