My millipede has an exoskeleton "belt." Should I do anything?

BepopCola

Arachnobaron
Joined
Oct 14, 2018
Messages
418
One of my ivory millipedes seems to have some leftover exoskeleton.
Has anyone experienced this?
Is this dangerous?
Will it be removed with time or should I try and remove it?
Pics after I misted them:
IMG-3318.jpg IMG-3319.jpg
 

AuroraLights

Arachnosquire
Active Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2019
Messages
102
That's very strange, I've never heard of a millipede getting a stuck segment of shed like that! And it's super weird how the segment seems wider than the new ones. Actually now that I look closely at it, it looks to me more like the millipede has burrowed through a segment of a dead millipede and gotten it stuck around their body. I've heard that complete rings are only left when a millipede dies and because of the way they shed I think it's unlikely that just a single segment in the middle would be left behind. Plus it looks a bit like some of the pieces that were left when one of mine died. See if you can get a close look and find out for sure. If it is the remains of a dead millipede I think you'll need to get it off somehow, and then you should totally name the millipede Vullaby! :rofl:
If it's a part of the millipede's own old exeskeleton then I'm not sure what you should do... leaving it on might still cause constriction, but if you try to cut it off and the new segment underneath isn't properly formed that could also harm them. :confused:
 

BepopCola

Arachnobaron
Joined
Oct 14, 2018
Messages
418
it looks to me more like the millipede has burrowed through a segment of a dead millipede
Well, that definitely a possibility. I did have some deaths, and I usually leave the dead buried in the substrate. I'll try and cut it off.
 

AuroraLights

Arachnosquire
Active Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2019
Messages
102
She has vanished into the substrate! It'll be a waiting game now.
Well, that's typical. She probably heard you were plotting to steal away her new fashion accessory. :lol: jk
With any luck she might be able to rub it off herself, but let me know how it goes if she shows doesn't.
 

drie

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 13, 2020
Messages
6
And what about keeping the humidity a bit higher for some days? Please tell me if I'm wrong, but couldn't that help with getting rid of the stuck piece? Or maybe adding some more branches into the enclosure to get it off mechanically?
 

BepopCola

Arachnobaron
Joined
Oct 14, 2018
Messages
418
And what about keeping the humidity a bit higher for some days? Please tell me if I'm wrong, but couldn't that help with getting rid of the stuck piece? Or maybe adding some more branches into the enclosure to get it off mechanically?
I had the same thought about the humidity. I've been misting more often for now, just in case.
 

Elytra and Antenna

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 12, 2002
Messages
2,558
I've seen rings get stuck sort of like that after imperfect molts but that ring appears too big to have been an old, smaller ring that didn't clear the molt properly. It probably just crawled through a ring from one that died.
 
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