# normal behavior for orthoporus texicolens desert millipede?



## mukmewx (Jun 1, 2014)

I have 6 of these guys, one of them I see almost 100% of the time, 2 others I see sometimes time out in open or they are curled up under the log in the picture. One other I see sometimes, and 2 others I haven't seen in over a week. I have them in a 29 gallon tank with a mix of coco fiber, spagnaum moss, oak leaves, and rotting hardwood (previously filled with bugs, before baking it)misted daily. I also added a layer of oak leaves(which I don't mist) to a section of the top for a dry variety.


----------



## SDCPs (Jun 2, 2014)

I don't see what you could do about the behavior even if things were going badly. If nobody is dying I would not worry about it 

Nice habitat BTW!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Cavedweller (Jun 2, 2014)

What a nice setup! I see yours have a lot of individual variation in color, I really like that about this species.

Mine are out nearly all of the time too. I've had em for nearly a year without any losses, so I don't think it's a sign of anything wrong. Don't worry if your pedes go missing for a few weeks, they might be molting.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## mukmewx (Jun 2, 2014)

Thanks you guys! Just like to make sure I'm doing everything I can as I 've put lots of time into this. It's nice to get feedback from people that know millipedes, most of my friends and family think I'm a bit off my rocker and don't understand.


----------



## wastedwoodsman (Jun 2, 2014)

mukmewx said:


> Thanks you guys! Just like to make sure I'm doing everything I can as I 've put lots of time into this. It's nice to get feedback from people that know millipedes, most of my friends and family think I'm a bit off my rocker and don't understand.


Just because most people don't understand our attachment insects and such doesn't mean you are off your rocker! Just do the things that make you happy and go where your dreams are! It obviously shows that you enjoy millipedes as your set up is very nice! I think your millipedes will do great in the long run! Good luck.

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## MrCrackerpants (Jun 2, 2014)

Cavedweller said:


> I've had em for nearly a year without any losses, so I don't think it's a sign of anything wrong.


Can you explain to us your ventilation and moist levels? What are your food sources? How deep and what type of substrate do you have? A year without any losses for this species is very impressive. You are doing something right.


----------



## mukmewx (Jun 3, 2014)

Ive also got them with about 30 bumblebee pedes, which I rarely see. I'm thinking about moving them to a different 8 gallon( it's almost as long as a 10 gallon) tank. Is it okay to move them if im careful? And is that an okay amount to be in a tank of that size?

---------- Post added 06-03-2014 at 05:14 PM ----------

I would actually really rather not bother with the bumblebee relocation, I just worry about getting babies from the orthoporus texicolens if there is any problem there? That's my big goal is to get them to breed. I know I shouldn't have a problem with the bumblebees. I'm mostly concerned about the overall well-being of the orthoporus texicolens, since the bumblebees seem to be hardier.


----------



## SDCPs (Jun 3, 2014)

mukmewx said:


> Ive also got them with about 30 bumblebee pedes, which I rarely see. I'm thinking about moving them to a different 8 gallon( it's almost as long as a 10 gallon) tank. Is it okay to move them if im careful? And is that an okay amount to be in a tank of that size?
> 
> ---------- Post added 06-03-2014 at 05:14 PM ----------
> 
> I would actually really rather not bother with the bumblebee relocation, I just worry about getting babies from the orthoporus texicolens if there is any problem there? That's my big goal is to get them to breed. I know I shouldn't have a problem with the bumblebees. I'm mostly concerned about the overall well-being of the orthoporus texicolens, since the bumblebees seem to be hardier.


You can always move _some_ of the bumblebees to another tank...that would be prudent anyway. I move millipedes all the time. I have to. I go through the substrate with a fine-tooth comb (not literally). I just sort of brush it away and mound it up on one side of the aquarium, removing any millipedes I find and putting them in a plastic container. I gently place molting pedes in a seperate container on paper towel or the substrate from their enclosure. You might damage a few, or even kill some--its possible--but with care (being careful can take an hour or two) its far better to relocate the pedes if something is wrong with the enclosure (such as the substrate being exhausted, which leads to a strange flameleg disease) than leave them in. Most of the time everyone is fine.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Cavedweller (Jun 4, 2014)

MrCrackerpants said:


> Can you explain to us your ventilation and moist levels? What are your food sources? How deep and what type of substrate do you have? A year without any losses for this species is very impressive. You are doing something right.


