#narceus gordanus

[floridensis]

wonderful millipede day today!!

i went up to yamato scrub natural area, where a couple years ago an inaturalist user (jaykeller) posted some millipedes that as best as we could tell are Narceus gordanus, also known as the smokey oak millipede, at their most southern range.

i love those chunky things so ive been desperate to go see them since. today i finally made time in decent temperature to go look for them. at first i was only finding florida ivory millipedes (last four pictured, havent seen those since 2019 in miami) but after walking some distance away, my mom found a dead dried up millipede that i was certain was the kind i was looking for. we started digging in the dirt and dried plant debris and started to find just one after the other after the other in an area smaller than a coffee table

i love them. im so glad we found them. its so cool, its over an hour drive to see them but thats much closer than i thought id have to go to see them, theyre mostly in central and north florida

[crevicedwelling]

I have a. bug question: are American giant millipedes capable of being about three inches long and also yellow instead of red?

yes, they exhibit a wide range of color forms and sizes across their extensive range, some of which are extremely yellow… but that’s not enough to rule out other species like Narceus gordanus, which has a not uncommon morph that’s yellow and gray. I’d love a photo and locality of the creature if you’ve got one (DMs ok!)

[onenicebugperday]

Hello, do you happen to know if giant millipedes are an ethical pet? I love millipedes and would love to keep one, but I don’t want to get own if they’re for some reason unethical (taken from the wild, need more than the average pet owner can provide, just don’t do well in captivity, etc) like I know some animals are.

They certainly can be! I can only speak for the US, though, as that's what I'm familiar with in terms of species and laws. In the US, it's illegal to import species that aren't found here, so some of the most readily available "giant" species in the pet trade are Narceus americanus, Narceus gordanus, Chicobolus spinigerus, and Orthoporus ornatus. You can also sometimes still find captive bred African giants that are legal to keep because they weren't imported, but they're rare and expensive. There are also other smaller but still popular species like Trigoniulus corallinus and Anadenobolus monilicornis.

Since the species I mentioned are fairly easy to find in the pet trade, in my opinion it's preferable and more ethical to find sellers who are only selling captive bred millipedes. If the seller does not specifically mention this, I would ask. Usually they will be juveniles if they're captive bred.

As for keeping them in captivity, they do very well, and don't require difficult care at all because they're detrivores who feed on decomposing plant matter, don't need special lights, and can comfortably be kept at room temp.

If you're interested in going furthre with millipede keeping, feel free to IM me and I can give you a more thorough overview on what kind of setup you would need!

[littlewigglers]

What species of millipedes do you care for? They are all do beautiful!

Sorry for the long weight but I can finally answer this!

- Gaint Olive/striped Leg(Telodeinpus Aoutii) Adult Just the one and she's called Shoelace! -Gaint Olive/striped Leg(Telopedinpus aoutii) juvenile x5 - Thai Rainbow(Apeuthes sp. Thailand) just the one called Rain! - Spotted Fire(Centrolobus splendidus) x 2 - Gaint Golden(Orthroporus Ornatud) x 3 - Bumblebee(Anadenobolus monilicornis) x 1 - Yellow Dragon(Orthomorpha communis)x3 - Smocky Oak(Narceus gordanus) x1 - African Gaint Black(Archispirostreptus gigas)x1 juvenile I currently have 12 mystery babies that I THINK are spotted fire millipedes.

[sendspoodsnotnoods]

Got a millipede yesterday. Look how cute it is!

[Smokey oak millipede, Narceus gordanus]

[bugkeeping]

Smokey oak millipede! big hungus

[what-bug-is-this]

What Bug Is This? 81: American Giant Millipedes

Image source: natureboi717, license

Common name(s): American giant millipedes, giant millipedes (note that this describes a lot of different species and can cause some confusion if you aren’t more specific), worm millipedes, iron worms

Scientific name: Narceus americanus

Can it hurt me?: Millipedes don’t bite, even the bigger ones. However, they are capable of secreting fluid as a defense mechanism which can stain skin, cause irritation, and shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near your eyes. Just make sure to wash your hands shortly after handling millipedes and don’t rub your eyes, nose, etc. until you know any residue has been cleaned off. It might not be the best idea to let little kids handle millipedes for this reason.

Can it hurt my plants?: No, they primarily eat plant matter that is already dead.

