Hi all!

Bug Boy Wonder

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 19, 2017
Messages
23
Hey all, new here!
When I was younger I always had critters as pets from a 14ft python to pink toe tarantulas. I recently got into naturalistic vivariums mainly for plants, however recently visited the reptile zoo near Newport Beach here in Southern California, and saw a couple gold desert millipedes for sale however they had them labeled as "yellow jacket millipedes".

So my question now that I have learned the millipede is from the desert should I be worried about having him/her in semi tropical invironment with flowing water?

To be more exact.
Temps usually sit around 78-82 degrees Fahrenheit.
Humidity is usually between 75-78%
Substrate consists of leaf litter, eco-earth, activated charcoal (help feed plants and springtails) and smashed up rotting wood.
The vivarium has been establishing for about almost a month, there are a collection of little friends in here consisting of springtails, pill bugs, two diabolical ironclad beetles, roughly 3 verities of North American garden millipede (from the yard), a garden slender salamander, a albino Cory catfish, a Chinese algae eater and a couple water snails and land snails.
Now this is all in a 12x12x18 eco-terra coupled with a mild heating lamp, a standard household CFL bulb, a small computer fan blowing into the vivarium from the top, and a heating mat (for the fish & water temp usually about 80 degrees Fahrenheit). I have a full spectrum LED panel on the way to replace the CFL.

Now my only experience with pet millipedes have been from baby sitting a friends giant African and he didn't do a whole lot.
I'm curious on my millipedes behavior, it moves around a whole lot and never seams to rest unless eating or cleaning. Should I be worried that he's not happy in this kind of set up or is this typical behavior for this species?


Short video: http://s31.photobucket.com/user/GHo...8-4341-A0B2-EC2AACDCE71F_zpsv34u0tov.mp4.html
 

UltimateDracoMeteor

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 26, 2016
Messages
95
Hey all, new here!
When I was younger I always had critters as pets from a 14ft python to pink toe tarantulas. I recently got into naturalistic vivariums mainly for plants, however recently visited the reptile zoo near Newport Beach here in Southern California, and saw a couple gold desert millipedes for sale however they had them labeled as "yellow jacket millipedes".

So my question now that I have learned the millipede is from the desert should I be worried about having him/her in semi tropical invironment with flowing water?

To be more exact.
Temps usually sit around 78-82 degrees Fahrenheit.
Humidity is usually between 75-78%
Substrate consists of leaf litter, eco-earth, activated charcoal (help feed plants and springtails) and smashed up rotting wood.
The vivarium has been establishing for about almost a month, there are a collection of little friends in here consisting of springtails, pill bugs, two diabolical ironclad beetles, roughly 3 verities of North American garden millipede (from the yard), a garden slender salamander, a albino Cory catfish, a Chinese algae eater and a couple water snails and land snails.
Now this is all in a 12x12x18 eco-terra coupled with a mild heating lamp, a standard household CFL bulb, a small computer fan blowing into the vivarium from the top, and a heating mat (for the fish & water temp usually about 80 degrees Fahrenheit). I have a full spectrum LED panel on the way to replace the CFL.

Now my only experience with pet millipedes have been from baby sitting a friends giant African and he didn't do a whole lot.
I'm curious on my millipedes behavior, it moves around a whole lot and never seams to rest unless eating or cleaning. Should I be worried that he's not happy in this kind of set up or is this typical behavior for this species?


Short video: http://s31.photobucket.com/user/GHo...8-4341-A0B2-EC2AACDCE71F_zpsv34u0tov.mp4.html
If I were you, I would definitely take out the desert pede and beetles and place them in their own enclosure. Having water in there is a giant hazard for all of your bugs, and the enclosure is much too uneven and wet for the two I mentioned. Set up a new tank with sand + eco-earth substrate for the beetles and keep it somewhat dry (not too dry though), then get another one for desert millipede and use the Bugs in Cyberspace millipede substrate and sand, and keep it around the 70% humidity mark (might be a bit off on that one).
 

Bug Boy Wonder

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 19, 2017
Messages
23
Alright, so note to self... don't listen to the pet store lol. The beetles apear so happy munching around on wood and mushrooms and "cuddle" each other in the wood lol. I have a mini viv I'm doing I'll put them in when it's ready.

I wish I had something large enough at the moment for the pede. Bugs in cyberspace is the site that made me realize what type of millipede he is. Now they appear to have these guys in a fairly similar substraight but with more moss and less leaves. From my attempt at research on these guys most "care sheets" I come across aren't specific on species and seams to generalize care and habitat across the board. I should have assumed it may have been too wet and that's why he doesn't rest.

Any reason he would prefer wood and moss over veggies?
 

Jerry

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jan 1, 2016
Messages
594
Awesome.e looking set up
Just not the best for millipedes I have a couple for belly toads in something similar
 

Telsaro

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 20, 2017
Messages
37
This is on a different note, but where did you get those beautiful wood pieces for your enclosure?
 

Bug Boy Wonder

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 19, 2017
Messages
23
This is on a different note, but where did you get those beautiful wood pieces for your enclosure?
I collect all my wood and stones, it makes for a better story when house guests comment on things like this. The larger white rock in the viv on the pond wall is a Fossel of a clam/oyster shell the old lady and I found in a river bed near Orange County. As far as the wood specifically, just wood that was a good shape and easily broken. Plus it was full of isopods.

