Millipede

Care & Breeding

Introduction

Millipedes are the composters of their natural environments breaking down fallen leaves, twigs and fruit. By breaking down organic matter they release valuable nutrients back into the soil making them accessible to plants and trees.

Millipedes range in size from just a few millimetres long to 25cm in the case of the giant African train millipede. They are slow moving and do not bite making them an ideal first invertebrate. They are entertaining to watch and can be kept individually although I find they are more interesting to observe in a small group.

When scared a millipede will curl into a ball and may secrete a foul tasting and smelling liquid to discourage predators. Because of this you should always wash your hands after holding them. All millipedes have mites, unlike other mites these are not parasitic and are instead symbiotic meaning they have a mutually beneficial relationship with the millipede. It would not be in the best interest of your millipede to attempt to remove them.

Millipedes are simple to provides for they will enjoy fruits and vegetables, particular favourites seem to be carrot, butternut squash, apple and banana. Uneaten food should be removed before it goes mouldy, adjusting the quantity of food that you offer so that most is eaten is a good practice in maintaining enclosure hygiene. Calcium is important for the development of the millipedes exoskeleton It is a good idea to provide an additional source of calcium in the form of a cuttlefish bone.

Feeding

African Train Millipede

feeding on banana

Providing rotten wood and leaf litter from hardwood treed is also important for the diet of the millipede oak and beech have been the preferred source. I have also seen the millipedes removing the bark from oak twigs and feeding on lichens when made available to them.

Water should be provided but millipedes can potentially drown if the dish is too deep. Either make sure the dish is shallow or keep one corner of the enclosure damp by spraying the millipedes can then drink from water collected on the leaf litter.

The minimum size enclosure for a millipede should be the length of the millipede in width and twice that in length of the enclosure. If you are able to provide more space this will only be a benefit to your millipede. Ventilation should be located either high on the sides or on the top. The enclosure should be kept in a warm room around 24˚c. Additional heat can be provided with a heat mat attached to the side. Sitting the enclosure on top of a heat mat could overheat and dry out the enclosure.

Housing

The depth and type of substrate is an important element of millipede care. A substantial portion of a millipede’s diet will be substrate. Millipedes will also burrow given the opportunity and lay their eggs in chambers underground. The substrate should be at least ten centimetres deep. A combination of soil; rotten wood and leaf litter will make a good mix for your millipedes. Extra leaf litter should be added regularly as it is broken down quickly. Over time the substrate will be broken down and replaced with the millipede’s waste in the form of pellets. Because I keep springtails in with my millipedes I do a partial substrate change rather than a full change. At the point that the substrate is as much pellet as soil I chance half for a fresh mix of soil and wood. I then add extra leaf litter to the surface.

African Train Millipede

simple plastic box enclosure

Millipedes would be likely to eat live plants so when decorating a millipede enclosure they are best avoided. However, an attractive display can still be achieved using logs, branches and rocks to create changing levels for them to meander over. Seed pods and moss can also be used adding a bit of colour and variety of texture in the enclosure.

Breeding & Raising

The best way to breed millipedes is to keep a colony of them. The more millipedes you have the better chance you have of getting a male and a female. It is possible to determine the sex of your millipede. If you look at the seventh segment from the head the male will have gonopods where its legs would be. It will look as though the legs on that section are short or missing. Some species show a distinct difference in size between the male and the female with the male being smaller. Other species may appear matt or glossy depending on their gender. In giant African train millipedes, the males have a more matt appearance.

The male will usually initiate courtship by wrapping around the female. After mating the female will create a nest in a burrow underground. She will deposit her eggs which can very greatly between species and also individuals of the same species. Giant African train millipedes have been reported to lay 25-200 eggs. It is best when trying to breed millipedes to disturb them as little as possible. It can be tempting to dig your millipede out to check on it but this can reduce your chance of successful breeding.

Usually, the first sign of success is when you go to remove food from the enclosure to find a baby millipede curled up underneath it. Newly hatched millipedes are white and change to black as they molt their old skin. I generally leave the babies in with the parents. If I were to separate them, I would transfer some of the substrate from the adult enclosure. This is because I have seen the babies feeding on the waste from the adults. It is possible this has a beneficial effect on the young millipede’s gut flora. I offer them the same foods as their parents with extra cuttlefish available to them because growing millipedes require a lot of calcium.

Tanzanian Red-legged Millipedes Courtship

Baby Tanzanian Red-legged Millipede

Invertebrates

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