Help me pick a millipede pet!

[Wooper]

Hey everyone! For a few years now I've entertained the idea of owning a millipede as a pet! They seem like awesome little critters, and like a lot of interested parties I was totally wowed by the African Giant Millipede (A. gigas). But, after doing a little research into the whole import ban and seeing how insanely expensive A. gigas are, I'm wondering if any of you guys would be able to suggest some alternative millipedes for me!

I'm not a beginner pet owner (I own axolotls, tiger salamanders, and other aquatic critters) but besides my dubia roach colony I AM a beginner when it comes to insects. So, ideally I'm looking for a millipede that is somewhat easy to care for. I'd love something that reaches a large size (6" - 8"+ would be amazing) but I'm not sure how common large millipedes are so feel free to suggest smaller. I'm planning to read up extensively on all of the species you suggest, but there are so many out there that I feel overwhelmed! Any guidance you guys can give would be amazing.

Let me know if you need any more info! I live in Minnesota if that matters at all. Thanks in advance for all of your guys' help!

 

[Cavedweller]

Welcome to the world of millipedes! (and nice username!)

You won't be able to get millipedes that size cheaply or easily in the US. Our native Orthoporus species can approach 5", but aren't known to breed in captivity. They also need more ventilation than most species (but I haven't found them to be difficult to keep once that need is met).

I highly recommend Florida ivory millipedes (Chicobolus spinigerus) as a starter millipede. They might be small (3-4"), but they're very easy to keep and breed. They're also quite active as far as millipedes go, and their black and white stripes are quite lovely.

Narceus species are also popular as pets, but I have no experience with any of them.

I've written up a caresheet that should get you started on the basics of millipede husbandry, but I can't recommend Orin McMonigle's Millipedes in Captivity enough.

(I see you're an artist, always great to see a fellow artist on AB!)

 

[Wooper]

You are amazing, thank you for the link and the suggestions! I was guessing that large millipedes were probably somewhat rare, being that the African Giant Millipede are so expensive and there didn't seem to be an obvious alternative. I'm pretty interested in the Florida Ivory you mentioned, especially since you said they're quite active. Cool personalities are always a plus.

And you're an artist too? I actually do freelance illustrating as my fulltime job, so that's really cool.

If anyone else has any suggestions please feel free to chime in! I'm probably not going to pounce on anything for a while, so there is plenty of time to research. ^-^

 

[Cavedweller]

It was my pleasure!

That's so cool! Can we see some of your work? There are some art threads in The Watering Hole, and you're welcome to make your own art thread. I'm an 2D animation student, but my dream is to be a concept artist.

Bumblebee millipedes (Anadenobolus monilicornis) are a Caribbean species that has been naturalized in the US, if you desire something more exotic but still affordable. I've never owned them but they're quite popular.

Thai rainbow millipedes are probably the most affordable foreign species, but I've had some difficulty with them, despite getting them to breed.

Do you have a supplier in mind? There are several tarantula dealer websites that also sell millipedes, so that can give you an idea of what's available and the prices.

 

[MrCrackerpants]

Thai rainbow millipedes are probably the most affordable foreign species, but I've had some difficulty with them, despite getting them to breed.

Do some of them die even though their enclosures are ideal? They reproduce good for me but a good number just seem to die. I also have a good number that have legs gone. Eventually some of these lose many legs and then they die. Is this your experience? I have tried to "tweak" my enclosures but i always have a good number die off but (as I said) they reproduce in high numbers so I always seem to keep them in culture.

 

[Wooper]

Can we see some of your work? There are some art threads in The Watering Hole, and you're welcome to make your own art thread. I'm an 2D animation student, but my dream is to be a concept artist.

Definitely! I'll make a thread over there with some of my stuff, especially my more insectoid type commissions, muahaha. XD

Do you have a supplier in mind? There are several tarantula dealer websites that also sell millipedes, so that can give you an idea of what's available and the prices.

And no I don't! Any suggestions you have would be great; I could talk all day about who are good amphibian breeders but when it comes to insects I could definitely use some links. Thank you!

 

[Cavedweller]

Do some of them die even though their enclosures are ideal? They reproduce good for me but a good number just seem to die. I also have a good number that have legs gone. Eventually some of these lose many legs and then they die. Is this your experience? I have tried to "tweak" my enclosures but i always have a good number die off but (as I said) they reproduce in high numbers so I always seem to keep them in culture.

Yeah, all of my adults spontaneously died within about a month of each other, but the plings were fine. I've had some minor pling dieoff too though. I wonder if my temperatures aren't optimal?

Definitely! I'll make a thread over there with some of my stuff, especially my more insectoid type commissions, muahaha. XD

And no I don't! Any suggestions you have would be great; I could talk all day about who are good amphibian breeders but when it comes to insects I could definitely use some links. Thank you!

Lookin forward to seeing it!

All the pedes I've bought online were from Bugs in Cyberspace, I think he's got the best selection. Ken The Bug Guy also sells pedes. I don't know anyone who has purchased from Millipedes and More, but they're an option too.

 

[SDCPs]

Thai rainbow millipedes are probably the most affordable foreign species

Of course this depends on who is selling them. Right now I am selling flameleg young for $9.90 if you buy 10 so that makes them more affordable than BIC's thai rainbows . (His are bigger though.) In fact, I'm pretty sure that makes them the most affordable foreign pede in the US at the moment.

