First time owner with a few questions!

Ricochet

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 29, 2014
Messages
2
Hello all.....I typed this once and somehow deleted it trying to add a pic.... soooooo I wont be adding a pic this time. Sorry. I have recently became a new owner to a chocolate millipede. I have done lots of research and so far the care sheet provided on this site is the best. I still havent found the answer to a couple of questions I have. How often should I expect my pede to shed/molt? And what are some signs its about to happen? How long can it take? Also any other info anyone wants to provide is appreciated. Thanks so much!
 

CrawlinChaos

Arachnosquire
Joined
Mar 21, 2014
Messages
100
So, from what I can tell, millipedes will molt on a fairly regular basis, though the regularity probably depends on their living conditions (food, humidity, temperature, etc). When they do, they'll disappear under the substrate for awhile and then reemerge bigger and better than ever. I don't know if there are any signs to indicate that its going to happen, besides maybe that they start to look a little 'worn out' or dull. The exact time they spend underground also seems to vary. I think the average molt time might be like a week or two, though my Orthoporus took like a month to molt. This is all mostly based on what I've read and observed, but to be honest I'm a little fuzzy on it myself. Its hard to tell really, because once the millipede goes under the substrate to molt, they definitely should be left undisturbed, so its not like you can keep digging them up to check. Maybe I should start tagging mine so I can tell which one has molted, lol.
 

Ricochet

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 29, 2014
Messages
2
Thanks so much! It is pretty obvious with all the critters I keep and didnt know if it would be with pedes. I dont plan on handling him or her too much just because we are really condoners of handling our reptiles. We only handle them when it ia necessary for cleaning or inspecting...etc....or if we use them for educational purposes. I appreciate your feed back though! Thanks so much again!
 

CrawlinChaos

Arachnosquire
Joined
Mar 21, 2014
Messages
100
Its no problem at all. I wish I could give you a more definite answer, but at least for my animals, when it comes to molting I just let them take care of themselves. My general rule is, unless something starts to smell really bad (i.e. dead millipede), you should never dig around in the enclosure substrate, even if you're millipedes disappears for a long time. Not only could you disturb a molting millipede, but you could also damage any teeny tiny babies that might be present (if you're lucky enough to have them). As far as handling goes, of course handling should be kept to minimum, but I personally think that millipedes are excellent when it comes to handling. When I handle mine, I always let them curl up first, then sort of slide them into the palm of my hand and then wait for them to uncurl on their own. When it comes time to let them off, I just put my hand down and let them crawl off on their own (sometimes they are pretty reluctant to do so). In my opinion, the inherent flexibility of millipedes means that its unlikely you're going to damage them as long as you are gentle and don't do something dramatic, like dropping them. Their almost like snakes in that regards.
 

SDCPs

Arachnolord
Joined
Feb 8, 2012
Messages
659
Yeah, as long as you don't drop them or pull their legs off they should be fine with regular handling :)

My website also has a millipede care sheet. So does bugs in cyberspace (I think). Could compare and contrast those.
 
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