How long can a millipede survive without water?

[OmniaCore]

Hi

I have been caring for my ivory Millipede for about two months now, and left my father to take care of her when I went on vacation. Unfortunately, my humidifier did not work properly throughout the time I was gone. My father is severely inequipped to function any type of technology, no matter how simple it may be, so I just told him the basics of what he needed to know about the humidifier.

When I got home, the substrate was unreasonably dry. It was still a little moist, but definitely not at the desired moisture level. I quickly added water to it and let the humidifier run for about 7 minutes until it was at the desirable consistency.

The thing is, a few days before I left for vacation which started on the 5th, she started molting, and she is still underground.

I haven't smelled anything foul as in, a rotting corpse, so I'm wondering is she in the process of dying or just still molting? It usually takes her around a week and a half to finish, and it's getting to that point now where she should have been done by now and I am getting very nervous.

I've also read somewhere that millipedes run frantically when they're dehydrated, but as I said, she's still underground.

Should I be worried?

Thanks everyone

Noah

 

[BepopCola]

When you added water, did it pool or it did it soak right into the substrate?

Also, how deep is your substrate? Was it the same level of dryness all over?

I've been able to revive millipedes that have escaped who were drying overnight to less-than-a-day.

 

[OmniaCore]

When you added water, did it pool or it did it soak right into the substrate?

Also, how deep is your substrate? Was it the same level of dryness all over?

I've been able to revive millipedes that have escaped who were drying overnight to less-than-a-day.

The Substrate is 6 inches deep.

When I added water, it pooled up a little bit but then sunk into the substrate. I made sure to water the entire tank consistently and ran the humidifier on for a few minutes. In all other occasions, the humidifier keeps the substrate moist so I rarely have to add water anymore unless I deem it necessary.

When I came back from vacation, the substrate had the same level of consistency all over, but I didn't want to dig deeper to find out in fear of disturbing her molting process. When I stuck my finger into the substrate in an area that she doesn't normally visit, my finger was moist, but it was nowhere near the desired consistency.

 

[Arthroverts]

So long as some portions of the substrate maintained a good level of wetness your millipede should pull through.

For the future you could just put the millipede enclosure inside a larger bin, which will reduce evaporation and eliminate the need for a humidifier.

Thanks,

Arthroverts