Items that are perfect to feed millipedes are:
- Fruits such as watermelon, cantaloupe, apples, pears, oranges and pumpkin.
- Vegetables such as cucumber, endive, chicory, carrots, celery and tomatoes.
- Dry dog or cat food pellets.
- Powdered food such as powdered milk, baby powder formula and powdered calcium supplement.
What do giant millipedes eat?
Basically all millipedes (including the giants) are herbivorous detritivores, meaning that they feed on decaying plant matter. This can include decaying leaves, fallen fruit, or rotten logs and stumps. They are not at all carnivorous (unlike their cousins the centipedes) and do not hunt.
How do I care for a giant African millipede?
In order to care for your millipedes, you need to purchase them. Most traditional pet stores will not have this species on hand. It is best to search for a reputable online retailer. Run an internet search for "purchase Giant African Millipedes". Once you have found some companies that sell them, do your background research.
What do you need to keep a millipede as a pet?
You can use a number of different materials for the substrate. An appropriate water source for your millipede is important as well. Most large millipedes you can purchase from pet stores or science catalogs come from the tropics. They require a higher temperature and humidity level than other arthropods commonly kept as pets.
What can I feed my millipedes?
Food for millipedes Millipedes generally eat fruit, vegetables, mushrooms, moistened dry cat food, moistened fish food, rotting wood and rotting leaves. Not all species eat the same. Some species only live of specific food sources such as rotting woods, while others can live off anything.
How do you keep a giant millipede as a pet?
Millipede careEnsure temperature is maintained at 70 to 78°F and humidity is maintained at 60 to 70%Handle millipedes as little as possible; wash hands before and after handling.Do not allow a millipede's secretion to come into contact with your eyes, mouth or open wounds.
What fruit and vegetables can millipedes eat?
While the majority of their diet should be composed of decaying leaves from hardwood trees (maple, oak, walnut, etc) and decaying wood, giant millipedes will eat all manner of fruits and vegetables including melons, bananas, apples, cucumbers, peaches, carrots, and romaine lettuce (but not iceberg lettuce, as it doesn' ...
What do millipede eat and drink?
Millipedes generally feed on decaying plants and organic matter in the soil. They consume saplings, seedlings, flowers, buds, leaves, stalks, roots, wood, and leaf and plant fluids.
Do millipedes need a water dish?
Millipedes will drink from standing water – some people provide them with a small water bowl. But misting, providing a moist substrate, and providing fresh food will keep them hydrated.
How often do you feed a millipede?
To care for millipedes, keep them in a tank that provides 5 gallons of space for each millipede and line the bottom with 5 inches of moss or bark. Feed your millipedes a variety of veggies, fruit, leaves, and wood every day by scattering it around the tank and remove the leftovers at the end of the day.
Can giant millipedes eat strawberries?
Millipedes eat primarily decaying organic matter, like rotten wood and leaves, which should be available at all times for you pet millipede. Although they can solely survive on this food, it is good practice to provide supplemental food items like fruits and vegetables.
Do millipedes eat peanut butter?
Let me walk you through the steps of making a millipede snack so you can have your own “survivor” meal. Materials Needed: Peanut butter or cream cheese. Various fruit and/or veggies.
Can millipedes eat grass?
In well-established lawns, millipedes can also live in the layer of thatch between the grass and the soil. In their natural habitat, most millipedes are scavengers. They eat damp or decaying wood particles. They also eat decaying leaves and other plant material.
Do millipedes eat human food?
Millipedes will sometimes search out and eat earthworms, snails and other insects. Q: DO MILLIPEDES EAT ANYTHING HUMANS EAT? A: Maybe.
Do millipedes eat potatoes?
Millipedes, especially the spotted snake millipede, are sometimes found feeding inside bulbs, potato tubers and on other root vegetables.
Do giant millipedes bite?
While millipedes defend themselves like other animals, they don't bite. Instead, millipedes can coil up into a ball when they feel threatened. In some instances, they can emit a fluid toxin from their glands to fight against predators such as: spiders.
Can I keep a millipede as a pet?
Giant millipedes are fun pets for people who enjoy "creepy-crawly" creatures and those seeking to overcome their fears of them. Giant millipedes are calm and tolerant of handling, plus they have pretty simple habitat and food needs, so they make great exotic pets.
How do you keep giant African millipedes?
0:293:22How To Look After A Giant African Millipede - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipDon't use soil from your garden as it may contain stones or chemicals. The tank should be kept awayMoreDon't use soil from your garden as it may contain stones or chemicals. The tank should be kept away from direct sunlight radiators drafts and chemicals such as fly sprays.
