I think that millipedes make wonderful pets because they won’t bite, are not very fast, are nocturnal (active at night), and easy to handle. Millipedes are about 4-11 inches long and have a life span 3-10 years if cared for properly.
If you want to keep a millipede as a pet, you’ll need a few supplies:
1. The millipede(s)–Under $5 from biological supply companies such as Niles Biological, not including the shipping costs. If you live in a tropical area and can find them in your yard, they won’t cost you anything.
2. A 5-10 gallon aquarium (this may sound strange, but a five gallon aquarrium usually costs more than a 10 gallon because five gallon tanks are less common.)–Around $10 at some pet stores and sometimes the pet section of Walmart
3. A small ceramic or plastic dish for water–Several dollars at a pet store
4. Dechlorinated water–to dechlorinate water, leave it sitting on a counter at least overnight–two nights is better. Most of the chlorine will have evaporated by now. If you are in doubt or if your water is heavily chlorinated, let it sit out longer. Even if the water is dechlorinated or flitered from the start, still let it sit out. Chlorine can harm millipedes.
5. Dirt, wood chips, or unbleached paper towels for bedding
6. A spray bottle to mist your millipede–Around $1 in the health and beauty sections at stores
7. A small empty flower pot or similar hiding space for the millipedes–$1 or less. Turn the flower pot on its side or cut a hole that the millipede can fit through.
8. Vegetables and fruits such as lettuce and vegetable scraps. This will be your millipede’s primary food.
9. A cuttlebone–$2 at pet stores. Cuttle bones provide millipedes with calcium, which they need to be healthy and have strong outer shells
10. A tight fitting lid for the tank–Millipedes can climb and could escape if the lid is not tight fitting; however, make sure that your lid allows oxygen to get into the tank. Plastic aquarium lids with ventilation work great for this purpose.
11. A small branch for the millipedes to climb–A branch from a pet store works best, because branches you find in your yard could contain termites (which could get into your house) or other unwanted pests.
12. Humidity gauge–$10. Humidity is highly important to millipedes. If they don’t have the correct humidity, they won’t be as healthy or live as long.
How to Set up the Tank
Rinse out the aquarium if it is new. If it’s had another type of animal living in it, use a 3% bleach solution to sanitize it–just be sure to rinse all of the bleach off. Put the paper towels or other bedding in and add the branch, water dish, water, cuttle bone, humidity gauge, hide box, and vegetables. Mist one corner of the tank (more about humidity and misting below) and add the millipede(s).
Important Care Tips:
Millipede tanks need to be cleaned once a week with a 3% bleach solution. Make sure your rinse all of the bleach off because bleach residue could harm or kill your millipedes.
Millipedes require a lot of humidity and a tempurature of 65-78 degrees F. Mist one corner of the tank once a day to keep the humidity up. Misting one corner allows the millipede to choose how much humidity it wants to be in.
Feed your millipede and give it water every day. Don’t let their food or their tank get moldy.
NEVER put your millipedes in direct sunlight. The heat will kill them quickly. Also, millipedes should not have a light over their tank. Millipedes are nocturnal and do not like extra light. If you want to watch them at night, get a red or blue bulb. A red or blue bulb won’t bother them but will allow you to see them.
Because millipedes give off secretions, always wash your hands before and after handling them. Never touch your eyes, nose, mouth, etc. after you’ve touched a millipede but have not washed your hands. The millipede’s secretions could seriously irritate your eyes, nose, or mouth.
