# Millipede Substrate/Care - Recommended Brands for Wood/Leaves (IN UK)



## DeeJ (Mar 30, 2018)

Hi All,

My apologies if this has been covered, I've searched and searched for well over a few hours now, and just can't seem to find the answer I'm looking for.

So I'm from the UK, and to me it seems there aren't many millipede carers here, or at least shops selling anything such as decaying leaves/wood to include in their substrate.

Anyways, I'm currently looking at getting my first species of millipede (Tonkinbolus Dolfusii, or the Vietnam Rainbow Millipede). And I've priced basically everything up, except I can't seem to find any of the leaves or wood they require as the main portion of their diet.

I'm looking at getting Coco Fibre as half of the substrate, and then include the leaves and wood as the other half of the substrate, then including Sphagnum Moss on top, and a few hides and what not. All of this will be in a 36.5x24.5x17cm plastic box with a lid, in which I will add air holes for some ventilation.

Another area on the feeding, I will feed them the occasional cucumber and other's listed in post that is in the care sheet on this forum.

If there are any recommendations on brands that can be used and are trusted and healthy for these millipedes, please suggest them. In addition to this, if there are any other tips and tricks for me, I will appreciate everything.

I'd also like to add that I will most likely be buying a pair of these millipedes; hopefully at some point next week.

Also: Apologies if this is in the wrong forum/sub-forum, feel free to let me know/move it if it is

Many Thanks,

Dom, or DeeJ.


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## mickiem (Mar 30, 2018)

How wonderful to be getting new millipedes!  It might be easier to source your own food.  Most hardwood trees would be fine.  You just need to find it in the right state of decay.  As long as isopods are living on it, it will be fine.  I remove all other creatures and sterilize it to make sure to eliminate undesirables.  You want to avoid wood that is really dark and slimy.  It is past the point of having nutritive value.

Rotting leaves from a season past is your best bet for  the leaf portion.  They won't eat anything too fresh.  I also use bagged leaf compost from a garden center (organic and all natural - no fertilizers).

Be sure to avoid anything that has been near heavy pesticide use and also avoid aromatic wood such as cedar, pine, eucalyptus, etc.

Hope this helps!  Have fun.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## DeeJ (Mar 30, 2018)

mickiem said:


> How wonderful to be getting new millipedes!  It might be easier to source your own food.  Most hardwood trees would be fine.  You just need to find it in the right state of decay.  As long as isopods are living on it, it will be fine.  I remove all other creatures and sterilize it to make sure to eliminate undesirables.  You want to avoid wood that is really dark and slimy.  It is past the point of having nutritive value.
> 
> Rotting leaves from a season past is your best bet for  the leaf portion.  They won't eat anything too fresh.  I also use bagged leaf compost from a garden center (organic and all natural - no fertilizers).
> 
> ...


The difficulty with sourcing my own food is the fact that the main areas with trees around where I live is surrounded by farm land, and normally has small streams and what not around, so there's a good chance that pesticides and what not are used. And in all honesty, I have no clue what trees they are. 

I can find dried oak leaves and things like that on Ebay, but personally I wouldn't trust it. I did find one labelled "8 Litres Beech Leaf Litter - Bioactive Reptile Vivarium Substrate" but it is unbranded, if I am allowed to post links to these things, I am happy to do so. There's also the same thing for Oak and other leaves. 

How would you go around sterilising it? Just soak it in some boiled water for a while?


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## Greasylake (Mar 30, 2018)

DeeJ said:


> The difficulty with sourcing my own food is the fact that the main areas with trees around where I live is surrounded by farm land, and normally has small streams and what not around, so there's a good chance that pesticides and what not are used. And in all honesty, I have no clue what trees they are.
> 
> I can find dried oak leaves and things like that on Ebay, but personally I wouldn't trust it. I did find one labelled "8 Litres Beech Leaf Litter - Bioactive Reptile Vivarium Substrate" but it is unbranded, if I am allowed to post links to these things, I am happy to do so. There's also the same thing for Oak and other leaves.
> 
> How would you go around sterilising it? Just soak it in some boiled water for a while?


Posting links counts as advertising and a mod would most likely delete it. I think your best bet may be a garden center like the other person said, or taking a bit of a trip to a wooded area and collecting a bunch of wood so it would last you a while. There are a few people out there who have shops dedicated to bioactive setups and the stuff they sell is usually pretty good quality, just try to find some reviews first. Being from the UK I know you guys have a lot more expos than we do on the other side of the pond and there are multiple expos dedicated just to inverts, there's bound to be someone there who'd selling anything you could ever want.

