# Green pillipedes



## eksong (Jun 26, 2004)

Hi there,

The local reptile store here (East Bay Vivarium) has "green pillipedes" for sale.  The label marks their origin as Madagascar.  They are pretty hefty, deep green and always rolled up into balls whenever I see them.  They've been there for perhaps a month now, all 6 of them. Price is $15 for each.

Does anyone have any ideas as to they could be.  I am very interested in picking them up, but I am curious as to exactly how hardy these guys are.

Thanks,
Eric


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## Steven (Jun 26, 2004)

probarly.: Zoosphaerium hippocastanum

green pils are considered to not be hardy !


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## Elytra and Antenna (Jun 26, 2004)

If they close up tight and won't budge they should live for a few months or more. If they seem at all "friendly" they'll be dead in a week. Still, the chance of keeping those pills alive more than a few months is almost zero. 



WOW Gongyles, that identification is going out on a far far far far far far far far far far far more attenuated and brittle limb. 


			
				gongyles said:
			
		

> probarly.: Zoosphaerium hippocastanum
> 
> green pils are considered to not be hardy !


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## Steven (Jun 26, 2004)

MantidAssassins said:
			
		

> If they close up tight and won't budge they should live for a few months or more. If they seem at all "friendly" they'll be dead in a week. Still, the chance of keeping those pills alive more than a few months is almost zero.
> 
> 
> 
> WOW Gongyles, that identification is going out on a far far far far far far far far far far far more attenuated and brittle limb.


for you information mister MantidAssassins,...

here in Europe there's actually been succesfull breeding with the 
green-pilmilipedes from Madagascar in captivity

i got me some of those CB baby greenpils form theguy who bred them and those are still alive and kicking for almost 1 year now since i got them,...  ;P  ;P  ;P


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## J Morningstar (Jun 26, 2004)

And you are still one of the luckiest "bugstards" I know for that very reason.


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## Tony (Jun 27, 2004)

gongyles said:
			
		

> for you information mister MantidAssassins,...
> 
> here in Europe there's actually been succesfull breeding with the
> green-pilmilipedes from Madagascar in captivity
> ...


Whats the secret diet then?
T


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## Steven (Jun 27, 2004)

monantony said:
			
		

> Whats the secret diet then?
> T


i feed mine nothing more or less then "champignons" and rotten wood and leaves,... temperatures shouldn't go up 22°C and humidity constant above 80%.


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## Bob (Jun 28, 2004)

All four of mine are doing great. All four have now molted in my care and I have now had them 6 months. The key is they must be kept cool. Most of the ones you buy are probably kept with spiders and that is way to warm. I bought mine the day they were imported and always kept them around 63 degrees F in "Black Gold" potting soil. 
I will post a few new photos this week. I still do not know the sex of these guys. The males are supposed to have claws on the rear legs but I don't see any on mine, but mine might not be mature yet. They are the most shy invert I have...........

Bob


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## Bob (Jun 28, 2004)

Hey Steven,
Looks like we are the only guys on the boards who have had good luck with these. Thanks for the information you gave me from the start...they are doing well.
The key here is they must be healthy from the start. Every importer keeps these warm from the start. Mine do well if misted lightly every morning and KEPT COOL. They eat the moss that grows here in Oregon and knible on  rotted tree bark .
My fourth one molted Saturday , I will post a few photos this week. I REALLY want to breed these..........

Bob


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## Elytra and Antenna (Jun 28, 2004)

Are you guys sure you don't have the African pills? The Madagascan imports seldom live long enough to starve though the African ones live a year or more for most anyone. The African pills I've seen are smaller, maxing out at the size of a large marble.

Gongyles, please explain "champignons"

Bob, do you have any pics of the pills molting? I've got some pics of a molting Madagascan one but they were taken a little while back using filters on a 35mm 1984 Olympus so the quality isn't there. It's cool though because they leave the entire shell behind unbroken and the new pill is baby blue with yellow margins for the first few hours.


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## Steven (Jun 28, 2004)

@MantidAssassins

instead of trying to have a discussion with you, i rather post pictures,...
to avoid misunderstandings   
these are CB,... the parents are the size of a golfball.





































and a "champignon"







note that a diet on champignons only,... won't keep you pilmilipede alive !!!!