I kept them in a large KK with my usual substrate mix of 50% cocofiber, 25% rotten wood, 25% dead leaves, and an extra layer of dead leaves on top. The substrate reached nearly the top of the KK. I mist once or twice a week as the top layer of sub dries out. 

I felt like they needed more space so a few days ago I moved them into a big plastic sweater box with way more airholes than I usually add (Millipedes in Captivity says these guys need a lot more ventilation than most pedes). They started mating before I even finished the rehousing. I've found them mating several times over the past year, but never got any offspring. 

I give them a piece of dog kibble or some fruit of vegetables every couple weeks. I've noticed this species LOVES carrots, which my other pedes aren't real fond of.

I hope this is helpful for everyone!

Edit: I'm not 100% if mine are orthoporus or texicolens. They were collected in central Texas and have the gold/brown bands rather than the solid dark markings.


----------



## MrCrackerpants (Jun 4, 2014)

Cavedweller said:


> I kept them in a large KK with my usual substrate mix of 50% cocofiber, 25% rotten wood, 25% dead leaves, and an extra layer of dead leaves on top. The substrate reached nearly the top of the KK. I mist once or twice a week as the top layer of sub dries out.
> 
> I felt like they needed more space so a few days ago I moved them into a big plastic sweater box with way more airholes than I usually add (Millipedes in Captivity says these guys need a lot more ventilation than most pedes). They started mating before I even finished the rehousing. I've found them mating several times over the past year, but never got any offspring.
> 
> ...


Thanks! Sounds like you just do not keep them as moist and give them more ventilation. Carrots!?! Cool...like my giant pink legs...they love carrots. None of my other millis like carrot much.


----------



## Cavedweller (Jun 4, 2014)

MrCrackerpants said:


> Thanks! Sounds like you just do not keep them as moist and give them more ventilation. Carrots!?! Cool...like my giant pink legs...they love carrots. None of my other millis like carrot much.


Have you been having trouble keeping Orthoporus? I just knew they were impossible to breed, I didn't know they had a reputation as difficult to keep. My D. macracanthus doesn't really like carrots, I wonder if he's just an oddball.

After looking up the difference in Orthoporus (on google image search) I'm wondering if mukmewx has both texicolens and and ornatus. Can we see a bigger picture of your striped and all brown ones side by side?


----------



## MrCrackerpants (Jun 4, 2014)

Cavedweller said:


> Have you been having trouble keeping Orthoporus? I just knew they were impossible to breed, I didn't know they had a reputation as difficult to keep. My D. macracanthus doesn't really like carrots, I wonder if he's just an oddball.
> 
> After looking up the difference in Orthoporus (on google image search) I'm wondering if mukmewx has both texicolens and and ornatus. Can we see a bigger picture of your striped and all brown ones side by side?


They tend to be more prone to die off but most people keep them too moist with not enough ventilation. That's weird that your D. macracanthus does not like carrots. Mine eat them up like crazy!


----------



## Cavedweller (Jun 5, 2014)

MrCrackerpants said:


> They tend to be more prone to die off but most people keep them too moist with not enough ventilation. That's weird that your D. macracanthus does not like carrots. Mine eat them up like crazy!


Ohh I see, I just went by the book. My pinkleg does like apple, I need to experiment with a wider range of produce though. 

I have a question for mukmewx, I see you provide fresh greens for your pedes. Do they eat those? I've never thought to try it.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## mukmewx (Jun 5, 2014)

Its just live clover, they don't seem to eat it. I did try to plant a large mushroom that I found in the yard and ive seen them eating it several times. My thinking was that since the pedes need more ventilation maybe the plants would help because ive heard they give off oxygen and take in carbon dioxide,  but that could be a myth or I could be crazy. I bought these off of greenjewls and they were supposed to be texicolens but he has both so maybe he gave me both I will try and post a picture when I see them out again.


