# Got my new millipedes!



## Cavedweller (Jan 6, 2013)

My shipment from Bugsincyberspace came yesterday and everyone is comfortably settled in. I got two sexed pairs of Chicobolus spinigerus and a male Dendrostreptus macracanthus.

I've got a 18 x 18 x 18 tank for these guys, but I had issues when trying to buy the plants and substrate. I just placed an order at Josh's Frogs for the stuff, but in the meantime they're in a lavishly decorated plastic tub full of leaves and cork.

Here's one of the female Florida ivories (I call her Fatty):





And my handsome pinkleg (my friend named him Nizzle Pizzle): 





He's been alternating between chilling under a piece of cork for a few hours at a time and crawling around energetically (for a millipede, anyway), ESPECIALLY on the underside of the mesh lid. I assume this is normal for an active, arboreal species? I get the feeling he wants more things to climb on, but all I can do is wait until my gear arrives so I can set up his big boy tank. 

I absolutely adore D. macracanthus, and I really hope I can get some more (especially females), but they seem to be hard to get. I'd really love to breed them and help spread the species throughout the hobby. These guys are adorable and such fun to watch.

I haven't kept millipedes since I was a kid, and I'm a bit nervous, so if anyone has advice I'd be more than happy to hear it.

Reactions: Like 1


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## moghue (Jan 6, 2013)

Very nice millipedes. I got 3 AGB's for Christmas. The only reason I got 3 from the wife is they were very cheap. I'm hoping they do breed as I am supposed to have 1 m and 2 f. Good luck on your breeding them. The pink leg is pretty awesome I might have to try and get some this summer. Congrats


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## satchellwk (Jan 6, 2013)

Awesome! I didn't even realize Peter had any pinklegs in stock (the again, it might just be best to assume he always has at least one of anything laying around at any given time). 
The pinklegs are such am impressive species, and C. spiningerus are one of my all-time favorites. Good luck with them.


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## Cavedweller (Jan 6, 2013)

moghue said:


> Very nice millipedes. I got 3 AGB's for Christmas. The only reason I got 3 from the wife is they were very cheap. I'm hoping they do breed as I am supposed to have 1 m and 2 f. Good luck on your breeding them. The pink leg is pretty awesome I might have to try and get some this summer. Congrats


Oh you are a lucky guy. Good luck with the AGBs. How big are they now? I hear they're hard to breed, so I assume they need some kind of temperature change or something to signal that it's the season for love.



satchellwk said:


> Awesome! I didn't even realize Peter had any pinklegs in stock (the again, it might just be best to assume he always has at least one of anything laying around at any given time).
> The pinklegs are such am impressive species, and C. spiningerus are one of my all-time favorites. Good luck with them.


He only had one left that wasn't listed the site. I'm incredibly grateful that he was willing to part with it! I can see why C. spiningerus would be your favorite. Mine were quite active last night and I had a lot of fun watching them. My dog seems to be having a good time watching the 'pedes too.


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## zonbonzovi (Jan 7, 2013)

Cavedweller said:


> I absolutely adore D. macracanthus, and I really hope I can get some more (especially females), but they seem to be hard to get. I'd really love to breed them and help spread the species throughout the hobby. These guys are adorable and such fun to watch.
> 
> I haven't kept millipedes since I was a kid, and I'm a bit nervous, so if anyone has advice I'd be more than happy to hear it.


Lots of well mulched hardwood/leaves is appreciated.  My spingerus seem to like bits of sugary fruit more than anything.  I could be wrong but I think that D. macracanthus may be "the last unicorn" left in the states


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## Cavedweller (Jan 7, 2013)

I've got a thick layer of boiled oak leaves in their tank, along with some rotten oak that they seem to enjoy. Does "mulching" entail anything else? 

Peter mentioned having a friend whose D. macracanthus might breed a few years from now, but i'm pretty sure Nizzle Pizzle will be past his prime/dead by the the time the offspring are of breeding age. I'm afraid he's doomed to a life of loneliness.


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## MrCrackerpants (Jan 7, 2013)

zonbonzovi said:


> I could be wrong but I think that D. macracanthus may be "the last unicorn" left in the states


I have some.