Can giant millipedes bite?
While millipedes defend themselves like other animals, they don't bite. Instead, millipedes can coil up into a ball when they feel threatened. In some instances, they can emit a fluid toxin from their glands to fight against predators such as: spiders.
How much do giant millipedes cost?
Giant millipedes, like the commonly kept giant African millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas), can live up to 10 years if you take good care of. This fascinating pet — which is also called shongololo — is one of the greatest pet you can have....How Much Does A Pet Millipede Cost — Initial & Yearly Cost Breakdown.Product categoryInitial costsYearly costsTotal$210 – $590$45 – $1007 more rows•Oct 29, 2020
What Does a Millipede Eat?
Millipedes eat anything decaying, including plant material, other bugs, and even animals. They are omnivores and are also considered detritivores, which means they only eat things that have died and are in the process of decaying.
A Complete List of 9 Foods Millipedes Eat
Millipedes eat anything decaying, including plant material, other bugs, and even animals.
What to Feed Millipedes as a Pet
Did you know that you can keep giant millipedes as pets with little trouble? While they can be a bit sneaky and are considered escape artists, multiple millipedes can be kept in an enclosed tank in your home. If this is something you’re interested in, great!
How Does a Millipede Eat?
Millipedes eat with their mandibles, a lower jaw, and a few tiny teeth. They are also known as being from the Diplopoda class of animal species. This class includes nearly 10,000 different types of millipedes.
How Much Does a Millipede Eat?
A millipede can eat nearly 5 times its body weight between the time it hatches and once it reaches adulthood. This is usually accomplished by consuming decaying leaves and other plant matter found on moist forest floors.
Do Millipedes Have Any Predators?
A millipede can eat nearly 5 times its body weight between the time it hatches and once it reaches adulthood.
What Are Giant African Millipedes?
If you are looking for a quiet, interesting, exotic pet, the giant African millipede might be the pet for you! Giant African millipedes are large arthropods, and they are usually around 4-12 inches in length. They are either dark brown or black, and they have two eyes and two antennae.
What Kind of Enclosure Should I Keep Them In?
Giant African millipedes do well in a glass enclosure. Glass allows the heat to escape so that their enclosure doesn’t get too hot. A 10 or 15-gallon glass tank with a lid is a great choice for these pets, but if you want to use a larger aquarium it is definitely ok to go bigger!
What Do They Need in Their Enclosure?
Their enclosures are actually pretty simple, there are just a few things that they need to have.
Can I Keep More Than One Giant Millipede in an Enclosure?
Giant African Millipedes are not aggressive towards one another, so it is fine to keep a few of them in the same enclosure. It is important to make sure that they still have enough space and they don’t have to compete for food.
What Do They Eat?
They will eat the plant matter in their substrate, but they also eat fruits and veggies. They can eat most fruits and veggies—bananas, cucumbers, leaf lettuce, melon, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes are all good choices. Just make sure not to rinse their food in chlorinated tap water. You only need to feed them once a day.
Sources
This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.
How big of a terrarium do millipedes need?
The minimum terrarium size for a giant millipede is generally no smaller than 36”L x 18”W x 18”H, or a 40 gallon tank . However, larger is better as long as the space is used well. The enclosure must have a secure, tightly-fitted lid, or else your pet may escape!
How much humidity do millipedes need?
As a tropical species, giant millipedes require high humidity levels between 70-80% during the day and higher at night. One of the best ways to do this is keeping the substrate appropriately damp. Simply pour water in until it’s moist, but not saturated or swampy. However, most keepers prefer to simply mist the enclosure 1-2x/day with a spray bottle of water.
Where do African giant millipedes live?
African giant millipedes (Archispirostreptus gigas) are 10-14” long, nocturnal, terrestrial invertebrates native to east Africa. They prefer to live on the floor of tropical forests, where they hide under fallen leaves and decaying wood.
How hot should a millipede enclosure be?
Giant millipedes should be kept around 75°F. If this is warmer than your room temperature, use a ceramic heat emitter or a heat pad stuck to the side of the enclosure to accomplish these temperatures. You will need a non proportional thermostat to keep it from getting too hot.
About the giant African millipede
The giant African millipede has a glossy brown/black colour and with a size of 19 cm up to 28 cm (7.5″-11″), it is a real giant. There are some individuals known to grow up to a staggering 33 cm (13″). Females are generally larger than males and they can differ 5 to 10 cm in adult body length.