----------



## wastedwoodsman (Jun 5, 2014)

Cavedweller said:


> Ohh I see, I just went by the book. My pinkleg does like apple, I need to experiment with a wider range of produce though.
> 
> I have a question for mukmewx, I see you provide fresh greens for your pedes. Do they eat those? I've never thought to try it.


I feed all my pedes lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, zuchinni, bananas, celery and just about anything but citrus and they seem to really like the variety but some of the other stuff like bananas rot fairly quick so they require changing frequently.


----------



## Cavedweller (Jun 6, 2014)

mukmewx said:


> Its just live clover, they don't seem to eat it. I did try to plant a large mushroom that I found in the yard and ive seen them eating it several times. My thinking was that since the pedes need more ventilation maybe the plants would help because ive heard they give off oxygen and take in carbon dioxide,  but that could be a myth or I could be crazy. I bought these off of greenjewls and they were supposed to be texicolens but he has both so maybe he gave me both I will try and post a picture when I see them out again.


A screen top will provide all the ventilation you need. I tried growing plants in a pede tank when I first started keeping them, but they died off from poor lighting. Yes you are correct, plants do take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen (but only during the day while photosynthesizing).

I could be wrong. I'm not sure on the specifics of how to tell apart ornatus and texicolens, I don't want to imply anything bad about greenjewls!

In my experience millipedes LOVE mushrooms, I had a mushroom infestation in several tanks but the pedes kept eating them before they could fruit so they're gone now. 



wastedwoodsman said:


> I feed all my pedes lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, zuchinni, bananas, celery and just about anything but citrus and they seem to really like the variety but some of the other stuff like bananas rot fairly quick so they require changing frequently.


I hear roaches love citrus, so I've always been tempted to try it with millipedes, but I'm afraid to make them sick. Has anyone tried this?


----------



## mukmewx (Jun 6, 2014)

Here is a photo I took this morning, I wad lucky enough to find them this way this morning when I turned their light on. And it's totally fine if he gave me some ornatus, since they were more expensive!  Lol

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## SDCPs (Jun 6, 2014)

Is that a walnut? Seriously??


----------



## mukmewx (Jun 6, 2014)

Lol its a pecan, why? I also just found out some bad news, the tree I collected the wood from is pine, I only know this because I went back to where I gathered it and saw the bark.. I didnt think about it because it was full of bugs, like I found 2 rather large centipedes inside of it! Do I need to replace asap or can it wait until I do full cleaning sometime in the future?


----------



## Cavedweller (Jun 6, 2014)

The banded ones look just like mine, so I do think you got two different species. Either way they're all very pretty!

I never thought about feeding millipedes nuts. Do they like it? 

I wouldn't take the risk, personally. I say change the sub immediately.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## mukmewx (Jun 6, 2014)

I've never really seen them take much interest in the pecan, I've just been offering them anything I think might be edible, I figure if they don't like it, they will just not eat it. One of them is eating the Repashy Bug Burger that you see in the picture( the square) And about the pine, I think I need to check on it again and make sure, I remember seeing a flat millipede inside of it was well, would it be there if it was pine or maybe if it was still bad for him? I remember other bugs as well like spiders and snails? Does softwood become more palatable overtime?


----------



## Cavedweller (Jun 6, 2014)

I've never tried Repashy, do the pedes like it? If you're worried about your millipedes getting enough protein, you can give em a piece of dog kibble once in a while. 

Conifer wood does decay eventually, but I think it takes a long time for the toxic resins to be neutralized. We don't have pine here, only cedar, which takes a LONG time to decompose. If there were a lot of millipedes and pillbugs living in it then it might be ok. I personally wouldn't risk it on the off chance that some species are more sensitive to it than others, but I am excessively cautious.

This won't supply your pedes with wood right away, but you can mix aspen shaving pet bedding into their substrate as a future food source.


----------



## mukmewx (Jun 7, 2014)

Thanks for all the advice. I like to be very careful as well, that's why im kinda obsessing over the pine. I was just going with the "if bugs are in it then it must be okay" mentality, but ill probably wind up changing the substrate when I get some for sure hardwood anyway, because I also like the " better safe then sorry" mentality. 

