Az desert millipede care

Beastie

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Eh, I'm not going to worry too much about it since I got the stuff from the area the millipede most likely was living and thriving anyhow.
 

ErinM31

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Yes, I would definitely recommend sterilizing by baking in the oven around 225F until thoroughly dry (although I confess that early on I did not do this and did not have any major problems). Mold is okay and indeed, unavoidable on moist rotten wood. In the terrarium, it tends to be transitory. I would only worry if there was a LOT of mold. You should not have this problem I think since this millipede likely requires a lower level of moisture than most.
 

Beastie

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We caught her out and about munching on some wood a few nights ago, seeing all the little trails through the dirt is really cool.
 

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ErinM31

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We caught her out and about munching on some wood a few nights ago, seeing all the little trails through the dirt is really cool.
I'm so glad that your beautiful millipede is doing well! :happy:
 

Beastie

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Is there any light blue/black/red that we can use to view him/her at night without disturbing the critter?
 

ErinM31

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Is there any light blue/black/red that we can use to view him/her at night without disturbing the critter?
I'm afraid I don't know, sorry! I would guess that red/infrared light like those used in film developing might be an option? I really don't know what spectrum that millipedes are able to see. Your millipede would not be visible in blacklight and those that are seem to feel it.
 

Squidsalad

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I just wanted to jump in and say that I don't believe that to be Orthoporus ornatus . Your current set up looks fine for whatever species that is, especially if you are feeding it what you it with. :) congrats on your new friend
 

ErinM31

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I just wanted to jump in and say that I don't believe that to be Orthoporus ornatus . Your current set up looks fine for whatever species that is, especially if you are feeding it what you it with. :) congrats on your new friend
Agreed! In case my post was unclear, I believe the millipede to be a Spirobolid of the family Atopetholidae. Based on the region those millipedes are native to, I thought it might do well in a set-up similar to Orthoporus ornatus, but even better is to base husbandry on the habitat that the millipede was found it, which @Beastie seems to have achieved quite well! :)
 

Squidsalad

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Agreed! In case my post was unclear, I believe the millipede to be a Spirobolid of the family Atopetholidae. Based on the region those millipedes are native to, I thought it might do well in a set-up similar to Orthoporus ornatus, but even better is to base husbandry on the habitat that the millipede was found it, which @Beastie seems to have achieved quite well! :)
I misread your list, haha.Sorry . You are a wonderful forum poster. :)


You might have helped me solve my own mystery too, so thanks again.
 

ErinM31

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I misread your list, haha.Sorry . You are a wonderful forum poster. :)

You might have helped me solve my own mystery too, so thanks again.
No worries! I just wanted to make sure I hadn't created any confusion! :) What mystery is that, if I may ask? Might you have an Apothelidae millipede?
 

Beastie

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It was pre
Agreed! In case my post was unclear, I believe the millipede to be a Spirobolid of the family Atopetholidae. Based on the region those millipedes are native to, I thought it might do well in a set-up similar to Orthoporus ornatus, but even better is to base husbandry on the habitat that the millipede was found it, which @Beastie seems to have achieved quite well! :)
It was pretty easy since the millipede literally showed up at my front door lol. Gotta love az monsoons!
 

Beastie

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So the mites that are harmful to millipedes, what do they look like? Also are there any particular colors of mold that are harmful to them? I saw a bit of green mold showing up on a piece of wood so I took it out.
 

ErinM31

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So the mites that are harmful to millipedes, what do they look like? Also are there any particular colors of mold that are harmful to them? I saw a bit of green mold showing up on a piece of wood so I took it out.
I don't know of any mites that are harmful to millipedes other than if they are numerous enough to be a source of stress (millipedes don't seem to mind a few walking on them). It is sooo easy to accidentally introduce one with a wild-caught invert or that wood or leaf you thought was clean! :banghead: I would be very sparing with supplemental food as that can really encourage their population to grow. So long as they don't overrun the terrarium, I don't think you have to worry. I am going to look into getting some predatory mites to cut down on mind because I don't want them to spread to my tarantula terrariums (where they ARE a bad thing!).

As for mold, I would not worry about it, especially the type that appears transient lay on wood. Orin McMonigle mentions there being one type that is bad -- a white one that causes discoloration I believe? I don't have the book (Millipeds in Captivity) with at the moment but I have never seen this mold, nor have my millipedes nor isopods suffered ill effects from any, but I will spot remove bits and cover others with a bit of substrate just because I don't want to see it - probably silly but it makes me feel better. :wacky:
 

Beastie

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I don't know of any mites that are harmful to millipedes other than if they are numerous enough to be a source of stress (millipedes don't seem to mind a few walking on them). It is sooo easy to accidentally introduce one with a wild-caught invert or that wood or leaf you thought was clean! :banghead: I would be very sparing with supplemental food as that can really encourage their population to grow. So long as they don't overrun the terrarium, I don't think you have to worry. I am going to look into getting some predatory mites to cut down on mind because I don't want them to spread to my tarantula terrariums (where they ARE a bad thing!).

