Papuan Giant Millipede

Millipedes

MOQ 100 head

Partners Only

15 – 22 cm body length (giant)

Non-venomous detritivore. Defends itself by coiling and secreting irritant quinones from lateral pore glands — these can stain skin yellow-brown and sting eyes/mucous membranes, so wash hands after handling.

Lives on the humid forest floor among rotting logs, leaf litter and humus; burrows into soft soil and decaying wood. 0 – 1,200 m.

Decaying leaf litter, rotting wood, fallen fruit and fungal-rich humus. A nocturnal detritivore that recycles forest-floor organic matter.

24 – 28 °C ambient — 22 °C cool end

75 – 90 %. Keep substrate consistently moist; mist regularly and provide a damp burrowing layer.

None required (nocturnal).

Decaying hardwood, oak/beech leaf litter and rotten wood as staples, supplemented with vegetables, fruit and a calcium/protein source (fish flake, cuttlebone). Top up as eaten.

Terrestrial/fossorial. 10 – 15 cm of deep moist substrate (coir, rotten wood, leaf litter) over a 40 × 30 cm footprint, with cork-bark hides. Tolerates communal housing.

Docile and slow; coils when disturbed. Handleable but secretes staining quinones — wash hands afterwards and keep away from eyes.