My Ivory Millipedes

[mickiem]

I fed them some corn last night and lifted the lid to find a pile of partakers I think this is the perfect starter species! They are active, docile, beautiful, will step right onto your hand, breed easy, easy to sex, hardy, etc. this photo is of some yearlings. The largest ones are 2.5"+.

 

[mickiem]

This is where the babies live. Substrate is about 3" deep. There are about 200 babies in there.

 

[Jp1776]

My ivories adore corn! Yours are adorable!

 

[LawnShrimp]

Don't Chicobolus females drop 500+ eggs in their lifetime? Do the parents of these 200 still lay eggs?

Also, what habitat do ivories like? It seems that around Miami, the only place I've hunted for inverts in Florida, ivories are pretty scarce. Apparently they can be found in the Keys and are certainly found north of Miami. I'd like to catch a few myself, but no luck so far.

 

[mickiem]

Don't Chicobolus females drop 500+ eggs in their lifetime? Do the parents of these 200 still lay eggs?

Also, what habitat do ivories like? It seems that around Miami, the only place I've hunted for inverts in Florida, ivories are pretty scarce. Apparently they can be found in the Keys and are certainly found north of Miami. I'd like to catch a few myself, but no luck so far.

Sorry I cannot answer most of your queries. I would say they lay at least 500 eggs in their lifetime. They are quite prolific. Mine are still breeding.

I couldn't begin to tell you how to find them in the wild. Maybe someone else could add their experience. In their enclosure, mine are out most of the time. The seem to like a high humidity and are most active between 10p and 3a. They eat lots of oak leaves and rotted oak wood.

 

[ErinM31]

Gorgeous millipedes! Congratulations on all the little ones!

 

[mickiem]

Gorgeous millipedes! Congratulations on all the little ones!

Have your Ivories had babies yet? I'm still waiting on my N. americanus! The tan phase have reproduced, but still waiting on the others...

 

[ErinM31]

Have your Ivories had babies yet? I'm still waiting on my N. americanus! The tan phase have reproduced, but still waiting on the others...

No, sadly none of my Ivories has ever lived for very long and I have absolutely no idea why. I would like to try keeping captive bred ones (so if you have extra that you would like to sell or trade this fall ) as sometimes the next generation is hardier, at least for the conditions they're born in (maybe?).

I'd also love to buy or trade for some tan N. americanus too! I have dozens of ~2-inch-long red-striped N. americanus born last year that I hope to sell or trade on AB this fall as the number of boxes dedicated to them keeps multiplying as they grow! :wideyed: It's a joy to watch them develop from little white plings with only six legs! I recently got some rose-colored N. americanus too that I reeeally hope reproduce for me! They seem to be doing well -- active and eating. One of the females *seems* gravid to me -- we'll see if my intuition is correct!

 

[mickiem]

My tan babies are just a few weeks old, but definitely interested in trades with you. I'll bet those rosy N americanus are beauties. Do you have photos?

 

[mickiem]

No, sadly none of my Ivories has ever lived for very long and I have absolutely no idea why. I would like to try keeping captive bred ones (so if you have extra that you would like to sell or trade this fall ) as sometimes the next generation is hardier, at least for the conditions they're born in (maybe?).

I'd also love to buy or trade for some tan N. americanus too! I have dozens of ~2-inch-long red-striped N. americanus born last year that I hope to sell or trade on AB this fall as the number of boxes dedicated to them keeps multiplying as they grow! :wideyed: It's a joy to watch them develop from little white plings with only six legs! I recently got some rose-colored N. americanus too that I reeeally hope reproduce for me! They seem to be doing well -- active and eating. One of the females *seems* gravid to me -- we'll see if my intuition is correct!

Are the rose colored ones just paler like a soft pink or are they bright like raspberry?

My ivory plings are about a year old and seem pretty sturdy. There are definite size differences starting to show up that I think are gender signs (already?). They were all basically the same size and now some are really taking off. I'm watching! Maybe by September or so when the weather cools, I will be able to sex them.

 

[miss moxie]

Wow. Both centipedes and millipedes still give me the heebie jeebies (so. many. LEGS.) but these are very pretty! They kind of remind me of very long pill bugs which I loved as a kid.

 

[ErinM31]

Are the rose colored ones just paler like a soft pink or are they bright like raspberry?

My ivory plings are about a year old and seem pretty sturdy. There are definite size differences starting to show up that I think are gender signs (already?). They were all basically the same size and now some are really taking off. I'm watching! Maybe by September or so when the weather cools, I will be able to sex them.

It's a dusky rose, very subdued. Combined with their tan-brown main color, I'd call this variation "antique rose."

I took some photos but it's difficult to capture their soft almost-translucent beauty without the right light.

 

[mickiem]

It's a dusky rose, very subdued. Combined with their tan-brown main color, I'd call this variation "antique rose."

I took some photos but it's difficult to capture their soft almost-translucent beauty without the right light.

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Hope you are successful breeding them. I love color phases.

 

[7Fin]

That's a very nice colour!

 

[mickiem]

Pretty color for sure! @ErinM31

 

[mickiem]

I caught an Ivory in a surface molt yesterday. She was still there today so I snapped a shot!

 

[7Fin]

Nice picture!

 

[mickiem]

Nice picture!

It looks like pure carnage! The first day the exoskeleton was split but otherwise intact. I wish I had also taken that photo. She looks like velvet now.

 

[mickiem]

This is big for an Ivory. At least for me. She is about 4".

 

[mickiem]

These babies are getting big and strong Banana - yum!