Flat-backed millipede care?

[vmdraco]

Hello!

2020 seems to be a bad year for me for my 2 deserts and one of my smokey oaks passed away this year, two from old age (both probably around 2-3 year mark) and one from a bad fall I miss them a lot and the tank is painfully vacant. I only have one smokey oak left who burrows constantly and was wondering about looking into other millipede species to keep as I feel a little more seasoned in keeping inverts and am preparing for death fiegning beetles as well. Euryurus leachii was one of the species I saw for flat-backs, but admittedly there isn't a lot of species available for the US that I could get legally or easily, or for a decent price during COVID. Are there any flat-backs that can be paired okay with my remaing smokey oak or should I wait until my one lone girl passes away? I have a feeling that the requirements are very different (a lot of flat back species I saw require a lot more humidity and moisture or need more space) but it couldn't hurt to ask the forum!

Thank you guys! <3

 

[MxChalky]

I'm unsure about flat-backs as i haven't kept or researched them, but florida ivories have been kept successfully with smokey oaks, and are an easy to find and beautiful surface active species. They need similar care to smokey oaks too, if i remember correctly.

 

[Madnesssr]

Most NA Flatback need tons of rotten wood and decaying leaves. I don’t have Euryurus Leachii. But I have Euryurus Maculatus which is a similar species found here in the south. They seem to be pretty hardy. The larger flatbacks are cool to watch, but much more temperate sensitive(atleast from my experience).

 

[vmdraco]

So sorry for the late replies to these but thank you so much for your feedback guys! Given the availability during COVID I have considered ivories as an option for my next adoption, so thank you so much for that. I'm still fairly new to invert keeping so what goes with which creature to be as mindful of cost is important to me at this point. I unfortunately don't see any Euryurus Maculatus for sale anywhere when I look, but they're really beautiful when I looked them up. Figures that the most beautiful are hardest to find.

 

[oliko]

can you house 2 different species of flat millipede together??

 

[Arthroverts]

Euryurus maculatus, the hardiest species in the genus, is hard to find available, let alone really any Euryurus (leachii does poorly in captivity but is the most regularly available species ironically). I agree with the above and would say Chicobolus spinigerus is probably your best option, especially if you can get younger captive bred specimens.

can you house 2 different species of flat millipede together??

Indeed, most round (spirostreptid, spirobolid, julid) millipedes can be kept together without issue; similarly, many polydesmid millipedes can be kept together. Due to their different habitat preferences however mixing round and flat millipedes is generally cautioned against.

Thanks,

Arthroverts