Advice Request for Biolumincent Millipede

[Pipp]

I'm so sorry to hear that! The one that I had die was also a male. @Pipp were you able to determine the gender of the two of yours that died? It is possible that the males will die after mating and the females after laying eggs or some Polydesmids seem to have a short lifespan. It is good that the females no longer seem stressed and I do hope that they will lay eggs for you! I haven't observed any mating activity among mine. From what I can see, they hang out partially buried in or by the moss, often on top of one another, and occasionally go out for a stroll.

I have not checked, but I'll try to get a look at them. I confirmed 3 deaths, and possible one other, but it's a burrowed one, so I can't tell without digging it up. 4 are confirmed living, and I never see them burrow more than half body with their backs sticking out, but they do like to clump together under pieces of bark. 2 I can not find, so they are probably burrowed somewhere I can't see, but I do see a little tunnel, so at least one is probably in there. Hopefully the living ones will lay eggs, since they are the hardiest of the bunch. My discolored one is still among the living

I've been doing a good misting every morning, since the tank is well ventilated. I know I heard in the wild the adults die off in the summer from drought. I wonder if the eggs need the dry season to hatch and if the misting will be a problem? I wish I had a separate colony to test that, but I don't want to disturb and split up my current one. I may get another batch if they come back in stock.

 

[BobBarley]

Awesome thread! I'm interested in the fact that they still glow after death. If they can control when they glow, and can even "blink", (and perhaps how much they glow?) do they just sort of leave the light switch on? Also, to capture their luminescence on camera, dead or alive, maybe you could set a timer to start the video/picture for a few seconds then cover the screen with something. I'd love to see their luminescence!　

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

I have not checked, but I'll try to get a look at them. I confirmed 3 deaths, and possible one other, but it's a burrowed one, so I can't tell without digging it up. 4 are confirmed living, and I never see them burrow more than half body with their backs sticking out, but they do like to clump together under pieces of bark. 2 I can not find, so they are probably burrowed somewhere I can't see, but I do see a little tunnel, so at least one is probably in there. Hopefully the living ones will lay eggs, since they are the hardiest of the bunch. My discolored one is still among the living

I've been doing a good misting every morning, since the tank is well ventilated. I know I heard in the wild the adults die off in the summer from drought. I wonder if the eggs need the dry season to hatch and if the misting will be a problem? I wish I had a separate colony to test that, but I don't want to disturb and split up my current one. I may get another batch if they come back in stock.

3 confirmed deaths so soon could only result from some problem with the habitat or food. I suggest a plastic shoebox without extra holes drilled and if your house is warm put the cage on the floor in the coolest area. Food is a less likely cause but maybe if you stuck something in there with pesticide on it or used fresh pine (old decayed pine is harmless).

 

[ErinM31]

I have not checked, but I'll try to get a look at them. I confirmed 3 deaths, and possible one other, but it's a burrowed one, so I can't tell without digging it up. 4 are confirmed living, and I never see them burrow more than half body with their backs sticking out, but they do like to clump together under pieces of bark. 2 I can not find, so they are probably burrowed somewhere I can't see, but I do see a little tunnel, so at least one is probably in there. Hopefully the living ones will lay eggs, since they are the hardiest of the bunch. My discolored one is still among the living

I've been doing a good misting every morning, since the tank is well ventilated. I know I heard in the wild the adults die off in the summer from drought. I wonder if the eggs need the dry season to hatch and if the misting will be a problem? I wish I had a separate colony to test that, but I don't want to disturb and split up my current one. I may get another batch if they come back in stock.

I'm glad to hear your favorite one is still living but sorry to hear that you've had so many deaths! @Elytra and Antenna is probably right, although I did not think that millipedes would mate when conditions are unsuitable. From what you've described and what I've observed with my own Motyxia, my guess would be that the temperature is too high. Both my Brachycybes and Xystodesmids (Apheloria, Harpaphe, Motyxia and Pleuroloma) seem MUCH happier in the wine cooler at 65ºF/18ºC and to not like the temperature climbing to near 80ºF/27ºC in the afternoon (and that's measuring the coolest areas of the apartment *sigh*). I'm going to get a second wine cooler this next week and when it comes time to rehouse, the temperature-sensitive species are going to be in more efficiently sized and shaped containers to maximize space. At least my tarantula slings are happy and hungry!

As for any eggs, I believe that these would need to be kept moist. They may be protected from desiccation in a capsule or chamber, but I would not let the substrate dry out.

Some observations on my Motyxia: I have their enclosure situated in the wine cooler so that I can see their favorite spot by the moss from where I sit in my favorite spot. While at any given time most are not moving much, over the course of the day, I will see them come and go and change positions. They have definitely been eating the oak leaves as I can see where they've eaten into them. I imagine that they also eat the more decayed crumbled hardwood leaves as well as the fermented oak sawdust, but of course the evidence of this is less visible.