Would I recommend flamelegs as a first pede? Well, that's the pede that really entrenched me into the hobby because it is the only exotic pede that has reproduced for me...I had AGBs as my other exotic, but those are notoriously difficult to breed. I have two more exotic species at the moment but neither is old enough to reproduce--Flameleg generation time is short, so the action is constant. However, they are sensitive to environmental factors namely substrate health and will die off before most millipedes if something is wrong, so you have to feed fruits and change the substrate before it becomes totally fecal matter...these are the main preventative measures. Throwing leaves on top of an exhausted substrate does nothing.

On the bright side, the color is amazing


As far as domsestic species, I also highly recommend Chicobolus spinigerus. My favorite native species. It is very friendly.

 

[Cavedweller]

Ooh, I'm glad to hear your flameleg colony is alright and you're back in business SDCPs! I'm not courageous enough to tackle that species yet, but I'll have to keep it in mind.

Wooper, something to keep in mind if you plan on ordering millipedes, you might wanna pick up a culture of springtails as well. They're tiny hexapods that help keep the tank clean and pose no threat to even baby millipedes.

 

[Wooper]

Thank you for the suggestion SDCP! Flamelegs are stunning and definitely worth researching. I think at the moment I'm leaning towards the Chicobolus spinigerus, since after doing some searches people really seem to like them.

By the way, how many millipedes do you think I should get? I was originally planning on just one, but people seem to suggest keeping them in groups. What do you guys think?

 

[SDCPs]

Ooh, I'm glad to hear your flameleg colony is alright and you're back in business SDCPs! I'm not courageous enough to tackle that species yet, but I'll have to keep it in mind.

Wooper, something to keep in mind if you plan on ordering millipedes, you might wanna pick up a culture of springtails as well. They're tiny hexapods that help keep the tank clean and pose no threat to even baby millipedes.

Cavedweller: they're not that bad. I did it when I had nearly zilch experience with millipedes. You are probably more careful than I am, and have far more experience than I did.

Keep waiting if you like but as I seem to be the only seller around (and I don't have mountains to sell--bad planning. Need parallel colonies next time) I'd appreciate it if you'd pick some up eventually so that they are better represented in the US hobby. I'd gladly trade, no purchase necessary. Furthermore, the stock is healthy. I think I inadvertently sold some unhealthy animals which contributed to their bad reputation :avoids eye contact:

Wooper: go find some springtails outside. I have them all over and I didn't buy them!

Thank you for the suggestion SDCP! Flamelegs are stunning and definitely worth researching. I think at the moment I'm leaning towards the Chicobolus spinigerus, since after doing some searches people really seem to like them.

By the way, how many millipedes do you think I should get? I was originally planning on just one, but people seem to suggest keeping them in groups. What do you guys think?

If you are thinking of Chicobolus spinigerus (which is an awesome millipede...very awesome. Almost my favorite millipede period) then you should get a good number. I highly recommend looking through the classifieds section and finding someone who wild collects them...and buy a bunch from him/her for $3-4 each or so. Say 10-20. You will have a very entertaining colony or two with millipedes to watch at all times. You can also put individuals in different environments (set up 3 tanks, all differently) without regret if something goes wrong...it will be a good learning experience and you will have fun. However, that's just what I recommend.



My personal take on things: I gave up native species a while ago:

1) I do not have the time or facilities to keep large numbers of millipedes.
2) Its the exotic species that will "go extinct" in the US...not the native ones, so keeping the exotics is all the more important.
3) The exotic species command high prices and trading values, so your millipede hobby easily becomes self-sustaining...if you avoid disasters and they breed for you. This is a double-edged sword: if you don't do a good job you wind up in relatively deep hole, LOL, and the initial outlay is steep...I have spent easily $1000 on millipedes, not including species obtained in trade.

If the above does not appeal to you, don't go with exotics--at least initially. If it does: thai rainbows or flamelegs or perhaps Centrobolus splendidus. They breed easily (and perhaps more importantly, quickly) I think (not sure on the last one) and so are a good start.

 

[Cavedweller]

Thank you for the suggestion SDCP! Flamelegs are stunning and definitely worth researching. I think at the moment I'm leaning towards the Chicobolus spinigerus, since after doing some searches people really seem to like them.

By the way, how many millipedes do you think I should get? I was originally planning on just one, but people seem to suggest keeping them in groups. What do you guys think?

My personal opinion is that millipedes "prefer" (if bugs can have a preference) to be in groups, just because I notice they stay in close proximity even when given space. Also if you keep just one you might not see it very often, since they spend a lot of time underground. I started with 2 males and 2 females.

One thing to keep in mind if you decide on a group of ivories, keep them properly and you will be up to your knees in pedelings come next year. Luckily if you don't want babies, adults are very easy to sex and you can keep the males and females separate.


Whoa, I feel like a casual pede keeper compared to your investment SDCPs! I definitely agree that exotic species need to be kept by multiple breeders to ensure they don't go extinct in the US hobby. I'll PM you about the flamelegs.


Wooper, one thing to keep in mind if you do ever consider buying immature millipedes (especially exotics). Many species take a surprisingly long time to reach adulthood. I think some species are in the ballpark of 5 years from hatching to maturity. My Thai rainbows and Florida ivories hatched at about the same time last year, and the Ivories are 1/2 to 2/3 grown, while many of the Thai rainbows are barely over an inch.

 

[shebeen]

Also keep in mind that millipedes are susceptible to shipping stress and it's not uncommon to have one die shortly after being received. I usually try to order 1 or 2 "extra" just to be on the safe side. My typical order is 5 or more for an individual species.