Millipede mating

shebeen

shebeen

Arachnobaron
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They probably are mating but it's hard to tell from the photo. I found mine mating a couple of weeks ago. If you hope to raise young, you need substantially more substrate in your enclosure (at least 15cm). The top half of the substrate should be a food substrate consisting of at least 50% crushed decaying leaves and crushed rotting wood. Many keepers use oak but almost any hardwood that produces a nut can be used.

You may find this thread useful: http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?260956-A.-gigas-babies

I don't think any special precautions need to be taken to handle a female that has mated. She will bury herself when it's time to lay eggs.
 
pannaking22

pannaking22

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Seal36 said:
Thank you for the infomation on the millipedes and here is another picture of them and I think they are mating in this one too. Does it have to be 15cm deep I was thinking of making it 5 cm deep as lots of people like seeing them when they come over and so do I.

http://s909.photobucket.com/user/Seal360000/media/imagejpg1_zpsda0e9e89.jpg.html
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I agree that it would be cool to see them, but in terms of breeding, having the deeper substrate is a must.

And shebeen, you beat me to that link :)
 
Cavedweller

Cavedweller

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I'm not sure they're mating (especially with substrate that shallow), but they might be courting in that second picture. Adding fresh substrate/leave litter might encourage them to mate, though.

The downside of millipedes is you don't always see them, but keeping them happy and meeting their substrate needs is much more important.
 
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Seal36

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Ok thank you for your help could I get away with using 5cm of soil rather than 15cm as 15cm is very deep and how can u tell when they have defiantly mated. Also how long do eggs take to hatch from Tom
 
pannaking22

pannaking22

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Seal36 said:
Ok thank you for your help could I get away with using 5cm of soil rather than 15cm as 15cm is very deep and how can u tell when they have defiantly mated. Also how long do eggs take to hatch from Tom
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You could keep it at 5 cm, but you likely won't get much, if any, egg laying. As for knowing when they mated, it seems like millipedes have no problems with mating. It's getting them to lay eggs that is the hard part. Females can be very picky about where they lay eggs. If the conditions aren't right, she likely won't lay any, or will only lay a handful.
 
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Seal36

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Thank you for everyone's replies and I will see if I can make it to 15cm but I might have to settle for 10cm instead as there tank is not that tall and they like to climb. Also thank you for the information about the egg laying as I have had different millipedes for 3 years now and never even been able to get them to mate. Other than making the soil deeper is there anything else I can do to help her lay. My millipedes also seem to love forest moss from exo terra is it alright for them to be on it and if I cover the top layer or soil with some forest moss and leaves will that be ok for them. Thanks again from Tom
 
shebeen

shebeen

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10cm of substrate should be sufficient. Female AGBs lay eggs between September and November. Some captive AGBs will lay eggs through December or January. The eggs are laid one at a time throughout the substrate over a period of one to two months. Females need correct conditions before they will lay eggs. Damp substrate covered with 3 to 5 cm of leaf litter seems to be a good egg laying stimulus. Oak or beech leaves that have been on the ground for less than 6 months work best. The eggs will begin to hatch in about a month. A 6 month old AGB is only 2cm, so odds are you won't spot them easily. They spend most of their time under ground feeding on the food substrate.

It's perfectly ok to use forest moss in your enclosure. You should also have a secure lid. The closer the substrate is to the lid, the more leverage the millipedes have to pry it off.

If you're having trouble breeding your millipedes, get a copy of Orin McMonigles' book Millipedes in Captivity. It covers all aspects of millipede husbandry and I highly recommend it.
 
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Seal36

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Ok thank you very much for all that information and why won't they lay eggs at any other time during the year as in captivity they should be able to lay all year round. The lid is very secure and that's good as the millipedes love the forest moss. Also is there anyway I can get the millipedes to lay now as I don't think I can wait until the end of the year from Tom
 
Cavedweller

Cavedweller

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Even in captivity, they probably get a sense of the time of year from changes in the daylight and tiny changes in temp/humidity.

What substrate do you use? What kinds of millipedes have you kept?
 
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Seal36

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I use bug bed which is soil and crushed up leaves and things like that, forest moss by exo terra and old oak leaves. Do I need to crush the oak leaves up or can I leave them whole. I have only had A.gigas millipedes. It's so strange how they will only lay at the end of the year even in captivity.
 
Cavedweller

Cavedweller

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Hm, that doesn't sound like it would have enough to meet a millipede's nutritional needs, especially AGBs, who can eat a lot. It could work as a base to add more leaves/wood to though.

I'd crush em up a little just so they mix better, but being dead and on the ground for a while is probably more important. If they're fresh they can cause a grain mite infestation.
 
shebeen

shebeen

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Seal36 said:
Ok thank you very much for all that information and why won't they lay eggs at any other time during the year as in captivity they should be able to lay all year round. The lid is very secure and that's good as the millipedes love the forest moss. Also is there anyway I can get the millipedes to lay now as I don't think I can wait until the end of the year from Tom
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Only a few species of millipede lay eggs year round. One of these is Anadenobolus monilicornis (Bumblebee millipede). These are a small (6-7cm) but very colorful yellow and black banded species that's easy to breed in captivity. They're commonly available and fairly inexpensive.

The vast majority of millipedes lay eggs only once a year, usually in the Autumn. A small number will lay eggs twice a year. It's hardwired into their genes and you can't trick 400 million years of evolution. In addition, millipedes don't have the cognitive ability to "know" they're in captivity.
 
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Senses-Tingling

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Seal36 said:
Thank you for everyone's replies and I will see if I can make it to 15cm but I might have to settle for 10cm instead as there tank is not that tall and they like to climb. Also thank you for the information about the egg laying as I have had different millipedes for 3 years now and never even been able to get them to mate. Other than making the soil deeper is there anything else I can do to help her lay. My millipedes also seem to love forest moss from exo terra is it alright for them to be on it and if I cover the top layer or soil with some forest moss and leaves will that be ok for them. Thanks again from Tom
Click to expand...
You may have to settle with keeping adult milli's as pets who don't breed. You are being given the parameters for having adults who are likely to mate and lay eggs. The composition of your substrate and the depth will not support pedelings. You can change and have a good chance of success at breeding, or keep the environment the same and use them as display pets. It's up to you. Those of us who breed our millipedes, do so at the expense of not seeing our milli's as often and by having functional environments, as opposed to attractive, or 'pimped out', displays. I have over 10 species that I am breeding and all of them are in Sterilite containers that limit the amount of light and ventilation. Each container looks like a forest floor when I remove the lids. It's not overly attractive, but very functional.
 
M

MrCrackerpants

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Senses-Tingling said:
You may have to settle with keeping adult milli's as pets who don't breed. You are being given the parameters for having adults who are likely to mate and lay eggs. The composition of your substrate and the depth will not support pedelings. You can change and have a good chance of success at breeding, or keep the environment the same and use them as display pets. It's up to you. Those of us who breed our millipedes, do so at the expense of not seeing our milli's as often and by having functional environments, as opposed to attractive, or 'pimped out', displays. I have over 10 species that I am breeding and all of them are in Sterilite containers that limit the amount of light and ventilation. Each container looks like a forest floor when I remove the lids. It's not overly attractive, but very functional.
Click to expand...
Can we get pictures of the outside and inside of the enclosures? : )
 
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Senses-Tingling

Arachnoknight
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Sure. It will take a little while. I am in Florida for the next week and a half, but I'll post some when I get home.
 
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