Narceus Americanus: Questions about care

[mikeandbugs]

Hello! A few years ago I purchased 5 fully matured Giant Pinkfooted Millipedes, and after a year of keeping them one of them died. I didnt think much of it, but just today, (around two/three months since the first one died), I found another one dead.
Some information on how I care for them is that I forage all of their food excluding fruits and vegetables. I live in the pacific northwest so its easy to find oak and rotting wood. I then bake the wood and leaves at about 175 Fahrenheit for an hour and a half. I noticed some growth on the decaying wood, and it looks like some sort of lichen. I baked the wood again to try and sterilize it, but its growing back again. I cant identify what kind of fungus it is or if it is harmful to my millipedes, and I worry that it may be a potential problem.
I also mist their enclosure twice a day, with low ventilation. I dont feed them fruits and vegtables as often as I probably should, but only because most of the time they dont touch it. They will eat cucumber, but i worry about the variety of their diet. Ive tried carrots, potatoes, several different types of greens, but theyre just not interested.
I should also mention that they recently laid eggs, which have since hatched. I am keeping the babies in separate containers and I provide the same care as the adults. I also do not know how old the adults are, but I know they live up to 11 years.
I also provide them with boiled and ground up eggshells and cuttlefish bone.

Questions:
How should I go about the fungus on the wood, and how do I tell if its potentially harmful?
Will adding springtails to the enclosure benefit the millipedes and potentially remove the fungus?
How can I properly determine the current health of my millipedes?
Is there a way to tell their age based on their body segments?
-I know they grow an extra segment when they molt, but i dont know if thats a reliable way to determine the age based on the fact that their already born with multiple segments.
How often should I be cleaning their terrarium, and will their droppings be harmful to them if theres to much in the enclosure?
-I clean the terrarium about once a month, depending on how dirty it is
Am I choosing the wrong foliage to feed them?
-I dont necessarily inspect or identify the type of wood/leaves i give them because theyve never really been picky about it, but there are also some branches they wont eat, and theyre not so enthusiastic about the oak laves I give them despite my research saying its one of their favorites.
Did I misidentify the species?
-The pet store labeled them as Giant Pinkfooted Millipedes, which to my understanding is narceus americanus.

Any and all help would be appreciated! Im not experienced in keeping insects but im trying to learn as i go. I did extensive research on them upon buying them, but i know that cant always be reliable compared to experts who have been doing this for years. Thanks for reading!

 

[The Snailkeeper]

1. In most cases, millipedes of all kinds are not harmed by fungi and molds; they dwell in rotten places after all! If you are concerned, check their legs, if they are black or missing something could be wrong. This could be fungal or bacterial.

2. Yes! It will increase quality of life and certainly reduce fungus. If anything, some might already be in your enclosure.

3. Healthy millipedes are vibrant and active (unless they are underground). Check for wounds and dents in their segments, and check their legs to make sure none are black or nubs (as this indicates legrot). Unhealthy or dead millipedes will often be discolored (dull greys from my experience), completely inactive, or have wounds and missing/rotten legs.

4. Unfortunately, I don't have any information on this.

5. I know nothing about how to tell millipede ages aside from "If they're big they might be adults"

6. Millipede droppings are completely harmless to them. They may even eat them, its healthy for the soil for this feces to be in the tank. If you add springtails, they will naturally decompose it even quicker and make the tank healthier overall.

7. I don't clean my millipede tank at all. I just top the soil off when it gets low and full of droppings (as they ingest soil it becomes more shallow). Springtails and passive isopod species like Armadilliums are my cleanup crew.

8. Millipedes don't need any fruits or vegetables to survive really; all they need is the soil, as that is their primary staple food. DO NOT USE COCO FIBRE/ECOEARTH. It lacks nutrients and can swell in their stomachs and kill them. If your tank's soil is filled with wood, rotten leaves, etc, the millipedes have all the nutrients they need. Of course, they'll enjoy a fruit occasionally as a treat!

9. Millipedes won't touch things that are bad for them or that they find distasteful. I would remove wood and leaves that they do not eat after awhile. Keep in mind that the foliage you feed them may just not be decayed enough for them to chew or consider edible.

10. Sounds like you didn't misidentify, but pictures would allow me to confirm their species.

Sometimes millipedes will just die, no matter how well you treat them. It could be genetic or they could just be too old. You seem to be doing an excellent job at considering their wellbeing and health. Also, you can keep baby millipedes with adult ones and they'll live fine.

 

[mikeandbugs]

Thank you so much! This cleared up a lot of my worries and was super informative. I didnt know coco fibre could harm them, a couple sources said it was good for them so thats what ive been using, certainly buying new soil!! Is there any specific types of soil I should keep an eye out for? Also, here are some pictures of them.

 

[The Snailkeeper]

Looks to me like they are indeed narceus americanus. There should be a layer of leaf litter throughout the tank, near the top of the soil especially. It gives the millipedes more shelter and they will munch on the leaves. There are specialty millipede mixes online you can use, but standard garden soil (without any chemicals such as fertilizers or pesticides, as they are toxic) mixed with decaying wood, leave litter, and crushed calcium sources like cuttlebone work especially well for cheaper.