Умерла одна самка, условия говённые, пытаюсь изменить к лучшему.
Нашёл следующую инфу:
- In captivity, millipedes spend most of their lives burrowing in and eating their substrate. Experience shows that the substrate is by far the most important aspect of any millipede setup...more important than anything else, just like water quality is critical in fishkeeping..
- Millipedes will survive much better in an airy, close to dry, and nutrient-deficient substrate than a compact, wet, and extremely rich substrate in a very humid enclosure. They will not do well in either, but will languish in the former and die in the latter. Therefore, although the substrate should be in between these two extremes it should be much closer to the former, where millipedes can survive. I think that bacteria and fungi proliferate in mucky conditions and millipedes become more susceptible to dying in a wet substrate, whereas they mainly face dehydration in a dry substrate. My point is that we want a moist and airy substrate without excessive nutrients (I will call this "lean"), in an enclosure with moderate humidity. Then feed fruits/veggies and the occasional protein.
Pet-keeper's Substrate:
Place some coir/coconut fiber/Bed-a-Beast/Ecoearth...etc. in your enclosure. A three inch layer is ideal for most species, but one inch will work. If possible, mix in some hardwood leaf litter (especially oak) and a lesser amount of crumbly (decomposing) hardwood. Add an inch layer of dry (hardwood best, or non-resinous softwood...avoid pine) leaves on top of the base substrate so the millipedes can hide in the leaf litter if they please. You should pasteurized the wood and leaves to eliminate pests. Millipedes will survive in nothing more than coconut fiber but this should only be temporary--they need some other organic matter long term. Feed fruits and vegetables if the millipedes consume them.
-What I use: The foundation of the substrate should be something that holds water and has some sand and minerals mixed in. I use cocofiber (Ecoearth) and/or peatmoss, potting soil should work, but I would try to get one that isn't black and rich, and doesn't contain manure or added fertilizers. I typically use half cocofiber and half leaves. For the leaves I use oak leaves that I collect in a regional park, and bamboo leaves from some large bamboo plants at my house. The bamboo leaves are not very edible and do 3 things: they keep the substrate airy, provide a surface for good mold to grow on--and millipedes eat some types of mold, and act as a "last resort" material. When your millipedes are eating the bamboo its time to change the substrate since there's not much left to eat! Then I add some sand. I mix the substrate all together and finally add a layer of the leaf mix on top. Try to use what you have locally! Be sure to pasteurize your materials.
Acceptable Leaves and Wood:
Oak leaves and wood are typically said to produce the best substrate. The kind of oak does not seem to matter. You can use live oak like we have on the west coast or black oak and its deciduous cousins. Just ensure that you are NEVER taking green or freshly fallen leaves. Try to take leaves which have been on the ground for a few weeks and are just starting to decompose. Avoid softwoods as they often have volatile resins which harm millipedes. Other hardwoods such as beech, maple, hickory, etc...all trees which produce nuts...should be acceptable. Make sure your leaves and wood are pesticide free! As a rule of thumb, if no insect seems interested in the dead leaves or wood of a species of tree (no "bite marks"), stay away. The converse is also applicable: if insects seem to relish the deadwood and leaves of a species of tree or plant, your millipedes probably will too. I'm certain that other types of plant material can be used as substrate (just like coconut fiber, rose leaves, bamboo, and aspen shavings) but hardwood material is always recommended by millipede keepers.
Substrate Pasteurization
Some people recommend sterilizing substrate before use. I have found that whenever I sterilize substrate bad things happen. Either I get a mold boom that looks really nasty or a giant mite and disease outbreak that kills several millipedes. If you do chose to sterilize, please introduce some springtails or parasitic mites such as Hypoaspis miles for good measure. Avoid using isopods/pillbugs/rolly-pollies if you want your millipedes to breed (they can eat millipede young according to some sources and multiply at astounding rates, but otherwise they are excellent janitors.) Instead of sterilization, try...
Substrate pasteurization! This method will rid your substrate of harmful organisms such as mites, worms, nematodes, spiders, termites, earwigs...etc., etc. while leaving it micro-biologically balanced! Many bacteria survive this process and blooms of unwanted pests will not be as common as with sterilization! The whole substrate needs to reach a minimum of 160* F, but 180* F works faster and once the entire substrate has reached that temperature (use a meat thermometer,) 30 more minutes of cooking time is sufficient to ensure safe substrate. Use a standard kitchen oven for the heat and temperature control and a large metal container to hold the substrate. You can safely cook dry leaves, wood, and compost without fear of fire. On a side-note, most commercial composts and potting soils undergo a pasteurization process and are safe to use from the get go unless they've been sitting in a bug-ridden area.
Changing the Substrate:
You should avoid disturbing millipedes that are burrowed in the substrate because you could crush them when they are molting. When molting a millipede's exoskeleton is soft and they are easily squished. However, if the substrate has shrunk in size, you see feces all over the surface, and it doesn't look like there's much left to eat in there you need to move all the animals to fresh substrate. I very gently scrape at the surface of the substrate and remove all the animals I find to a temporary container, placing large molting individuals by themselves and being very careful not to disturb them. I then dump the old substrate into a container and keep it there for several months to insure I didn't miss any millipedes or millipede eggs. I place new substrate in the enclosure, and put all the millipedes back in, being sure to make a shallow burrow for molting animals which I carefully put back and cover lightly with substrate. You must be extremely careful with molting millipedes!!! Exoskeleton defects typically arise in animals which were disturbed when they were molting.
