Millipede Mulch and Food Questions

[nicolethemilli]

Hi all. We just got our first African Giant Black Millipede this past week. We're using the coconut stuff as a substrate, but I think we need a layer of decaying wood, leaves or mulch over that. I would like to buy some, but what the pet store had was Cypress and Fir mulch. I don't think they would be OK because their natural oils are insect repellents. Am I wrong? I also found some mulch places online that have "all natural" hardwood mulch, but it is marketed for landscaping, not terrariums. Would that be OK or should I get it from one of the online bug places?

Also, how much do AGBs eat? Is it a noticable amount? I have put pear, watermelon, honeydew and romaine lettuce in the cage and, other than a little honeydew that first day, it seems she isn't eating. What might be wrong, if anything? Do they eat the coco substrate? Also, I've heard you should give them some dog or cat food for protein. How should I serve it to her? Do I need to grind it up and mix it into the substrate, grind it and put it in a dish, or just put a kibble in the cage? How often should I do this?

Thanks!

 

[catfishrod69]

im not too sure but i wouldnt be too trusting of the landscaping mulches, because you never know where those come from and what pestisides and parasites are in them...

 

[Galapoheros]

When it was very dry here(just got some rain), I grabbed hand-fulls of oak leaves. I also have old decaying oak I found and buried a little in their terr. I don't worry so much about parasites, the stuff was very dried out anyway, I just wet it well in the substrate. Your milli may be full, the ones over here ate a lot when I gave the food, then slowed down a lot with the eating. They like old banana too. They ate fishflakes also. One is curled up and about to molt. I screwed up, thought one was dead but it was molting, ...it's dead now, learned my lesson:8o. I've read about it but now I have no questions about milli molting.

 

[SabziSandwich]

I would observe how much she eats and adjust the frequency of feedings and amounts of what you give her accordingly; you are probably offering her much more food than she can eat. AGB's eat a lot for a millipede, but millipedes don't eat very much. Fresh food once or twice a week is more than enough, depending on the individual you might want to offer fresh foods less frequently than that.

Fresh foods get messy, including dog and cat kibble. Grinding up dog or cat food and mixing it with the substrate seems like it would make a big mess! I usually offer a few pieces of cat or dog kibble per millipede, whole, in a dish. You don't really need to use a dish, but removing uneaten food after a few days is much easier that way. Millipedes can eat dry kibble just fine, but it does seem to be a bit easier for them to eat moistened kibble, so I usually moisten it. My millipedes also enjoy the occasional thawed pinkie, the bloodthirsty little beasts. :sarcasm:

Millipedes do eat the coco substrate to a degree, but you're correct, they need decaying leaves and wood.

 

[zonbonzovi]

For 2 8" & 2 4" millies, I fill a flat 3" dish w/ veggie & fruit scraps every few days if it's disappearing. The nastier it is the faster it seems to disappear. Half the substrate is oak mulch in varying stages of decay. The smaller millis seem less interested in the scraps but can be seen tunneling through the substrate, like a miner through a gold vein. I agree with Sabzi about the mammal food...I tend to remove it faster than the veggies when not eaten. I've learned my lesson from massive infestations in beetle grub tanks.

If you can't make it out of LA to collect leaf litter/wood, any chance you can connect with local mushroom growers that use hardwoods as a shroom growth medium? More than likely they will give you as much spent wood as you can haul.

 

[J Morningstar]

I would observe how much she eats and adjust the frequency of feedings and amounts of what you give her accordingly; you are probably offering her much more food than she can eat. AGB's eat a lot for a millipede, but millipedes don't eat very much. Fresh food once or twice a week is more than enough, depending on the individual you might want to offer fresh foods less frequently than that.

Fresh foods get messy, including dog and cat kibble. Grinding up dog or cat food and mixing it with the substrate seems like it would make a big mess! I usually offer a few pieces of cat or dog kibble per millipede, whole, in a dish. You don't really need to use a dish, but removing uneaten food after a few days is much easier that way. Millipedes can eat dry kibble just fine, but it does seem to be a bit easier for them to eat moistened kibble, so I usually moisten it. My millipedes also enjoy the occasional thawed pinkie, the bloodthirsty little beasts. :sarcasm:

Millipedes do eat the coco substrate to a degree, but you're correct, they need decaying leaves and wood.

How long have you been keeping Millipedes may I ask?

 

[SabziSandwich]

How long have you been keeping Millipedes may I ask?

I kept millipedes and other invertebrates a lot when I was a kid, but I only got into it again about a year ago. Why do you ask?

I guess now that I'm re-reading my post, it does sound kind of know-it-all-y for a novice like me. I didn't mean to come across like that. The information in my post was a summary of what I've seen on this board, and in pet care sheets and in guide books, and what has worked for me. If you feel any of that information was incorrect, feel free to correct it.

 

[J Morningstar]

I kept millipedes and other invertebrates a lot when I was a kid, but I only got into it again about a year ago. Why do you ask?

I guess now that I'm re-reading my post, it does sound kind of know-it-all-y for a novice like me. I didn't mean to come across like that. The information in my post was a summary of what I've seen on this board, and in pet care sheets and in guide books, and what has worked for me. If you feel any of that information was incorrect, feel free to correct it.

Not at all, I actually just asked because using your own advice I was wondering how long you had a successful colony, if they bred and how things went. I don't wish to correct you nor discredit your words, not my intention at all.