# DYing millipede?!?!



## Barbedwirecat (Aug 26, 2006)

OK I have no idea what happened. I'm pretty sue I have all of the husbandry correct. I gave the pede like 3 days to get used to its new home after shipping, and then gave it some fruit to eat along w/ some pear flavored baby food. OMG I think I killed it cause it was doing great until this morning and its just laying there. It moves its legs. thats all. I trasfered it to a lower humidity cage cause i think it was being bothered by mites, but its litterally limp. it won't curl up, just kinda lays in a big O. *CRY* WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?!


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## PA7R1CK (Aug 26, 2006)

I'm sure if it has only been 3 days it'll be fine. Please keep us informed on its health. I hope its fine.


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## Barbedwirecat (Aug 26, 2006)

I mean like on its side just wiggling its legs.....its really worriying me.


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## Twilight (Aug 26, 2006)

How big is it, because if it is still young maybe it means that it might be moulting. But thats the thing, the giant african pede I had was I believed, fully grown so I never truely witnessed a millipede moult before. Also, the times when my millipede acted that way, they died soon after. Try moving the pede, if it only moves its leg a bit, I'd say it is a gonner. 

If it does die and I really hope it doesn't, there might be a few reasons that I could think of if I was in that spot. 

-Plants? I remember you showing us the pic of your tank with many plants. Maybe one or some of those plants are too foreign to the pede or carries a toxin that your pede is not use to.
-Old age if it is bought grown, I guess this is why I always look for pedelings and not large ones.
-Maybe, just maybe it is moulting but I heard that it burrows during a moult.

Hope everything goes well....best wishes


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## Barbedwirecat (Aug 26, 2006)

I had alot of places for him to burrow...and yea he's full grown. I have a warrenty on him but DAMN I was so happy to see something in that tank doing well. Its was so werid because he was doing GREAT until he ate.....I dunno. He's just laying on his side and wiggling his legs. Thats all. *CRY*


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## Twilight (Aug 26, 2006)

Look, I know how you feel, because my only two african pede died in the same week, a month or so after I got them at the petstore. Most if not all pet deaths are not very well taken, even if you hate or love that pet. I had a hamster I hated like crap. A teddy bear hamster, 2 inch teeth, he bit the crap out of me, he bit me to the bone twice while I was trying to feed him. I hated him so much because he was lazy etc. I always thought that the day he died, I'd be really happy. However, the day he did die, for some weird reason I just held him and broke out in tears instead. I dunno why. 

I guess with my sort of unrelated story, what I'm trying to lead you to is to say that it's bad, but not every bad thing is a bad thing and vice versa. Maybe he was going to die sooner or later anyhow and it wasn't your fault, I think in the end you're the one that gave him a peace of mind and a great place so he can finally rest in peace. I'd say it would have been probably better for him to die peacefully in your loving care than to die in a petshop of some sorts.

Who knows, it might not die at all. Fingers crossed. Next time, try to purchase a younger one....best of wishes


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## Barbedwirecat (Aug 27, 2006)

He's stopped moving. *cry* I woke up this mornin and no movement at all.....


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## Barbedwirecat (Aug 27, 2006)

Wait i picked him up, he wiggled a few feet. He smells REALLY WEIRD. Like he is releasing some sort of chemical. Its a very strong smell, not really like death but like I said Chemichally............what the heck?


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## IguanaMama (Aug 27, 2006)

There are two reasons millies stop moving.  One, they are dying and two they are molting.  If it is dying, there is really nothing you can do about it, it started dying a long time before you noticed anything is wrong.  If it is molting, all this bothering it can be doing it harm.  When they molt, they basically slow down, their color starts to fade a bit and they usually curl up and bury themselves a little.  This could last a long time, depending on how big they are, a day, a week--who knows? I don't know what kind of millie you have or how big it is.  But it is just best to leave it alone.  If it dies, you will eventually know, it will give off that dead smell.  If you just got it, contact the seller and let them know.  Maybe they will replace it because it has nothing to do with what you did.  Millies give off a chemical smell when they are annoyed, btw.  You are annoying it.   Anyway, just put it down, cover it with a bit of dirt, make sure it is a bit damp, and let's just hope it is molting.  Good luck!


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## IguanaMama (Aug 27, 2006)

Oh wait, I just read the whole thread, it doesn't sound like it's molting.  If it's really big and WC, then it probably just won't do well in captivity.  I don't think it's a good idea to take animals that have lived most of their lives in the wild and then suddenly put them in a tank.  Sure, take a baby and it could adapt, but an adult, I don't know.  This is just me reckoning.....


