African Giant Train Millipede Care

[HerperShort]

Warning!
This care guide will also work with other species of millipedes, except fro the flat and pill millipedes.


African Giant Train Millipede Care

Enclosure
Basicly the rule of thumb is that with this particular species it is that the tank is twice the length as the largest millipede length and the depth is the same length as the largest one. But you can cheat the minimum size for a pair is an Exo-Terra 12x12x12in glass Terrarium. You can also use a plastic faunarium or a wooden vivarium.

Substrate
A mixture of pesticide/fertilizer/chemical free soil, coco fibre or humus, sphagnum moss and some orchid bark, and with a depth of about 5cm should be ideal for your millies.

Heat and Humidity
The temperature should be at least 24-20 degress C (75-80 degrees F), which should be generated with a heat mat, heat lamp (at these a 40W), or being placed on top of another warm vivarium. The humidity should be at least 60-70%, (if your using this guide with a species of Spirostreptidae
then you might want to make the humidity higher.

Lighting
Millipedes will not require any lighting, they will just "run and hidee" from it. If you do need to use a light, only use a 2.0 UVB (a little tip: if your using a glass terrarium with a screen mesh light (like an exo-terra) cover the section with the light on with a couple of layers of kitchen roll, this will block some of the light out but it may replicate the light that hits the forest floor the rainforest, this is alos handy as it is also light enough so you can see the millipede active).

Hides/ Decor
Use a couple piece of cork bark, or a reptile cave. Many species of millipede will actually burrow under the soil so hides might not be necessary (if they are under ground don't dig them up as they will burrow when they are about to shed). Logs, leaf litter and plant (fake or real) can be used in decoration

Water and Feeding
Millipede require water, like all animals do, so you need a nice shallow water bowl. If its not shallow you will have to but some stones and or pebbles to stop your pet from drowing. Millipede, unlike their relative the centipedes, are vegetarians, or detrivors (Meaning thing they eat detris, decaying plants. People often put millipedes with other species of animals to act as a clean up crew). They can eat:

• lettuce (not iceburg)
• cucumber
• melon
• tomatoes
• bannana
• peaches
• mushrooms
• apples
• pear
• carrots
• tortoise pellets

The food must be refreshed every other day, letting them rot slightly. The food can put in a food dish, or jar lid, or just leaved on the floor of the terrarium.

Caution!
You must not change the soil if your planning to breed, as the adult will build tunnel systems for the babies to crawl through, also the soil will also contain bacteria benefical to the millipedes.
Millipede will have stuff running around there bodies, these are mites, but have a simbiotic relationship to the millipedes (like a catfish in a aquarium) which relieve the millis of food on their legs and relieve them of white bad mites. the reddish brown ones are the good one. Removeing them does more harm than good.
If you do plan one removing the dirt, only remove half of he dirt.
These inverts will release a foul chemical which can stain your hands (which is mean't to smell of iodine but to me it smells like freshly cut potatoes, weird!) and can make you sick. In the flat millipedes they can produce a substance called Hydrogen cyanide which is toxic, as a defence.

But all in all the millipede are a great pet to enjoy for many years (up to ten in most species)

Hope you enjoy. If I have leaved any info out just comment below

An example of a male African Giant Train Millipede (Tiny)

[beardybeast]

very good info, but don't forget misting. Once a day should be fine for anyone who's looking into keeping a giant milly!! These are great pets, low maintenance and very interesting little dudes!!

[HerperShort]

Originally Posted by beardybeast

very good info, but don't forget misting. Once a day should be fine for anyone who's looking into keeping a giant milly!! These are great pets, low maintenance and very interesting little dudes!!

the one thing i missed out, but there also reletively easy to bred. found a baby last night

[beardybeast]

haha...cool!!

[HerperShort]

just some examples of both specimens and habitats.


a adult female Archispirostreptus gigas


a baby millipede (approximately 6 months)


their habitat



a adult female Pachybolus ligulatus


a juvie female Pachybolus ligulatus


their enclosure

[Spencer95]

whats the best millipede speices to keep in your opinion?

[phylliumguy96]

Does anyone know about the Florida Ivory millipede. I am thinking about getting one and I want to know if they excrete a defence aswell.

[HerperShort]

Originally Posted by Spencer95

whats the best millipede speices to keep in your opinion?

in my personal opinon my favourite species has to be the madagascar fires or tanzanian red-legs, but the best for any beginner should be one of the larger ones like the chocs or the giants

[HerperShort]

Originally Posted by phylliumguy96

Does anyone know about the Florida Ivory millipede. I am thinking about getting one and I want to know if they excrete a defence aswell.

don't know that much about the florida ivory 'pedes, but most probably the same as the pachybolus ligulatus but a little cooler maybe. but all millipedes will excrete as a defence. hope this helps

[ch4dg]

the mites that live with the millies....
are they likely to travel to other tanks and if so are they harmful to other invert or reps????