 

[Pipp]

I'm glad to hear your favorite one is still living but sorry to hear that you've had so many deaths! @Elytra and Antenna is probably right, although I did not think that millipedes would mate when conditions are unsuitable. From what you've described and what I've observed with my own Motyxia, my guess would be that the temperature is too high. Both my Brachycybes and Xystodesmids (Apheloria, Harpaphe, Motyxia and Pleuroloma) seem MUCH happier in the wine cooler at 65ºF/18ºC and to not like the temperature climbing to near 80ºF/27ºC in the afternoon (and that's measuring the coolest areas of the apartment *sigh*). I'm going to get a second wine cooler this next week and when it comes time to rehouse, the temperature-sensitive species are going to be in more efficiently sized and shaped containers to maximize space. At least my tarantula slings are happy and hungry!

As for any eggs, I believe that these would need to be kept moist. They may be protected from desiccation in a capsule or chamber, but I would not let the substrate dry out.

Some observations on my Motyxia: I have their enclosure situated in the wine cooler so that I can see their favorite spot by the moss from where I sit in my favorite spot. While at any given time most are not moving much, over the course of the day, I will see them come and go and change positions. They have definitely been eating the oak leaves as I can see where they've eaten into them. I imagine that they also eat the more decayed crumbled hardwood leaves as well as the fermented oak sawdust, but of course the evidence of this is less visible.

I'm hoping my hardier ones breed, since they seem to be surviving whatever killed off the others. They were all wild caught though, and could have very well had problems already, and the relocation was the straw that broke the camel's back. I did order quite a few, keep in mind.

 

[Hisserdude]

My white female has burrowed, only the tip of her butt is sticking out. Hopefully this means she could be constructing an egg chamber, though she's probably just burrowing to hide.

 

[Metastasize]

Anyone having good luck with theirs? Mine pretty much all died, I think I've found 4 bodies out of the six I started with. I'm still misting regularly just in case some of them survived or any eggs were laid. I don't think temperature was an issue, the room hardly gets over 80º F, and I observed all of them eating for the first week or so.

 

[Hisserdude]

Anyone having good luck with theirs? Mine pretty much all died, I think I've found 4 bodies out of the six I started with. I'm still misting regularly just in case some of them survived or any eggs were laid. I don't think temperature was an issue, the room hardly gets over 80º F, and I observed all of them eating for the first week or so.

So sorry to hear that man.

I've been keeping my two remaining females on the floor of my bathroom, which usually stays in the low 70s, and they are both doing well. They have been burrowing a bit, always just half of them though, they never completely bury themselves. Hopefully I can get them to lay some eggs!

 

[ErinM31]

Anyone having good luck with theirs? Mine pretty much all died, I think I've found 4 bodies out of the six I started with. I'm still misting regularly just in case some of them survived or any eggs were laid. I don't think temperature was an issue, the room hardly gets over 80º F, and I observed all of them eating for the first week or so.

I'm sorry to hear that! What was your setup? Without knowing more, I suspect that the temperature may have been too high for them.
What did you observe yours eating?

While I haven't observed mine mating, they seem to be doing well at 65ºF. I need to get a power strip with battery back-up for the wine coolers as a recent power outage caused the temperature to reset to the default 54ºF one night.

 

[Pipp]

Most of mine died. Some did burrow before they died though, so hopefully they laid eggs. I do have a few left though.

 

[ErinM31]

Most of mine died. Some did burrow before they died though, so hopefully they laid eggs. I do have a few left though.

I'm very sorry to hear that! Hopefully they did lay eggs -- you did observe them mating!

 

[Hisserdude]

Well my large female died today, which was very upsetting. With only one millipede left I dug through the substrate in areas they had been digging and accidentally dug into a CLUMP OF EGGS!!! I don't think I smashed many, if any at all. There did not seem to be much of a shell surrounding them, just looks like they deposited a bunch of eggs in a pile underground. Hopefully I didn't just kill them all, that would suuuuck. I'll keep you all updated on their progress. I'M SO HAPPY!

 

[ErinM31]

Well my large female died today, which was very upsetting. With only one millipede left I dug through the substrate in areas they had been digging and accidentally dug into a CLUMP OF EGGS!!! I don't think I smashed many, if any at all. There did not seem to be much of a shell surrounding them, just looks like they deposited a bunch of eggs in a pile underground. Hopefully I didn't just kill them all, that would suuuuck. I'll keep you all updated on their progress. I'M SO HAPPY!

