# Are my millipede enclosures okay?



## Gibson211 (Mar 29, 2014)

Finally got my oak leaves in the mail, and I just want to make sure my setups are okay for my pedes. The speces being kept are rnatus, N.americanus, and N.gordanus. All the enclosures are basically the same: Coconut fiber, spag moss, bark chippings and oak leaves. Here is a picture of the O. ornatus enclosure








Is everything looking okay? Anything I need to remove/add? Will this type of setup be okay for Florida Ivory millipedes? Any help is much appreciated!

Forgot to add, does adding leaves mean I'll see my millipedes on the surface more often? Will I be seeing small bite marks in the leaves?


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## shebeen (Mar 29, 2014)

Your enclosure looks fine, but you might want to crush up the leaves.  Just put them in a plastic bag and crush until your hands get tired.  I use a small food processor.  I'm not sure how well the bark will work out.  If possible, you should provide decaying sap wood and heart wood instead.  Your millipedes should begin eating the leaves since there's little else in there for them to eat.  Millipedes are nocturnal so you may not see them much during the day, plus, when they molt, you may not see them for weeks at a time.

If you want to raise offspring from your millipedes, you'll need to provide a food substrate layer for the young millipedes to feed from.  Food substrate is a mixture of crushed leaves, crushed rotten wood, and a base material (coco-fiber, ground peat, compost, etc.).  A typical mix would be 25% leaves, 25% wood and 50% base.  If you can't locate rotting wood, use 50% leaves and 50% base.  The measurements are not critical.  You just want a substrate that is high in nutritional value.    Once you get the food substrate mixed up, add 2 or 3 inches of it to each enclosure and top with a layer of leaves.  

rnatus are difficult to breed in captivity, but the adults will still appreciate the food substrate.  Narceus and Florida Ivories breed readily, so you should expect to see babies mid to late summer, provided you have a breeding pair.

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## Gibson211 (Mar 29, 2014)

Thank you. But will they be okay living solely on oak leaves? Or is rotten wood necessary (its hard to find where I live) I want whats best for my new babies.


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## shebeen (Mar 29, 2014)

I've been feeding mine primarily oak leaves (just collected another trash bag full this morning) along with weekly supplemental food (cantaloupe, banana, pear, kiwi, carrot, kale) or the occasional dry kibble.  I have a hard time locating wood as well.  You might try places that sell bulk firewood.  Some keepers supplement their food substrate with Aspen shavings (reptile bedding).  Over time, the shavings decompose in the substrate and become palatable food.  I think I'll give this a try with my next batch of substrate.

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## Cavedweller (Mar 30, 2014)

My (possibly wrong) understanding is that some species need wood and leaves more than others. I've heard of someone (the name escapes me) keeping Chicobolus spinigerus on a diet of vegetable scraps, but others like flat millipedes absolutely NEED wood. I'm not sure where Orthoporus falls on that spectrum.

According to Millipedes in Captivity, sawdust can be mixed into the substrate, just make sure it's not contaminated in any way and isn't dangerous wood like cedar or pine.

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## Smokehound714 (Mar 30, 2014)

I bet boiling the leaves for a while makes them far easier to munch on

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## shebeen (Mar 30, 2014)

Smokehound714 said:


> I bet boiling the leaves for a while makes them far easier to munch on


I soak mine overnight before adding to my tubs.  I would be concerned that boiling might reduce the nutritional value of the leaves.  I know you're not suppose to store them wet.


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## Fyreflye (Mar 30, 2014)

This is a great start!  I have one question- how deep is your substrate?  I like to give mine at least 4 inches to dig and bury in.  I also like to add something for them to hide under- a flat chunk of bark works well.  It's okay to add decorative objects so long as they are not too tall, have sharp points, or are made from toxic materials.  A food dish makes for easy cleanup of leftovers- most people give their pedes fruits/veggies/greens regularly.

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## Gibson211 (Mar 31, 2014)

My substrate is a bit deeper than that. I crushed the up the leaves so it'd be easier for the pedes to eat and added dead wood i found (boiled of course) and the o. ornatus seem to love it. i also have been giving them broccoli and carrots, so far all the pedes have been loving it except the N.gordanus. Not sure why, maybe I'm doing something wrong? I ordered 4 more of them because they look so pretty, I hope I'm taking proper care of them. I never see them on the surface, they are always burrowed. Why do you think they won't eat their veggies? 

Here is the N.gordanus enclosure


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## Cavedweller (Mar 31, 2014)

I've noticed that sometimes they aren't in the mood for veggies. I also suspect that different species may have different vegetable preferences.

You sound like you're doin fine (much better than I did when I started). Millipedes spend a lot of time underground, so it's probably nothing to worry about.

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## Gibson211 (Mar 31, 2014)

Great. Millipedes are a lot more difficult to care for then i expected them to be! Just one more question on my N.gordanus. I have 4 currently, one seems to be an adult and the others sub adults. I have 4 more coming in the mail being shipped monday, will they start breeding on their own? Or do I have to do anything special to get them in the mood :giggle: I've heard that flordia millipedes will just breed on their own.


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## Cavedweller (Mar 31, 2014)

My book says N. gordanus breeds in the summer. It doesn't look like you have to do anything, but adding a fresh layer of leaf litter in early summer might be a good idea (some species need a fresh layer of leaves as egg laying stimulus).


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## Kennef (Jun 1, 2018)

Gibson211 said:


> Finally got my oak leaves in the mail, and I just want to make sure my setups are okay for my pedes. The speces being kept are rnatus, N.americanus, and N.gordanus. All the enclosures are basically the same: Coconut fiber, spag moss, bark chippings and oak leaves. Here is a picture of the O. ornatus enclosure
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You could add some oak mulch. Make sure they are quality and safe to use though! I’m getting interested in invertebrates and the millipedes are next on my list.


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