# Help! Questions about millipedes!



## PinkyDinky (Feb 15, 2016)

Hi! 

I've been reading various threads on sites, along with care sheets about taking care of millipedes. However there are still some questions I have. I hope someone can help! ;;

I'm extremely concerned about bugs getting in with the millipedes I want to order (feather millipedes). I've read conflicting ideas - some people say that this rarely happens, others say it happens as soon as food is introduced to the cage.

If I'm only going to house three or four millipedes, will this be a concern? If so should I order something a "janitor" isopod? If I do, do they have a reputation for escaping their cage?

The other question I have is about their offspring.

I haven't been able to get any help with this so far. What DO people do with the offspring their millipedes create? I'm fascinated by the idea of an insect farm and breeding them for pet/food purposes however I've had little luck learning about what to do with millipede babies so far.

Since I read that some can have up to a hundred at a time, I'd really like advice before getting them. Should I just plan on selling the babies? Start a website for insect lovers and reptile owners to buy them from? Adopt a toad? Or...? 

I'm sorry if I sound like an idiot, eep! I'd really like to go about this the right way, especially since I have such a budding fascination with reptiles and insects. 

Any help would be greatly appreciated!! <3

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## Pipp (Feb 15, 2016)

I would suggest against feeding millipedes to other animals, as they secrete irritating chemicals when threatened.

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## Hisserdude (Feb 15, 2016)

First off, are you talking about mites? Millipdes eat mostly rotten wood and dead leaves, and as long as those two have been properly sterilized, you shouldn't have much of a problem with pests. If you feed them a lot of grain based foods, dog food for example, and there are leftovers rotting in the cage, then you will be getting mites. As long as old food is removed and not fed in huge amounts, you should be good.

In my opinion isopods would not be good tank mates, if only because they may outcome your millipedes for food. They both love dead leaves, but isopods breed faster and will eat more than the millipedes.

Most millipedes are slow breeders, and any babies you get should happily coexist with the adults, so there is not much to worry about. As long as you have a decent sized container, overcrowding shouldn't be a problem. Plus, having a breeding population ensures that you will have this species of millipede in your possession for years to come. You can of course sell the babies once they reach a decent size, but you shouldn't have to worry about have more millipedes than you can handle, if you get what I'm saying.

Hope this helps!

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## PinkyDinky (Feb 16, 2016)

Pipp said:


> I would suggest against feeding millipedes to other animals, as they secrete irritating chemicals when threatened.


Yes, I read some ideas about that, however some websites said it would be fine to do.

However it's a bit moot since I don't even have any animals that would eat them, haha. I just have a cat - who would like to stick to her kitty food! >.<


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## PinkyDinky (Feb 16, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> First off, are you talking about mites? Millipdes eat mostly rotten wood and dead leaves, and as long as those two have been properly sterilized, you shouldn't have much of a problem with pests. If you feed them a lot of grain based foods, dog food for example, and there are leftovers rotting in the cage, then you will be getting mites. As long as old food is removed and not fed in huge amounts, you should be good.
> 
> In my opinion isopods would not be good tank mates, if only because they may outcome your millipedes for food. They both love dead leaves, but isopods breed faster and will eat more than the millipedes.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the reply!

I've been a bit skittish about the idea of "adopting" millipedes because of various things I started to read such as http://www.bugsincyberspace.com/Cage_Pests.html which talks about mites, fruit flies, etc. that all flock to cages because, from what I understand, the ideal conditions. 

I'm glad to hear that about breeding! 

I was pleased to read that the species I'm keen on getting, feather millipedes, only grow to one centimeter, two at the most. I was originally leaning towards getting ivory millipedes until I saw how big that can get...eeep! I know that they tend to be golden for beginners to get but ah ;; I think I'll start with feathers. <3

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## Hisserdude (Feb 16, 2016)

Well you'll almost certainly get fungas gnats, the little buggers are nearly impossible to avoid once you start using dead leaves for cages. They do not harm or bother the inverts, but they have a nasty tendency to fly up your nose...  Like I said, mites should not be too much of a problem as long as you don't feed your pedes too much grain based foods and fruits, and remove all leftovers when you do. 

