Archispirostreptus gigus, the african millepede is the largest of the millepedes. It has a black colour, and is used as a pet very often. They live in roting plant life, or moist earth, and usually avoid light. ________________________________________________________________________________________________

KEEPING A MILLIPEDE AS A PET. Millipedes, especially the African millipede, need a few things when they are being kept as pets: A good, well maintained terrarium, good care, and proper food sources.

1.ESTABLISHING A TERRARIUM: Setting up a cage which will meet all of the needs of your millipedes is not particularly complicated. If you take the time to do it well, the millipedes will be thrive, and the home will be aesthetically pleasing. Here are some tips to follow:

Use a glass aquarium or other clear-sided container. It should be large enough to allow for future growth of the culture (12" x 18" to 18" x 24"; height is not critical).

Be sure that your tank is well ventilated so the millipedes can breathe.

Fill the tank with sterilized potting soil to a depth of approximately 3 - 4 inches. Thoroughly moisten the soil.

Add a piece of flat wood for the millipedes to hide under.

One or two small plants will make the environment pleasant; it is best to leave these in their pots.

Provide a dish of water.

2.MITES:Mites can be a problem with millipedes. Often when millipedes are first purchased, they will have tiny mites running around on them. If the mites are white, they are phoretic, that is, they are only using the millipedes as a means of getting around. Normally these mites pose no threat to the millipedes, but if the numbers increase substantially, there may be enough to block the spiracles and cause the millipedes stress. Reddish mites may be parasitic, feeding on the blood of the millipedes, and should probably be dealt with immediately. Scientists have used three different approaches in trying to reduce or eliminate mite populations. Millipedes can be put into a plastic bag with flour and gently shaken (sort of a shake and bake approach). This encourages the mites to move off the millipede.This method can be a little dangerous for the millipede though, because there is the concern that the flour might block the spiracles. The second method is to gently wash the millipede in warm water. Both of these methods will remove most, but not all of the mites. A better, if not more gradual way, is if you keep sowbugs with millipedes, the mites decline and disappear. If you use the sowbug approach you should maintain their population at around 50 to 100 individuals because too many sowbugs may adversely affect the reproductive success of the millipedes. --|||{] [} SHADE {] [}||| 23:44, 5 July 2007 (UTC)