African Giant millipede breeding/substrate

KevinsWither

Arachnodemon
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Jul 11, 2014
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I am asking about the breeding of them. Would putting them on a hardwood substrate (mean't for native rhinoceros beetles) with hardwood leaves mixed with cocofiber/regular substrate work? And how do you get them to breed? 18485802_1902997316637488_3021903348378246505_n.jpg
 
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mickiem

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I can't tell by this photo how deep your substrate is. Mine is about 7-8". I have a recipe for the mix I use (it's several posts down, named, My Substrate Mix). Basically, I use about 50% coir. I like this because it holds moisture and has a good texture so they can tunnel and their tunnels hold shape for ever. With that, I mix bagged organic leaf compost. I check through the bag to make sure there are no foreign particles such as plastic or metal. I source my own hardwood but of course you can also buy it. I crumble last season hardwood leaves into the mix and I also add plenty on top. In fact, I add a few every day. I also grind cuttlefish bone into the mix. Supplemental foods that they like are apple, avocado, mushroom, corn, banana, melon, etc. All food is organic and given at room temperature.

I believe my humidity is higher than others keep theirs. They seem to be happier and breed readily. A higher humidity means I cannot leave fresh foods in for more than a day and fish flakes, etc. will mold overnight. But I believe they get the nutrients they need from the substrate. I also feed dried mushrooms and that doesn't mold.

My temperature stays between 72-76. I use side mounted "under tank" heaters. I tape them above the soil line.

I added a long, thick branch on which they crawl and coil.

Hope this helps. Welcome to the AGB world!
 

KevinsWither

Arachnodemon
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Okay... would any hardwood leaves work for them? And do they breed in five gallons? I'm going to make the soil depth more deeper. Do yours breed in your setup? Photos?
 

mickiem

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Okay... would any hardwood leaves work for them? And do they breed in five gallons? I'm going to make the soil depth more deeper. Do yours breed in your setup? Photos?
This is the box I keep them in. It's about 36x15x18. That's the standard pencil in front I believe the brand is Zoo Med on the side heater and I'll keep that on unless my room temperature is well over 72° I can't say whether or not they will breed in 5 gallons. This is what I use and it works. Maybe someone else will comment whether or not they have had luck breeding in smaller containers. I use predominately oak leaves from several different species of trees. I also add maple, beech, walnut, viburnum, etc. whatever I come across. Just steer clear of resinous woods like pine. This is their breeding set up.
 

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mickiem

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Okay... would any hardwood leaves work for them? And do they breed in five gallons? I'm going to make the soil depth more deeper. Do yours breed in your setup? Photos?
This mama is 10 1/2 inches long when she's uncoiled. The babies in the photo are probably two months old. After the egg hatches it goes into a Protonymph stage, then it goes to a small larvae with just a few legs and eyes but it moves quickly into one that looks like this. This might be after one molt. The protonymph and next stage they are fat white comma looking things. The difference is the protonymph does not have eyes or legs. Looks more like a croissant than a comma. Orin McMonigle wrote a great book with lots of breeding info. I bought both his milliped books on Amazon. Highly recommended if you are serious about this! My oldest AGB pedelings are 7-8 months old and maybe an inch or so long.
 

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KevinsWither

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I'm serious about it. Only problem is I can't really get the book as of now. Can you pm me about the breeding info?
 

mickiem

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I can't think of anything I could add. Orin's book has more details (and better organization) but the basics are above. I think a lot is trial and error.
 
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