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## Cavedweller (Jan 7, 2013)

!!!! 

Are you going to be breeding them? I would love to get in on some of that sweet, sweet pling action (assuming you'd be selling them and live in the US). 

Do you have any pointers you can give me? This guy is my first arboreal pede.


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## MrCrackerpants (Jan 7, 2013)

Cavedweller said:


> !!!!
> 
> Are you going to be breeding them? I would love to get in on some of that sweet, sweet pling action (assuming you'd be selling them and live in the US).
> 
> Do you have any pointers you can give me? This guy is my first arboreal pede.


I am hoping they reproduce. I have done basic millipede care and they have grown over the last 20 months. What care questions do you have?


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## Cavedweller (Jan 8, 2013)

MrCrackerpants said:


> I am hoping they reproduce. I have done basic millipede care and they have grown over the last 20 months. What care questions do you have?


Whoa you've had em for a while. How many you got? How big are they now?

Just any basic care tips. What sort of humidity/temp levels have you found that they like best? Any foods they have particularly enjoyed? Are you providing calcium supplements/eggshells/ect? Can you give me an estimate of how long they vanish to molt?


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## zonbonzovi (Jan 8, 2013)

Cavedweller said:


> I've got a thick layer of boiled oak leaves in their tank, along with some rotten oak that they seem to enjoy. Does "mulching" entail anything else?
> 
> Peter mentioned having a friend whose D. macracanthus might breed a few years from now, but i'm pretty sure Nizzle Pizzle will be past his prime/dead by the the time the offspring are of breeding age. I'm afraid he's doomed to a life of loneliness.


When I use the term "mulching" I'm mostly referring to the leaves/woods' state of decay...probably not the best descriptor.  Under a given deciduous tree you have layers of fallen leaves from years past.  The stuff that hasn't yet been broken down into soil but is well weathered is what I'm referring to.  Kind of like compost that has still has chunks but for the most part is flaky.  

I'm glad MrCrackerpants is on his game.  Good luck with those!


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## Cavedweller (Jan 8, 2013)

Oh ok! I just picked up the leaves that fell this fall. I'll go collect some older, more rotten ones today. Thank you so much!


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## MrCrackerpants (Jan 8, 2013)

zonbonzovi said:


> I'm glad MrCrackerpants is on his game.  Good luck with those!


Thanks, zonbonzovi!

---------- Post added 01-08-2013 at 08:12 PM ----------




Cavedweller said:


> Whoa you've had em for a while. How many you got? How big are they now?
> 
> Just any basic care tips. What sort of humidity/temp levels have you found that they like best? Any foods they have particularly enjoyed? Are you providing calcium supplements/eggshells/ect? Can you give me an estimate of how long they vanish to molt?


Yes, I got them from Peter 20 months ago. I got 5 at 1 inch. They have grown and are all about 5-6 inches. I have them with a moist substrate that is equal parts organic soil, wood shavings and chunks; hardwood leaves; coir and sphagnum moss. The top of the substrate is slightly moist but the substrate below is moist. I also have the substrate covered in 2 inches of Ash leaves and grape vine for climbing. I have no terrestrial isopods with them but I do have springtails. I have a big chunk of cuttle-bone in there that they eat. The room they are in is 78-80 F. They are in a black plastic container with a lid with minimal ventilation. I am not sure how long they molt for because they all look the same. I give them all kinds of different fruits and vegetables to try and give them a wide variety. They also like dry dog food. I hope this helps. If you have more questions please ask. 

Anybody know if minimal ventilation is OK with this species? I have my Thai Rainbows in a similar set up and they reproduce like crazy. I do not have a problem with mold even with minimum ventilation because of the springtails.


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## Cavedweller (Jan 8, 2013)

They grow faster than I thought! Are you using a pipe in the corner of the tank to hydrate a layer of hydroton at the bottom? I've heard that works really well with scorpions, but I kinda worry about the pedes trying to chew the plastic pipe. I'll add a cuttlebone and some kibble into my tank too. I wasn't sure how much ventilation was needed, but if yours are flourishing in a tub then it sounds like it's not a problem. 

