Managing numbers In a millipede population.

Criteria

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 12, 2019
Messages
33
Hi,

A couple of months ago I managed to add some desmoxytes Planata to my collection of millipedes and they have turned out to be prolific breeders.

So my question is this, how do I manage the population without it getting out of hand?

I'll be selling some, but given how quickly my initial population exploded - from 15 to about 250+ at a guess - I'm worried they will go exponential on me.

Does anyone have any advice?
 

MillipedeTrain

Arachnosquire
Joined
Oct 19, 2019
Messages
78
The only way you can manage the problem is by stopping the source. Do up another enclosure for your male millipedes and start removing all the males of the species you don’t want them breeding in excess. If you remove them from the equation, no more breeding. No more floods of offspring. Or if you don’t want to do that you can regularly sell off your excess babies to people who would gladly buy them. You can post ads online or phone up pet stores. Many are always happy for new captive bred babies and will gladly buy in bulk! If you do decide to separate your male millipedes allow some of your millipedes to age and let babies grow up before you breed again then that way you’ll have a new generation to replace the old generation when it starts to succumb to old age.
 
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Arthroverts

Arachnoking
Joined
Jul 11, 2016
Messages
2,462
Removal would be the only way you could keep the population in check without possibly hurting the other species in the tank, at least to my knowledge.

I agree with @MillipedeTrain on this, but I would say you might have to get rid of them all, since they breed so fast you may not be able to remove all the females in time. You may also not have the time to check the sex on 200+ adult millipedes that are only about an inch or two long.

Hope this helps,

Arthroverts
 

BepopCola

Arachnobaron
Joined
Oct 14, 2018
Messages
418
If you don't mind sacrificing them, Warrior beetles will eat them... voraciously :(


Whoops, didn't notice you were talking about desmoxytes Planata. Not sure if anything practical can eat them.
 
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Polenth

Arachnobaron
Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Messages
460
I planned to freeze the overflow and use them as food for the woodlice. It's possible the wild birds will like them too. So far I've not need to do it, as my tanks are large enough that they can breed quite a bit without it being an issue. The bumblebees will probably need some removed in the spring though. It's not the answer people usually want, but I'm practical about food chains. Everything is a feeder for something else eventually.

This is excluding ones that are rare in the hobby, like the pill millipedes. I'd find new homes for those, but they don't breed fast, so that's years away.
 

MillipedeTrain

Arachnosquire
Joined
Oct 19, 2019
Messages
78
I planned to freeze the overflow and use them as food for the woodlice. It's possible the wild birds will like them too. So far I've not need to do it, as my tanks are large enough that they can breed quite a bit without it being an issue. The bumblebees will probably need some removed in the spring though. It's not the answer people usually want, but I'm practical about food chains. Everything is a feeder for something else eventually.

This is excluding ones that are rare in the hobby, like the pill millipedes. I'd find new homes for those, but they don't breed fast, so that's years away.
Freeze the over flow...of....what...exactly? What species??? :( in all honesty I personally couldn’t justify killing excess millipedes just because I didn’t manage the problem before it got out of hand. It’s pretty easy to separate males once you learned what to look for. The underside of the 7th segment, there will be missing a normal section of legs if it’s a male they will have a short weird little half looking pair of legs, the gonopods. If they’re a really small species look for a large gap that’s usually wider than the normal amount of area between each set of the legs. Females don’t have any interruption in the segments of legs. You can put them on a piece of clear plastic lid or glass container and let them crawl around in it as you look at it from the underside. That’s the easiest way. I prefer a clear glass casserole dish. That way they can’t fall out.

As much as I love millipedes I couldn’t justify killing them :( I love millipedes what would be the point of breeding them in the first place if you are just going to kill them off? Just separate the males after you had a batch of babies or two before it gets out of hand or get another aquarium for the excess and take to the ads and even list them as free if you would really rather kill them instead. There’s people out there who would be happy to take them off your hands.

@Nicholas Rothstein, I would highly suggest you edit your post. You can get kicked off of here for using language like that.

Thanks,

Arthroverts
Just curious don’t get upset I’m only asking because I’m still new here but is that particular word really even that bad considering they say it on the news/tv sometimes and it’s not bleeped out...
 
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Arthroverts

Arachnoking
Joined
Jul 11, 2016
Messages
2,462
@MillipedeTrain, true, but that's sometimes. It's not on daytime TV usually (if it is you gotta be watching something known for it's language), as per the forum rules; I am simply warning him that he could face serious penalties.
Plus, there are some of us who prefer a "clean" forum, myself included. I deal with profanity often enough, so one less source of it the better.