Reactions: Like 1


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## DeeJ (Mar 30, 2018)

Greasylake said:


> Posting links counts as advertising and a mod would most likely delete it. I think your best bet may be a garden center like the other person said, or taking a bit of a trip to a wooded area and collecting a bunch of wood so it would last you a while. There are a few people out there who have shops dedicated to bioactive setups and the stuff they sell is usually pretty good quality, just try to find some reviews first. Being from the UK I know you guys have a lot more expos than we do on the other side of the pond and there are multiple expos dedicated just to inverts, there's bound to be someone there who'd selling anything you could ever want.


I thought there'd be something like that rule in place, I guess it's needed.

I will have a look at some garden centres and other websites. I suppose searching 'Bioactive Leaf Litter' is good, as I have found some of (what I think would be viable) shops selling these leaves. The one I'm looking at is sterilised too, which is even better. Now that I think of it, there is a woods nearby that is on high land, so minimal chances of pesticides and other chemicals being used.

I'll just have to take my dog on a walk and collect some leaves after I check they're safe for the millipede. If I read it correctly, you sterilise the leaves by boiling them in some water for 15 minutes or so (After making sure all other life-forms are out of it, anyway).

I would go to an expo but the next one closest to me is in June; which gives me a chance to save up some money and 'accidentally' come home with some inverts.

Sorry if I seem a little question-based, I like to know exactly what to do before I care for any animal.

Edit: I have just read that if the leaves are from an area that is far away from any pesticides and what not, sterilisation is not needed/there is nothing in there that will harm the millipede; not sure if this is true but I thought I'd add it.

Many thanks for the replies,

Dom.


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## Greasylake (Mar 30, 2018)

DeeJ said:


> I thought there'd be something like that rule in place, I guess it's needed.
> 
> I will have a look at some garden centres and other websites. I suppose searching 'Bioactive Leaf Litter' is good, as I have found some of (what I think would be viable) shops selling these leaves. The one I'm looking at is sterilised too, which is even better. Now that I think of it, there is a woods nearby that is on high land, so minimal chances of pesticides and other chemicals being used.
> 
> ...


Boiling the leaves would work but it would make them a little mushy so you'd either need to leave them in the sun for a while to dry out or put them in the oven and bake them for a little while. The easiest thing to do would probably be to bake them. There's a company that sells packages of leaves, wood, bark and other assorted items for bioactive setups under the name "biodegradables." I don't remember the name of the company but I'm sure a little research would get you the right stuff.

Reactions: Like 1


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## DeeJ (Mar 30, 2018)

Greasylake said:


> Boiling the leaves would work but it would make them a little mushy so you'd either need to leave them in the sun for a while to dry out or put them in the oven and bake them for a little while. The easiest thing to do would probably be to bake them. There's a company that sells packages of leaves, wood, bark and other assorted items for bioactive setups under the name "biodegradables." I don't remember the name of the company but I'm sure a little research would get you the right stuff.


I think I know what you're on about, they sell all sorts; but the leaves and what not are sold out unfortunately. I think I'm just going to head up to the nearby woods at some point and collect some leaves in a bag and bake them as you said. If I do somehow manage to get a leaf in there from a non-hardwood tree, would it do much damage to the millipede? If so I'll have to go through and check them. 

I really appreciate the help, it's given me more confidence now I know a little more.


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## Greasylake (Mar 30, 2018)

DeeJ said:


> I think I know what you're on about, they sell all sorts; but the leaves and what not are sold out unfortunately. I think I'm just going to head up to the nearby woods at some point and collect some leaves in a bag and bake them as you said. If I do somehow manage to get a leaf in there from a non-hardwood tree, would it do much damage to the millipede? If so I'll have to go through and check them.
> 
> I really appreciate the help, it's given me more confidence now I know a little more.



I have an oak tree in my yard that drops all its leaves in the fall and I always just collect from the pile in my yard so I don't actually know what effects non-hardwood leaves would have on the millipedes. Maybe someone else can chime in on this. And the boards are here to make sure people feel comfortable with their animals, also to make sure they don't die.

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## LawnShrimp (Mar 31, 2018)

Non-hardwood just means pine or spruce, which have needles you can avoid. Fruit trees, nut trees, oaks, maples, or even rose leaves are all good millipede foods. I soak the leaves to wash any dirt off and microwave them while they're still wet to avoid any pests or pathogens.