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## Steven (Jun 28, 2004)

> I've got some pics of a molting Madagascan one but they were taken a little while back using filters on a 35mm 1984 Olympus so the quality isn't there. It's cool though because they leave the entire shell behind unbroken and the new pill is baby blue with yellow margins for the first few hours.


did it eat the molt ?

and are those still alive ?


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## eksong (Jun 28, 2004)

Hi there Steven,

The pillipedes here at EBV are a much darker green, almost like a deep seaweed color with no iridescence.  Is it possible that they show this iridescent green only under the right lighting conditions?  The size seems to be about the same, though.


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## Steven (Jun 29, 2004)

eksong said:
			
		

> Hi there Steven,
> 
> The pillipedes here at EBV are a much darker green, almost like a deep seaweed color with no iridescence.  Is it possible that they show this iridescent green only under the right lighting conditions?  The size seems to be about the same, though.


can't give you an answer on that,....
do they look healthy ?,... 

guess Bob's were a bit more "darker" then the ones i had too,...

what i've noticed is they become "darker" when they are older,... 
but i'm not 100% sure  :?


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## Bob (Jun 29, 2004)

[
"Bob, do you have any pics of the pills molting? I've got some pics of a molting Madagascan one but they were taken a little while back using filters on a 35mm 1984 Olympus so the quality isn't there. It's cool though because they leave the entire shell behind unbroken and the new pill is baby blue with yellow margins for the first few hours.[/QUOTE]

Hi Orin,
I posted a photo on this thread:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=26273&highlight=pill

Not sure if the link will work. These guys are almost golf ball size now. They are very dark green after the last molts. I don't know if this is natural or due to captive conditions. The importer swears they came from Madagascar with some chameleons last January. I will post a few more photos latter....


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## Wade (Jun 29, 2004)

It was suggested some time ago that one of the difficulties with these is that there is a "gut fauna" that dies if exposed to too high of a temperature for too long. This results in an animal that may eat but still starves to death.

I'm thinking that the ones that survive, molt and reproduce are those that were transported the quickest. For example, Bob's appear to have come directly from an importer who got them from Madagascar. This means they were NOT first imported, THEN purchased by a wholsaler, THEN kept in inadaquate conditions for several weeks/months, THEN purchased by a retailer, and FINALLY purchased by the keeper. By minimizing the transportation/holding periods, Bob's millipedes may have had better odds of survival than most of those that turn up in the trade here.

European hobbyist may have better aceess to "fresh" stock, since our agriculture and customs regs slow everything down. This could be a factor in the greater success that they've had, plus it's probably easier to maintain the low temps in Europe than it is here. There's now way I could keep any low temp species at my place!

Wade


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## Steven (Jun 29, 2004)

Wade said:
			
		

> plus it's probably easier to maintain the low temps in Europe than it is here. There's now way I could keep any low temp species at my place!
> 
> Wade


Temps can go up to 37°C in Belgium during summer too,... but i have a cold and humid basement,... where the pils and some others are moved when it's summertime.


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## Wade (Jun 29, 2004)

gongyles said:
			
		

> Temps can go up to 37°C in Belgium during summer too,... but i have a cold and humid basement,... where the pils and some others are moved when it's summertime.


My BASEMENT can get nearly that warm! Still, I think the gut-fauna-dying-during-transport is the most likley answer. Many Americans have central air (not me   ) and probably could keep them cool if they knew to do so.

Wade


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## Steven (Jun 29, 2004)

> I think the gut-fauna-dying-during-transport is the most likley answer.


i've heard about some centipedes been transported with ice-packs instead of heat-packs,... maybe a solutions for dealers to get pils ?,.... 

guess it can work wrong in the other way around too,... temps below 10° aren't that adviceable either i guess ! (sorry for the crappy english but i hope you'll get my point  )


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## Wade (Jun 29, 2004)

Yes, I'd rather deal with heat than cold. The furnace is in the basement, so my animal room never drops much below 68 f (19.98 c) at the very coldest in the dead of winter, without any sort of heater. Nice ambiant temp!

Wade


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## Highlander (Jul 1, 2004)

Where do they sell pillipedes?


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## Wade (Jul 1, 2004)

Not many places. Their survival rate (at least in the US hobby) has been so dismal that most dealers don't carry them anymore. They turn up every now and then on various lists, however. Regal had some awhile back.

Wade


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