For most people the bigger the better, makes them seem more like "animals" to "normal" people, and in general people like bigger bugs. I love bugs of all sizes, whether they be a foot long or 3mm long!  The feather millpedes are a very interesting millipede, and I hope yours do well!

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## PinkyDinky (Feb 16, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> Well you'll almost certainly get fungas gnats, the little buggers are nearly impossible to avoid once you start using dead leaves for cages. They do not harm or bother the inverts, but they have a nasty tendency to fly up your nose...  Like I said, mites should not be too much of a problem as long as you don't feed your pedes too much grain based foods and fruits, and remove all leftovers when you do.
> 
> For most people the bigger the better, makes them seem more like "animals" to "normal" people, and in general people like bigger bugs. I love bugs of all sizes, whether they be a foot long or 3mm long!  The feather millpedes are a very interesting millipede, and I hope yours do well!


Hmm I see!

I was looking at the Bugs in Cyberspace store and saw they sell things like fish food (that insects love? ;o) and jelly for roaches. Since it seems from google that millipedes like these, do you think it would cut down on the potential bugs attracted to the food? @.@

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## Hisserdude (Feb 16, 2016)

The jelly I think does not attract much pests, fish food would be the same as dog/cat food, it's good to give them but make sure to cleanup any leftover crumbs etc.


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## PinkyDinky (Feb 16, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> The jelly I think does not attract much pests, fish food would be the same as dog/cat food, it's good to give them but make sure to cleanup any leftover crumbs etc.


Okay, thank you so much!! ;__; 

Can't wait until midnight when I'll be ordering them! >v<

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## Hisserdude (Feb 16, 2016)

PinkyDinky said:


> Okay, thank you so much!! ;__;
> 
> Can't wait until midnight when I'll be ordering them! >v<


Cool, let us know when they get there!


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## Aquarimax (Feb 17, 2016)

PinkyDinky said:


> Hi!
> If I'm only going to house three or four millipedes, will this be a concern? If so should I order something a "janitor" isopod? If I do, do they have a reputation for escaping their cage? <3


I recommend keeping springtails with your millipedes. They will not harm your millipedes at all, and they will help keep the enclosure clean, in the sense that they will eat excess fungus, and will also make the enclosure less hospitable to pests such as fungus gnats and mites. That is not to say that you will never see a fungus gnat, but springtails definitely help. I have four millipede enclosures and a large number of isopod enclosures, not to mention several live vivariums for geckos, and I've introduced springtails to every one of them with positive results.

Reactions: Agree 1 | Informative 2


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## PinkyDinky (Feb 17, 2016)

Aquarimax said:


> I recommend keeping springtails with your millipedes. They will not harm your millipedes at all, and they will help keep the enclosure clean, in the sense that they will eat excess fungus, and will also make the enclosure less hospitable to pests such as fungus gnats and mites. That is not to say that you will never see a fungus gnat, but springtails definitely help. I have four millipede enclosures and a large number of isopod enclosures, not to mention several live vivariums for geckos, and I've introduced springtails to every one of them with positive results.


Oh how helpful!

Do springtails stay in their enclosure or do they tend to escape? I'd personally rather avoid having springtails or other janitor species if they're going to get out all over my room, shudder ;; 

Also how does cleaning work? : 0 If you have springtails or other bugs in with your millipedes and need to do a total cleanout (if those are needed?) or refill the substrate, do you pick out the bugs or is this not needed?


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## Hisserdude (Feb 17, 2016)

PinkyDinky said:


> Oh how helpful!
> 
> Do springtails stay in their enclosure or do they tend to escape? I'd personally rather avoid having springtails or other janitor species if they're going to get out all over my room, shudder ;;
> 
> Also how does cleaning work? : 0 If you have springtails or other bugs in with your millipedes and need to do a total cleanout (if those are needed?) or refill the substrate, do you pick out the bugs or is this not needed?


They have a tendency to spread to other cages, which is a good thing really. I'm sure a ton have gotten out and died and are now in my carpets etc., but these guys are so small you won't notice a thing!