It is possible to make your own edible wood. There are brands of oak wood pellets for grilling (not sure of availability in the UK) that some people have put into a box, soaked, added yeast, and let it ferment. The result worked well for stag beetle grubs, which are even pickier than millipedes. If you can find a similar product, it is worth it just because of how pure and edible the product is. Here's a thread that might help you: http://arachnoboards.com/threads/rotting-wood-help.301243/

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## mickiem (Mar 31, 2018)

There are two things you want to avoid that are completely separate.  

1)  Pesticides.  You seem to know how to avoid them and that they are man-wrought.
2)  Pest and diseases that lurk on anything you collect from the wild (=bioactive).  Boiling would work.  I bake my leaves and bark after I remove isopods, etc.  I bake for 2 hours at 200° F (93° C).

Something made me think these issues were being merged but they are from separate sources and have separate ways to deal with them.  I appreciate your diligence in learning to care for these animals.

Carry on.

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## DeeJ (Mar 31, 2018)

LawnShrimp said:


> Non-hardwood just means pine or spruce, which have needles you can avoid. Fruit trees, nut trees, oaks, maples, or even rose leaves are all good millipede foods. I soak the leaves to wash any dirt off and microwave them while they're still wet to avoid any pests or pathogens.
> 
> It is possible to make your own edible wood. There are brands of oak wood pellets for grilling (not sure of availability in the UK) that some people have put into a box, soaked, added yeast, and let it ferment. The result worked well for stag beetle grubs, which are even pickier than millipedes. If you can find a similar product, it is worth it just because of how pure and edible the product is. Here's a thread that might help you: http://arachnoboards.com/threads/rotting-wood-help.301243/


That's a good thread, and thanks for the information. I think that I will collect both the leaves and the wood when I go to the nearby forest, and ensure that there's no chance of anything surviving that can harm the millipede. I'm not sure how much rotting wood there is there, but I'll make sure it looks similar to the photo posted in the thread, and I will go through the leaves I collect to make sure there's nothing with needle-based leaves. 



mickiem said:


> There are two things you want to avoid that are completely separate.
> 
> 1)  Pesticides.  You seem to know how to avoid them and that they are man-wrought.
> 2)  Pest and diseases that lurk on anything you collect from the wild (=bioactive).  Boiling would work.  I bake my leaves and bark after I remove isopods, etc.  I bake for 2 hours at 200° F (93° C).
> ...


The forest I'm planning on heading to is a public woodland, and it is on somewhat high ground, with any farmland nearby being much lower, so that is out of the question I believe. I think I'll just bake any leaves and bark that I get, and I'll just remove and release any living isopod or anything else back into the wild, as deserved. 

And basically no matter what animal it is, to me their life needs to be appreciated, nature is an amazing thing and we're all lucky to have it while it still exists. I also like to do as much research as I possibly can, to ensure that they will not be harmed and can sustain life healthily and happily. 

Thank you both for the replies, I think I have enough knowledge in order for me to care for them now, and I will get them soon hopefully. 

Another quick question, how many millipedes would I be able to fit in the enclosure I'm planning on getting for them (Listed in my original post - size of 36.5x24.5x17cm) Would I be able to fit two pairs of different species in there. If not more?

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## mickiem (Mar 31, 2018)

I think two pairs; depending on species is about all I would put in that size.  They are pretty communal and don't require a lot of space.

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## DeeJ (Mar 31, 2018)

mickiem said:


> I think two pairs; depending on species is about all I would put in that size.  They are pretty communal and don't require a lot of space.


That's good to me, I was planning on getting the Red Fire Millipede or something next, but it depends what's available at the time I want to gain a couple of them. At the time I'll look for something with a similar size of the Rainbow Millipede, so around 12cm-ish. 

Thanks again!

- Dom.

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## DeeJ (Apr 5, 2018)

Just like to add, sorry if I'm not supposed to add this. I have ordered my two Tonkinbolus Dolfusii and they are arriving tomorrow. I've went out yesterday and collected some oak leaves and other leaves, along with some nice rotten wood (Just needs to be baked more to dry it out and to crumble it up. I searched through the leaves and there's all sorts of Millipedes and Centipedes and other crustaceans there, so it shows that they're good and healthy leaves.

Many thanks to all that helped me, if I'm allowed to post a picture in here then I will do once they arrive and they are in their enclosure.


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