HomeGiant African Millipede Care Sheet

Giant African Millipede care sheet

Housing

Giant African millipedes do well with a glass terrarium as their enclosure. This is because glass is great at allowing heat to escape ensuring that the enclosure stays cool enough. Other enclosures such as wooden vivariums are far too efficient at retaining heat.

This millipedes terrarium should be at least 300mm in length and 300mm in height but the more space you can provide the better. The millipede is going to grow to up to 14'' in length so they need a space large enough for them to move around in.

Heating

African millipede require a near constant air temperature of 70-75oF. This is best achieved by sticking a heatmat on one side of the glass enclosure. This heatmat is regulated using a thermostat to make sure the temperature stays constant.

As the glass is only being heated on one side this also creates a small temperature gradient within the enclosure allowing the millipede to warm itself up or move away to cool down.

Decoration

African millipede should always be allowed at least 2'' of substrate. We find the best substrate for this millipede is a soil mix called spider life.

The millipedes terrarium can be decorated with artificial plants for a more natural look. Small natural wood ornaments look very effective and also provide further perches for the millipede. Trailing plants are very good at disguising electrical wires and equipment, as well as providing cover for young millipedes.

Diet & Water

Giant African millipedes eat vegetation. The core of the diet should be a mix of kale, cabbage, and leafy greens. We also always include small chuks of cuttlefish bone for added calcium. We would feed the salad daily to make sure they never run out of food.