Question regarding bringing leaves and wood in from outside?

Chyrio

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 7, 2016
Messages
4
Just picked me up a north American millipede (don't know the scientific name off the top of my head). She (i believe) is about 3 inches long and about as thick as a pencil at the moment . Anyways every care sheet i can find says to use leaf litter in the substrate but doesn't specify anything about leaves from outside being used or how to prepare them. I already set the tank up but wanna make sure i did this right. So i have some of that coconut stuff from petco that you mix with water as the primary substrate about 3" deep, then at the surface i mixed in some dead or dying leaves from the birch trees in my backyard. But before i put the leaves in the tank i baked them in a pot for 2 hours at 200 degrees. I also found this decaying piece of a birch tree log with a bunch of some kind of moss living on it and visible signs of a couple spiders and a bunch of mites living inside of it. I also baked that for 2 hours at 200 degrees. When i took it out the moss still seemed to be alive but the spiders and mites all appear to be dead. Leaving the log on the table for a couple minutes there was no sign of life. I also have a little food dish with some small carrots and celery with calcium dust on them. Then i misted the tank off pretty well, the temperature settles right around 75-80 degrees at the surface of the substrate. My little pede took off borrowing and i haven't seen her since i put her in there.... Anything i screwed up or did wrong?
 

mickiem

Arachnoprince
Active Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2016
Messages
1,652
Just picked me up a north American millipede (don't know the scientific name off the top of my head). She (i believe) is about 3 inches long and about as thick as a pencil at the moment . Anyways every care sheet i can find says to use leaf litter in the substrate but doesn't specify anything about leaves from outside being used or how to prepare them. I already set the tank up but wanna make sure i did this right. So i have some of that coconut stuff from petco that you mix with water as the primary substrate about 3" deep, then at the surface i mixed in some dead or dying leaves from the birch trees in my backyard. But before i put the leaves in the tank i baked them in a pot for 2 hours at 200 degrees. I also found this decaying piece of a birch tree log with a bunch of some kind of moss living on it and visible signs of a couple spiders and a bunch of mites living inside of it. I also baked that for 2 hours at 200 degrees. When i took it out the moss still seemed to be alive but the spiders and mites all appear to be dead. Leaving the log on the table for a couple minutes there was no sign of life. I also have a little food dish with some small carrots and celery with calcium dust on them. Then i misted the tank off pretty well, the temperature settles right around 75-80 degrees at the surface of the substrate. My little pede took off borrowing and i haven't seen her since i put her in there.... Anything i screwed up or did wrong?
Sounds like you did everything right! I don't think the rocks are a good idea. From what I have read, they can cause damage to molting millipedes if they fall. They look big enough to be a problem.

If you have Narceus americanus; mine seem to stay underground more than others. Having a deep substrate makes the pede happy but takes away your opportunities to see him. My Orthroporus ornatus, another giant American species stays above ground much more. My Chicobolus spinigerus seem to be the most social; nearly always on the surface. Did you collect it locally or buy him? Can you post a photo of him? I'm sure someone can id him for you.
 
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Chyrio

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 7, 2016
Messages
4
Sounds like you did everything right! I don't think the rocks are a good idea. From what I have read, they can cause damage to molting millipedes if they fall. They look big enough to be a problem.

If you have Narceus americanus; mine seem to stay underground more than others. Having a deep substrate makes the pede happy but takes away your opportunities to see him. My Orthroporus ornatus, another giant American species stays above ground much more. My Chicobolus spinigerus seem to be the most social; nearly always on the surface. Did you collect it locally or buy him? Can you post a photo of him? I'm sure someone can id him for you.
So how much substrate should i put in there so i can see her more often?
 

billrogers

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jan 18, 2016
Messages
216
So how much substrate should i put in there so i can see her more often?
What you need to do is get a bunch of them to keep :D:D I have a 20 gallon with probably 20+ mixed adults and juvies along with a bunch of tiny babies and some of them are almost always out. I also keep them in my closet and because it's dark they seem to be out more.

(Btw I have Narceus americanus)
 

mickiem

Arachnoprince
Active Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2016
Messages
1,652
I'm not sure what the minimum should be. I go by the length of the millipede. So for a 3" millipede, I would keep them in 3" of substrate. So I'm not sure I would take it down much lower. If you want one that is more visible, Ivories are a great choice. They are all more active at night, so maybe spend time with him at night? Hope I am not discouraging; this is just what I do. Someone who has been keeping them longer can pipe in with some advice maybe. ;)
 
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