What common millipede foods do your millipedes go nuts over? Which do they ignore?

[WolvesInSpaceMarines]

To clarify, this thread is for supplemental Millipede foods. I’m new to millipedes but I just gave cucumber slices to my two cultures: one for the N. gordanus and one for the C. spinigerus (spelling). The ivories devoured their slice, almost overnight, whereas the Smokey oaks only ate about half of theirs. I also gave each a piece of kibble on a separate occasion, and it was the exact opposite. So I’m wanting to have a chat here and see what other people’s experiences are. Which foods did your millipedes love and which did they kind of ignore? Was it all of your pedes, or only certain species that liked/didn’t like those foods?

 

[BepopCola]

My ivories will hunt down a fish flake to the ends of the earth,
They all seem to enjoy dried shrimps and ignore my carrots. I'm gonna try boiling some carrots to see if they prefer them that way.

 

[MadMilli]

They will die for corn kernels

 

[MontePython]

My D. macracanthus is obsessed with fish flakes (also lichen but that's not supplementary really), but so far has ignored most of my other offerings. (He ate some cucumber but isn't as keen on it as his bigger tankmates)

My A. gigas and S. fischeri pretty much will eat anything? They seem to prefer apple over cucumber (probably has other nutrients that aren't in the cukes), with the former being much more voracious when offered Golden Delicious over Braeburn, which is interesting to me tbh.

Spirostreptidae sp. 8 is more of a browser than anything? She eats a little of everything, but I've never REALLY seen her go nuts over anything. She's usually the first to try a new thing (she's more surface active and doesn't burrow a whole lot (preferring to hide under leaf litter)), but doesn't necessarily go nuts over it most of the time.

That said, all four are REALLY, REALLY into watermelon. It's the only time I've seen EVERYONE try to feed at once.

Not sure about S. servatius - he's still pretty young (just over 10cm) and spends like 99% of his time buried.

 

[Arthroverts]

I second lichen. It is devoured rapidly by most round millipedes. I hear cucumber apparently works well with several species as well.

Watermelon, canary melon, cantaloupe, any kind of melon however definitely takes the cake for being the most eagerly devoured food I have ever offered to any of my millipedes.

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[Madnesssr]

My Chicobolus spinigerus love apple and cucumber

 

[WolvesInSpaceMarines]

I second lichen. It is devoured rapidly by most round millipedes. I hear cucumber apparently works well with several species as well.

Watermelon, canary melon, cantaloupe, any kind of melon however definitely takes the cake for being the most eagerly devoured food I have ever offered to any of my millipedes.

Thanks,

Arthroverts

Yeah so far I’ve only Tried the two above but I want to get some apple and some melons for them. I think they’d like them. I just got some new additions today so we’ll see who prefers what. Thanks for the input and supplement ideas!

 

[WolvesInSpaceMarines]

My Chicobolus spinigerus love apple and cucumber

The cucumber seems to be a real hit with the ivories. It’s definitely something I’ll keep in their diet semi-regularly. Thanks for the input!

 

[SeaNettle]

I haven't actually experimented too much with this. But I usually give a slice of cucumber (weekly) to all my different species as they all seem to eat it. Though I will agree with everyone my ivory's will decimate cucumber slices.

 

[Tidbit]

What about o. ornatus? What do they seem to go crazy for?

 

[WolvesInSpaceMarines]

What about o. ornatus? What do they seem to go crazy for?

I haven't seen one of the ones I got since I put him in and the other one is really lethargic. He's still alive, but I don't know for how long. But he did have a bite of cucumber. I'm going to try some strawberry slices in each enclosure and see who goes for what.

 

[Tidbit]

I haven't seen one of the ones I got since I put him in and the other one is really lethargic. He's still alive, but I don't know for how long. But he did have a bite of cucumber. I'm going to try some strawberry slices in each enclosure and see who goes for what.

Very strange. Mine sleeps on the surface during the day and occasionally explores. Do you give them calcium? I think that helps a lot. I got mine in bad condition but she’s been doing a lot better and I think fresh substrate, moisture, and calcium supplements have helped a lot.