Should I kill it?: No, and please be gentle with them should you choose to handle them.

Anything else I should know?: They aren’t the only giant millipedes found in North America, nor are they even the largest. However, they are pretty common and their range is wide, covering most of the US east of the Rockies other than the northern plains and some of southern Canada. They spend most of their lives underground or in leaf litter, so seeing them in the open is a fun treat.

They can get up to about 4 in./10 cm long, which sometimes leads people to mistake them for worms before seeing their legs. Giant millipedes can make good pets. I used to have a smokey oak millipede (Narceus gordanus) named Outlaw who was a very good pet. Make sure to research how to care for them and especially make sure they have a good source of calcium if you do decide to keep them.

[buglife]

First set of photos is Ripley, my American Giant millipede (Narceus americanus). She is known as a ‘blonde’ morph instead of the usual reddish purple. They are known in Pennsylvania as ‘cherry foot’ due to their reddish legs. 

The bottom two belong to Majin Buu the Smokey Oak millipede (Narceus gordanus). They are not as long as the American Giants, but are known one of the THICCest millipede species here in North America. He is known as a ‘pale morph’ as the usual species are a woody grey brown color. Both are about 3-4 years old now.

I grabbed pics because today I gave them a new enclosure that is much better than their old one. Sadly, that means I lost my Globular and my Tai Rainbow millipede over the winter. Winter in PA gets very cold and dry so I imagine that’s why my two native species were just fine but not the tropical ones. I may try again with those species some other time, or set up a special tank JUST for the tropical ones to monitor them better. I feel bad that they didn’t survive, but I’m grateful these two did. 

You have to be careful handling these guys here because they will secrete a chemical that can cause skin irritation. They were pissed because I woke them up to move them to their new enclosure so they secreted all over me but as long as you wash your hands well afterwards it’ll be fine. They do stain cloth tho so be careful!

[drdandy]

Look at my Smoky Oak/Ghost Millipedes. I love them. My wife let me order five last Saturday and the seller sent me a bonus millipede! Their soft gray matte color is so nice and they’re all so chunky and healthy!

I just wish I knew why they were called Smokey Oak/Ghost millipedes. I can’t find any info on the reason for their common name, even if their scientific name makes perfect sense (Narceus gordanus!)

Still, love these guys!

[spacegate]

A list of my bugs (currently)

Here is a list of all my pet invertebrates so far! As this Saturday is a reptile expo and I may get another invert or two while there!

Ripley: Narceus americanus (American Giant Millipede)

Cmd. Shepard : Chicobolus spinigerus (Florida Ivory Millipede)

Majin Buu: Narceus gordanus (Smokey Oak Millipede)

Star Platinum: Tonkinbolus caudulanus (Thai Rainbow Millipede)

Solo: Spirostreptus sp 1 tanzania (Globular Millipede)

Hypatia: Mastigoproctus giganteus (Giant Vinegaroon)

Killer Queen: Brachypelma vagans (Mexican Red Rump Tarantula)

Metallica: Brachypelma albopilosum (Curlyhair Tarantula)

Harvest: Hapalopus sp. Colombia (Pumpkin Patch Tarantula)

Locusta: Scutigera coleoptrata (House Centipede)

I have many babies :D

[floridensis]

stop scrolling

look at my babys :)

im so proud of them..... i love them......

[kedreeva]

Longfeather Lane Updates

We had a busy weekend this weekend, with starting to winterize the bird pens. We installed the heated perch in the second pen, so that everyone will have toasty toes over winter. We finally got all the rope lights and cords actually secured instead of hung on nails like they were. I cleaned and redid the original heated perch, so hopefully that one will work a little better.

One of the FBCM hens hatched out 2 little babies a week or so ago now, and she’s been raising them in the peafowl pen. I considered taking them away from her, but none of us would be happy with that, and she’s doing a good job of it, so instead I set them up a little feed station the peafowl can’t get into, and they are using it well.

Stan is going in for his annual exam on Thursday, and our vet does a discount for folks who bring their animals in in costume, so tonight I will (hopefully) be making him a little pair of dragon wings out of felt and fabric and wire, to attach to his diaper.

I will also be meeting a guy there to purchase some more show-quality mice, this time abyssinians. I’d like to get them cycled into my mouse lines both for size and for their coat structure and quality. I think if I can get their thicker, softer fur bred into the long coated mice, it’ll turn out really well. But, that’s a bit off still.

