AGB Building Dome Structure

[Rimba]

Hey everybody!

So today I was pulling some uneaten spinach out of my AGB's enclosure when a little dime-sized patch of dirt fell through into a chamber my millipede had made. At that point I noticed that the dirt surrounding that area was much looser than the dirt around it, and was bulging outward in a dome shape (picture included). I peered into the hole and didn't see any sign of my millipede — she's been underground for weeks now, so I assumed she was molting anyway. Cut to hours later, and I found her fixing the damage I had done to her dome from the inside.

I have never seen her do anything like this, nor have I read about this sort of a behavior anywhere else! Is it possible that she's preparing a place to molt, but was a little too close to the surface and decided to build a higher ceiling? I'm baffled. I wasn't even aware AGBs constructed. I was more under the impression that they only tunneled!

Any new behavior always gets me a little worried, but with this I'm mostly just confused. Does anybody have any information on this?

 

[mickiem]

This is similar to breeding behavior. I keep my adults in large enclosures with 10-14" substrate. They generally tunnel throughout but I will often see chambers near the surface. Maybe they do this when they start maturing? I have never seen my juveniles do it, but then they don't have substrate quite as deep.

 

[Rimba]

Thanks for the response!

Hmm... interesting! I'm at least glad to see that it's relatively normal behavior. About what age would you call maturity in an AGB?

Also, update: A few hours after making the post she had sealed the hole I made back up from the inside! I had no idea millipedes could build like that — I'm impressed.

 

[Arthroverts]

It is amazing what millipedes can do, polydesmids make whole cities with their frass!

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[sdsnybny]

@mickiem
Message sent

 

[bco2]

@mickiem
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Thanks