African Millipedes Are Popular Pets
October 19th, 2009 Posted in Centipedes & Millipedes 
One of the largest species of millipedes out there, the African millipede is a perfect pet. Wait, who would want a millipede for a pet?
This article will discuss info about the African millipede:
Identification
Actually, a lot of people have this kind of millipede as a pet. Growing anywhere from 7.5 to 11 inches, this makes them the largest millipedes on the planet. Most millipedes grow to 5 inches at most, so this is an unusual size for your typical millipede.
This species of millipede has the same dark brown color covering its body. They’re found in tropical and sub tropical west Africa, but with their growing popularity as pets they’re becoming hard to come by. Since they are millipedes, they have two legs per section of their cylindrical body.
Thus they have a ton of legs, that along with their body’s movement appears wavelike whenever they crawl around. When in their normal African habitat they bury themselves as close to moisture as they can get. They are so peaceful, and just rest in the shade of a tree or bush when not looking for food or water.
Because they’re so docile and gentle, they make great pets. They can even comfortably live in a fish tank as long as they have a few amenities from the outside world. However, if handled in the wrong way, they do react in their own defense.
Upon feeling threatened, they roll themselves up into a ball behind their thick exoskeleton. Sometimes, they can also excrete a foul fluid from their bodies. This fluid can be harmful if ingested or if you get it in your eyes. Don’t worry about this happening to you because it is very uncommon for the African millipede to spray you, unless you’re physically harming them.
Diet
It’s necessary to feed your millipede healthy in order for it to survive in captivity, if you’re keeping one as a pet. Cut-up apples or cucumbers will really help keep your millipede happy, even though they don’t really require much attention to begin with.
Most millipedes are considered detritus feeders. That means they eat decaying leaves and plants. The African millipede is no exception to the rule, commonly eating plant roots, dead leaves, fungus, and even their own feces sometimes.
Scientists believe some species eat their own feces because of the fungus growing inside of it is healthy. It’s good to feed them rotting wood as well because the calcium from the wood will help to keep the millipedes stronger and have a longer lifespan.
They need calcium to help when they occasionally molt and form new exoskeletons. Their diet should include about 50% plant parts and 50% old wood. The wood is not only important for calcium, but necessary for the millipedes to burrow through.
A millipede needs to burrow for egg laying and molting, thus wood is really important. If you keep them in a tank make sure to have a lot of foliage at the bottom for them to dig through as well.
Management
Since the staple in a millipede’s diet is plants and wood, they tend to be a big nuisance in gardens and greenhouses. Eating the roots of plants, burrowing into already dying trees, and hurting your garden’s soil; they can ruin your backyard in no time.
A species of millipede common in Japan has even cause problems with transportation. So many millipedes were all over the train tracks of Japan’s cities that large numbers of them were crushed by the trains. These crushed millipedes would stick to the tracks, causing the railroad cars to lose traction.
This lead to major delays throughout the affected areas. To avoid millipedes causing chaos in your garden use EcoSMART’s organic insecticides. Proven safe around children and animals, it’s the best way to get rid of them as nuisances in your garden.
33 Comments | The First 1,000 to Comment (Starting 12/21/2009) Will Become EcoSMART Product Testers!
By M on Oct 23, 2009
That’s one pet I’ll pass on having lol
By felecia digsby on Oct 23, 2009
I don’t think this will be pet for my family but my 2 year old would probably love it. She is a bug lover!
By Emma on Oct 23, 2009
My 13 year old son would love it!!!
By Amanda on Oct 23, 2009
I live on a dirt road with a lot of surrounding trees & these are everywhere.
We found an abundance in our veggie garden.
I could really help you to test products…
Please add me to your “Product Testing” database
By Tracey Byram on Oct 23, 2009
My son has a redtailed pygmy boa as a pet. That is as exotic a pet as I am going to go. Especially since it got out of it’s tank the first night he got it and was loose in the house for 2 weeks until we found it.
By Tim on Oct 23, 2009
Millipedes are actually very beneficial predators in your garden. I’m happy to have them as a pet.
By Anne on Oct 23, 2009
I think I would have to pass on this
By Assia Mihova on Oct 23, 2009
Hi, I’m so excited and wanted to participate the last and hope to be able to this time.
By Kai on Oct 23, 2009
Where can I get African Millipedes? My kids would love to feed them leaves and wood and see them grow.
By Oz on Oct 23, 2009
This sounds like a great idea – I really liked playing with these as a kid
By AMY SMITH on Oct 23, 2009
I would love to try this product
By OJ on Oct 23, 2009
I don’t know about having this as a pet.