As for mold, I would not worry about it, especially the type that appears transient lay on wood. Orin McMonigle mentions there being one type that is bad -- a white one that causes discoloration I believe? I don't have the book (Millipeds in Captivity) with at the moment but I have never seen this mold, nor have my millipedes nor isopods suffered ill effects from any, but I will spot remove bits and cover others with a bit of substrate just because I don't want to see it - probably silly but it makes me feel better. :wacky:
Yeah I definitely saw a fair amount of life looking through its enclosure yesterday (and diverse at that) but I don't THINK it was in overabundance. Though I may move her to a shelf further away from my T's since you mentioned that and it wasn't something I had thought of. The Milli is definitely eating because I found what I'm fairly certain is millipoop (frass right?). Which leads me to another question, do I need to clean this out? I also read that they will cover eggs in frass so what is that chance some of the large pile of poop isn't just poop?
 

ErinM31

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Yeah I definitely saw a fair amount of life looking through its enclosure yesterday (and diverse at that) but I don't THINK it was in overabundance. Though I may move her to a shelf further away from my T's since you mentioned that and it wasn't something I had thought of. The Milli is definitely eating because I found what I'm fairly certain is millipoop (frass right?). Which leads me to another question, do I need to clean this out? I also read that they will cover eggs in frass so what is that chance some of the large pile of poop isn't just poop?
Sounds like it should be fine, I think. :) I haven't kept any of my millipedes this way, but have some harvestmen in a jar full of springtails, a few small snails and isopods, and no doubt some mites as well.

Apparently mites will get into the tarantula's book lungs and cause problems that way. :( If your tarantulas are the arid variety, I think it much less likely for mites to take up residence but it's a good idea to keep them away from a terrarium with mites in any case.

No, don't worry about the grass. With one millipede, it should be a long time before you need to replace substrate. (Their frass is not "dirty", requiring assiduous clean-up like so many other pets -- they protect their eggs and make molting chambers with it afterall.) And yes, eggs are a definite possibility! *fingers crossed* I got my Narceus americanus pedelings from a female that was already gravid when I received her. :)
 

Hisserdude

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Well some mites, grain mites in particular, will enter a dormant state and adhere themselves to a surface when food is low, and your pets count as a surface. When grain mite infestations are particularly bad, they can cover your inverts and block their breathing spiracles, which leads to suffocation. Once you have mites in your home, there is really no getting rid of them, all you can do is try to keep their numbers low.

Soil mites or predatory mites aren't too bad, though they can stress your inverts with constant tactile contact, they like to climb everything.

You probably have springtails in your enclosure along with the mites, which is good, springtails are one of the best defenses against mites. The larger species that you can find for sale like Sinella curviseta, aka the Tropical pink springtails, are particularly good at keeping grain mites under control, however they are a hit and miss with soil mite infestations, and they obviously won't get rid of predatory mites.
Just keep the supplemental foods to a minimum, make sure to clean up leftovers, and don't use leaves that are too fresh, as freshly fallen leaves can lead to grain mite outbreaks.

BTW, even keeping your Ts in another room is not an adequate defence against mites, if conditions are right they'll find a way in. I have a millipede cage I keep in the bathroom, no other bugs are kept there and the cage was thoroughly washed and the substrate was sterilized before the pedes were put in, and the cage has never entered the room I have the rest of my bugs in. Yet they still have the same mites the rest of my enclosures have, what probably happened was tha the mites were on my clothes when I was feeding the pedes one time, and got into the enclosure that way.
 

Beastie

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Well some mites, grain mites in particular, will enter a dormant state and adhere themselves to a surface when food is low, and your pets count as a surface. When grain mite infestations are particularly bad, they can cover your inverts and block their breathing spiracles, which leads to suffocation. Once you have mites in your home, there is really no getting rid of them, all you can do is try to keep their numbers low.

Soil mites or predatory mites aren't too bad, though they can stress your inverts with constant tactile contact, they like to climb everything.

You probably have springtails in your enclosure along with the mites, which is good, springtails are one of the best defenses against mites. The larger species that you can find for sale like Sinella curviseta, aka the Tropical pink springtails, are particularly good at keeping grain mites under control, however they are a hit and miss with soil mite infestations, and they obviously won't get rid of predatory mites.
Just keep the supplemental foods to a minimum, make sure to clean up leftovers, and don't use leaves that are too fresh, as freshly fallen leaves can lead to grain mite outbreaks.

BTW, even keeping your Ts in another room is not an adequate defence against mites, if conditions are right they'll find a way in. I have a millipede cage I keep in the bathroom, no other bugs are kept there and the cage was thoroughly washed and the substrate was sterilized before the pedes were put in, and the cage has never entered the room I have the rest of my bugs in. Yet they still have the same mites the rest of my enclosures have, what probably happened was tha the mites were on my clothes when I was feeding the pedes one time, and got into the enclosure that way.
I do understand that, I aim to keep the T enclosures clean in order to avoid it is just thought I would keep them a bit further apart to maybe lessen the chances a bit. :) I will keep an eye on things, if the millipede enclosure looks too overrun I'll set him/her free.
 

Hisserdude

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I do understand that, I aim to keep the T enclosures clean in order to avoid it is just thought I would keep them a bit further apart to maybe lessen the chances a bit. :) I will keep an eye on things, if the millipede enclosure looks too overrun I'll set him/her free.
If your tarantulas are of the desert variety, then you shouldn't have too many problems with mites, as your tarantula enclosures should be too dry for them.
Do you have any pictures of the mites by chance?
 

Beastie

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If your tarantulas are of the desert variety, then you shouldn't have too many problems with mites, as your tarantula enclosures should be too dry for them.
Do you have any pictures of the mites by chance?
I don't but I can maybe attempt some pictures later. I'm not even sure what's mites and what's not. I have a g.maule (chilean gold fluff) and a pink toe.
 
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