Cavedweller's Basic Millipede Caresheet

[Elytra and Antenna]

I wondered this as well. For the expert that answers plz say if we can use other kinds of organic material too....... I mean like chrysanthemum flowers used to make tea and carrot or potato peels. Thx.

I'm going to say it is not worth it to use leaves with chemical defenses probably leached out with tea making. Most would probably work but it's hardly worth the risk when you can find less noxious food.

 

[thewayster944]

Cavedweller’s Millipede Basics
Care tips are generalized and may vary by species.
Last updated 05-21-14

Introduction: Millipedes are slow moving, peaceful detritivores, organisms that eat dead plant matter and turn it into soil. They are not insects, but rather of the class Diplopoda. Millipedes share the subphylum Myriapoda and a similar shape with the fast, predatory centipede, but have little else in common.

Millipedes As Pets: They are not the pet for everyone. They don’t like being handled too often. They spend most of their time underground, and usually emerge at night. However, they are quiet, don’t need much space, and are very cheap and easy to care for. Millipedes can be housed together in groups, and come in a variety of colors. Some species can live a decade or more.

Diet: Rotten leaves and rotten wood. “Treats” can be offered once or twice a week (dog kibble, cucumber, melon, apple, mushroom, carrot, ect). Fruits and vegetables should be thoroughly washed and pesticide-free. Uneaten treats should be removed within a day or two. No water bowl is needed, millipedes get moisture from the substrate.

Substrate: 50% dead leaves and crumbled rotten hardwood (oak, aspen, maple, ect), 50% coconut husk bedding. Add an additional inch or two of dead leaves on top of the substrate. Never use conifers or aromatic plants such as pine, cedar, or eucalyptus, as they contain toxic resin. As the old substrate is eaten and converted to waste, add more leaves/wood. Replace with fresh substrate once or twice a year. Chemical-free hardwood sawdust or aspen shaving pet bedding can be mixed into the substrate as an additional food source, but will take some time to decompose.

Enclosure: The enclosure should be twice as long as the biggest millipede. Substrate should be at least as deep as the length of the biggest millipede. Millipedes can be kept in plastic tubs with airholes in the lid (make sure the holes aren’t big enough for the millipedes to escape). Millipedes don’t need cage decorations as they spend most of their time underground.

Environment: Room temperature (69 to 78°F/21 to 25°C). Heat pads/lamps are dangerous for millipedes. Keep the substrate moist and mist every few days as the top layer of substrate dries out.

Handling: Always your wash hands before and after handling. Don’t handle millipedes too often to avoid excessive stress. Millipedes will coil up when frightened, but can also secrete a foul-tasting poison to deter predators. This substance may stain the skin but isn’t dangerous to humans (barring an allergic reaction). Wash it off immediately and keep it out of your eyes and mouth.

Sexing: A male millipede is missing the legs on his 7th segment, instead possessing reproductive organs here. A female has normal legs on the 7th segment.

In some species, such as Narceus americanus and Chicobolus spingerus, the male's 7th segment is also noticeably enlarged.

Life Cycle: Some millipede species breed readily in captivity. The egg capsules often look like fecal pellets, so be careful throwing out waste. Newly hatched young emerge tiny and colorless, and some species take years to mature. In addition to the typical diet, the young also feed on the adult’s waste to obtain necessary gut bacteria.

Molting: Millipedes grow by periodically shedding their exoskeleton. This is usually done underground and may take several weeks, so don’t worry if your millipede retreats underground for an extended period. Do not disturb your millipede during this time.

Mites: Millipede enclosures can host a variety of mites, some beneficial and some not. Larger mites that travel over the millipede’s body or wander the substrate are usually helpful, helping to keep the host and enclosure clean. However, one must watch out for the dangerous grain mite. These tiny, white, slow-moving mites can cover a millipede and infest its enclosure if supplementary food is left in too long or the leaves/wood provided are too fresh. Grain mites can be controlled by replacing the substrate and withholding supplementary food such as fruit. A heavy infestation of grain mites can be managed by introducing the predatory mite Hypoaspis miles (available for purchase at gardening websites). Parasitic mites are rare in captivity and not covered in the scope of this caresheet.

Further reading/Sources:
Millipedes in Captivity by Orin McMonigle
petmillipede.weebly.com

---------- Post added 05-21-2014 at 09:10 PM ----------

Here's the caresheet, if you guys have any corrections or suggestions for stuff to add please let me know! I've also made a version for print but I'm not sure where to host a PDF file for sharing, you know where I can do that?

Thank you so much a family member of mine brought two home that they found, were going to kill them and give them to a friend. I kinda felt bad for them both so I decided to keep them.

