# Archispirostreptus gigas growth question.



## Dyelon (Jan 7, 2014)

I recently purchased a Giant African Millipede from a local pet store and who have always been very reliable and informative. The pede I got is ~2 inches and the store employee told me it was around a year old (they got it from a breeder). So my question is: At what rate is it going to grow and does this seem like a normal growth rate? I know that the growth rate is variable but for me the size seemed small for the organisms age. Any input would be nice. Thanks.


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## Smokehound714 (Jan 7, 2014)

From what I've been reading, many millipede species often require a particular kind of plant for optimal growth.

  Many American millipedes require oak leaves and/or rotting oak bark for optimal growth.

  I'm sure some species won't even breed properly without their host plant matter.


  I know virtually nothing about agb's, so im of little help, here..

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## Elytra and Antenna (Jan 7, 2014)

Dyelon said:


> I recently purchased a Giant African Millipede from a local pet store and who have always been very reliable and informative. The pede I got is ~2 inches and the store employee told me it was around a year old (they got it from a breeder). So my question is: At what rate is it going to grow and does this seem like a normal growth rate? I know that the growth rate is variable but for me the size seemed small for the organisms age. Any input would be nice. Thanks.


 They can take more than five years to reach adulthood though shorter is possibe. 2" at one year is pretty quick. 



Smokehound714 said:


> From what I've been reading, many millipede species often require a particular kind of plant for optimal growth.
> 
> Many American millipedes require oak leaves and/or rotting oak bark for optimal growth.
> 
> ...


That's not exactly how it works. Any of the American millipedes can be bred quite successfully without rotting oak, but it is one of the tested primary leaf types.

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## Dyelon (Jan 7, 2014)

Thanks for the replies, it is under two inches but getting there and I don't know the exact age. But thank you, I was a little unsure because out of the few specimens I had seen in person this one is by far the smallest. Also while looking through pictures and videos online I had not seen many people with similar sized individuals so I wasn't sure if it should have grown faster. Thanks again.


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## Smokehound714 (Jan 7, 2014)

Elytra and Antenna said:


> They can take more than five years to reach adulthood though shorter is possibe. 2" at one year is pretty quick.
> 
> That's not exactly how it works. Any of the American millipedes can be bred quite successfully without rotting oak, but it is one of the tested primary leaf types.


 haha yeah, I don't know much about millipedes in general..  Can you recommend a site for further reading regarding southwest diplopoda?  Sorry for the jack, op.


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## RzezniksRunAway (Jan 8, 2014)

I purchased mine at a little over an inch in April/May of 2012, and it's currently just under 3 1/2 inches. The slow growth is unbelievably frustrating, I constantly feel like I'm doing something wrong and have to double and triple check my care to make myself feel sane.

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## Cavedweller (Jan 9, 2014)

RzezniksRunAway said:


> I purchased mine at a little over an inch in April/May of 2012, and it's currently just under 3 1/2 inches. The slow growth is unbelievably frustrating, I constantly feel like I'm doing something wrong and have to double and triple check my care to make myself feel sane.


How big was yours when you got it? 

I only got my A. gigas a few months ago and they're less than an inch long.


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## RzezniksRunAway (Jan 9, 2014)

It was a little over an inch long when I got it. It was one of the larger ones in a tank of them that someone had for sale at the Hamburg reptile show in PA.


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## Cavedweller (Jan 9, 2014)

RzezniksRunAway said:


> It was a little over an inch long when I got it. It was one of the larger ones in a tank of them that someone had for sale at the Hamburg reptile show in PA.


I was gonna guess they grew about 2" a year (just going by adult size + how long they take to mature, I'm no expert), so it sounds like yours is right on track then.


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## ArachnidSentinl (Jan 11, 2014)

Smokehound714 said:


> From what I've been reading, many millipede species often require a particular kind of plant for optimal growth.


It's been my experience that _A. gigas_ won't thrive unless they have access to hardwood. In my noob days I failed to provide this (see below) and both my AGB's had problems with both molting and putting on size. As soon as I corrected this, they took off in growth and I swear they must have put on two inches that year. They've been doing great ever since! 



Elytra and Antenna said:


> That's not exactly how it works. Any of the American millipedes can be bred quite successfully without rotting oak, but it is one of the tested primary leaf types.


This caused me some confusion when I first got into millipedes several years back. I raised _Chicobolus spinigerus_ in my dorm room with extremely limited access to hardwood/leaves. They seemed to do quite well on romaine lettuce and misc. salad items I pilfered from the salad bar (hehe) and they reproduced in great numbers. Years later, my mistake was initially treating my AGB's the same way.

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## MrCrackerpants (Jan 11, 2014)

sgiath said:


> I raised _Chicobolus spinigerus_ in my dorm room with extremely limited access to hardwood/leaves. They seemed to do quite well on romaine lettuce and misc. salad items I pilfered from the salad bar (hehe) and they reproduced in great numbers. Years later, my mistake was initially treating my AGB's the same way.


How many generations did you get doing this? Thanks in advance.


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## Cavedweller (Jan 13, 2014)

sgiath said:


> It's been my experience that _A. gigas_ won't thrive unless they have access to hardwood. In my noob days I failed to provide this (see below) and both my AGB's had problems with both molting and putting on size. As soon as I corrected this, they took off in growth and I swear they must have put on two inches that year. They've been doing great ever since!


Ok, that's a relief to hear. I've been a bit nervous about my A. gigas cause of their reputation, but I've been giving em oak and they've put on 1/4 inch in the past month or so, so I guess I'm doin alright.



sgiath said:


> I raised _Chicobolus spinigerus_ in my dorm room with extremely limited access to hardwood/leaves. They seemed to do quite well on romaine lettuce and misc. salad items I pilfered from the salad bar (hehe) and they reproduced in great numbers.


Hahah, how'd your dorm mates take the box of bugs? Did you have to hide it?


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## ArachnidSentinl (Jan 13, 2014)

MrCrackerpants said:


> How many generations did you get doing this? Thanks in advance.


Only one, but that was only because I was on the tail end of my campus residency. They went on to produce more young after I left the dorms.

I had to hide all my inverts from my RA at the time (lol), so I had about ten adults in an 18x24-ish sized Sterilite container (with limited mesh ventilation) and I kept it hidden in a dresser drawer when I wasn't in the room. Ambient temp was about 75 -- heat was included in my housing fees, haha.



Cavedweller said:


> Hahah, how'd your dorm mates take the box of bugs? Did you have to hide it?


Fortunately, I had a single. After my collection began to expand, I actually became an RA myself so nobody would inspect my room (seriously). An egregious misuse of power, yes, but I couldn't risk losing my beloved inverts!

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