You would only really need to clean the substrate if it had become A: extremely infested with mites, B: mold grew ALL over it and turned it into one solid piece, or C: the substrate has all been eaten and has turned to frass. In any of these cases, you'll grab a few springtails to restart the cleanup crew, whether they be from another cage or from the cage that needs cleaning. There is no way to grab a springtail by hand without smashing it, so you got to put a piece of bark for the springtails to accumulate on and then sprinkle them into the new cage.

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## PinkyDinky (Feb 17, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> They have a tendency to spread to other cages, which is a good thing really. I'm sure a ton have gotten out and died and are now in my carpets etc., but these guys are so small you won't notice a thing!
> 
> You would only really need to clean the substrate if it had become A: extremely infested with mites, B: mold grew ALL over it and turned it into one solid piece, or C: the substrate has all been eaten and has turned to frass. In any of these cases, you'll grab a few springtails to restart the cleanup crew, whether they be from another cage or from the cage that needs cleaning. There is no way to grab a springtail by hand without smashing it, so you got to put a piece of bark for the springtails to accumulate on and then sprinkle them into the new cage.


Hm I see! : 0 

Do springtails have ever bother pets? I have a strictly indoors, elderly cat and I don't want her to be bothered by bugs getting in her fur or something. 

I'm glad that springtails seem like a helpful option though. I think I'll wait to see if there's a need to order them before introducing more bugs here, haha.


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## Hisserdude (Feb 17, 2016)

Nope, never had them bother any pets, invertebrate or vertebrate. They are very low profile and like to hide under things, mites on the other hand will climb on anything they can reach, probably why they bother other bugs so much.

They will probably show up in your cage whether or not you order them, mine showed up out of thin air.

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## PinkyDinky (Feb 17, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> Nope, never had them bother any pets, invertebrate or vertebrate. They are very low profile and like to hide under things, mites on the other hand will climb on anything they can reach, probably why they bother other bugs so much.
> 
> They will probably show up in your cage whether or not you order them, mine showed up out of thin air.


Oh great, that's a relief to hear!

OH one question I do have - is it okay if you clean around the cage? Like if the millipede cage is kept on my desk and I use a cleaner and dust off my desk, will this harm the millipedes (not like I'd directly spray the container)? I know with rats you have to careful about that, is that the same for them?


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## Aquarimax (Feb 17, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> Nope, never had them bother any pets, invertebrate or vertebrate. They are very low profile and like to hide under things, mites on the other hand will climb on anything they can reach, probably why they bother other bugs so much.
> 
> They will probably show up in your cage whether or not you order them, mine showed up out of thin air.


I agree...no downsides I can think of to springtails, really.
And while they may indeed show up in your enclosure on their own, (I've seen it happen too), it can be a good thing to order them and add them as a sort of preemptive strike against fungus gnats and mites. Both of the latter are even more likely to show up on their own than springtails are, but if the springtails are already thriving by the time that happens, it helps prevent a hostile takeover.


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## PinkyDinky (Feb 17, 2016)

Aquarimax said:


> I agree...no downsides I can think of to springtails, really.
> And while they may indeed show up in your enclosure on their own, (I've seen it happen too), it can be a good thing to order them and add them as a sort of preemptive strike against fungus gnats and mites. Both of the latter are even more likely to show up on their own than springtails are, but if the springtails are already thriving by the time that happens, it helps prevent a hostile takeover.


What a war people have to wage against those pests!

Do you know, are springtails harmful to snails? I would LOVE to have some land/garden snails and plan on catching some as soon as the weather warms up. I've read that snails are horrendously sensitive to other insects in their home yet I'm a bit nervous about catching them since people have reported getting mites from them. Yuck!


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## Hisserdude (Feb 17, 2016)

PinkyDinky said:


> Oh great, that's a relief to hear!
> 
> OH one question I do have - is it okay if you clean around the cage? Like if the millipede cage is kept on my desk and I use a cleaner and dust off my desk, will this harm the millipedes (not like I'd directly spray the container)? I know with rats you have to careful about that, is that the same for them?


I think it should be ok, just be really careful not to get any spray in the cage, or bye bye millipedes!



