Giant African Pill Bugs?

krucz36

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Anyone know anything about giant african pillbugs?
researching for a friend interested in buying, so not just an idle question. thanks!
 

Steven

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Do you mean pilmilipedes or the pilbugs?

here's a pict of mine pilmilipede, i don't have any experience with pilbugs,...
greetz
 

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krucz36

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guessing: that's a malaysian or madagascan milli...i'm thinking about big fat african pillbugs. maybe that's the one. any thoughts on where to purchase some, that may perhaps survive?
thanks
 

Steven

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Yep, your right, it's a Madag.pilmilipede

I bought a couple as Green Madagascan Globetherium species.
The ones i have are about 1 year old now, what seems to be rather old for these creatures

i'm thinking about big fat african pillbugs
do you have any pictures of pillbugs, so i can see what species you exactly mean?

I know a german invertable dealer who's got several pillmilipede species, so maybe he also got pillbugs

greetz
 

krucz36

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i think you may have it...i'm pretty sure the person i'm talking with wants what you're showing me. i'll have to ask them later, it's about 1AM out here!
thanks so much for the quick response. if you have any dealer info i'd be thankful.
garth
 

Wade

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Garth-

I'd probably recomend your friend look for some other type of millipede. The "pillipedes" are notorious for dying of apparent starvation (despite eating) soon after purchase. Gongyles's is a rare exception to that rule in that his are doing well. I do happen to know someone else who claims to have a group that is doing well nearly a year after purchase.

The most popular theory (propsed by Darrin Venier, I think) is that these creatures have some sort of symbiont gut fauna that allows them to digest wood fiber. If they get too warm (either during shipping or upon arriaval) this fauna dies, and the pede can no longer digest it's primary food, rotten wood. True or not? who knows.

If I remember correctly, Gongyles purchased his pede(s?) soon after importation, and my friend who has them purchased them directly from an importer. This suggests that there may be some truth in the gut fauna theory.

I had the idea that maybe you could replenish the gut fauna by exposing them to the feces of other wood-eating inverts such as termites or bess beetles. I suggested this to my friend when she purchased hers, and she collected rotten, biologically active wood and detritus as a substrate without any sort of sterilization. Nearly a year later, not only are they still alive, but they've apparently grown. I can't take any credit, however, as they may have survived anyway. Still waiting to see if she gets any babies. Now THAT would be something!

Wade
 

Steven

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Hey, Wade

you're right, i did buy mine straight when i knew the ship was in!
I think the secret is the heating, just don't!!!, keep them cold en fresh at about 15°C, very humid and give them plenty of different rotten wood and leaves.

I've seen one of mine not for about two weeks, i think he's burrowing and maybe molting, so i don't won't to disturb him and just only refresh the top layer of leaves these days!

A good advice, don't buy them as your first pede!!
if you do, chose the little ones and look at their colors, the older they get, the darker they are, so bright little green ones are mostly the freshes species!


oh yeah, i think they also do "poop" a lot!, every day there are new little sh*tballs on the leaves, i guess this means that they eat well!

Hopefully one day i can breed with them, first find out if i have a couple !

greetz
 
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