Missing Millipedes?

[AnEndlessCold]

Hi,
So I have 5 Florida Ivory millipedes (Chicobolus spinigerus), and have had them for about 6 months now. Recently, I have kept them at home while I have been away at college, but I come home about 1-2 times a week to feed them. I have noticed within the past 3-4 weeks that I never really see them coming out at all, except for 1. I'm pretty sure it's the same one that I see out almost all the time. Granted I'm not home much, but even when I have been there at night I don't see most of them. Are the rest of them okay? I have springtails and isopods in with them and feed them dead leaves, oak bark, and sometimes apple slices. Are they okay?

 

[Ratmosphere]

Probably just burrowed.

 

[Millipedematt]

Hi,
So I have 5 Florida Ivory millipedes (Chicobolus spinigerus), and have had them for about 6 months now. Recently, I have kept them at home while I have been away at college, but I come home about 1-2 times a week to feed them. I have noticed within the past 3-4 weeks that I never really see them coming out at all, except for 1. I'm pretty sure it's the same one that I see out almost all the time. Granted I'm not home much, but even when I have been there at night I don't see most of them. Are the rest of them okay? I have springtails and isopods in with them and feed them dead leaves, oak bark, and sometimes apple slices. Are they okay?

So i keep Narceus gordanus (smokey oak) i have 6 in the cage and for the longest time id only see bob roaming the surface. I know bob is bob because he has a molt defect (i think or just a healed injury) 8 segments above the Telson that looks like a little squiggly line. But earlier this week i saw bob and 2 of my other N. gordanus out and about roaming around. Everything sounds good, but like @Ratmosphere said they are probably just burrowed. Make sure there is a lot of rotting leaves and wood premixed into the substrate so they have something to eat while there down there and all should be fine. Also don't forget about humidity that's important. Good luck i'm sure they will be out soon enough.

 

[LawnShrimp]

Millipedes can be burrowed for months when molting, and even when they aren't molting they stay underground for a long time especially when the air is dry.
More humidity might encourage them to come up more. Ivory millipedes are fairly active most of the time so yours are most likely molting now.

 

[ArachnidSpecilist]

Your millipedes are probably molting, keep feeding your millipedes even if they are not eating. They need a lot of food after molting. Don't touch or disturb the millipede when it's molting.

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

You'd be surprised what good climbers they are if you don't have a properly sealed lid.

 

[ArachnidSpecilist]

Really? My Millipedes can't climb more than it's body length in my jar. Same thing goes for my Centipedes.

 

[Millipedematt]

Really? My Millipedes can't climb more than it's body length in my jar. Same thing goes for my Centipedes.

From what i notice in my millipede and centipede collection is that they can scale walls to a cretin extent if the wall has some form of texture on it. In my case on the walls in some of the enclosure have dirt stuck to them (not all the way to the top but above the substrate line) and i have seen both my millipedes and centipedes climb with just this little bit of texture. Once they have reached bare plastic they can no longer grip.

 

[ArachnidSpecilist]

Oh, I would imagine Centipedes being able to get out that but not millipedes.

 

[AnEndlessCold]

Thanks everyone for your response. I'm pretty sure they did not escape as the lid is heavy and the walls of the enclosure actually curve inwards at the top.