I'm sorry if that came across the wrong way; I totally understand where your coming from, and asking to find out is better than not knowing.

Hope this helps,

Arthroverts

Freeze the over flow...of....what...exactly? What species??? :( in all honesty I personally couldn’t justify killing excess millipedes just because I didn’t manage the problem before it got out of hand. It’s pretty easy to separate males once you learned what to look for. The underside of the 7th segment, there will be missing a normal section of legs if it’s a male they will have a short weird little half looking pair of legs, the gonopods. If they’re a really small species look for a large gap that’s usually wider than the normal amount of area between each set of the legs. Females don’t have any interruption in the segments of legs. You can put them on a piece of clear plastic lid or glass container and let them crawl around in it as you look at it from the underside. That’s the easiest way. I prefer a clear glass casserole dish. That way they can’t fall out.

As much as I love millipedes I couldn’t justify killing them :( I love millipedes what would be the point of breeding them in the first place if you are just going to kill them off? Just separate the males after you had a batch of babies or two before it gets out of hand or get another aquarium for the excess and take to the ads and even list them as free if you would really rather kill them instead. There’s people out there who would be happy to take them off your hands.
In this instance, he has over 250 adult millipedes that aren't much bigger than an inch. Not only would trying to sex all of them take a huge amount of time, it is also very easy to miss one and put a female back in (babies/juveniles would be impossible to sex without some form of magnification as well). Also, considering these are non-native pests in some areas, finding buyers, even if your offering them for free, may not be practical. Getting rid of a few regularly I think is more ethical than letting the colony eventually outcompete the other millipedes. If they are not culled, they will also continue to breed until the whole system crashes due to lack of food. Of course, that is worst case scenario, but it should still be kept in mind.

That's my two cents anyway.

Thanks,

Arthroverts
 
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Polenth

Arachnobaron
Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Messages
460
As much as I love millipedes I couldn’t justify killing them :( I love millipedes what would be the point of breeding them in the first place if you are just going to kill them off? Just separate the males after you had a batch of babies or two before it gets out of hand or get another aquarium for the excess and take to the ads and even list them as free if you would really rather kill them instead. There’s people out there who would be happy to take them off your hands.
This is why it's the answer people don't like, but it's no different to raising mealworms or cockroaches as feeders. The colony is the pet, rather than specific individuals. The ones who become feeders have lived the best life I can provide, which I can't guarantee when I buy animal protein foods. I can understand that people can be squeamish about the idea of being the one handling that side of it, but it's important to realise it's still happening somewhere. Those off-the-shelf animal protein foods are not artificially grown in a lab. Someone farmed the animals and killed them to make the food.

I've done non-breeding setups with hissers kept separately. It's a great choice for avoiding breeding issues. But trying to stop an already-breeding colony from breeding is not so easy. It can quickly get out of hand as it only takes one mistake for a lot of unexpected babies, which brings it back to the original problem.

That said, I hadn't realised the named species in the original post was one of the cyanide jobs. I wouldn't keep those as they're not safe to feed directly in most cases (or handle or really be in my bedroom). But microorganisms will still be able to safety eat them, and possibly some of the smaller detritivores. But not the birds for those ones.
 

MillipedeTrain

Arachnosquire
Joined
Oct 19, 2019
Messages
78
This is why it's the answer people don't like, but it's no different to raising mealworms or cockroaches as feeders. The colony is the pet, rather than specific individuals. The ones who become feeders have lived the best life I can provide, which I can't guarantee when I buy animal protein foods. I can understand that people can be squeamish about the idea of being the one handling that side of it, but it's important to realise it's still happening somewhere. Those off-the-shelf animal protein foods are not artificially grown in a lab. Someone farmed the animals and killed them to make the food.

I've done non-breeding setups with hissers kept separately. It's a great choice for avoiding breeding issues. But trying to stop an already-breeding colony from breeding is not so easy. It can quickly get out of hand as it only takes one mistake for a lot of unexpected babies, which brings it back to the original problem.

That said, I hadn't realised the named species in the original post was one of the cyanide jobs. I wouldn't keep those as they're not safe to feed directly in most cases (or handle or really be in my bedroom). But microorganisms will still be able to safety eat them, and possibly some of the smaller detritivores. But not the birds for those ones.

I’m not saying that animals aren’t killed and harvested for food...and I’m in no way shape or form berating you in any way for your choices either just want to stress that so there aren’t any misunderstandings. I was just curious of your standpoints. It just seems weird to me to keep pets only to kill them off for food, so I was asking but your reasoning does make sense. I just couldn’t do it personally. I would just sit there for hours and sex and separate them all lmao.