By ROBERT MORTENSON on Oct 23, 2009
my son is an insectfanatic. he has more bumps and buises from diving after a new bug than playing any other activity. i know he would want one of these as a pet, to go with his 2 turtle 2 lizards ,bearded dragon and butterflies
By Holly on Oct 23, 2009
My boys would love to have that as a pet! Sounds like a great homeschooling project.
By Chris on Oct 23, 2009
I’d love to try this out as a pet…hopefully they last long!
By McAslan on Oct 23, 2009
How do I deal with the little 2cm or 1 inch pedes that come into my house every summer. Often these guys invade, I don’t know where from or what is their diet.
I do know that if I treat my lwan with a diazanon based bug killer then they never come in tot eh house that year.
I’d like an ecological solution.
By Danielle Rossman on Oct 23, 2009
This is a very Eco-Sound idea!!
By Kelli on Oct 23, 2009
I am facinated by different types of bugs but this is one I would not want as a housepet yuck!
By Laura on Oct 23, 2009
I’m delighted to know a person can rid several crawly critters with Organic products instead of potentially hazardous chemical based products that can have neurologic effetcs on humans or animals, especially the developing central nervous systems of our young. I would appreciate being able to sample these products.
By angie hampton on Oct 23, 2009
What a way to learn about a new umm insect?
Gross tho. I don’t think I want one as a pet.
By hang on Oct 23, 2009
cool stuff. love eco friendly products
By hang on Oct 23, 2009
nice. they never look that scary in the picture until you get one up close and personal!
By Gwen on Oct 23, 2009
Reminds me of my seventh grade science teacher who had cockroaches as classroom pets. We released them in his office as an April Fool’s Day joke. Thankfully, he had a healthy sense of humor!
By michelle gilmore on Oct 23, 2009
ew not a good pet
By Gabe on Oct 23, 2009
African Millipedes are AWESOME
By Elizabeth on Oct 24, 2009
These millipedes are cuter than most insects.
I try very hard to avoid using toxic chemicals that will “nuke” insects in my garden or house because I have pets, including a bird and it is very easy to kill your pets with some insecticides. Putting poison into the environment because I do not care for ants seems like…an irrational response. It is a significant source of anxiety for me when choosing a lot of the items I need to maintain my home.
That cute little millipede though?
I’d keep him in a woodland terrarium right on my desk!
Hate ants, love the big crawly one, go figure.
By G St-Pierre on Oct 24, 2009
I would love to try this product. Thanks
By Kelley Chapman on Oct 24, 2009
Those creatures make my skin crawl (yeah, bad pun!) I’ll pass too on keeping one as a pet! (shudder) I don’t know if what we have here in the desert Southwest are millipedes or centipedes (haven’t looked it up yet,) but ours are meaner than all get-out and hurt like the dickens if one tangles with one. Ours are olive green with orange to orangish-yellow legs and are HUGE; longer than 6 inches is NOT uncommon. Where I work, we have to be careful picking up our mop bucket or anything with a handle, such as a broom or mop, as those buggers like to stretch out along the handles to rest. One crawled up a coworker’s leg once while she was in the back office, which had her dancing out of her britches as fast as she could. Don’t blame her at all there, as the rest of us at work would have done the same if it were one of us….
By Debra Johnson on Oct 24, 2009
I never knew the millepeed was dosil I always thought they would Bite! I am very Happy to hear the good news that they dont my kids couldnt touch them, but my grandchildren will for sure find them around my area and now I can rest esy when one of them wishes to have one for a pet. Thankyou
By Amanda on Oct 26, 2009
My daughter would love this as a pet actually, she’s always trying to see what new pets she can find in the yard.
By Amanda on Oct 26, 2009
That’s a new one, but there is no way in hell I’d keep that thing as a pet. Definitely creeps me out.
By Molly on Nov 7, 2009
I’m trying to talk my daughters into a couple of these!! This morning I bought an aquarium w/light and accessories from a friend and she told me their last pet to use it was a millipede! I looked them up and am intrigued! I feel much better about this than a scorpion or spider or even a lizard of some sort.
By Crissy on Apr 1, 2010
Dear Friends, Happy Fool’s Day!!!
Two men went bear hunting. While one stayed in the cabin, the other went out looking for a bear. He soon found a huge bear, shot at it but only wounded it.
The enraged bear charged toward him, he dropped his rifle and started running for the cabin as fast as he could. He ran pretty fast but the bear was just a little faster and gained on him with every step. Just as he reached the open cabin door, he tripped and fell flat.
Too close behind to stop, the bear tripped over him and went rolling into the cabin.
The man jumped up, closed the cabin door and yelled to his friend inside,
“You skin this one while I go and get another!”
Happy April Fool’s Day!