Hi everyone, I’m trying to understand what may have caused my millipede to die.
Species was sold to me as an African giant/red leg type millipede (Aleinostreptus bicoloripes). I only had him for 8 days.
The first day he was very active, walking around the enclosure and exploring. He also ate well during the time I had him (cucumber and thin slices of apple with leftovers removed).
Enclosure:
- Glass terrarium
- Humidity usually around 68–78%
- I lightly misted the enclosure/moss to keep moisture up
- Moss, wood, leaf litter, hides/decor
- No heat source, normal room temperature
Substrate history:
- He was originally on coconut fiber.
- After a few days I noticed he seemed to struggle digging/burrowing.
- Because of that, I changed the substrate to a better terrarium soil/bio ground mix.
- The new substrate was mixed with leaf mulch and white rotten wood.
- It should have held moisture better and been easier to burrow in.
- After the substrate change, he did not burrow into the new substrate even once.
Behavior before death:
- Last few days he slept/rested a lot more than at first
- He had difficulty digging
- Less active overall compared to day 1
- Then I found him dead on the surface of the enclosure
I’m wondering if this sounds more like:
old age / already weak when purchased
stress from transport / relocation
substrate or humidity issue
too much disturbance from changing substrate
something else
I really cared about him and tried to improve things when I noticed issues, so I’d appreciate honest advice for what most likely happened and what I should do differently next time.