Also I was asking you specifically what millipedes species you kept/cull, not the original poster. Like what are the main ones that are the most prolific breeders?

In this instance, he has over 250 adult millipedes that aren't much bigger than an inch. Not only would trying to sex all of them take a huge amount of time, it is also very easy to miss one and put a female back in (babies/juveniles would be impossible to sex without some form of magnification as well). Also, considering these are non-native pests in some areas, finding buyers, even if your offering them for free, may not be practical. Getting rid of a few regularly I think is more ethical than letting the colony eventually outcompete the other millipedes. If they are not culled, they will also continue to breed until the whole system crashes due to lack of food. Of course, that is worst case scenario, but it should still be kept in mind.

That's my two cents anyway.

Thanks,

Arthroverts
I can’t deny the reasoning of culling some to prevent crashes, not saying there is anything wrong with it. I just love them too much to ever want to do that personally and would find alternative options before I allowed it to get to those extremes. That is all. Although if you are purposefully using them for food those are entirely your decisions to make. :)

Haha, I’m just crazy enough that I would sit there for hours sexing them all lmao. My love for millipedes runs deep. I used to breed mealworms and I would spend hours separating the pupae from the larvae and the beetles so doing tedious tasks like that come naturally to me.

Also, you don’t need to worry about sexing the millipede babies. They’re not the issue. Just the prolific adults. You’d want to separate the males and even then some of the females can still hold on to sperm and delay egg laying so even when separating them there’s still a chance that several more will breed after.
 
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Arthroverts

Arachnoking
Joined
Jul 11, 2016
Messages
2,462
I love millipedes too, probably one of my main interests in the vast world of keeping invertebrates. But I don't have the time nor the resources to try and slow the breeding process of a tiny, pan-tropical, "pest" species. They are gorgeous, but I would rather use my precious rotting leaves to rear some other species. I know many other enthusiasts have the same problem, so I usually approach these issues from that angle. But if you're willing and are able to do it, go for it; I can't argue with diplopod fanatics :).

The deal with the babies is that they will grow rapidly and likely molt, breed, and lay eggs before you even see them. I don't know how fossorial this species is, but I'd bet that a few would mature and reproduce before you would have time to catch them. Therefore, it is important to remove all unwanted specimens of either sex as early as possible. You may see them now, but you might not see them again until it's too late.

Thanks,

Arthroverts
 

Polenth

Arachnobaron
Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Messages
460
Also I was asking you specifically what millipedes species you kept/cull, not the original poster. Like what are the main ones that are the most prolific breeders?
The biggest breeders are the bumblebees (Anadenobolus monilicornis). I expect the ivories (Chicobolus spinigerus) to produce a lot of babies once they get going, but they've not been adult very long.
 

MillipedeTrain

Arachnosquire
Joined
Oct 19, 2019
Messages
78
I love millipedes too, probably one of my main interests in the vast world of keeping invertebrates. But I don't have the time nor the resources to try and slow the breeding process of a tiny, pan-tropical, "pest" species. They are gorgeous, but I would rather use my precious rotting leaves to rear some other species. I know many other enthusiasts have the same problem, so I usually approach these issues from that angle. But if you're willing and are able to do it, go for it; I can't argue with diplopod fanatics :).

The deal with the babies is that they will grow rapidly and likely molt, breed, and lay eggs before you even see them. I don't know how fossorial this species is, but I'd bet that a few would mature and reproduce before you would have time to catch them. Therefore, it is important to remove all unwanted specimens of either sex as early as possible. You may see them now, but you might not see them again until it's too late.

Thanks,

Arthroverts
Very true, very true. I mostly have very large species. My only smallest are the bumble bees and T. dollfusi...don’t habe anything smaller but I have zero issues sexing juvenile bumbles. I am a massive millipede nut. My millipedes are kept on a big tall black heavy duty metal shelf rack like 5 feet from my bed and beside my computer desk so that when I’m sitting on my computer desk all I have to do is turn my head and I can see them all. Every time I get up to go to the bathroom I have to pass by my millipede rack so I stop to look at them on the way there and even longer on the way back after my bathroom trip. Lmao.

I LOVE watching them. I LOVE making pretty little salads for them and watching them come out to eat them. I crack up when one of my certain giant green striped millipedes comes out of his cork log and comes up to the food dish, grabs a carrot peel then retreats back into the cork log. Then shortly after he has a few bites he comes out and repeats the process several more times until he has a good stack of carrot peels in his little log and then he eats them all, curled around them to protect his stash. I swear if he could talk every single time he came to the dish and grabbed a carrot peel slice he would say “MINE!” I call him my little hoarder. I didn’t know some millipedes carried their food away to “safety” and find this behaviour ridiculously adorable. I love everything about millipedes. I especially love their little beaks that look like an upside down rounded m...or a kitten mouth lmao. Their cute little beaks and their little antenna and their little Velcro legs are probably my most favorite features. I love how their little antennae gently tap everything as they move along.

