Baby Florida Ivory Millipedes

I have 5 adult Florida Ivory Millipedes (Chicobolus spinigerus). A little over 2 months ago I spotted a baby crawling in the substrate against the glass. Yesterday, I scooped up a couple dozen and took some photos. The individuals pictured range from 3 weeks to 3 months in age.

Baby Florida Ivory Millipedes:

I have purchased a few of these at a local pet store here in Houston, TX and have had trouble keeping them alive. I set their cage up with moist Ecoearth and gave them fresh fruits and veggies. I kept them at 80 degrees F. I also put plastic ivy in the cage for a hide. They seemed healthy when they left the pet store and died the next day at my house. I used a care sheet for the giant African millipede as a guide. The only thing I can think of is maybe they munched on the plastic ivy and that killed them??? I'm really scratching my head on this one.

I'm not sure why your millipedes died so quickly. It sounds as though they came into contact with something toxic. It may have been the fake plant or something on the fake plant.

Millipedes don't need hides. If they want to hide, they'll just burrow into the substrate. However, they also feed on the substrate, so you need more than just coco fiber which is very low in nutrition. The top inch or two of substrate should be at least 50% decaying hardwood and hardwood leaves. This is the millipedes main food source. Oak works well, as does beech and elm. The rotting wood should be soft enough to scratch with your finger nail, otherwise the millipedes can't chew it. If you can't find rotting wood, you can probably get by with just decaying leaves, but juveniles need decaying wood in the substrate to feed on.

My substrate has 3 layers. The bottom 2 inches is coco fiber. On top of that is an inch of coco fiber mixed with decaying oak and oak leaves. The top layer is decaying oak leaf litter. Once a week, I'll offer supplemental food such as shredded carrot, romaine lettuce, melon or dry cat food. I place the cat food in a small dish; the others directly on the substrate. I remove any supplemental food not eaten in 2 or 3 days.

I keep my enclosures at room temperature, somewhere between 70F and 80F depending on the time of year. I mist them once a week. More important than temperature is moisture and ventilation. You need to restrict the ventilation in your tank so the top of your substrate doesn't dry out in less than a week.

Thanks for the info! I must have set them up wrong. I used just coco fiber substrate with fruits and veggies on top for food. I was scared to use outdoor things in the cage but I see that I need to. I plan on getting some more millipedes and will use your input. Thanks again!

Be sure to thoroughly cook at low temperatures (150F - 200F) anything collected from outside to kill off any pests. Orin McMonigle just published an excellent book, "Millipeds in Capitivity", that covers everything you need to know about raising millipedes. It's a must read for anyone serious about keeping and breeding these amazing creatures.

Thanks for the tips! Cooking things from outside is a good idea. I was worried about pests and didn't want to use things from outside. I'll experiment with that before I get some more millipedes.