Aquarimax said:


> I agree...no downsides I can think of to springtails, really.
> And while they may indeed show up in your enclosure on their own, (I've seen it happen too), it can be a good thing to order them and add them as a sort of preemptive strike against fungus gnats and mites. Both of the latter are even more likely to show up on their own than springtails are, but if the springtails are already thriving by the time that happens, it helps prevent a hostile takeover.


Yes, best to get them ahead of time rather than wait. Plus the ones that you buy will likely be the giant, more effective ones, more effective than the normal silver ones. My silver ones just aren't doing the trick in combating my mites, they are not prolific enough.



PinkyDinky said:


> What a war people have to wage against those pests!
> 
> Do you know, are springtails harmful to snails? I would LOVE to have some land/garden snails and plan on catching some as soon as the weather warms up. I've read that snails are horrendously sensitive to other insects in their home yet I'm a bit nervous about catching them since people have reported getting mites from them. Yuck!


Yep, a war is a perfect way to describe it. I hate mites with a passion more powerful than a thousand suns!  Seriously, I wish I could commit mite genocide.

I had some snails about a year ago, the springtails did not bother them. Mites did though.


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## PinkyDinky (Feb 17, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> I think it should be ok, just be really careful not to get any spray in the cage, or bye bye millipedes!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Learning about mites is a little bit horrifying ;; 

Do springtails bite (humans)? A google search of them pulled up all these nasty pictures, though some were saying they didn't, others saying they did. Do they?


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## Hisserdude (Feb 18, 2016)

PinkyDinky said:


> Learning about mites is a little bit horrifying ;;
> 
> Do springtails bite (humans)? A google search of them pulled up all these nasty pictures, though some were saying they didn't, others saying they did. Do they?


Yep, mites suck. Once you have them, there is pretty much no way to eradicate them. It becomes a matter of keeping the numbers low, by means of cleanup crews and sometimes added ventilation.

Those reports are from idiots who know nothing about bugs at all, springtails definitely don't bite. There is so much misinformation on invertebrates on the web, it's kinda sad.


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## PinkyDinky (Feb 18, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> Yep, mites suck. Once you have them, there is pretty much no way to eradicate them. It becomes a matter of keeping the numbers low, by means of cleanup crews and sometimes added ventilation.
> 
> Those reports are from idiots who know nothing about bugs at all, springtails definitely don't bite. There is so much misinformation on invertebrates on the web, it's kinda sad.


That's a relief!

Not about the mites, ! I'm glad to hear that springtails don't bite, I'm a little nervous enough about the fact that people have said they find them in their beds and on their skin a lot. I'm not crazy about the idea of finding them on me, though I'm glad to know they're harmless. 

Do you know, like, with millipedes a suggested amount of substrate to add? Feather millipedes are only around one inch or so. Do I just times their length by three (that's the suggested formula for their cage size), so that would be three inches of substrate? Or should I add less/more?

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## Hisserdude (Feb 18, 2016)

PinkyDinky said:


> That's a relief!
> 
> Not about the mites, ! I'm glad to hear that springtails don't bite, I'm a little nervous enough about the fact that people have said they find them in their beds and on their skin a lot. I'm not crazy about the idea of finding them on me, though I'm glad to know they're harmless.
> 
> Do you know, like, with millipedes a suggested amount of substrate to add? Feather millipedes are only around one inch or so. Do I just times their length by three (that's the suggested formula for their cage size), so that would be three inches of substrate? Or should I add less/more?


Well take it from someone who has been interested in bugs since he was a wee babe, springtails are completely harmless. I've never seen any on my bed, I have seen mites on my tablet though, that was a (unpleasant) surprise. Springtails are often found in potting soil, so if you have plants in your house you have already been living with them for a while.

Three inches sounds good, that should give them a lot of food and burrowing space, they'll be very comfortable!

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## PinkyDinky (Feb 18, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> Well take it from someone who has been interested in bugs since he was a wee babe, springtails are completely harmless. I've never seen any on my bed, I have seen mites on my tablet though, that was a (unpleasant) surprise. Springtails are often found in potting soil, so if you have plants in your house you have already been living with them for a while.
> 
> Three inches sounds good, that should give them a lot of food and burrowing space, they'll be very comfortable!


Thank you for your help!! 

