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- Feb 25, 2016
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Note that this is not the same Chicobolus spinigerus that I lost some time ago due to injury during a molt. I obtained another Chicobolus spinigerus that was smaller than my first one, male and whose lighter bands were more of an off-white cream color than ivory. He was active and seemed a healthy millipede, ate a lot and made lots of frass balls. I thought it a bit strange that he seemed to never burrow, but their Sterilite enclosure is kept under another one so light is usually limited, and he was often joined at the surface by the smaller of the two Narceus gordanus that I've had for some time now. The other day I was very pleased to see my larger Narceus gordanus appear after several weeks burrowed. Yet I think that was also the first time I saw any sign of my Chicobolus spinigerus being unwell. He seemed a bit... listless maybe? It did not cause me great concern at the time, but the very next morning he was dead; I found him in the same corner he had been the night before, lying stretched out in a slight C-shape, discolored and non-responsive. I still held some hope that he had made the unusual decision to molt on top of the substrate, chamber-free, but the fact that he was not even coiled made that hope slim at best. Nevertheless, I waited until the next day. By that time, I thought I could detect a smell and the springtails were exploring the corpse so I sadly removed him.
What could have happened and do I need to take action to protect the other two millipedes (my Narceus gordanus)??? The substrate was mostly the millipede substrate from BIC with some coir and peat that was added to absorb excess when I felt I'd over-watered. All wood and leaves added were baked and/or boiled first. This time (unlike my first set-up for the N. gordanus and my first C. spinigerus) I had no problems with mold as I had an abundant population of springtails, so much so that I seeded several other enclosures from this one rather than directly from the charcoal sprintail culture. Can one have too many springtails? I have never heard that such could be a danger. I do not believe there is anything else in there besides the occasional fungus gnat, which should be harmless.
What could have happened??? Certainly the Chicobolus spinigerus was not old; he was not even fully grown yet. Are my Narceus gordanus in danger? I hate to bake the substrate needlessly and kill all the microfauna. I KNOW that he could not have desiccated. If anything, the substrate was too wet at times, but it was never water-logged and anyway, he was always on the surface. Any ideas or advice would be GREATLY appreciated!!!
What could have happened and do I need to take action to protect the other two millipedes (my Narceus gordanus)??? The substrate was mostly the millipede substrate from BIC with some coir and peat that was added to absorb excess when I felt I'd over-watered. All wood and leaves added were baked and/or boiled first. This time (unlike my first set-up for the N. gordanus and my first C. spinigerus) I had no problems with mold as I had an abundant population of springtails, so much so that I seeded several other enclosures from this one rather than directly from the charcoal sprintail culture. Can one have too many springtails? I have never heard that such could be a danger. I do not believe there is anything else in there besides the occasional fungus gnat, which should be harmless.
What could have happened??? Certainly the Chicobolus spinigerus was not old; he was not even fully grown yet. Are my Narceus gordanus in danger? I hate to bake the substrate needlessly and kill all the microfauna. I KNOW that he could not have desiccated. If anything, the substrate was too wet at times, but it was never water-logged and anyway, he was always on the surface. Any ideas or advice would be GREATLY appreciated!!!
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