You aren't worried about the springtails eating the pede eggs? Have you tried "season changes" to stimulate whatever their breeding season is? I'm taking a look at Tanzania's climate section on Wikipedia, and it seems to have a rainy/dry cycle, and a warm/slightly cooler season cycle.


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## MrCrackerpants (Jan 8, 2013)

Cavedweller said:


> They grow faster than I thought! Are you using a pipe in the corner of the tank to hydrate a layer of hydroton at the bottom? I've heard that works really well with scorpions, but I kinda worry about the pedes trying to chew the plastic pipe. I'll add a cuttlebone and some kibble into my tank too. I wasn't sure how much ventilation was needed, but if yours are flourishing in a tub then it sounds like it's not a problem.
> 
> You aren't worried about the springtails eating the pede eggs? Have you tried "season changes" to stimulate whatever their breeding season is? I'm taking a look at Tanzania's climate section on Wikipedia, and it seems to have a rainy/dry cycle, and a warm/slightly cooler season cycle.


No, I am not using a pipe. I have been told that the springtails will not eat the eggs but many believe terrestrial isopods will. I have not tried "season changes." 

Just a thought...I am wondering if your male and my 5 are siblings from the same clutch.


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## Cavedweller (Jan 8, 2013)

MrCrackerpants said:


> No, I am not using a pipe. I have been told that the springtails will not eat the eggs but many believe terrestrial isopods will. I have not tried "season changes."
> 
> Just a thought...
> 
> I am wondering if your male and my 5 are siblings from the same clutch. How long is your male?


Did you keep isopods with your Thai Rainbow millipedes that bred? That would be confirmation that they don't eat eggs, I suppose. Also, I was under the impression that millipedes would eat mold as well, have you had mold problems in millipede tanks before? 

He's about 6 inches, it's quite likely that he is a sibling of your pedes. I haven't measured him, but here's a photo. 





Is this about the size of yours? (I'm very little, which might make him look bigger)


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## MrCrackerpants (Jan 8, 2013)

Cavedweller said:


> Did you keep isopods with your Thai Rainbow millipedes that bred? That would be confirmation that they don't eat eggs, I suppose. Also, I was under the impression that millipedes would eat mold as well, have you had mold problems in millipede tanks before?
> 
> He's about 6 inches, it's quite likely that he is a sibling of your pedes. I haven't measured him, but here's a photo.
> 
> ...


Cool picture! They could be siblings. We both got them from Peter and yours is the same size as my 5. I wonder if Orin (Elytra and Antenna) bred them. Yes, I kept and still keep lots of isopods with my Thai millipedes and they breed like crazy so maybe it is species specific. I only keep isopods with them. I do not have mold problems because the springtails and isopods eat the mold. In the past, when I did not have the springtails or the isopods the millipedes could not keep the mold under control. Oddly enough, I also have very high numbers of stone centipedes (Geophilomorpha) in with my breeding Thai millipedes.


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## Cavedweller (Jan 8, 2013)

MrCrackerpants said:


> Cool picture! They could be siblings. We both got them from Peter and yours is the same size as my 5. I wonder if Orin (Elytra and Antenna) bred them. Yes, I kept and still keep lots of isopods with my Thai millipedes and they breed like crazy so maybe it is species specific. I do not have mold problems because the springtails and isopods eat the mold. In the past, when I did not have the springtails or the isopods the millipedes could not keep the mold under control. Oddly enough, I also have very high numbers of stone centipedes (Geophilomorpha) in with my breeding Thai millipedes.


Thanks!

The tank I'll be using has a screen top, so hopefully mold won't be an issue. If it becomes one, I'll get a pack of springtails.
I'm not familiar with Orin. I've seen a few of their posts, but thats it. They breed millipedes? 

Whoa! How come you decided to keep stone centipedes in there? Is it to keep the springtail population under control? I guess the centipedes leave the millipedes alone due to their defensive secretion?


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## Elytra and Antenna (Jan 9, 2013)

I can vouch, springtails will NOT eat millipede eggs. I wonder if your Dentrostreptus are from the same brood as well.

