argggg one of my new african giant black millies died inside two weeks!!!

xBurntBytheSunx

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 16, 2003
Messages
1,022
so dissapointing....i love those things! so big and pretty, dissapointing that the one only lasted a week...the worst thing about it is my friend had borrowed them b/c he is a substitute teacher and he wanted to show them to his students. since it died while he had it he has decided he has to take responsibility for it and by me another, even though i'm sure he had nothing to do with it, and now he's insisting on buying me another.

he said the head looked chewed, they don't ever fight do they? i don't know what happened, i suppose it could have been just about anything, maybe even old age.

the only good thing is now we have a good excuse to go back to the reptile show and get more bugs :D

btw does anybody know how to sex them? i bought them as a pair b/c i wanted to breed them, especially with all this talk of banning importation... but since i only have the one now i'll need to know how to do that.
 
Last edited:

Crunchie

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 1, 2004
Messages
852
Although this site is far away from being complete there is a sexing guide (which will be improved on) but it should help you out.

http://www.pet-pedes.co.uk/

As for the face looking chewed could the millipede have had mites or fungus? Did you notice anything clumped around the mouthparts for example?
 

J Morningstar

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 13, 2003
Messages
1,314
I have had some of my millipedes get the "chewed face condition" before. Disturbing as hell. It did always accompany the infection of "bad mites". I also had small ants eating the legs of my millipedes off once. That was a total bite, throw out all substrate, buy all new stuff and started again.
I am NOT saying that is what you should do, just what I had to do.
Sorry for your loss.
Oh.. the reason for chiming in, No, millipedes do not eat or bite each other. They can kill smaller and weaker millipedes in an attempt to mate, and millipedes of all sizes will eat the remains of other millipedes once their dead but I have never witnessed millipedes biting each other in the 5 years of keeping I have done. My AGB's even groom each other very socially, all sleep in the same "tree" as well.
I have also lost a deal of "pet bugs" within the first weeks of aquiring them, some times I just don't think they can adjust.
 
Last edited:

xBurntBytheSunx

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 16, 2003
Messages
1,022
well i told my friend the thing could have been 10 yrs old when i bought it.... just one of those things. hopefully i can find some more for a decent price
 
Top