# Keeping millipedes with other species?



## Ghoul (Jul 16, 2016)

This is something I've been wondering about, is it possible to keep bigger kinds of millipedes together with other species? I do not own any big ones right now, just regular native(Europe/Germany) millipedes. And a tailless whip scorpion (_Damon d._) named Benji who shares his enclosure with woodlice that keep his enclosure clean and are also his food. That wasn't intended but hey whatever works for ya Benj.

I have a little box I call the forest box, which contains black millipedes, red/brown flat backed millipedes, pill millipedes (_Glomeridae_), pill bugs, woodlice, a tiny snail, a worm, a baby centipede that got in there on accident, a bunch of tiny harvestmen, some bugs that are sort of like tiny crickets but not really, and mites. And a tiny guy with long crab hands. Probably also other things. They all seem to get along together very well. I keep putting in some leaves, rotting wood and mushrooms I bring from the forest. Once in a while some leftovers from cooking like potato bits or cucumbers. I have had that setup for three months or so? I've seen only one dead black millipede, all others are doing great still. In fact the flat backed millipedes and the pillipedes had babies multiple times and now there's these tiny dots and strings in various sizes everywhere  <3

*TL;DR: I own different native millipede species together with other species living in the woods, is the same possible with their larger relatives or is it a bad idea? Not just different millipede species but maybe different nocturnal inverts? Bugs of sorts? *


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## Aquarimax (Jul 16, 2016)

Different millipedes species together can work in some cases. I currently keep bumblebee millipedes with scarlet millipedes, and flame legs with an ivory and a Spirostreptus species #1. It works fine...the bumblebees and the flamelegs are breeding.
The only other creatures I keep with my millipedes are springtails. I have read threads that explain that millipedes in molt have been attached by isopods, so I have never tried that.

Others will undoubtedly chime in with their experiences as well.

I must admit, I wish I could go out and collect "pillipedes" in my area. Glomeris species are hard to come by here. Good to know they're breeding for you!

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## Ghoul (Jul 17, 2016)

We have all kinds of glomeris species living here. I just have to walk into one of the nearby forests, move a heavier rotting piece of wood and there will be like 50 of them under it in all colours and sizes. 

Here's some of my little dudes http://www.imgur.com/a/b5VIL
For the babies I had to get my microscope out to see if they are pill bugs or pill millipedes because they were just so ridiculously tiny :d They have grown since then so I can actually see them become pill millipedes <3

*Edit: *Baby pictures  They are so tiny you gotta zoom in.

I've also heard that woodlice and bigger millipede species shouldn't be kept together so I will avoid that if I ever get some. It just works with my small ones right now, might also be because there isn't that many woodlice and they got enough other food to eat.

*Edit: *After some digging I saw that you can keep some roaches together with millis, anyone know about species of each that live together in the wild as well? Anyone with personal experience?

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## ErinM31 (Jul 17, 2016)

Ghoul said:


> We have all kinds of glomeris species living here. I just have to walk into one of the nearby forests, move a heavier rotting piece of wood and there will be like 50 of them under it in all colours and sizes.
> 
> Here's some of my little dudes http://www.imgur.com/a/b5VIL
> For the babies I had to get my microscope out to see if they are pill bugs or pill millipedes because they were just so ridiculously tiny :d They have grown since then so I can actually see them become pill millipedes <3
> ...


Those pillipedes are awesome!  And congrats on your successful set-up! I have always really liked the idea of creating microecosystem set-ups, but whether aquarium or vivarium, it is difficult to keep everything alive and well.  In my aquarium, I have a small but murderous fish and an urchin who will consume ALL algae and seaweed until it is entirely gone. While my dart frogs coexist with plants quite nicely, they hunt any clean-up crew to extinction. 

