# Millipede Died



## G18241 (Feb 28, 2009)

We bought a fire millipede last weekend and it's died. When we got home we checked up on loads of care sheets on top of what the guy in the shop said, we have changed the food when it's started turning, put her a little milk lid of water, and sprayed her each day.
She was fine when my other half went to work at lunch time, but just got home and she's dead as a doornail. 
Any suggestions??? Cannot think where we went wrong :hmm::?


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## Brett (Jul 21, 2009)

sorry to hear this : victory:


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## G18241 (Feb 28, 2009)

Well the missus is really upset about losing this little one 

Have just double checked some care sheets for temps etc but it seems upto 80 degrees is fine, its been quite warm in our house but hasnt gone above about 75/76 due to the aircon unit we having keeping the gecko cool 

She does seem to have followed everything that care sheets mention so im lost as to why the poor little thing has died


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

there's no way of knowing really, most millipedes are wild caught so could be loaded with parasites for all we know.


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## G18241 (Feb 28, 2009)

garlicpickle said:


> there's no way of knowing really, most millipedes are wild caught so could be loaded with parasites for all we know.


Shes worried its something she has done though bless her 

Have emailed the guy who we got them from cos there were a few together, see if they are OK.

Will buy her another one next week though she liked that one, makes a change as she wont feed / touch anything else


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## joeyboy (Jul 19, 2008)

if the person hasn't kept it long after it being imported it could just be failure to convert to captivity. Millipedes are a bit prone to dieing when conditions suddenly change, some don't convert to eating fruit/veg or mulch/leaf matter that we provide. Some species are much more hardy then others, A.gigas always seem to do well, but some of the smaller more colourful species can have real issues, especially pillbugs..they fail to thrive most of the time, some say it's because they eat specific moulds/wood and they need a certain bacteria in the gut from that.


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## G18241 (Feb 28, 2009)

might get her a gigas then if i can get a hold of one, dont like to see her upset :blush:


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## joeyboy (Jul 19, 2008)

G18241 said:


> might get her a gigas then if i can get a hold of one, dont like to see her upset :blush:


you should be able too, their the commonly kept ones, usually called giant train millipedes, or giant congo millipede, black train millipede etc, basically their very long and have a greater circumference then a lot of the other commonly sold ones, here's a pic of one of my pair which I got from forum member exopet, you might try contacting him actually, he may well be able to source you one. I had a mixed species enclosure, two A.gigas and two of an unknown species I added at a later date, over the last year and a bit the other two died off, yet both A.gigas have been fine and have mated.


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

my millipedes are still alive... one is shedding... i figured that i'd have killed them by now...

i need a millipede mentor to show me the ropes...


the dead millipede... well, things die... sometimes for no reason or no fault of the keeper...

i'm likely doing everything wrong with mine... but one's shedding... that's good i guess..

maybe the OP just got a bad one... that can happen to anyone and if he's doing the right things then he can't beat himself up about it...

try again i say...


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

i should go and take some pics of mine...


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## alspider (Jul 19, 2009)

i had 2 rainbow millipedes from the bts and 1 died not long after i got them home and the other 1 is fine,both in the same environments ect,so i think its just one of those things.


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## HerperShort (Nov 20, 2009)

garlicpickle said:


> there's no way of knowing really, most millipedes are wild caught so could be loaded with parasites for all we know.


as you said, sadly many millipedes are WC as not many people have managed to bred many species. If it was a wild caught specimen then it could have been from parasties or just simply of old age, as you can't tell how old a 'pede is unless its CB...
and just of common itrest was this the species that you owned


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## AZUK (Jul 9, 2007)

I keep mixed colony's of Millies, the key I find is good ventilation and at least 5 " of substrate, varied diet and a steady temp. Sprayed every 2 days but only a mist they dislike it really wet. Mine have bred several times so I guess things must be right for them.


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## G18241 (Feb 28, 2009)

HerperShort said:


> as you said, sadly many millipedes are WC as not many people have managed to bred many species. If it was a wild caught specimen then it could have been from parasties or just simply of old age, as you can't tell how old a 'pede is unless its CB...
> and just of common itrest was this the species that you owned
> 
> image
> image


Yes one of those guys

Going to bump this back up as we had the millipede replace by the other one that was living with it in the shop and brought her home Saturday...this afternoon we have also found this one dead 

Havent took it out of the tub it was in, all i have done is added some food and keep it someone where the temps will be the same throughout the day 

Have 5 'pedes coming tomorrow that i am putting and a exo terra faunarium, got all my soil and moss in buckets ready to go in, some leafs and dead wood in the freezer overnight to kill off any nasties so hopefully this will go better 

Its a shame cos they are such pretty 'pedes


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## joeyboy (Jul 19, 2008)

HerperShort said:


> as you said, sadly many millipedes are WC as not many people have managed to bred many species. If it was a wild caught specimen then it could have been from parasties or just simply of old age, as you can't tell how old a 'pede is unless its CB...
> and just of common itrest was this the species that you owned
> 
> image
> image


do you know the scientific or common name for that?


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## G18241 (Feb 28, 2009)

joeyboy said:


> do you know the scientific or common name for that?


*Centrobolus annulatus as far as i know

sorry bout pink copied it from my sig 
*


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## joeyboy (Jul 19, 2008)

G18241 said:


> *Centrobolus annulatus as far as i know
> 
> sorry bout pink copied it from my sig
> *


hmm not sure then, I was thinking it might be one of the dietary specialists like Epibolus pulchripes but Centrobolus generally do take fruit and vegetables as their diet pretty readily, though rotten wood helps.


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## G18241 (Feb 28, 2009)

joeyboy said:


> hmm not sure then, I was thinking it might be one of the dietary specialists like Epibolus pulchripes but Centrobolus generally do take fruit and vegetables as their diet pretty readily, though rotten wood helps.


Yeah i went round the woods today with 2 buckets collecting rotting wood then sorted it all out when i got back, tis now in freezer to kill off anything i dont want ready for the arrival of the others tomorrow


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