I know the feeling, yuck-o! During the summer I would use my ipad a lot at night and gnats always rammed themselves against the screen, attracted to the light. D : < 

My parents have tons of plants so hm...I don't think my mom will object so much to buying springtails if she knows that fact! With as green thumbed as they are, they'll probably whip out a can of them, LOL. "I've been waiting for this day!" 

And okay, thanks! The container I have is five inches high or so so I'll see what I can do. I have the Exo Terra Breeding Box (sized medium), by the way.  I read that length is more important than width or height so I hope it's okay. It's nine or ten inches, I think.

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## Hisserdude (Feb 18, 2016)

PinkyDinky said:


> Thank you for your help!!
> 
> I know the feeling, yuck-o! During the summer I would use my ipad a lot at night and gnats always rammed themselves against the screen, attracted to the light. D : <
> 
> ...


No problem!

Yeah, gnats are annoying. At least most of them don't bite like mosquitoes! 

If there are springtails in the soil you could just grab some and put it in the enclosure, they should start breeding fast! 

Yikes, you may have some trouble keeping the enclosure humid enough with that much ventilation. Could you put some plastic food wrap over half or more of that lid? Your millipedes will appreciate it!


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## PinkyDinky (Feb 18, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> No problem!
> 
> Yeah, gnats are annoying. At least most of them don't bite like mosquitoes!
> 
> ...


True! Mosquitoes are such a problem in Michigan, yick.

Yeah ;0;! I contacted Peter, the breeder I'm buying from about springtails/janitors, and see about ordering some. 

Yes, I'll try !  I'm happy that I saved my old water bottle because it has a spraying button on it, perfect for misting the substrate, I think!


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## Hisserdude (Feb 18, 2016)

PinkyDinky said:


> True! Mosquitoes are such a problem in Michigan, yick.
> 
> Yeah ;0;! I contacted Peter, the breeder I'm buying from about springtails/janitors, and see about ordering some.
> 
> Yes, I'll try !  I'm happy that I saved my old water bottle because it has a spraying button on it, perfect for misting the substrate, I think!


Yeah, a couple of years ago me and my family went camping by a lake, after a few days we looked like we had some sort of disease, our arms and legs were completely covered in mosquito bites! My arms were so bumpy and red, if I were to take a photo of a portion of my skin you wouldn't be able to identify it as human skin! After that we got some heavy duty bug spray and we were fine. 

Yeah, he has the nice giant springtails, I may have to get some as well. I need something that will breed faster than these dang mites!!

That's cool, if it ends up not working you can always get a spray bottle from a dollar tree, those work very well!


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## PinkyDinky (Feb 18, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> Yeah, a couple of years ago me and my family went camping by a lake, after a few days we looked like we had some sort of disease, our arms and legs were completely covered in mosquito bites! My arms were so bumpy and red, if I were to take a photo of a portion of my skin you wouldn't be able to identify it as human skin! After that we got some heavy duty bug spray and we were fine.
> 
> Yeah, he has the nice giant springtails, I may have to get some as well. I need something that will breed faster than these dang mites!!
> 
> That's cool, if it ends up not working you can always get a spray bottle from a dollar tree, those work very well!


That's terrible!

I'm allergic to mosquitoes so I can relate, bleh. 

You have to win the war friend!  Don't let the mites win!

That's a great idea, I forgot about Dollar Tree! I'm assuming that you use room temperature water to wet the substrate - or are you supposed to use cold/hot water? 

And when I adjust the cage a bit, can I message you a picture of it?


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## Hisserdude (Feb 18, 2016)

PinkyDinky said:


> That's terrible!
> 
> I'm allergic to mosquitoes so I can relate, bleh.
> 
> ...


Eh, it was more funny to me than anything to be honest. Though my mom would disagree, lol! 

I'm trying, I think I'm more bothered by the mites than my roaches are at this point, lol! They make my skin crawl.

I just use room temperature water.

Sure you can, though I would post it here as well so more people can see it and share any concerns they have, just in case I miss something.


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## PinkyDinky (Feb 20, 2016)

So excited ;o;

just a couple hours and sleep to go

then my millipedes will be here! Peaches, Cream, Strawberry, Shortcake!  I'll be a "milla" mama, LOL.

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