The divider for the T25 cage upstairs came in the mail, and we got that installed yesterday so we can try to move Clove back upstairs into a bigger cage. She will probably still hate it, but I’m hoping to put some paper on the front of it so she can’t see out much, and to add in a bunch of stuff for her to feel more secure. We still have to order in the 4-slot thermostat for the heating elements in the cages upstairs, we’re still a slot short.

I don’t think I’ve posted about them yet, but I picked up some new residents while I was at Tinley Park Reptile Expo- giant millipedes! I got 2 narceus gordanus, 4 sonorons, 2 bumblebees, and 1 narceus americanus. I also got some springtails for their enclosure, which I finally saw again yesterday when I was cleaning. Everyone appears to be doing well and if I check on them in the morning before work, I often see several of them out and about!

I’ll try to get some photos up today!

[onenicebugperday]

@drdandy​ submitted: One of my n. Gordanus being fat to celebrate your birthday!! 🎉🥳🎁

Yessss!!!! I love them!!! They are so dang fat it makes me want to weep

[onenicebugperday]

This is all pretty good advice for setting up your first millipede tank, but just a few things:

Don't use a reptile heat lamp, it'll dry out the substrate too much. As said above, a low watt reptile or creature heat mat on the side of the tank above the soil level is ok to keep the temp around 70-80, but I never use mine in the summer.

I would not recommend keeping isopods and millipedes together in the same tank. Isopods are voracious and will happily eat millipedes, especially vulnerable molting millipedes or small babies and eggs.

Be careful about feeding them produce from the grocery store, it can have pesticides on it. Wash everything well or peel it before you give it to them, and take it out if it goes uneaten for a day or two or you'll likely attract mites.

10 gallon aquariums are cheap as hell at big box pet stores and are large enough for most of the giant species found in the American trade except for African giants. They will, however, use all the space you give them as they are very active! If you can go bigger, do. Mesh lids are fine but you'll want to modify it to cover about 80% of the mesh to keep in humidity. You can also buy rolls of stainless micro-mesh (available on amazon) to cover the larger mesh to keep inevitable fungus gnats inside the tank so they don't escape and fly into your face, which is something they LOVE to do. Plastic sheeting and micro-mesh can be attached to the inside of the lid with a tube of silicone, which can be found at walmart or hardware stores for cheap.

I agree that ivories (Chicobolus spinigerus) are a good starter species and are easy to find. I got mine on eBay as captive-bred juveniles. Narceus gordanus and Narceus americanus are also good starters.

If you want a pet that you can handle frequently, I would say that millipedes are not ideal. Occasional handling is okay as long as they're not curling up into a defensive spiral every time you pick them up and staying that way. But in general, handling is stressful for invertebrates, and stress can be deadly. If/when you do handle them, do so a short distance above a soft surface. Dropping them can injure or kill theme easily.

I have been keeping millipedes for years, so I am happy to answer any more questions you (or anyone else) may have about setup and care.

Okay I’ve never asked on tumblr but I just found your page and I’m OBSESSED!!! I want to get/make a Vivarium/bioterrarium for millipedes and isopods and I can’t WAIT!! Please please if you have any advice at all, I’d love to hear it! Where to get supplies, the buggies themselves, how to handle them, what do you do if they get sick, how much space to they need for how many there are, etc? Your buggy babies are so cute!!

First off thank you! I love all my little guys as well <3

I ramble kinda a lot so I'll put this under a read more.

For advice I'm still very much a novice when it comes to keeping but I'll tell you what I can!

For tanks I got my glass ones second hand or ones made my the store I buy used to buy my millipedes from, you'd be surprised how cheap you can get a nice big one! For Acrylic THESE are the ones I've had the best luck with not warping BUT they sometimes have kinda blurry parts on the plastic, but still I'd say good for the price if you can't afford glass. I tape up some of the ventilation holes to keep more moisture in.

For soil that ISN'T bought from a specialist stores(Sometimes I can't afford it) I use Peat free compost, paired with leaves and rot wood I buy off ebay stores that sell bug/reptile products, I mix them together with some water and leave them in a tub for 1 week to soften up the leaves. Some people go out and get their own leaves and wood but I'm not really in an area to do that so I can't give advice on that. It's important to keep it moist BUT NOT WET!