I also love when I catch them laying in stacks on top of each other. They could be anywhere they want in the whole terrarium but nope, laying on top of each other in a big cuddle puddle is a better choice for them lmao. (See my pic of my ‘pedes stacked together. )

Imma shush now I could go on for hours how much I love millipedes. What’s your favorite thing about millipedes regarding their features or behaviours? They’re my all time favorite inverts in the whole universe. I love them 2nd only to my two dogs who comes first lol.
 

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mantisfan101

Arachnoprince
Joined
Dec 26, 2018
Messages
1,755
Very true, very true. I mostly have very large species. My only smallest are the bumble bees and T. dollfusi...don’t habe anything smaller but I have zero issues sexing juvenile bumbles. I am a massive millipede nut. My millipedes are kept on a big tall black heavy duty metal shelf rack like 5 feet from my bed and beside my computer desk so that when I’m sitting on my computer desk all I have to do is turn my head and I can see them all. Every time I get up to go to the bathroom I have to pass by my millipede rack so I stop to look at them on the way there and even longer on the way back after my bathroom trip. Lmao.

I LOVE watching them. I LOVE making pretty little salads for them and watching them come out to eat them. I crack up when one of my certain giant green striped millipedes comes out of his cork log and comes up to the food dish, grabs a carrot peel then retreats back into the cork log. Then shortly after he has a few bites he comes out and repeats the process several more times until he has a good stack of carrot peels in his little log and then he eats them all, curled around them to protect his stash. I swear if he could talk every single time he came to the dish and grabbed a carrot peel slice he would say “MINE!” I call him my little hoarder. I didn’t know some millipedes carried their food away to “safety” and find this behaviour ridiculously adorable. I love everything about millipedes. I especially love their little beaks that look like an upside down rounded m...or a kitten mouth lmao. Their cute little beaks and their little antenna and their little Velcro legs are probably my most favorite features. I love how their little antennae gently tap everything as they move along.

I also love when I catch them laying in stacks on top of each other. They could be anywhere they want in the whole terrarium but nope, laying on top of each other in a big cuddle puddle is a better choice for them lmao. (See my pic of my ‘pedes stacked together. )

Imma shush now I could go on for hours how much I love millipedes. What’s your favorite thing about millipedes regarding their features or behaviours? They’re my all time favorite inverts in the whole universe. I love them 2nd only to my two dogs who comes first lol.
Absolutely stunning species...still can't understand how your friend managed to acquire so many awesome species...and always, if you have too many babies I'd be more than willing to take a few off your hands ;)
 

Arthroverts

Arachnoking
Joined
Jul 11, 2016
Messages
2,462
I'm confused. My post was deleted (or at least I think so because I don't see it.) What did I say or mention? I'd just like to know for future reference.
I'd suggest contacting the mods for more info, but your post does appear to have been deleted. All I'll say was that it was a certain four-letter word. I'd also suggest you read the rules regarding inappropriate language again if you haven't already.

Thanks,

Arthroverts
 

Nicholas Rothstein

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 7, 2019
Messages
167
I'd suggest contacting the mods for more info, but your post does appear to have been deleted. All I'll say was that it was a certain four-letter word. I'd also suggest you read the rules regarding inappropriate language again if you haven't already.

Thanks,

Arthroverts
Huh, thanks for letting me know. I do not recall using any four-letter words that I consider profane. I'll be mindful of my use of language. Apologies if it was upsetting. :)
 

Criteria

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 12, 2019
Messages
33
Just want to say a big thank you for all the replies, and apologies for the lack of response.

In any case, I though I'd fill you all in on the outcome.

I decided with a heavy heart to sell my Desmoxytes, but it turns out I was WAY out on the numbers. Forget 250+, it turned out to be around 2500!

I spent a lot of time building their environment based off scientific papers I read online and it definitely wasn't designed for easy extraction. It took me about a week to remove them and I still have some left that are moulting in the substrate so I'll be dealing with them when they finally surface.

Fortunately I found a decent buyer here in the UK that is planning on culturing them, so there will be a constant supply for the future without the need for wild caught imports. So, it all turned out for the best in the end.

Moral of the story - definitely sex your millipedes if you have more than a couple and you don't want them to go exponential on you.
 
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