cypress mulch as edible substrate

petshopguy

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 13, 2007
Messages
141
Sorry for the newbie question.
Getting my first milli's this week.
Can the cypress mulch that is sold for landscaping be used as edible substrate for millipedes. The bag states that it is organic. Just trying to find something commercially available that isn't expensive.
Thanks for any responses.
 

millipeter

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 8, 2005
Messages
173
Don't use it. It comprises essential oils and it is quite acidic and no ideal substrate for millipedes. Use potting soli or (even cheaper) soil from deciduous forest.
 

nuclear_zombies

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 25, 2007
Messages
83
I would agree. we only use cypress mulch for our snakes and lizards, as they are better equipped to deal with variations in ph, etc. I'm not a huge fan of potting soil, or peat (we've had mite problems), or anything with vermiculite. I myself would be inclined to go with coco fibre, it seems to be a good, all around substrate with decent resistence to rot, mould, bugs, etc. Coco Fibre is also STUPIDLY CHEAP, which is a huge bonus for all of us who know what it's like to drop a couple hundred a month on substrates:wall:

I'm not 100% sure about millipedes, but here's a suggestion for a substrate, a mix I use for my centipede: about 1 1/2 cups of repti-bark mixed with about a litre of DAMP (not soaking wet) coco fibre. The quantities mentioned are a basic ratio, you can adjust the mix to suit yourself. Dont forget to pack the substrate down a bit......

Congrats and good luck with the millipedes dude!!!!!:clap:
 

Ted

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 7, 2007
Messages
1,187
Sorry for the newbie question.
Getting my first milli's this week.
Can the cypress mulch that is sold for landscaping be used as edible substrate for millipedes. The bag states that it is organic. Just trying to find something commercially available that isn't expensive.
Thanks for any responses.
i use coconut fiber..its great
 

Luis138

Arachnopeon
Joined
Dec 14, 2005
Messages
39
I use organic potting soil mixed with rotten wood. They drop ova like crazy.
 
Top