Heat mat! You want one to put on the SIDE of the tank and not under it, just one would be enough. I have a timer plug for mine so they're on a few hours a day on and off all day. If you REALLY wanna spoil them then I've seen a few people use reptile headlamps.

For moss and plants I again just buy it off ebay in sheets and give it a cheap over to make sure there are no hitchhikers on it before I put it in the tank. It needs watered and looked after for a while for it to take to the tank. Carpet moss is mostly for looks while sphagnum moss is used to keep moisture in areas and should be water/sprayed often. I have a little fern plant in my tank rn they seem to leave alone. I know a lot of people use fake plants as well for decor!

You should make a point to put a little temp and humidity monitor in your set-ups as well. The special reptile ones can be expensive so I just but the little ones you put in rooms and have had no issues with them.

Don't forget to give them hides! Cork wood/bark or coconut shells are nice and cheap. You can also use man made items just make sure they can handle the moisture and aren't made of anything toxic to your new friends. Also give them little sticks and things to climb up on. Just make sure the lid is secured so they can't escape.

For food I just use kitchen scraps like carrot peel, cucumber, apples and melon, give them a cuttlefish bone and some dried tiny shrimps in small amounts once a week or so, but you can also use fish flacks instead. But remember! Leaf litter and rot wood is meant to be their main diet for most species.

For the millipedes I would recommend Ivory millipedes as a good starter one, they're lovely in colour and are often up top, hardy as well, and usually you can get them captive bred which I've had much higher survival rates with vs wild caught. For each species you'll have to look up their needs yourself though, there isn't a 100% catch all set up for all species. Woodlice/isopods I'd suggest dairy cows as they're lovely and also very easy to get a hold of. I will say species of Armadillidium(roly poly/pill bugs) are my fave and I'm very biased and want 500 of them.

For handling just be gentle! I wear gloves in a lot of my videos but that because I've incredibly sensitive skin and can't stand soil under my nails. The worse they can do to you is them staining your skin(not all species), or give you a little nibble. Make sure if you're handling to wash your hands off BUT be careful what hand soaps you use! Wash hands after as well some can be toxic to bugs from what I've heard.

For tank size hmm that's hard, usually you want soil as deep as their body but that can be hard, 10-15cm is what I aim for my BIG boys and 7-10cm for my others, deeper is better but sometimes you'll also just never see them again! You'll want a tank at least a few times longer than your pets body or at least big enough for them to filly stretch out in if you get really big millipedes like giants and a 120cm tank is just kinda unrealistic haha.

I do not have a lot of advice for if they get sick sadly, it's kinda of hard to tell honestly and usually when you can it's too late. I would just say don't beat yourself up too much if some pass away sometimes bugs just do that especially if you don't know their history.

Where to get them depends on where you're from and what you want. A ton of reptile/specialist stores will have wild caught which isn't great but they will have the largest range of species and usually also sell all the stuff you need to tank care of them. Ebay is where I've gotten most of my captive bred and I just message people if I've questions about their bugs there.

I think that's everything I can think of,

Again I'm a big novice when it comes to bugs, @onenicebugperday and @crevicedwelling likely know way more than me, though idk if they're open to questions but they likely already have a lot of info on their blogs.

[tser]

Thanks for much for writing that all out! Are there any species you'd recommend for someone new to keeping millipedes (but has kept fish, lizards, spiders, and sometimes bugs) in the past? Also, out of curiosity: do you keep millipedes to observe or for food? Your blog is awesome and incredibly informational btw!

Good beginner millipede species include:

Florida Ivory Millipede (Chicobolus spinigerus)

Thai Rainbow Millipede (Tonkinbolus dollfusi [syn. Aulacobolus rubropunctatus])

Narceus sp. (Narceus americanus, Narceus gordanus)

I keep them for pets/observation; they are just pretty and fun! Many millipedes secrete defensive toxins (cyanide compounds) and shouldn’t be used as clean up crew or fed to other pets.

Thank you very much! I hope my blog continues to be helpful!

[floridensis]

instead of an insect im going to go for the millipede narceus gordanus because theyre so fat and also are often yellow

@bugblr reblog this w ur fav insect or terrestrial invert arthropod & why, mine is dolichovespula maculata / the bald faced hornet / blackjackets bc they're beautiful lil goth gals.

(also bug haters dni)