The water I really didn't think would be an issue because I've found pedes right next to small forest rivers/ creeks before (not to collect just observed) idk what it looks like in the vid but the water is only 2" high by 2" deep. With lots to use as a way to get in/out. I saw the millipede just walk right into the water than right back out, not sure how intentional it was.

But I'll put him in something better. Other than amphibians, suggestions for populating this thing?
 

Jerry

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jan 1, 2016
Messages
594
What about a spec of aquatic beetle and isopods I think would do OK in the damp environment
 

Bug Boy Wonder

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 19, 2017
Messages
23
What about a spec of aquatic beetle and isopods I think would do OK in the damp environment
When we do the 80 gal aquarium viv build than I think the beetles would be great but with the space and the two fish provided in the 2x2x12 space of my 12x12x18 exo terra, I feel would be too cramped, I only say that due to most water beetles I've come across tend to stay submerged for a majority of the time and on the larger side. Few and far between I'll come across very pretty water beetles that look black but reflect greens or blues and are about the size of the snails I have in there.

I'm tempted to start over on this viv though since I won't have dude in there anymore.
 

UltimateDracoMeteor

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 26, 2016
Messages
95
Most millipedes have similar care, which is why care sheets aren't too specific on species. I'd keep it slightly drier than for most pedes for the O. ornatus, and have some sand in the substrate as well.
 

Bug Boy Wonder

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 19, 2017
Messages
23
Most millipedes have similar care, which is why care sheets aren't too specific on species. I'd keep it slightly drier than for most pedes for the O. ornatus, and have some sand in the substrate as well.
For the time being I stacked a pile of leaf litter and with a little sand in some extra substrate in the right back corner so there is roughly 7" tall and 5" diamitor of substrate in the back corner hopefully with the pile raised closer to the top it will be dryer at top than bottom I'm thinking it may help until I get another smaller viv. Come across these at another reptile store near me. They don't take care of their pets well, it was actually really sad to see how dry the tree frog set up they had was, coupled with a dead one. Same goes for the gold desert millipede, looked half dead and hardly responded to being picked up the brown morph they had was healthy though. I really wish Millies around here were this size, I know if I go north towards kings canyon or Yosemite I can find larger black millipedes.
 

UltimateDracoMeteor

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 26, 2016
Messages
95
For the time being I stacked a pile of leaf litter and with a little sand in some extra substrate in the right back corner so there is roughly 7" tall and 5" diamitor of substrate in the back corner hopefully with the pile raised closer to the top it will be dryer at top than bottom I'm thinking it may help until I get another smaller viv. Come across these at another reptile store near me. They don't take care of their pets well, it was actually really sad to see how dry the tree frog set up they had was, coupled with a dead one. Same goes for the gold desert millipede, looked half dead and hardly responded to being picked up the brown morph they had was healthy though. I really wish Millies around here were this size, I know if I go north towards kings canyon or Yosemite I can find larger black millipedes.
Yeah, I hate seeing setups that aren't good for the animal. Your setup sounds okay for the time being until you can get another terrarium.
 

Bug Boy Wonder

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 19, 2017
Messages
23
Update::
Got a new terrarium and new millipedes.
So apparently my first "guy" is actually a "gal" and her name is "dude". Lol
My other half got another O. Ornatus but the brown phase, who is male so we named him "mod". We found a couple Hiltonius pulchrus while hiking a female and male, the male is name is "lucky" because he almost got stepped on, and the females name is "marge". And I also picked up a few little Anadenobolus monilicornis.

Substrate is made up of the following: sand, eco-earth, egg shells, wood, oak leaves, activated charcoal, and some organic soil. Everyone seemes happy and burrows often.

 

Jerry

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jan 1, 2016
Messages
594
I have a question the egg shells you just throw them in of rinse them or what works best I've been thinking king of adding but in sure if the best way to do it.


O and awesome set up looks really good
 

Bug Boy Wonder

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 19, 2017
Messages
23
I have a question the egg shells you just throw them in of rinse them or what works best I've been thinking king of adding but in sure if the best way to do it.


O and awesome set up looks really good
Well I wasn't sure how to go about this either. I read recomondations of just letting it dry out than just crunching in your hands.
What I did was:
Step #1 eat breakfast :angelic:lol
I rinsed and then let them dry for a couple hours.
I put them in a plastic bag and took a rolling pin to it. Folding bag over itself periodically till it was almost powder and mixed it in to the substrate thoroughly with the rest of the ingredients.
 

Jerry

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jan 1, 2016
Messages
594
Cool I'll give it a try I was thinking maybe boiled eggs so then I don't think you'll have to clean the shells just maybe let them dry
 

Bug Boy Wonder

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 19, 2017
Messages
23
Very nice looking naturalistic looking set up.
Thanks! I found the terrarium used for $10. The ferns & wood were collected on one of my hikes with exception to the piece of grape wood which is from a much larger piece.
 

Bug Boy Wonder

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 19, 2017
Messages
23
Cool I'll give it a try I was thinking maybe boiled eggs so then I don't think you'll have to clean the shells just maybe let them dry
Yeah I only cleaned the eggs just because you never know what could be sprayed on the outer shell in processing facilities.
 
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