Enclosure
Nearly any escape-proof container will do. The most popular enclosure is the ten gallon aquarium/terrarium: large species enjoy a bigger enclosure but one can keep reasonable numbers of any species in a ten gallon. Keep in mind that millipedes enjoy some substrate depth (2-6 inches) and some species such asArchispirostreptus gigas love to climb. To an extent, bigger is better! Certainly larger species will require more room.
Also bear in mind that fungus gnats and fruit flies may become a problem, so airtight containers in which a hole is cut and fine mesh screen is installed are best for YOUR sanity...you don't want gnats breeding in the millipede cage and flying all over the house. Using a gnat-proof container will keep gnats out of the millipede cage in the first place, and if the should get in at least they mostly stay in. Gnat proof is a non-negotiable in my book, since millipede substrate and fruits fed to the millipedes make the terrarium an ideal breeding ground for fungus gnats and fruit flies! Please read my Population Theory discussed on PROBLEMS for some thoughts on Fungus Gnats.
Humidity and Ventilation
Ventilation is more necessary and a more important parameter than humidity. This is because millipedes can always burrow into their substrate where the humidity will be very high, but if the humidity above the substrate is also very high they cannot escape to a dry area if they want to and are then more susceptible to disease. Ventilation reduces makes the enclosure less favorable for microorganisms which can harm your animals, and prevents suffocation from Co2 and other gas buildup. Species originating in the deserts require more ventilation and therefore more frequent substrate watering than species from the tropics which love very moderate humidity of around 60% (those humidity meters are often woefully inaccurate!!). The best way to balance ventilation and humidity is to make sure the surface of the substrate stays moist for at least a week but that the sides of the container are never fogged with condensation. The correct ventilation may vary by species, but open screen covers for enclosures are usually unacceptable. If you want to use a screen cover, place some cardboard or cloth inside the screen to cut down on the ventilation experienced and at the same time keep the gnats out.
Temperature
Normal room temperature is fine. If you are comfortable then your millipedes are comfortable. Heat pads are usually unsuitable for millipede enclosures as they heat and dry out the substrate--the very place the millipedes would retreat to if the air was too hot. Lower than 65 is a problem for most tropical species and higher than 80 can be fatal for all species. 75 is a good target temperature. Bear in mind that keeping your millipedes on the higher side of the spectrum speeds their metabolisms. Lower; they grow slower.
Food
Millipedes enjoy eating their substrate and any fruits, vegetables, or powdered food you provide. In my view it is very important to supplement millipedes with a variety of foods besides their substrate, but you should not feed more than they can eat--If you have several millipedes, one apple core is far too much. With experience you'll know how much to feed. Some foods that are readily eaten include cucumbers, apples, pears, melons, berries, fruits, carrots, mushrooms, potatoes, and even rose petals (make sure they have been washed and are free of insecticide.) Apple cores, melon rinds, fruit pits, avacado skins (they eat the leftover meat), etc. which would be tossed otherwise are great food. Although millipedes are decomposers, its best to feed them fresh food, and then let the food decompose for awhile in the enclosure before removing it. Leaving food in for 2 days before removal is usually fine, but depending on how many millipedes you have and how much food you feed you may be able to put food in and never take it out. But if food is rotting in a stinky sort of way its time to take it out. This balance is found by trial and error, and experienced keepers have no trouble with feeding--sometimes less is more. Millipedes will also readily consume dry protein: dry fish, dog, or cat food should be added on occasion. In summary, feeding your animals something besides the substrate will help keep them healthy.
Water
None needed--well, at least you don't need to provide a water bowl. Millipedes get moisture through the food they eat and their environment--make sure the substrate it is moist, but not too wet. A dry top surface is OK and much better than having a pool of standing water at the bottom of the terrarium. Only if you are attempting to combat a fungal or mite problem (and place the animals in a small cage with dry paper towels and a cap of water) should you offer water.
Decorations
None needed! Your millipedes will appreciate it if you spend your time and money preparing a nutritious substrate. However, indoor plants can be added to the enclosure or whatever you like! Avoid rocks. Keep anything heavier than a few ounces out of enclosures with baby millipedes as heavy objects can crush baby millipedes, or even adult millipedes like pancakes when they molt (it is very sad!). Ensure plant have low light requirements, are inexpensive and not poisonous since the millipedes could eat them. Use common sense.
Light
Millipedes are mostly nocturnal and run from light! You can provide some light for low-light live plants, such as the jade succulent, but limit it to a few hours a day, watch the heat from the bulbs, and don't expect to see millipedes during this time. If you want to see your millipedes out and about you should take a look after the enclosure has been in total darkness for a few hours for best results.
Ne всё очень хорошо расписано.
Буду делать всё, что в моих силах.
Какой смысл везти, если монофаги они, губить только...