View Full Version : African giant millipede!!! :-)
Will0W783
10-22-12, 07:39 AM
My fiance is not a fan of "bugs"....he loves lizards and he likes snakes, but he's skeeved out by my tarantulas and scorpion. I've been trying for two years to get him to allow me to get one of those African giant milipedes, but he kept saying no. I vended at the Hamburg expo on Saturday and the millipede people were at the table next to mine. I've been talking to them and ogling the 'pedes for years, so he told me if I could get the ok from John then he'd sell me one at a discount. After a long discussion John finally relented, and I brought home a young adult female. She's probably about 8 inches long now, but will get around 12 or so, and can live 15 years!
I'm thinking I might name her "Milicent" the millipede, but if anyone has any other name suggestions, I'd love to hear them!
Here she is- I will get more pictures once she's settled down a bit...she's been hiding a lot since I got her home. I think she's not used to the new environment yet.
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/61EB3454-1460-4A6B-A162-0BB882CC49D5-750-000000E84A1100D3.jpg
Gungirl
10-22-12, 07:41 AM
I love it! I am unsure if I would own one or not but I think they are awesome to look at.
Danimal
10-22-12, 07:43 AM
I'm with John, ew heh heh
now I feel things crawling on me.....
Kavyrie
10-22-12, 07:57 AM
Oh my god she is beautiful! Does he ship? I've been dieing to have one of these for a long time and I just freed up a tank recently. I'm so happy you got one of these little beauties, makes me want one even more!
Zoo Nanny
10-22-12, 08:03 AM
That's a beauty! Love these guys. I worked with them at the zoos as educational animals. Congratulations!
bushsnake
10-22-12, 08:16 AM
Thats very cool...they stopped importing these guys some time ago and i thought they would of disappeared by now....im glad they havent!
Will0W783
10-22-12, 08:38 AM
Jungle Emporium is the name of the company. He breeds them, so these guys are all captive bred. I am not sure if he ships, but I don't see why not.
Jungle Emporium - Providing Captive Bred Amphibians, Reptiles, Invertebrates, & Tropical Plants (http://jungleemporium.com/index.php)
Kavyrie
10-22-12, 08:54 AM
Thank you, I'll be sending him an email ;)
Will0W783
10-22-12, 09:13 AM
No problem Kavyrie. :)
infernalis
10-22-12, 09:34 AM
Littlefoot says "yummy"
BarelyBreathing
10-22-12, 09:58 AM
Fun! Congratulations.
bushsnake
10-22-12, 10:24 AM
Littlefoot says "yummy"
Not so sure bout that Wayne....millipedes have a smelly inky defense that would make a hungry monitor back off pretty quick
Will0W783
10-22-12, 10:26 AM
They also secrete a dilute irritant containing cyanide....they'd probably be poisonous to a monitor.
Roadtrash
10-22-12, 11:42 AM
Good thing you don't have to buy shoes for the little fella.
Will0W783
10-22-12, 12:04 PM
Hahaha, I know...she'd put me out of house and home with all those feet!
Will0W783
10-25-12, 10:39 AM
Millicent was very curious last night, and crawled all over my arms and hands. It feels sooo weird with all her little legs!
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/00C5F44B-B1A5-4FAF-A180-C1D3E5355BCC-3311-000003F48ADFEC41.jpg
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh115/Will0W783/3B51FB2C-EB2D-4CAF-8D59-51ADD1BB4081-3311-000003F48DAE8FDC.jpg
bushsnake
10-27-12, 07:16 PM
They are cute....im sure you could see his face. Do you know how to sex them?......the species ive kept the males look like theyre missing some legs....same with these?
moshirimon
10-27-12, 07:27 PM
aghhhh yuck... amazing i must say, but i just can't see how some people can keep these in their house:suspicious:. just an opinon. there's only one bug i'd really keep.. Praying Mantis.:cool:
anyway congrats
Kavyrie
10-27-12, 07:30 PM
The easiest way to sex a millipede (not sure if its all species or not) is to count down seven segments from the head. If the legs are tucked up against the stomach its a male. I just got desert millipedes today and my male looks to be missing a lot of legs on the lowest part of his body.
RoseyFox09
10-27-12, 07:40 PM
dont think I could do it love lizards and snakes but milipedes....not so much but congrats.
TragicTaste
10-27-12, 07:50 PM
Im sk glad I saw this post, i have been thinking about getting one of these, and now i think i am 100% sold!
Just got back from SA, these guys are ALL over the place there. You literally see about a hundred of them a day. Does yours exude the toxin when you pick it up or is it used to you handling it?
good thing you don't have to buy shoes for the little fella.
...little?!
Roadtrash
10-28-12, 08:28 AM
Well, sort of, I mean if you compare it to a retic or something.
How long do these things live?
Will0W783
10-28-12, 12:53 PM
Ok, my millipede was sexed by the breeder. She is a female. She does poop every time I pick her up, but she calms down quickly. I'm not sure if the toxin comes out in their poop or from pores along the sides of the body. Either way, it's not enough to hurt me unless I lick her, or lick my hands after holding her. I wash my hands thoroughly after I have her out....same as I do with any of my snakes or bugs. African giant millipedes can live 10-15 years.
No, youre right its not dangerous unless you somehow ingest a bunch of it. It comes out along the sides of their bodies at each segment. Its also bright yelllow/orange, so you would know if it gets on your hands. I was more just curious if captive bred specimens were easier to handle, like captive bred reptiles can often be in captivity.
CK SandBoas
10-28-12, 03:22 PM
She is beautiful Kim! I usually get a little squeamish around certain things, but i have always been fascinated with millipedes :)
Kavyrie
10-28-12, 08:18 PM
Just ordered 3 babies from Jungleemporium, can't wait for them to be shipped once the storm passes!