---------- Post added 01-09-2013 at 07:08 PM ----------




MrCrackerpants said:


> Oddly enough, I also have very high numbers of stone centipedes (Geophilomorpha) in with my breeding Thai millipedes.


Those stone centipedes feed on the fruit but also kill freshly molted millipedes whenever they get a chance. Try to remove them. Did you see the new millipede book?


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## MrCrackerpants (Jan 9, 2013)

Elytra and Antenna said:


> I can vouch, springtails will NOT eat millipede eggs. I wonder if your Dentrostreptus are from the same brood as well.
> 
> ---------- Post added 01-09-2013 at 07:08 PM ----------
> 
> ...


Thanks, Orin. I will remove the stone centipedes. They must have hitched a ride with some materials I put in their enclosure. 

Did you have a clutch of pinklegs that Peter (bugsincyberspace) sold? 

Yes!! The book looks awesome. Good job. I will be buying one ASAP. : )

---------- Post added 01-09-2013 at 08:04 PM ----------

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Cavedweller said:


> I'm not familiar with Orin. I've seen a few of their posts, but thats it. They breed millipedes?


Yes, he is the author of this

http://www.amazon.com/Millipeds-Cap...UTF8&qid=1357776428&sr=1-4&keywords=millipede


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## Elytra and Antenna (Jan 9, 2013)

MrCrackerpants said:


> Did you have a clutch of pinklegs that Peter (bugsincyberspace) sold?
> 
> Yes!! The book looks awesome. Good job. I will be buying one ASAP. : )


Possibly yours but nothing recent. Thanks! The Floridobolus pictured within appears to be the type specimen of a new species.


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## Cavedweller (Jan 9, 2013)

Ooh, that looks fantastic! I will definitely be purchasing that book in the near future when I'm less broke!

My plants and substrate arrived today, and I just finished setting up the big, fancy pede tank. Once the bugs have settled in a bit I'll take some photos. The sheet moss I got isn't looking too good, but I'm gonna try misting it frequently and see if I can save it. I know I should have waited for the plants to take root, but I was worried about the pinkleg escaping, so I wanted to get him into the more secure tank as soon as possible.

While transferring the pedes I discovered that the coir in their temporary tank was massively waterlogged (that's what I get for trusting one of those little analog stick-on hygrometers). My digital thermometer/hygrometer has arrived as well so I'll be feeling much more confident about the readings. I'll also poke a finger into the soil once in a while to make sure it's not too soggy (I have a hydroton drainage layer which should help).

I'm still pretty nervous about screwing up, but that's probably just new pet paranoia.


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## MrCrackerpants (Jan 9, 2013)

Elytra and Antenna said:


> Possibly yours but nothing recent. Thanks! The Floridobolus pictured within appears to be the type specimen of a new species.


 Cavedweller's is the same size as mine (5-7 inches) and it is from Peter. I wonder if they are from you. : )

---------- Post added 01-09-2013 at 09:49 PM ----------




Cavedweller said:


> Ooh, that looks fantastic! I will definitely be purchasing that book in the near future when I'm less broke!
> 
> My plants and substrate arrived today, and I just finished setting up the big, fancy pede tank. Once the bugs have settled in a bit I'll take some photos. The sheet moss I got isn't looking too good, but I'm gonna try misting it frequently and see if I can save it. I know I should have waited for the plants to take root, but I was worried about the pinkleg escaping, so I wanted to get him into the more secure tank as soon as possible.
> 
> ...


Good luck. You will do fine. I have learned a lot from screwing up. Today I found EARWIGS!! in my AGB enclosure. This is bad...very bad. How did they get in there? ::


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## Cavedweller (Jan 9, 2013)

Whoa! Forget to sanitize a log or something? I picked up a piece of limestone I'd been planning to stick in the tank (ended up not having room) and evicted two earwigs that had been living in the holes in the rock.

Speaking of sanitizing, I've been boiling the leaves I put in my tank, but I'm worried that might degrade their nutritional value or something. Should I be freezing the leaves instead, or does boiling work?

