Millipede substrate

[zinto]

Can anyone tell me at what temperature and how long to bake the substrate for millipedes? Or how long to freeze it? Thanks!

 

[Steffen]

Why would you do any of those things?

 

[zinto]

Why would you do any of those things?

To rid the substrate of any living organisms that may potentially harm the millipede. I've heard this is a good idea. Seeing as how this is my first millipede however, any advice or thoughts on the matter are quite welcome. I read that this is a good idea though (baking the substrate) on a reliable website (http://www.geocities.com/millipedes_uk/). Go to "Keeping Millipedes" and then the sixth paragraph under "Equipment" mentions this technique. Thanks!

 

[Steffen]

(Wonders what millipedes do in nature)

I use all kind of stuff from the forest, for my millipedes... unbaked, unfrozen, un-anything. They are doing just fine and they have been doing fine for 1½ year now.

Link doesn't work. Doesn't seem very reliable to me.

 

[Alakdan]

I use coco peat mixed with mulch. I don't worry much about the other organisms in the substrate. I keep two different kinds of millies along with isopods in the enclosure. I see some mites but they don't multiply out of control nor do they bother the millies.

 

[zinto]

Thanks guys. I wasn't real concerned about doing this because I had the same thought as Steffen. No one is out there baking or freezing the soil they live in in the wild. I just wanted to take precaution. Anyway, sorry about the link, the ")" screwed it up. Here it is again.

http://www.geocities.com/millipedes_uk/

Oh, by the way, does anyone have problems about the small insects living in the substrate (fruit flies and whatnot) escaping and being a nuisance in your house? Thanks again!

 

[ilovebugs]

I have microwaved my substrate in efforts to kill mold spores (not sure if it is works) I had some moldy substrate of the same brand, and the microwaved batch has not had any mold or fungus, it's in a very damp venus flytrap terrerium.

 

[Voodooschaaf]

I also do not sterilize the substrat anymore. I had a few of the tanks with sterilized substat and others with unsterile.
My experience was that in the sterile substrat( I have a autoclav here) "bad" mites can grow much faster and the population increases highly, in the tanks with unsterile stuff nothing happens and no mites appeared.

it is no prob for the millies when getting some other species in the tank like snails or earthworms, but u should take care of not getting ants in the tank, theres the possibility that they will harm the millies eggs.

Greez,
Shura and the whole bunch

 

[Steffen]

Regarding the fruitflies, they can be very annoying, but I found that they are only a problem if you have old food and other "unclean" stuff in your cages. So a generel maintenance/cleaning should keep the population at a minimum. Anyway the fruitfly culture should die out at some point as all flycultures do it in a few generations.

 

[zinto]

Thanks for all your help guys. I've decided not to bake it. The tank is currently all set up, I'm just waiting a couple of hours to get reliable readings from the thermometer and hygrometer before introducing my millie. Wish me luck!

 

[LadyBlacksword]

Just as a note, if you freeze the soil for a couple hours, it should kill ants, and their eggs, but not bacteria. I find that it's very hard to tell wether there are ants in a chunk of soft wood unless I break it totally up.
Freezing it takes care of that, and earthworms, snails, ect.
Murri