Housing: Tank size depends on the size of the millipede. 3 or 4 small flat millipedes need at least a 2.5 gallon tank. 3 or 4 of a giant species such as Sonoran Desert millipedes need at least a 5 gallon tank. 3 or 4 Giant African millipedes need at least a 10 gallon tank.
Lighting: No additional lighting required
Temperature: Normal to warm room temperature, between 65-75 degrees.
Feeding: Millipedes are detritivores and eat leaf litter and decaying wood in the wild, but they enjoy supplemental foods such as cucumbers and leafy greens. Make sure anything you feed is free of fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides. Millipedes will also nibble on dead skin, such as cuticles, but they will not bite living skin and cannot hurt you.
Watering: For temperate species, mist every few days. For desert species, allow the tank to dry out before misting again.
Substrate: We use a mixture of 70% cocofiber and 30% peat moss. Do not use pine or cedar shavings since the resin is dangerous for most insects. If you include leaf litter or old wood from outside, flash boil them first to rid them of pests and other contaminates.
Cyanide: All millipedes excrete a yellow/orange cyanide derivative when they feel threatened, which is common when they are handled. Always wash your hands after handling your millipede. In addition, if you handle your millipedes regularly, or if they leave a particularly large stain on your hands or in their cage, you need to do partial or complete substrate change. Cyanide also kills millipedes if they live in it.
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