Feeding Giant Milipede

Feeding Giant Mellipede is a different as compare to other animals that involves proper care. Millipede is a burrowing animal that needs appropriate nourishment by means of special food. The word millipede means 'thousand legger' . It is an arthropod where a variety of millipedes are kept as pets. These are called as giant millipedes or giant African millipedes and prove to be beneficial to increase soil fertility.

Normally, a wide range of millipedes are available that makes it difficult to identify the best variety. You can use the scientific classification to get an idea about its characteristics and benefits. However, this nomenclature is not fully reliable as the information is disputable with respect to its correct scientific names. Most giant millipedes differ in appearance but more or less they are similar in their characteristics.

Characteristics of Giant Millipedes:

• A Giant Millipede is mostly herbivore and appears in various colors of which black is most common
• An adult is almost 10" long, delightful and gentle creature that has a lifespan of about 7-10 years
• Millipedes have minimum 4 eyes and approximately 200 to 300 legs that differ as per the species.
• These are creatures are easy to handle that sleep during day time and come out in evenings in search of food
• Giant millipedes usually curl into a tight spiral and secrete an irritating liquid from their body pores for self defense.
• Male millipedes have modified legs on 7th body segment called 'gonopods' that appear different than its other legs. These legs have grasping claws that are tucked up under the body.
• Millipede posses 2 sets of legs per each segment in their bodies that increases with molting.
• It is a burrowing animal and mostly lives on compost materials.

Feeding Giant Millipedes

It is not difficult to maintain a Giant millipedes as it is an herbivores animal. It is actually helpful to mankind as feeds on wild and decaying material. Pet owners indulged in millipede culture can feed a variety of soft vegetables and fruits cut into small pieces. For example: leaf lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, melon, peaches, bananas, etc. You can keep leftovers in a shallow dish or jar lid for a day or so. Allow it to decay and then use it to feed the creatures. Besides this, tropical leaf litter like Poplar, Oak and Sycamore supplemented with calcium can be given.

Pet owners who captivate giant millipedes for its cultivation can feed them with dried cat foods, porridge oats, bran and fish food pellets. You can sprinkle cuttle fish bone and keep it in a shallow container on the floor of a tank. Just make sure that the containers or the lids containing such kind of food stuff kept foe the millipedes should not develop mould.

On the whole, it is always helpful if you have some information about the life cycle of giant millipedes. The millipedes need lots of calcium. You can mix it in the soil which the millipedes eat as they burrow. Keep a check so that the compost should be kept moist but not wet. For this, you can acquire sphagnum moss which is easily available at garden centers.