---------- Post added 01-09-2013 at 08:44 PM ----------

Here's a shaky cell-phone photo of the final tank. 





I'll get better photos once I can borrow a camera.  I've got some pilea, creeping fig, and moss in there. I'm a bit worried about the moss, but only time will tell how it turns out. Also pretty sure I saw an ant after I put the plants in (they came from Josh's Frogs). Hopefully a single ant won't be too problematic.

The pinkleg and one of the florida ivories have been exploring, but the other ivories haven't come out of hiding yet.


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## MrCrackerpants (Mar 3, 2013)

Can anyone clarify the size the Dendrostreptus macracanthus (Giant Glossy Black Pinkleg Millipede) is sexually mature? I have some at 6-7 inches. I am keeping them in the typical optimum conditions. Any suggestions are welcomed.


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## Cavedweller (Mar 3, 2013)

Elytra and Antenna's book says that they don't reach adulthood until they're 4 or 5 years old, so you may have another year or two to go. It does also say that mating is rarely witnessed, though, so maybe it's already happened if you're lucky.


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## MrCrackerpants (Mar 3, 2013)

cavedweller said:


> elytra and antenna's book says that they don't reach adulthood until they're 4 or 5 years old, so you may have another year or two to go. It does also say that mating is rarely witnessed, though, so maybe it's already happened if you're lucky.


thank you! : )


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## Cavedweller (Mar 3, 2013)

Best of luck in your breeding attempts. If you ever succeed in breeding them, you better let me know!


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## MrCrackerpants (Mar 6, 2013)

Cavedweller said:


> Best of luck in your breeding attempts. If you ever succeed in breeding them, you better let me know!


Yes, I will let you know. : )


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## 3skulls (Mar 6, 2013)

I'm wanting to get into millipedes more and more each day. Thanks for sharing!!

Edit**
Book is on the way


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## Cavedweller (Mar 6, 2013)

3skulls said:


> I'm wanting to get into millipedes more and more each day. Thanks for sharing!!
> 
> Edit**
> Book is on the way


Excelleeeent. Always happy to make a convert.

It's a bit frustrating seeing all the cool species that the Euro hobbyists get that the US crowd can't (and at better prices ;_, but there's still lots of cool species we can get. I hope by making the hobby more popular we'll be able to make the rarer species more common in the US. 

I dream of a myriapodtopia where armies of fans breed _legions _of millipedes of every species imaginable. I shall do my best to contribute to this noble goal, slowly building my humble collection in plastic shoeboxes, snatching up rare species whenever they're available, but I can't do it alone!

Which book did you get? Orin's Millipedes in Captivity?


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## 3skulls (Mar 7, 2013)

That's the one. 
I have a few locals that I found but never see any for sale at the shows. 

I'll have to save up and put an order in soon.


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## Cavedweller (Mar 7, 2013)

Sweeet. Any idea what you'll get? 

Oh yeah, now that AGBs are rare and expensive, I would assume millipedes would be hard to find at shows.

 I've been a bit disappointed by the limited amount of species available from most bug dealers. Bugsincyberspace is the only one I found with a decent selection. If anyone knows other good places, please let me know!


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## 3skulls (Mar 7, 2013)

Not sure yet. I would love some ABGs but don't have the money right now. 
The more people that have them, the better in the long run. How long have they been banned? 

Found this the other day. 
http://wardsci.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_IG0013478

I also saw the ken the bug guy has a few species.


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## moghue (Mar 7, 2013)

3skulls said:


> Not sure yet. I would love some ABGs but don't have the money right now.
> The more people that have them, the better in the long run. How long have they been banned?
> 
> Found this the other day.
> ...



Those are the ones I have from wards. I'm pretty sure they are AGB's but if not they are still very cool. I thought AGB'S were just banned from being imported you can still have them and sell them.


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## 3skulls (Mar 7, 2013)

Yes just banned from importing.


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## Cavedweller (Mar 7, 2013)

Hm...a look at Wardsci says it's "_Thyrophygus _or similar". Google says _Thyropygus_ is an asian genus. So no AGB I guess, but still a pretty cool pede. It would be great if we could find more info on them.


