Calcium In Millis Diet

[PapaRoacher]

I was wondering what are some of the ways of getting calcium into a Pede's diet?

Like, for instance, could I crush tums into it's food? Or could I put a few drops of milk into it's water?

 

[Chironex]

Please dont use milk.... worst thing you could do as it can go "off" and attract nasties.

There is a calcium powder you can purchase from good pet stores, its made for reptiles mainly but it will work for your millipedes. Just sprinkle the powder over thier food. Another way is you could get a cuttle fish and scrap the softer stuff out of it lightly over the food. I'm not saying its the only way to give them calcium, some might use other methods.

Also depending on where they come from... some millipedes can just live off of leaf litter and i'm sure they would get a natural balance of what they need from that.

 

[JonDaAzn]

calcium wont do the millies any good anyways, their shells are made chitin, look up the "soft millie" thread

 

[McPede]

-"The cuticle of most millipedes is calcified and rather hard."
http://www.myriapoda.org/milliPEET/introduction.html

-"The subclass Penicillata, with 160 known species (Nguyen Duy-Jacquemin and Geoffroy 2003), comprises forms in which the exoskeleton is soft, non-calcified"
http://www.myriapoda.org/diplopoda/millipede_general_info.html

I would suggest that you read The Biology of Millipedes written by Stephen P. Hopkin and Helen J. Read.

I keep all of my species in a compost, made of oak and beech leaves, together with white decayed wood, also from oak and beech.

I also give some of my millipedes a cuttle-bone and also fruits and greens high in calcium.
(For example papaya, prickly pear, dandelion)

Please forgive my bad English

Kind regards
Fredrik - Sweden