{"id":4396,"date":"2021-08-19T15:59:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T15:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keepingbugs.com\/?p=4396"},"modified":"2021-09-04T21:41:59","modified_gmt":"2021-09-04T21:41:59","slug":"giant-african-millipede-care-a-complete-practical-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keepingbugs.com\/giant-african-millipede-care-a-complete-practical-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Giant African Millipede Care: A Complete Practical Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Giant African millipedes (Archispirostreptus gigas<\/em>) are one of the most popular millipede species and are widely available to keep as pets. In fact, they are the largest species of millipedes in the world, reaching a whopping 30 cm when they are adults. And although they are quite easy to keep as pets, these beautiful creatures are often misunderstood and there are not many guides that completely cover how to keep and care for them. In short:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giant African millipedes are large beginner millipedes that should be housed in an enclosure of at least 90cm x 30cm x 30cm with a tropical temperature of 24\u00b0C to 29\u00b0C and a moderate humidity of around 70%. A good layer of quality substrate is essential for them to stay healthy and also to successful breeding with them. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there is so much to learn and understand before keeping this millipede species. Hopefully, this guide will provide you with all the information and answers to your questions, so you can keep these fascinating animals happy and you can really enjoy them as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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About the giant African millipede<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/span>
Giant African Millipede \/
Giant African Train Millipede \/
Giant African Black Millipede \/
Tanzanian Giant Black Millipede <\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>
Archispirostreptus gigas<\/em><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>
7 up to 10 years<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>
19 cm up to 28 cm (7.5″-11″)<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>
Around 175g<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Appearance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The giant African millipede has a glossy brown\/black colour and with a size of 19 cm up to 28 cm (7.5″-11″), it is a real giant. There are some individuals known to grow up to a staggering 33 cm (13″). Females are generally larger than males and they can differ 5 to 10 cm in adult body length. When becoming adults, they can develop some lighter coffee brown up to almost yellow bands on each segment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is the largest millipede species in the world. The body exists of many body segments and each body segment has 2 pairs of legs. When fully grown it has around 50 to 60 body segments and has approximately 256 legs in total (and not 1000 as the species name suggests). It has a tubular or trunk body shape and on its head are two antennae attached and they have two simple eyes called “ocelli”. When a new baby millipede hatch they are small and have fewer segments. With each moult, new segments are attached to its body and make them longer and longer (and they will get more legs each time). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the 7th body segment is the sexual apparatus located. Although you can’t see that with females, with males the 7th segment is missing one pair of legs. There are the gonopods located, which are two small stumps. When not visible, there is a gap between the legs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behaviour, temperament and handling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

These millipedes are slow-moving and quite docile. They will normally rest a lot of time onto or below in the substrate. They are not very active compared to other species of millipedes. Especially when they are not adult-sized you will see them hide a lot. They tend to be more active during the night, although in the captive environment adults will also walk during the day in search of food. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Millipedes are calm and can live perfectly with roommates (if enough space) or with other millipede species<\/a> (or even other insect species<\/a>). Although calm and quite harmless to humans, they can get frightened quite easily. As a defence, they curl up into a spiral and when they really don’t like it they secrete an irritating liquid out of body pores. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, they can be handled when careful and some millipedes are really got used to walking on peoples hands. It is best to let them walk or nudge them slightly onto your hand, instead of picking them up (also, they try to grab themselves on anything). When you do it carefully and let the millipede decide if it wants to, they can perfectly be handled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All in all, these millipedes make great pets and even with their size, they are one of the best beginner millipede species if you have enough space. They are very popular because of their calm temperament and slow-moving behaviour, and of course their impressive body size. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Housing requirements for giant African millipedes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We start this care guide with housing. A good home is fundamental for your millipedes to thrive. Although millipedes generally don’t require that much space, they need enough surface and properly sized housing. And there are some important features you should consider to create the perfect home for them. All this is discussed in this section. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Type and size of the millipede enclosure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Giant African millipedes can best be housed in a terrarium, repurposed aquarium or plastic container. I prefer to have a terrarium because it has all the essential features that are perfect for keeping millipedes. However, terrariums are generally more expensive than a glass aquarium tank or plastic container. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Terrariums and glass tanks make it more enjoyable to observe your animals and have higher visibility onto your animals. Plastic bins generally have lesser visibility, and even when they are transparent they are less attractive to look at your animals. However, the new market of acrylic tanks is much better when it comes to visibility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good ventilation is key to keep your millipedes healthy and happy. In the case of a repurposed aquarium or plastic container, you’ll need to make some adjustments to the lid so there is enough ventilation. Although these giant millipedes live on the surface floor, they are very well able to climb and a lid is highly recommended to prevent any escape. When a lid is provided you can easy drill small holes in it or cut out big holes and cover it with metal wired mesh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Exo Terra terrariums are perfect for keeping millipedes. This model is the large-low terrarium that we use for raising the offspring of giant African millipedes. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With millipedes, floor space is more important than the height of a terrarium (although some millipede species like to climb though). The general rule is that your choose a terrarium that is three times the adult body length in width, and one time the adult body length in depth and height. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a couple of these giant black millipedes, the size of the enclosure should at least be 90 cm x 30 cm x 30cm (33″x11″11″). Because these millipedes can be really big, you also need a rather large space to keep them in. But, with this terrarium size, you can easily keep 6 animals. If you want much more animals, you should even look at a larger tank. Please respect these enclosure dimensions. Millipedes in the small enclosure will be very unhappy, it affects their longevity (stressful animals are more sceptical to diseases) and breeding results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those cases especially, but also in general, you could also build your own terrarium tank. If you build it out of plastic sheets and clear acrylic plates you could build a tank that has the size needed and desired. However, keep in mind that you make enough ventilation for these animals and don’t forget easy access to the enclosure. The use of wood is not suitable for building your own terrarium because of the high humidity needed in the enclosure. Wood and a lot of dampness do not work really well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’ll also see a lot of netting cages for insects. Although beautiful for many species, these are not suitable for your millipedes. These millipedes need a good layer of substrate and keep enough humidity. That is hard to provide with this type of enclosure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Terrariums that are suitable for giant African millipedes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The following terrariums are great tanks for keeping giant African millipedes. They have all the features you need and provide great access to the enclosure to do maintenance and providing good care for them. Go check them out on Amazon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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