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## MrCrackerpants (Mar 9, 2013)

An Update on my Dendrostreptus macracanthus: I started with 5 babies. I had 4 make it to 6-7 inches and I witnessed mating. My only male died yesterday. We shall see. 

On a positive note, I noticed 8-10 baby Trigoniulus macropygus (Flameleg Millipede) yesterday and my only male of this species died a while ago.


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## Cavedweller (Mar 9, 2013)

Aw man that sucks that your pede died. Good luck with the babies.

I've noticed a trend that sometimes males seem to die shortly after mating. Is there any literature on this phenomenon or am I just full of it? It would explain why male AGBs sometimes cost more than females...


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## MrCrackerpants (Mar 9, 2013)

Cavedweller said:


> Aw man that sucks that your pede died. Good luck with the babies.
> 
> I've noticed a trend that sometimes males seem to die shortly after mating. Is there any literature on this phenomenon or am I just full of it? It would explain why male AGBs sometimes cost more than females...


I don't know about the literature but this is the fourth time a male has died and the external genitalia was very large (swollen?) and whitish. Maybe others can explain this.


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## MrCrackerpants (Mar 11, 2013)

I got this today : )


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## 3skulls (Mar 11, 2013)

Awesome, how is it?
Mine is sitting on a truck somewhere. Hoping it makes it here soon.


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## Cavedweller (Mar 11, 2013)

Sweet. That's been a really helpful book for me. A lot of specifics on the species I keep.


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## MrCrackerpants (Mar 12, 2013)

Like Cavedweller said, it has a lot of specific information for the species we can get. I am glad I bought it. I need the info to get babies!


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## antinous (Apr 1, 2013)

Really nice millipedes! Love the pink leg!


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## Cavedweller (Apr 1, 2013)

Thanks! He's my favorite <3 I love him so much. I really really really want more D. macracanthus, but no one's selling em in the US. So sad.


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## antinous (Apr 1, 2013)

I hate when that happens, other countries sell them, but not the US:/
What's the care requirements for these guys? Do they reproduce quickly?


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## Cavedweller (Apr 1, 2013)

Yeah I envy the Euro collectors sooo much. D. macracanthus seems pretty hardy, but they take a looong time to reach adulthood (4-5 years). A few other users on the board have male/female groups, but none of them have gotten plings yet as far as I know.


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## Cavedweller (Apr 2, 2013)

I didn't think I should resurrect an older thread from when I got these guys, so I'll just drop this here. 

Finally got some quasi-decent photos of the pet holes. This is a baby Acladocrius sp "Philippine Giant Blue", either female or too young to have gonopods (can someone confirm what stage they get those at?). She's about 1.75 inches and her colors a bit lighter than the bad phone photo suggests. This is the first time I've handled her and she was very curious and not timid at all, I was surprised.





I'm super impatient to see their final colors (gonna have to wait a few years for that), but these guys are pretty cute anyway (even with boring colors). 





I'm really interested in the markings on her butt, a paler stripe and then darker on the very end. I wonder why these guys have those. I'll try to get better photos when I can borrow mom's camera this weekend.


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## antinous (Apr 2, 2013)

Wow, she's pretty cool. How do you know if it's a 'she'? And how big do they grow up to be?


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## 3skulls (Apr 2, 2013)

Very cool!! Thanks for posting the pics.


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## Cavedweller (Apr 2, 2013)

Thanks guys!

The blues are like 4-6 inches at adulthood, might get a little bigger than that (sooo impatient to see them as adults) 

Millipedes are real easy to sex http://exotic.bg/images/caresheet-images/Archispirostreptus_gigas_sexing_en.jpg Males have missing legs on the 7th segment (the legs become gonopods instead). In most species the male is smaller/thinner than the female. There are also species-specific ways to tell. In many species, the male's 7th segment is larger than the others (evident in this image http://www.richard-seaman.com/Wallpaper/Nature/Millipedes/AmericanMillipede.jpg ) In the giant redleg millipede (_Epibolus pulchripes_) the glossy and the female is matte http://www.pest2000.it/Foto/FFZ/Epibolus_pulchripes01.jpg


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