Hey I just got two millipedes from a family member who found them while hiking. They were going to kill them and give them to a friend, but I love bugs so I wanted to keep em. I put them I a kinda smaller plastic bin and cut out a piece of cardboard as a lid. For soil I used cactus palm and citrus potting mix, and cactus mix, which in hindsight is probably not the right thing, but I was panicking because it seemed like they were dying, had probably been in a plastic bag for about 3 hours. They seem to be doing okay, moving around the box and trying to climb the walls a lot, but I am worried if they try to eat the soil. I read that if the soil is too chunky they could get a bowel problem?! Anyways this is my first time owning any type of bug, and I’m a little intimidated. I put a carrot in there just in case they’re hungry. I looked it up and I think they are Othoporus Ornatus, which are native to the area. The bigger one is about 7inches long and the smaller one is 4 or 5 inches. If anyone can give me some pointers or tell me if I’m using the wrong type of soil, I would be very thankful. ‍

 

[RoloTheMillipede]

Cavedweller’s Millipede Basics
Care tips are generalized and may vary by species.
Last updated 05-21-14

Introduction: Millipedes are slow moving, peaceful detritivores, organisms that eat dead plant matter and turn it into soil. They are not insects, but rather of the class Diplopoda. Millipedes share the subphylum Myriapoda and a similar shape with the fast, predatory centipede, but have little else in common.

Millipedes As Pets: They are not the pet for everyone. They don’t like being handled too often. They spend most of their time underground, and usually emerge at night. However, they are quiet, don’t need much space, and are very cheap and easy to care for. Millipedes can be housed together in groups, and come in a variety of colors. Some species can live a decade or more.

Diet: Rotten leaves and rotten wood. “Treats” can be offered once or twice a week (dog kibble, cucumber, melon, apple, mushroom, carrot, ect). Fruits and vegetables should be thoroughly washed and pesticide-free. Uneaten treats should be removed within a day or two. No water bowl is needed, millipedes get moisture from the substrate.

Substrate: 50% dead leaves and crumbled rotten hardwood (oak, aspen, maple, ect), 50% coconut husk bedding. Add an additional inch or two of dead leaves on top of the substrate. Never use conifers or aromatic plants such as pine, cedar, or eucalyptus, as they contain toxic resin. As the old substrate is eaten and converted to waste, add more leaves/wood. Replace with fresh substrate once or twice a year. Chemical-free hardwood sawdust or aspen shaving pet bedding can be mixed into the substrate as an additional food source, but will take some time to decompose.

Enclosure: The enclosure should be twice as long as the biggest millipede. Substrate should be at least as deep as the length of the biggest millipede. Millipedes can be kept in plastic tubs with airholes in the lid (make sure the holes aren’t big enough for the millipedes to escape). Millipedes don’t need cage decorations as they spend most of their time underground.

Environment: Room temperature (69 to 78°F/21 to 25°C). Heat pads/lamps are dangerous for millipedes. Keep the substrate moist and mist every few days as the top layer of substrate dries out.

Handling: Always your wash hands before and after handling. Don’t handle millipedes too often to avoid excessive stress. Millipedes will coil up when frightened, but can also secrete a foul-tasting poison to deter predators. This substance may stain the skin but isn’t dangerous to humans (barring an allergic reaction). Wash it off immediately and keep it out of your eyes and mouth.

Sexing: A male millipede is missing the legs on his 7th segment, instead possessing reproductive organs here. A female has normal legs on the 7th segment.

In some species, such as Narceus americanus and Chicobolus spingerus, the male's 7th segment is also noticeably enlarged.

Life Cycle: Some millipede species breed readily in captivity. The egg capsules often look like fecal pellets, so be careful throwing out waste. Newly hatched young emerge tiny and colorless, and some species take years to mature. In addition to the typical diet, the young also feed on the adult’s waste to obtain necessary gut bacteria.

Molting: Millipedes grow by periodically shedding their exoskeleton. This is usually done underground and may take several weeks, so don’t worry if your millipede retreats underground for an extended period. Do not disturb your millipede during this time.

Mites: Millipede enclosures can host a variety of mites, some beneficial and some not. Larger mites that travel over the millipede’s body or wander the substrate are usually helpful, helping to keep the host and enclosure clean. However, one must watch out for the dangerous grain mite. These tiny, white, slow-moving mites can cover a millipede and infest its enclosure if supplementary food is left in too long or the leaves/wood provided are too fresh. Grain mites can be controlled by replacing the substrate and withholding supplementary food such as fruit. A heavy infestation of grain mites can be managed by introducing the predatory mite Hypoaspis miles (available for purchase at gardening websites). Parasitic mites are rare in captivity and not covered in the scope of this caresheet.

Further reading/Sources:
Millipedes in Captivity by Orin McMonigle
petmillipede.weebly.com

---------- Post added 05-21-2014 at 09:10 PM ----------

Here's the caresheet, if you guys have any corrections or suggestions for stuff to add please let me know! I've also made a version for print but I'm not sure where to host a PDF file for sharing, you know where I can do that?

how are heat pads dangerous for millipedes? Mine comes from Africa and needs a warmer environment.