Tytyty
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- May 22, 2020
- Messages
- 20
I am very new to the hobby, but early on I discovered that the captive reproduction of O. ornatus is still largely a mystery. I have seen a few threads where people have bred them but are unsure of the methods and the consensus seems to be that there is no solid method as of yet. I am starting this thread both to see if anyone has found updates on the breeding process of this species and to share what I have discovered so far.
I believe that my most important find so far is the Proceedings of the First Conference on Scientific Research in the National Parks, New Orleans, Louisiana, November 9-12, 1976 Volume 1. In this collection, there is an article called "A Year in the Life of Orthoporus ornatus: a Desert Millipede". Here it states that seasonal rains initiate the feeding season of the millipedes. During this time, eggs mature in females and are oviposited in "Chambers, frequently associated with animal burrows" contain maternal fecal pellets that house eggs and new larva. This leads me to my first idea: providing some kind of underground structure that the millipedes can make use of. This also leads me to my first question: are millipedes known to consume their own feces or the feces of other members of their species? If so, they could be accidentally consuming the vital casing of the eggs needed for the young.
The article also suggests that eggs deposited during the feeding season are destined to emerge in the next season's rains as eggs collected before the rains and placed on wet filter paper. This makes me believe that fecal pellets placed in areas that would be ideal should be either collected and placed in a wet environment to simulate rains or they could be moistened in the original enclosure after a dry period.
This article suggests that the rainy/dry seasons of the desert are an important part of regulating Orthoporus behavior and I want to keep that in mind when trying to investigate this problem.
This information is what I have found so far. I would love to hear from the experiences of others on enclosures, breeding, substrate, and humidity, or just any news in the community. I also saw that the user @DubiaW has been selling native substrate, but couldn't pm. Is it still available?
What are your thoughts on O. ornatus breeding?
I would also be super interested to hear anything else the community is trying or has heard about!
I believe that my most important find so far is the Proceedings of the First Conference on Scientific Research in the National Parks, New Orleans, Louisiana, November 9-12, 1976 Volume 1. In this collection, there is an article called "A Year in the Life of Orthoporus ornatus: a Desert Millipede". Here it states that seasonal rains initiate the feeding season of the millipedes. During this time, eggs mature in females and are oviposited in "Chambers, frequently associated with animal burrows" contain maternal fecal pellets that house eggs and new larva. This leads me to my first idea: providing some kind of underground structure that the millipedes can make use of. This also leads me to my first question: are millipedes known to consume their own feces or the feces of other members of their species? If so, they could be accidentally consuming the vital casing of the eggs needed for the young.
The article also suggests that eggs deposited during the feeding season are destined to emerge in the next season's rains as eggs collected before the rains and placed on wet filter paper. This makes me believe that fecal pellets placed in areas that would be ideal should be either collected and placed in a wet environment to simulate rains or they could be moistened in the original enclosure after a dry period.
This article suggests that the rainy/dry seasons of the desert are an important part of regulating Orthoporus behavior and I want to keep that in mind when trying to investigate this problem.
This information is what I have found so far. I would love to hear from the experiences of others on enclosures, breeding, substrate, and humidity, or just any news in the community. I also saw that the user @DubiaW has been selling native substrate, but couldn't pm. Is it still available?
What are your thoughts on O. ornatus breeding?
I would also be super interested to hear anything else the community is trying or has heard about!