About the bug burger, I used to be really into isopods and snails, so I have it from when I was into them, and just wanted to see if my pedes liked it and it turns out that they do!  one has been eating on it off and on for awhile now. I don't give it to them often because it seems powerful.


----------



## wastedwoodsman (Jun 9, 2014)

I am pretty sure you can find some safe to use hard wood chips like hickory in the hardware store or a store like wal-mart back by the grills! I use them for my AGB's when i make their substrate and it works great because you don't have to worry about mites or other chemicals because they are safe to cook our food with so it would make sense they are safe for the pedes too! Good luck with your pedes!

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## mukmewx (Jun 11, 2014)

Hey, I got lucky, and found a fallen hardwood tree in the woods next to my work! The bottom was pretty rotten with isopods and snails. ( I did scare a snake upon my arrival!) changed all the substrate and the missing pedes were almost at the bottom curled up but didnt look any different and started to move around after I placed them in the new substrate and seem fine now. Im going to try and noy disturbe them anymore.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## wastedwoodsman (Jun 11, 2014)

I am glad you changed your substrate! But before you consider leaving the wood from the yard in the tank did you by chance bake it in the oven first to kill anythng harmful to the pedes? I introduced harmful grain mites to my tank once by adding stuff out of my yard into the millipedes enclosure and it was a nightmare to get rid of them! So be advised, adding uncleaned things to your tank taht you pick up from the wild might not always be safe.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## SDCPs (Jun 11, 2014)

I put my substrate in the oven between my 200*F and Warm mode. All I want to do is kill larger organisms, not sterilize things otherwise bad things happen. I just leave it for a few hour and come back when I'm ready. I use a metal bucket...works well if you can find it.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## mukmewx (Jun 13, 2014)

wastedwoodsman said:


> I am glad you changed your substrate! But before you consider leaving the wood from the yard in the tank did you by chance bake it in the oven first to kill anythng harmful to the pedes? I introduced harmful grain mites to my tank once by adding stuff out of my yard into the millipedes enclosure and it was a nightmare to get rid of them! So be advised, adding uncleaned things to your tank that you pick up from the wild might not always be safe.


Thanks for the concern, but I did bake it at 195F for a little over an hour and looked for anything moving and didn't see anything. Hope it was long enough. I did happen to see an ant, and I killed him, cruel i know, but we've got no shortage of them things! and that's all Ive seen so far.

---------- Post added 06-13-2014 at 04:50 PM ----------

And I know it's probably wishful thinking, but I did see one of them "burow" for over an hour, pushing the substrate out with its legs into a pile. I read on one website that "some" millipedes do this method when laying eggs. Yeah, try not to get my hopes up!

From: http://insects.about.com/od/centipedesmillipedes/a/10-Facts-About-Millipedes.htm
8. Millipedes lay their eggs in nests.
Mama millipede burrows into the soil and digs a nest where she'll lay her eggs. In many cases, she uses her own feces -her castings are just recycled plant matter after all - to construct a protective capsule for her offspring. In some instances, the millipede may push the soil with her hind end to mold the nest. She'll deposit 100 eggs or more (depending on her species) in the nest, and the hatchlings will emerge in roughly a month.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## shebeen (Jun 26, 2014)

I consider about.com one of the biggest sources of misinformation on the Web.  Not all millipedes create egg chambers.  Some species such as A. monilicornis (Bumblebee) and A. gigas (African Giant Black) deposit their eggs randomly throughout the substrate.  Plus, not all species encapsulate their eggs and those that do don't use feces to form the egg capsules.  Although egg capsules look a lot like frass pellets, they're actually made from chewed substrate.  If you want reliable information on millipede reproduction and husbandry, get yourself a copy of Orin McMonigles' book "Millipedes in Captivity".

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## lagomorphette (Jun 26, 2014)

Yeah, About.com is about equal to Wikipedia in terms of presenting a hodgepodge of misinformation as if it were factual. I second the McMonigle _Millipeds_in_Captivity_ suggestion--it's an excellent resource. 

For what it's worth, when I baked soil, bark, leaves, etc..., I bought cheap, disposable roasting pans to use and then recycle. It was about a month before Thanksgiving, so they were readily available. I plan to invest in a reusable one soon, but the disposable ones work well in a pinch.


----------

