Giant Millipede (Archispirostreptus spp.)

Giant millipedes generally grow to be about 10 inches long and can live 7-10 years.  Millipedes defend themselves by curling into a tight ball and secreting oil from special pores.  You should wash your hands after handling millipedes before handling food or rubbing your eyes or mouth.  Despite this, millipedes are very easy to handle and will wander around your hands after they become accustomed to being picked up. 

Availability: *These arthropods are more expensive, so we are unable to give you one.  If you would like to rear a millipede, you may purchase one yourself.  Bridget will let you know a good supplier to go through.

Housing: Millipedes can be housed together in a container, such as a glass or plastic aquarium, filled with leaves and rotting hardwood.  Make sure the container is a little more than twice the length of the millipede.  Just make sure if you are housing more than one together to check what sexes you have as millipedes breed quite readily and your tank may soon become overcrowded.  Millipedes like to burrow, so add several inches of soil or peat moss (pesticide and fertilizer-free) to the bottom of your container.  Keep the cage damp but not wet, to keep up humidity, easiest way to do this is to use a spray bottle on the soil.  You should keep the tank at 75-80 degrees F, with either a lamp or a undertank heater placed under half of the tank.  Millipedes are not fond of light and prefer to hide, so give them a few good pieces of bark or cardboard to hide under.   

Food:  Millipedes are herbivores, and prefer decaying plant material.  Add small bits of fruit, lettuce, cucumbers, or other vergetables to the lid of a jar in the cage.  They will eat it after a day or two.  If you can find calcium powder, or vitamin supplements with calcium, you should dust a little on the food for them.  You can give them water in a jar lid as well, if you feel the tank is not humid enough.