I accidentally dug up a brooding millipede

[plumduff]

When tucking some decayed wood under the moss layer I accidentally dug up a brooding female. In fact I almost threw her out because she was just tucked into a straggly piece of surface moss. The species is Centrobolus Mozambique Fire - the only one I have - am pretty new to this and worried that I may have harmed her or the babies. I tucked her and her little bundle back under the moss. How long do they stay curled around the eggs like this, and how long do they take to hatch. She was moving a little but still coiled around the eggs when I placed her back in.

 

[Connectimyrmex]

I'm not sure, but I've hatched baby myriapods outside of soil. Once the babies hatch, the chance of disturbance death is pretty low (I've dug up brooding Geophilids and some sort of feather millipede in my terrarium). I keep them in clear vials with damp cotton & coconut fiber outside of the terrarium to reduce risk of infection, and I've successfully reared three Geophilid broods and one millipede brood. When the babies are very pale, I keep them in the dark, but I take them out when they gain some pigment (so I can be ready to release them when they're ready to leave). My third Geophilid brood was actually abandoned by her mother in my terrarium, and I had to be their surrogate mother for a week (I used a toothpick to nudge them into a good spot and I gently wrapped them with some red string).

I'm not sure about how a brooding myriapod would react to disturbance with eggs, but if they're anything like ants and earwigs, they might eat a few of their eggs when stressed. Yours would probably do fine, but I would recommend that you make a separate brooding container for your next millipede-mother.

 

[plumduff]

Thanks so much for your reply. I am completely new to inverts. Fish have always been my thing, and yes i was afraid she would eat or abandon them. Certainly Cichlids will eat a brood if disturbed. Pretty sure they were eggs and not babies. To be honest I thought they sealed them up in poop ball and left them to it. I checked a little later on the tank and seen Momma crawling out of the spot I placed them in, so I'm sure she abandoned them without doing the poop ball thing. I'm very reluctant to dig them up as I don't have your experience, and would probably be more of a hindrance than a help. I would love to know how essential the poop ball thing is to their survival.

 

[mickiem]

I don't have experience with that species but I can say a few things. From all I have read of that species, they do make capsules. When I have observed mine making capsules, they wrap each egg as it is produced. They don't lay them all and then encase them. Is there plenty of decayed wood available? Maybe someone will speak up who has seen other behavior, but that's what I have seen. Also, I think they will be fine with as little intervention as possible. I dug up a brooding Glossy Black Pinkleg, but she went right back to brooding. I just stepped back immediately with as little disturbance as possible. Good luck and please let us know how this develops!

 

[plumduff]

Thanks for the insights into species behaviour. Yes They have plenty of wood and leaves available. They like banana and fish flakes. They haven't shown much interest in anything else. They seem to eat mostly the wood and leaves. They have moss in their tank too, and did badly when I decided to do without it for a short time - I lost 2. I am totally smitten by this hobby but find it frustrating that species specific husbandry requirements are so hard to come by. It seems to rely on more experienced hobbyists sharing their knowledge. I will gladly take any advice. I suppose it's just a waiting game now. Any idea how long gestation is?

 

[mickiem]

Is the Mozambique Fire the C. splendidus? (That's what I understand, but common names can deviate). There is a lot of information in Orin McMonigle's book, Millipeds in Captivity. It is a wonderful book to understand various species. It is available on Amazon and the author often spends time here in these forums. I just read quickly through the Centrobolus descriptors and it looks like everything is pretty quick: they mate at 18 mos and live about 18 mos longer. So gestation should be fairly quick also. I highly recommend Orin's book (all of them!).

 

[plumduff]

Mine were sold as Centrobolus sp. Mozambique Fire. When searching for info on them I have seen a few very similar types. Mine have a red face and red legs. Confusingly I have seen Splendidus pictured with a black face and black legs as well as all red like mine. What you are saying about the rapid life cycle makes sense to me. They grew fast - then went through an extremely sexually active period, which unfortunately resulted in no eggs due to an infestation of P. Scaber in their tank. They have slowed down dramatically lately, and I lost two within a week. No apparent illness - just sort of slowed down till they stopped. That book looks great; and I see he also does one on Isopods! The short life cycle is a bit disappointing - not much room for error. I suppose in hindsight a species that is not so reliant on substrate - that will eat more fruit and veg and live a few years longer would have been a better choice for a beginner.

 

[mickiem]

Mine were sold as Centrobolus sp. Mozambique Fire. When searching for info on them I have seen a few very similar types. Mine have a red face and red legs. Confusingly I have seen Splendidus pictured with a black face and black legs as well as all red like mine. What you are saying about the rapid life cycle makes sense to me. They grew fast - then went through an extremely sexually active period, which unfortunately resulted in no eggs due to an infestation of P. Scaber in their tank. They have slowed down dramatically lately, and I lost two within a week. No apparent illness - just sort of slowed down till they stopped. That book looks great; and I see he also does one on Isopods! The short life cycle is a bit disappointing - not much room for error. I suppose in hindsight a species that is not so reliant on substrate - that will eat more fruit and veg and live a few years longer would have been a better choice for a beginner.

Centrobolus are fairly easy, so in that aspect it was a good starter choice. I have the Isopod book, too. He has a smaller book for both Isopods and Millipeds. I have both, the small and the large for each. All excellent.

 

[plumduff]

I have babies! Some very young coma shaped little ones, and a few older ones. I took a photo of one of the bigger ones. Relieved and delighted.

 

[mickiem]

How wonderful! This is one of the species I would love to own someday. Congrats and good job with PATIENCE!!

 

[plumduff]

Thanks. Yes I'm well chuffed. I had a further dig online and have come to the conclusion that mine are indeed C. splendidus.