Roadtrash
10-28-12, 08:30 PM
Wow, they live longer than I thought. A very unique pet you have there. And I guess a great conversation starter.
Well, sort of, I mean if you compare it to a retic or something.
How long do these things live?
Retic = snake. THAT = bug. *shudder* I have problems enough with eight legs...
Rogue628
10-28-12, 10:27 PM
^^ haha. Me too.
Congrats on your giant wormy! Maybe one day I can get past having issues with my 8-legged friend and move on to something more leggy to push me to new limits lol :D
TBH, I'd probably be more apt to become friendlier with these guys than dubias and hissers. Saw some at the expo and had to stifle a squeal as I slowly backed away lol I doubt I can ever be on friendly terms with roaches.... *shudder* <~~~really, I just did that thinking about them....
Will0W783
10-29-12, 10:30 AM
LOL, I have a colony of hissing roaches for my lizards. I originally bought one as a pet, and it turned out to be pregnant and gave birth to dozens of babies. Now I let the colony keep up and feed them off. Hissers really aren't so bad...they can't bite you, but they are disconcerting when they run all over.
I love bugs....there's a small part of me that's nervous holding some of the creepier ones, but they're still neat to me. It's amazing how their bodies work and how functional they are with no skeleton. And I can barely coordinate my two legs....let alone dozens like a 'pede. LOL
lady_bug87
10-29-12, 10:39 AM
If my husband sees this I am in biig trouble he's been after me about getting more creepy crawlies.... he's lucky he has the T never mind a millipede
Rogue628
10-29-12, 12:33 PM
LOL, I have a colony of hissing roaches for my lizards. I originally bought one as a pet, and it turned out to be pregnant and gave birth to dozens of babies. Now I let the colony keep up and feed them off. Hissers really aren't so bad...they can't bite you, but they are disconcerting when they run all over.
I love bugs....there's a small part of me that's nervous holding some of the creepier ones, but they're still neat to me. It's amazing how their bodies work and how functional they are with no skeleton. And I can barely coordinate my two legs....let alone dozens like a 'pede. LOL
I'm always amazed at how most any living creature functions. Getting up close and personal with them, however, is another story. :p
The one thing good about me is I'm always willing to learn about something new, especially when it concerns getting over fears. Give me time and I'll probably be looking at getting one, even if it's just to observe. For me, that would be a huge step. Nevermind about actually holding it lol
Will0W783
10-29-12, 04:07 PM
I am pretty much the same way with fears. I used to be freaked out by scorpions, so I made myself get an emperor scorpion and I ended up loving him. I used to hand-feed him crickets with tweezers and hold him a lot. I now have a yellow-banded flat rock scorp.
The only fear I won't try to get over is my crippling phobia of ticks...I'm just too scared of them to try. If I see them on me, I freak out and cry and go fetal position and my poor fiance has to pick them off...lol.
Rogue628
10-29-12, 11:14 PM
I think out of all bugs, it's any roach that makes me squirm. I took care of a friend's emp sorp for a while and was cool with it. They're neat little animals, although I won't hold one lol
I showed the boyfriend your new critter. He said I could think about getting one once I get to where I'll hold the T more. I try to tell him that most T's aren't for handling. He said but I got the T to hold so I could get over my fear....lol
Will0W783
10-30-12, 09:59 AM
He might not understand. What kind of tarantula do you own? Mostly all T's CAN be held, but that doesn't mean that you should.....most of them do not enjoy it and can kick off irritating hairs.
shaunyboy
10-30-12, 10:35 AM
its a great looking big beasty Kimberly.....
but i could'nt keep one,as i'm scared of creepy crawlys,so i'll admire this guy from afar :D
cheers shaun
Rogue628
10-30-12, 12:44 PM
I have a rose hair right now and I want a cobalt blue later.
Thr way I see it, if I'm caring for an animal that I'm afraid of thats half the battle...and I'm fine with that. :D
He wants a bird eater......
Will0W783
10-31-12, 10:31 AM
Rose hair tarantulas are one of the few species that tolerate handling well. I still wouldn't handle it every day, but weekly handling is fine. I agree Rogue, you're caring for it and you are overcoming your fear....your boyfriend should give you lots of credit for that. It is not easy to overcome a fear of an animal.
Bird eater tarantulas are AWESOME!! They are on my list of creatures I want to own, but my fiance steadfastly refuses. He thinks I have too many invertebrates that I don't handle already....*sigh*. One is not supposed to handle a bird eater.....
Thought I would post a few macro shots of a wild African giant millipede I came across recently in SA. He wasnt a very cooperative subject, so they didnt turn out as well as I had hoped. But still not bad for an iPhone...
http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff412/jrichholt/millilegs.jpg
http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff412/jrichholt/millijoints.jpg
Will0W783
11-03-12, 10:45 AM
Wow, jarich, those are sooo cool!
Ya, there are these macro and wide angle lenses you can get for an iPhone that just use a magnet to attach to the front. And they are only about $40 for four different lenses. They work pretty well...especially when the subject isnt trying to get away!
Will0W783
11-06-12, 10:24 AM
That's cool! I'm getting rid of my iPhone soon, and going with a Galaxy Android-OS phone. I'm tired of Apple's crap with limited apps, prehistoric-slow processor, and lack of personalization options.
Roadtrash
11-09-12, 11:33 PM
I guess I'm different from a lot of you guys because I'd rather handle the millipede than the spider. Never really liked spiders, love to watch them make webs, etc. but don't really want to handle them.
Rogue628
11-10-12, 02:45 AM
Meh, I don't particularly care for handling my tarantula either lol. It's sweet and docile while it's being held, but I've always had a fear of them. I'm doing well to care for one.
If you like to watch them and don't care for handling, they are great for that and easy to care for. :)
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