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## Barbedwirecat (Aug 27, 2006)

Its CB. Full grown about 9" I guess. I litterely found it like this on its side right near the food bowl. It looked like it had eaten and then collapsed. I mean really is it that easy to kill these guys?


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## Twilight (Aug 27, 2006)

They are actually pretty hardy, but I think they are like centipedes, they can sometimes just drop dead for little reason. Next time, get a younger one, after my pede died, I never ask for an adult, no matter what I buy, I aim for a baby or worst, a juv.


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## Barbedwirecat (Aug 27, 2006)

I was thinking maybe he got dehydrated, but that just not possible. its like 80% humid in there and water all along the bottom w/ moss in it. Man.....He was doing SO good. I feel so bad for him I hate to watch him sit there and slowley die. I can just hope he's molting.


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## Twilight (Aug 27, 2006)

How long has it been, if it has been two days or so like that and it is starting to smell, then I think it is dying. So...the rest is up to you.

I've seen young african giant pedes at swiftsinvert.com if you want to start over. He works great over the phone but don't try emailing him, doesn't really reply to emails, that ________  trying to keep it clean


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## Barbedwirecat (Aug 27, 2006)

It doesn't smell dead....Its still moving. its smells like was stated before...like its irritated.


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## Barbedwirecat (Aug 27, 2006)

I talked to people at the store, she sadi it would be really weirde for him to act like that and produce that smell. She thinks make he was attacked, i this i saw a teeny garden spider and an ant in there.....would that do it?
 I mean I'm pretty sure there was mites on him even when I got him, but he wasn't overloaded, could this be the cause? Still wigglin his feet just a little.....


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## Twilight (Aug 27, 2006)

An ant...definately not. Those pedes are incredibly heavy armored. The garden spider is the better of the villians, but even then I doubt. The spider would probably be running for its life then trying to bite something like that. Its like a little Japanese man trying to take on Godzilla by himself, haha bad example. I doubt it is either of them.


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## Barbedwirecat (Aug 27, 2006)

Stress in shipping and mites? I think all of the mites abandonded ship....which leaves a bleack outcome I think.... *sigh*


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## cacoseraph (Aug 27, 2006)

AGBs are double tough. it is not usual for them to just up and die for no reason

what kind of food, specifically where you feeding it?


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## Barbedwirecat (Aug 27, 2006)

Del montes natures goodness baby food Pears. Chopped mixed fruit (prev frozen) thats it


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## cacoseraph (Aug 27, 2006)

Barbedwirecat said:
			
		

> Del montes natures goodness baby food Pears. Chopped mixed fruit (prev frozen) thats it


hmm, i'm thinking they/it were/was already going bad when you got it

possibly it you had fed some kind of high surface area fruit or vege i would say maybe pesticides, but no.  no husbandry failure on your part could jack up a big ol' millie very quickly. to be honest, they seem to be the most neglect resistant bug i've ever kept


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## Twilight (Aug 27, 2006)

Sigh.....you know....there is still that reasoning that it was just simply old and finally died....sometimes people tend to dig deep into something that was never really there.

Those guys are indeed hardy, however, if its time for them to die they will be like centipedes and just die on you for little reasons.

I'd check that baby food for anything that might be harmful to pedes, but I doubt. I've never fed baby food to pedes before, I believe I've heard of it before however. Its best in my opinion just to serve chopped and sometimes boiled vegetable/fruit matter, after of course, carefully washing it.

Few known reasons:
-Pesticides in and around your tank or the food you gave it
-The plants that you decorated your tank with is not suitable for the pedes
-Again...old age..
-Maybe shipping tired it out


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## IguanaMama (Aug 27, 2006)

It just doesn't sound like anything you did.  Hey, don't give up yet, but if it does pass, well...is there a reptile or herp show in your area?  I'd just try to buy one locally, maybe a smaller one.  Who knows, the package could have been left in the back of a hot truck.  Temperatures could have gotten so high as not high enough to cook the millie but high enough to cook the necessary flora in its guts.


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## Barbedwirecat (Aug 27, 2006)

Well I know the person that delivered it was not bright. That package had big red arrows pointing UP on it and if you have ever seen the MADTV scetch with the UPS guys and how he tosses around packages thats pretty much what the guy did. I tried to make sure delivery was under 85 degrees in both areas, but....well.....

 The reptiles hows are all about 4+ hours away from me....and the way the gas prices are....I might as well pay for shipping. 

  The milli passed away at some point this evening. I feel bad, but at least not I know it really wasn't my fault, at least I hope. I tried the best I could.

 I'll be keeping the tank bare again for a few months to let everythingsettle back down, I might let it dry out a little to calm the mites that might be in there.

  Hopefully the Fed-ex guys didn't make my tortoise retarded as well. Otherwise I'm gonna lay into him.


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