CONGRATULATIONS!!! I'm sorry to hear that one of your females died, but it may well be that they die after reproduction. This is supported by your finding eggs and @Pipp observed his millipedes mating before they passed and hopefully has eggs as well. I will carefully check around my enclosure and if there are no eggs but all still alive (excepting the male that passed soon after arrival and thus was probably age/stress related), then I will move a couple to an enclosure at room temperature (which here will mean ~72ºF in the early morning and up to 80ºF in the afternoon).

 

[Hisserdude]

CONGRATULATIONS!!! I'm sorry to hear that one of your females died, but it may well be that they die after reproduction. This is supported by your finding eggs and @Pipp observed his millipedes mating before they passed and hopefully has eggs as well. I will carefully check around my enclosure and if there are no eggs but all still alive (excepting the male that passed soon after arrival and thus was probably age/stress related), then I will move a couple to an enclosure at room temperature (which here will mean ~72ºF in the early morning and up to 80ºF in the afternoon).

Perhaps, or maybe they were just at the end of their life cycle, it seems like the adults of this species may not live long. In any case, I'm ecstatic about finding these eggs, I really hope they'll hatch for me! Hmmm... maybe higher temps are needed for reproduction, though I assumed they would thrive in the wine cooler. Let us know if you find any eggs or not!

 

[ErinM31]

Perhaps, or maybe they were just at the end of their life cycle, it seems like the adults of this species may not live long. In any case, I'm ecstatic about finding these eggs, I really hope they'll hatch for me! Hmmm... maybe higher temps are needed for reproduction, though I assumed they would thrive in the wine cooler. Let us know if you find any eggs or not!

Absolutely! Can't wait until they hatch!

They do seem to be doing very well in the wine cooler, but it may be that they are waiting for "summer" before laying their eggs and then passing. Either way, I shall find out and post! Hopefully @Pipp and @Metastasize also got eggs! It would be great to hear updates from @Chris52, @zonbonzovi and @Elytra and Antenna too!

EDIT: How deep were the eggs, @Hisserdude? I gently searched where I could tell they had burrowed, only about an inch down because it did not appear they had gone any deeper. I will set up a smaller container tomorrow, move two to room temperature and see what happens.

 

[Hisserdude]

How deep were the eggs, @Hisserdude? I gently searched where I could tell they had burrowed, only about an inch down because it did not appear they had gone any deeper. I will set up a smaller container tomorrow, move two to room temperature and see what happens.

I'm not getting notifications every time I'm tagged, pretty annoying glitch in the system...
They weren't buried that deep, only about 3/4 of an inch deep I think.

Here are some pictures of the eggs, they aren't the best quality but I don't want to disturb the eggs again and dig them up, so this is as good as it's gonna get from me!

 

[Chris52]

Absolutely! Can't wait until they hatch!

They do seem to be doing very well in the wine cooler, but it may be that they are waiting for "summer" before laying their eggs and then passing. Either way, I shall find out and post! Hopefully @Pipp and @Metastasize also got eggs! It would be great to hear updates from @Chris52, @zonbonzovi and @Elytra and Antenna too!

EDIT: How deep were the eggs, @Hisserdude? I gently searched where I could tell they had burrowed, only about an inch down because it did not appear they had gone any deeper. I will set up a smaller container tomorrow, move two to room temperature and see what happens.

Hasn't been a whole lot going on with my three. Mostly they just hang out half burrowed in the substrate, although today I saw today that one was almost completely burrowed more horizontally. (Hopefully laying eggs! )

 

[ErinM31]

I'm not getting notifications every time I'm tagged, pretty annoying glitch in the system...
They weren't buried that deep, only about 3/4 of an inch deep I think.

Here are some pictures of the eggs, they aren't the best quality but I don't want to disturb the eggs again and dig them up, so this is as good as it's gonna get from me!

Awesome! Thanks for sharing and I look forward to seeing pics of the pedelings!

Hasn't been a whole lot going on with my three. Mostly they just hang out half burrowed in the substrate, although today I saw today that one was almost completely burrowed more horizontally. (Hopefully laying eggs! )

Thanks for the update! That's about what mine have been doing too, occasionally going out for a stroll and then returning to their favorite burrowing spot.

 

[Tenevanica]

I'm not getting notifications every time I'm tagged, pretty annoying glitch in the system...
They weren't buried that deep, only about 3/4 of an inch deep I think.

Here are some pictures of the eggs, they aren't the best quality but I don't want to disturb the eggs again and dig them up, so this is as good as it's gonna get from me!

That's amazing, man! I was really happy for you when I saw the blog post! Perhaps you'd offer up offspring for a cheap price?

 

[Tenevanica]

I contacted Peter and told him about the development. Perhaps he'll bring them back now that we know they'll at least lay eggs in captivity!