So I've been reading this forum for awhile, and I've been falling more in love with millipedes by the day. I really want Bumblebees, I was very excited to learn people keep them as pets, I always loved to play with them as a kid visiting relatives in Florida. I've gotten permission from my family and landlord to buy them, and I have an empty 10 gallon tank I just need to find/make a lid for. I've read all the caresheets I could find and the info on BugsinCyberspace. So the only things really stopping me now are the cold weather and my remaining questions!
1. is there any way to actually avoid breeding, other than keeping the bugs at an uncomfortable temperature? The idea of having to get rid of excess pedelings upsets me, and I doubt I'd be allowed multiple tanks. I'd be a nervous wreck every time I changed the substrate, too. Is there anywhere online that sells sexed pedes, so I could have an all-male or all-female tank?
1.5. If I also had some scarlet millipedes (t. corallinus) in the mix, would that help reduce breeding as opposed to 100% bumblebees?
2. What is the average lifespan of a single bumblebee millipede in captivity?
3. What heat pads do you all use? It seems like most of them don't have a temperature setting, just "on" or "off," which seems like a recipe for disaster based on my experience with fish. And do you use ones that cover the whole bottom of the tank, or only part of it?
4. Do I need springtails, or can I have just isopods instead? And what isopods would do best in the warm, humid type of enclosure that bumblebee pedes like? I love the zebra and the Montenegro ones.
5. How many 'pedes and 'pods should go in a 10 gallon, and how much substrate should I order from Bugs in Cyberspace?
Thank you to anyone who provides input on even one of these questions! Also, I know it's the middle of the night, so don't worry if your response is hours and hours after I posted this. I'll still really appreciate it! And thank you to all of you on this forum already, for providing such a good place to research!
1. is there any way to actually avoid breeding, other than keeping the bugs at an uncomfortable temperature? The idea of having to get rid of excess pedelings upsets me, and I doubt I'd be allowed multiple tanks. I'd be a nervous wreck every time I changed the substrate, too. Is there anywhere online that sells sexed pedes, so I could have an all-male or all-female tank?
1.5. If I also had some scarlet millipedes (t. corallinus) in the mix, would that help reduce breeding as opposed to 100% bumblebees?
2. What is the average lifespan of a single bumblebee millipede in captivity?
3. What heat pads do you all use? It seems like most of them don't have a temperature setting, just "on" or "off," which seems like a recipe for disaster based on my experience with fish. And do you use ones that cover the whole bottom of the tank, or only part of it?
4. Do I need springtails, or can I have just isopods instead? And what isopods would do best in the warm, humid type of enclosure that bumblebee pedes like? I love the zebra and the Montenegro ones.
5. How many 'pedes and 'pods should go in a 10 gallon, and how much substrate should I order from Bugs in Cyberspace?
Thank you to anyone who provides input on even one of these questions! Also, I know it's the middle of the night, so don't worry if your response is hours and hours after I posted this. I'll still really appreciate it! And thank you to all of you on this forum already, for providing such a good place to research!