As to your millipede-specific question, different species with the same habitat requirements can be kept together without problems. I have read that isopods/woodlice can do alright with millipedes as long as they aren't ones which reproduce rapidly (so not _Armadillidium vulgare_ nor _A. maculatum_, for example, while Venezillo dwarf isopods would be a good choice). Cockroaches that also need a moist habitat may also make good cage mates. @Hisserdude could probably recommend species that could get along well with millipedes.

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## Aquarimax (Jul 18, 2016)

Ghoul said:


> We have all kinds of glomeris species living here. I just have to walk into one of the nearby forests, move a heavier rotting piece of wood and there will be like 50 of them under it in all colours and sizes.
> 
> Here's some of my little dudes http://www.imgur.com/a/b5VIL
> For the babies I had to get my microscope out to see if they are pill bugs or pill millipedes because they were just so ridiculously tiny :d They have grown since then so I can actually see them become pill millipedes <3
> ...


It was fun to see the pics! Thanks for sharing!

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Ghoul (Jul 18, 2016)

NP 


ErinM31 said:


> Those pillipedes are awesome!  And congrats on your successful set-up! I have always really liked the idea of creating microecosystem set-ups, but whether aquarium or vivarium, it is difficult to keep everything alive and well.  In my aquarium, I have a small but murderous fish and an urchin who will consume ALL algae and seaweed until it is entirely gone. While my dart frogs coexist with plants quite nicely, they hunt any clean-up crew to extinction.
> 
> As to your millipede-specific question, different species with the same habitat requirements can be kept together without problems. I have read that isopods/woodlice can do alright with millipedes as long as they aren't ones which reproduce rapidly (so not _Armadillidium vulgare_ nor _A. maculatum_, for example, while Venezillo dwarf isopods would be a good choice). Cockroaches that also need a moist habitat may also make good cage mates. @Hisserdude could probably recommend species that could get along well with millipedes.


I think the whole microecosystem set up is easier to do if you can actually observe the animals in their habitat and get your resources from there. My forest box contains all things I found near the millipedes, including other species living with them. Some came into the box without my knowledge by hiding in the pieces of wood, and they all have their little part to do in it. And everyone loves mushrooms  It's really the opposite of keeping tropical pets or the like where you gotta keep everything somewhat sterile cuz they're not used to the stuff that crawls and grows around here, while in my forest box they got almost everything they got in the wild. Plus potatoes, cucumbers and carrots :d

Also thanks, that's good to know! 
Man I really think I'll end up with a bigger millipede species soon, with or without a different species in its enclosure. Theres so many pretty ones and Ive been eyeballin the African giants they got in our pet store for so long cuz they are just adorable. Man, I'll end up as a bug lady one day. If I aint already

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## Ghoul (Jul 19, 2016)

Sorry for the double post, but on another website another millipede keeper chimed in and I thought it was worth mentioning here.

He said he had giants, ivories, bumble bees, and chocolates together with a small colony of hissers in a large tank and it worked out just fine. He also says he advises against most other roaches that may burrow since they could eat the eggs of the millipedes (no discoid, peppered, ivory, or the like).
---
Now after some digging around through millipede species I'm personally most interested in the giants  (_Archispirostreptus gigas_) and chocolates (_Ophistreptus guineensis_).  Quick question though, is it possible that they could crossbreed or do I not have to worry about that?


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## Hisserdude (Jul 19, 2016)

ErinM31 said:


> Cockroaches that also need a moist habitat may also make good cage mates. @Hisserdude could probably recommend species


I've heard that Gromphadorhina do well with AGBs, they come from a very similar wild environment after all. Really any roach species that does not burrow and does not reproduce at a extremely prolific rate can do well with millipedes, and some of the larger or prettier species could be great for a display tank.



Ghoul said:


> Now after some digging around through millipede species I'm personally most interested in the giants (_Archispirostreptus gigas_) and chocolates (_Ophistreptus guineensis_).  Quick question though, is it possible that they could crossbreed or do I not have to worry about that?


Different millipede genera generally can't interbreed, however it is possible for different species in the same genus to be able to hybridize. So no, those two species should not be able to interbreed.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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