Housing requirements for giant African millipedes
We start this care guide with housing. A good home is fundamental for your millipedes to thrive. Although millipedes generally don’t require that much space, they need enough surface and properly sized housing. And there are some important features you should consider to create the perfect home for them. All this is discussed in this section.
Environmental conditions to keep your millipedes healthy
Your living room — or any other room for that matter — generally don’t have the climate that is required to keep this species. In the wild, these millipedes are commonly found in areas of dry savanna in Eastern and Southern Africa. So you need to recreate the natural environmental conditions in your enclosure. In this section, we discuss how.
Feeding giant African millipedes
We already discussed the food substrate. When you have a high-quality substrate, these millipedes can solely survive on the substrate’s food component alone. The substrate is the most important part to keep a healthy millipede.
Cleaning routine
Now one of the biggest advantages of keeping giant African millipedes is that there is almost nothing to clean. It makes it one of the easiest pets to keep and leaves more time to enjoy its amazing behaviour. Most important to clean regularly is to remove uneaten food at least after 3 days, or sooner when you see mould growing.
Breeding with your giant African millipedes
Breeding with your giant African millipedes needs a lot of patience. These millipedes grow slowly and it takes some time before they reach maturity. However, they are quite easy to breed. As long as you have a male and female (but even better) have multiple males and females, baby millipedes will eventually emerge from the substrate.
How to care for millipedes?
The key to caring for millipedes successfully is to provide them with the appropriate habitat. Millipedes require ample floor space, while the height of the terrarium is less important. You can use a number of different materials for the substrate. An appropriate water source for your millipede is important as well.
Where do millipedes come from?
Most large millipedes you can purchase from pet stores or science catalogs come from the tropics. They require a higher temperature and humidity level than other arthropods commonly kept as pets. All pet millipedes need adequate moisture, which means you must use a proper substrate and mist the terrarium regularly.
What is an African giant millipede?
An African giant millipede, is a popular arthropod pet. Ants. Bees, & Wasps. Debbie Hadley is a science educator with 25 years of experience who has written on science topics for over a decade. If you've never cared for an arthropod pet before, a millipede is a good first choice. Millipedes are herbivorous, so they are easy and inexpensive to feed.
Do millipedes eat fruit?
The herbivorous millipede will happily munch on almost any fruit or vegetable you offer, although they do have favorites. They also require calcium in their diets in order to molt and grow properly. You'll need to know how to prepare their food, how to supplement their diet with calcium, and how often to feed them.
Can you find millipedes at a pet store?
In general, millipedes have few health issues, and you're unlikely to find sickly millipedes at your local pet store. Still, it's good to know how to recognize an unhealthy millipede before you make a purchase, so you can avoid problems once you bring one home.
Do millipedes feel nervous?
Even a millipede can feel nervous! You should always strive to keep your millipede feeling secure and comfortable, even when you are handling it. It's also important to know how millipedes defend themselves, in the event your pet millipede does feel threatened in your hands.
What do millipedes eat?
They are herbivores, and feed only on decaying plant matter, such as fallen leaves, logs, and fruit. Giant millipedes are an informal subset of millipedes that includes quite a few different species.
Where can I find giant millipedes?
Giant millipedes are found in many forest environments across the planet, on all continents except Antarctica. From the Amazon, to the forests of the US and Canada, and to tropical jungles in southeast Asia, various species of giant millipedes can be found throughout a very wide range of locations. No matter the location though, most ...
What are the colors of millipedes?
A World of Colors. Giant millipedes come in a wide variety of colors. While many species have simple, dull, black or brown coloring, many others have striking, beautiful colors and striped patterns. The Giant African Millipede for example has a simple, dignified solid black (or dark brown) exterior, while the Bumble Bee Millipede on ...
What is a giant millipede?
Giant millipedes are an informal subset of millipedes that includes quite a few different species. It refers to a wide range of particularly large species of millipedes, many of which are commonly kept as pets. Millipedes are arthropods, rather than insects (which are a separate, related group).
How hot do millipedes get?
Most species like relatively high humidity and temperatures in the 70 F to 80 F (21 C to 27 C) degree range . If you want to keep giant millipedes yourself, you should first learn about how to properly house these creatures.
How many feet does a millipede have?
No known species of millipede actually has 1,000 feet. The current record holder is a small species called Illacme plenipes, found in California. With up to 750 legs it has not only the greatest number of feet of any millipede, but the greatest number of any species of animal on earth.
When did millipedes first appear?
Millipedes are among the very oldest of all land animals, first appearing roughly four to five hundred million years ago during the Silurian period. These ancient creatures were walking around on dry land before nearly any other type of animal.