Millipedes Suddenly Inactive?

[PuppyMintMocha]

Hey guys! I'm VERY new at bug-keeping. I've had hissing cockroaches for 2 months, and millipedes for 2 weeks, and that's my only experience, so I apologize if there's a clear answer I'm missing.

So, about exactly two weeks ago I got 5 narceus gordanus millipedes. They stay underground all day, but have been very active at night, usually all five of them surface and walk around and eat all night. Good appetites, eating about everything and anything I put in there.

But now suddenly for the past two days/nights, they've all been in the exact same spots and not moving. Most of them are buried with a small portion of their back poking out of the ground, but a couple are all the way buried. They're not dead or limp, if I poke one of the visible spots, they flinch and move slightly, but not much. I know that this behavior can suggest molting but all five started doing it at the exact same time, so I have a feeling that's not it. What could be happening to them, and what can I do?

Some info on how I've been keeping them:
I've been keeping them in a 6qt bin, with about 2-3 inches of "millipede-substrate" bought from BugsInCyberSpace, since I didn't trust myself to figure out how to make my own. I know it should be deeper for them so I've been planning to switch to a larger bin as soon as I find one I like. No added ventilation as the lid is anything but airtight (but if you guys think I should, I can pop a few holes in the lid or something). No extra heating, and my room has mostly been 70-ish degrees, depending on the time of day. I've been feeding them veggies and fruit, mostly romaine lettuce, celery, and apple, along with some dog food. I have a piece of cuttlebone in there too for calcium. I recently noticed some mites or something in the substrate, but not a ton of them, and I haven't seen any attached to the millipedes, although it would be hard to see since the 'pedes are all buried lately. I mist the substrate every couple of days unless it's still pretty moist, then I wait an extra day or two before misting again. Let me know if I should be aware of anything else I need to do to give them better care, or if something is wrong with their current care. Thank you!

 

[Elias Harper]

They seem fine. Sometimes millipedes are very active, and sometimes they just like to chill. If they're responsive and don't look injured or anything, they're probably fine.

 

[PuppyMintMocha]

They seem fine. Sometimes millipedes are very active, and sometimes they just like to chill. If they're responsive and don't look injured or anything, they're probably fine.

Thank you! It seemed weird to me that they would come out every night without fail and then suddenly all stop at the same time. Maybe I am just paranoid though. I want to be as cautious as I can since I'm only starting out with bug keeping.

 

[KevinsWither]

They seem fine. Sometimes millipedes are very active, and sometimes they just like to chill. If they're responsive and don't look injured or anything, they're probably fine.

That's possible. Can you pm me? I am trying to inquiry you, I can't seem to pm anyone on arachnoboards.

 

[Lithobius]

That's possible. Can you pm me? I am trying to inquiry you, I can't seem to pm anyone on arachnoboards.

nuuuu I messaged him first

But anyway your inbox is full. I tried to PM you to see what the problem is since I didn't have any issues earlier and it gave me that error. So delete old messages to get less than 100 and you should be able to start a new conversation.

And re: the original thread I'd still watch them closely, I agree all 5 at once seems suspicious, but mine sometimes are a bit "lazy" and other times a bit more active. Its likely what you're seeing in the substrate are springtails rather than mites too, which would be good for them.

 

[KevinsWither]

I did post some some stuff and I was able to message again. Account is now active member. Now about those pedes yes they are lazy. That’s normal

 

[mickiem]

Hey guys! I'm VERY new at bug-keeping. I've had hissing cockroaches for 2 months, and millipedes for 2 weeks, and that's my only experience, so I apologize if there's a clear answer I'm missing.

So, about exactly two weeks ago I got 5 narceus gordanus millipedes. They stay underground all day, but have been very active at night, usually all five of them surface and walk around and eat all night. Good appetites, eating about everything and anything I put in there.

But now suddenly for the past two days/nights, they've all been in the exact same spots and not moving. Most of them are buried with a small portion of their back poking out of the ground, but a couple are all the way buried. They're not dead or limp, if I poke one of the visible spots, they flinch and move slightly, but not much. I know that this behavior can suggest molting but all five started doing it at the exact same time, so I have a feeling that's not it. What could be happening to them, and what can I do?

Some info on how I've been keeping them:
I've been keeping them in a 6qt bin, with about 2-3 inches of "millipede-substrate" bought from BugsInCyberSpace, since I didn't trust myself to figure out how to make my own. I know it should be deeper for them so I've been planning to switch to a larger bin as soon as I find one I like. No added ventilation as the lid is anything but airtight (but if you guys think I should, I can pop a few holes in the lid or something). No extra heating, and my room has mostly been 70-ish degrees, depending on the time of day. I've been feeding them veggies and fruit, mostly romaine lettuce, celery, and apple, along with some dog food. I have a piece of cuttlebone in there too for calcium. I recently noticed some mites or something in the substrate, but not a ton of them, and I haven't seen any attached to the millipedes, although it would be hard to see since the 'pedes are all buried lately. I mist the substrate every couple of days unless it's still pretty moist, then I wait an extra day or two before misting again. Let me know if I should be aware of anything else I need to do to give them better care, or if something is wrong with their current care. Thank you!

Not sure where you live, but here in the Midwest we have had quite a heat spike. Millipedes typically don't like temps over 80 and we have had low 90's. Had to turn the AC on already. Something else to consider with the lethargy.

 

[PuppyMintMocha]

Not sure where you live, but here in the Midwest we have had quite a heat spike. Millipedes typically don't like temps over 80 and we have had low 90's. Had to turn the AC on already. Something else to consider with the lethargy.

I live in arkansas. It's been kinda warm outside but I've kept my room cool because I hate the heat, lol.

 

[PuppyMintMocha]

They came out like usual last night! Guess I'm just a worrywort

Another question though, how often is normal amount to see them mating? Almost every time they hang out on the surface I see a couple of them doing the rhythmic tapping and grabbing onto the other's face, although I'm not sure how often they've legitimately mated. There's one in particular that seems to be involved in the majority of these rituals. I think she's a female, and she's the only one I can tell apart from the rest because she's much lighter in color and has a little dot on her forehead.

 

[mickiem]

When they are happy and healthy, mating doesn't seem to stop. Some species have seasons for breeding and some seem to breed continually.

I'm glad they are ok! It's hard not to worry until you understand their habits and know what to expect. Keep watching and learning!