 

[WolvesInSpaceMarines]

Very strange. Mine sleeps on the surface during the day and occasionally explores. Do you give them calcium? I think that helps a lot. I got mine in bad condition but she’s been doing a lot better and I think fresh substrate, moisture, and calcium supplements have helped a lot.

I'll try that. He/she's still alive and curls up and responds to stimuli but that's it. there's calcium in the dirt, but I will add some cuttlebone to see if they all will eat it. Thanks!

 

[Tidbit]

No problem! That was mine for a while too, I hope yours gets better. I sprinkle the stuff on the carrots or greens I provide every so often. They sell stuff for lizards which is what I use. My substemrate is also calcium-enriched too.

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

My Narceus americanus love Granny Smith apples. They also like carrots when I remember to shred them on feeding days.

I second lichen. It is devoured rapidly by most round millipedes. I hear cucumber apparently works well with several species as well.

I have not used lichen before. I assume it should it be boiled or frozen before introducing it to the tank?

 

[Arthroverts]

My Narceus americanus love Granny Smith apples. They also like carrots when I remember to shred them on feeding days.

I have not used lichen before. I assume it should it be boiled or frozen before introducing it to the tank?

I just set it out in the sun for a bit and then throw it in, though I usually test some of the other materials I collected from the area on some isopods first. It is rapidly gnawed off of whatever surface it was growing on. Isopods attack it even more voraciously.

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[MontePython]

My Narceus americanus love Granny Smith apples. They also like carrots when I remember to shred them on feeding days.

I have not used lichen before. I assume it should it be boiled or frozen before introducing it to the tank?

Like Arthroverts mentioned, you can definitely leave it out in the sun for a bit if you've got the weather for it (I'm in the UK, so the number of warm, sunny days are...minimal). I know that the lichen I've gotten in the past has been left in a freezer for a couple days and that seems to do okay too.

It's definitely worth a shot - arboreally inclined species seem to really like it, where (at least in my experience) more terrestrial species don't seem to be as into it.


Out of curiosity, has anyone tried grapes (peeled obviously)? Is there any particular reason they might not be a good idea? I know they can be volatile for a lot of vertebrates, but wasn't sure if there was any reason millipedes might not be able to ingest them.

 

[vmdraco]

I have a Texas Gold, a dark brown O. ornatus and two smokey oaks living together and they all really love the Friskey's dry cat food we used to give our cats before one of them got diabetes. Depending on how often they're above ground, I always find at least a few of the pieces chewed on or almost completely devoured. They nibble a lot on the apples as well not nearly as much as the protein source. I keep it out all the time in case they need a snack, as the cat food can last a while. I used to offer some fish food as well, since we have some koi and goldfish in the backyard, but it's not nearly as hardy as the cat food has been, which is a shame because they loved the fish food, too.

As a treat I sometimes like to put overripe mango in there if I don't like a piece from the package, but they barely touch it they might nibble but otherwise their reaction is "meh". Same with strawberries. I'm mostly cautious to give anything that isn't already recommended, to avoid accidentally making them sick. I'm also a bit new to millipedes (got my first one last July) so I stick to what I know.

 

[zolepede]

Out of curiosity, has anyone tried grapes (peeled obviously)? Is there any particular reason they might not be a good idea? I know they can be volatile for a lot of vertebrates, but wasn't sure if there was any reason millipedes might not be able to ingest them.

I just got two texas golds and they love grapes and strawberries. The only thing I find they don't like is leafy greens

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

Like Arthroverts mentioned, you can definitely leave it out in the sun for a bit if you've got the weather for it (I'm in the UK, so the number of warm, sunny days are...minimal). I know that the lichen I've gotten in the past has been left in a freezer for a couple days and that seems to do okay too.

It's definitely worth a shot - arboreally inclined species seem to really like it, where (at least in my experience) more terrestrial species don't seem to be as into it.


Out of curiosity, has anyone tried grapes (peeled obviously)? Is there any particular reason they might not be a good idea? I know they can be volatile for a lot of vertebrates, but wasn't sure if there was any reason millipedes might not be able to ingest them.

And @Arthroverts, this can be for you too. Is Thyropygus pachyurus a more "arboreally inclined" species? I remember the museum I volunteer at added some branches to their display tank and remarked how much they enjoyed climbing.