# HELP! Centipedes/milipedes in my vivarium????



## thoraxe

Recently I've noticed this centipedes/milipedes in my 55 gallon vivarium. They're about an inch or longer, and are incredibly ugly. They're like something you'd see in a horror movie, I can try to take pictures, but I don't know how well my camera will show them.

I saw one, and I figured something had just gotten into my house and crawled into my vivarium, but now I can clearly see that there are loads of them hiding under and around wood and things.

Does anybody know what these are? If they're harmful?

EDIT: It doesn't appear to be as bad as I originally feared. It seems the incident was MOSTLY isolated to one piece of wood (removed) and I killed all the bugs on and around it. I'm seeing strays around the rest of the tank I'm trying to pick out as it I see them before I get more babies.


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## boogsawaste

It's not one of these is it?: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/whit1019/centipedes/House_centipede.jpg


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## thoraxe

Doesn't look like it. I think these are longer and narrower without the large feelers.


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## boogsawaste

I guess you're just going to have to try and get a picture up then. Could be a bunch of things so without a pic we're just shooting in the dark. I figured it was one of those guys once you mentioned that they were like something from a horror movie. I hate house centipedes with a passion...


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## thoraxe

boogsawaste said:


> I guess you're just going to have to try and get a picture up then. Could be a bunch of things so without a pic we're just shooting in the dark. I figured it was one of those guys once you mentioned that they were like something from a horror movie. I hate house centipedes with a passion...


I'll try. I suppose I probably should'nt have killed all the ones in sight...now that I need them I probably won't be able to find any.


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## james67

centipedes carry a poisonous bite, although it is generally mild, if any effects are felt, when humans are bitten, i dont know about the ability for an animal the size of a quarter to resist such an encounter.

im sure someone else has a more definite answer for you.
try finding a pic of what you have through a search on google, etc. it would help a lot.

james


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## thoraxe

Image - TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting
The best picture I could get. I find this one sneaking around in some moss.
I took quite a few pictures, this is the only one that turned out even remotely well.


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## rollei

CO2 fumigate the tank. See: Eliminating vivarium pests - Vivarium Forum


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## thoraxe

rollei said:


> CO2 fumigate the tank. See: Eliminating vivarium pests - Vivarium Forum


FANTASTIC! The milipedes in the pictures there look just like mine.

I'll kill them all.


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## james67

its a millipede, im fairly certain, again i dont know which so i'll have to try and do some more research.

james


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## thoraxe

james67 said:


> its a millipede, im fairly certain, again i dont know which so i'll have to try and do some more research.
> 
> james


If you look at the post above yours, the link the guy posted to the CO2 fumigating had WAY better pictures of the milipedes I have. I'm certain those are the same ones.


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## james67

happened while i was writing that response  glad someone could help out.

james


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## thoraxe

james67 said:


> happened while i was writing that response  glad someone could help out.
> 
> james


I don't have the first clue where to obtain dry ice though.

Google made it pretty easy to find dry ice retailers near me. =P


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## Austin P

I had a few of those in my moss when I got mine, all I did was just pick 'em out and its fairly easy to do so considering there size. I wouldnt worry so much considering its a millipede and there vegitarians.


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## slaytonp

thoraxe said:


> Does anybody know what these are? If they're harmful?


In my experience, these common "greenhouse" millipedes are not harmful to either plants or the frogs. They feed on detritus-- decaying organic matter for the most part, and may even be helpful in recycling frog waste. I have them in nearly all of my vivariums, where they have lived for years with no appreciable problem for the plants. In the beginning, they may appear in large numbers, then gradually diminish in number as the vivarium acquires balance. They do not bite. I have witnessed one of my frogs attempt to eat one, then quickly spit it out, wiping his mouth. They exude a nasty tasting substance as a defense mechanism. 

I believe they are acquired when plants are introduced, as they are common in nurseries and greenhouses, so their eggs are present in the soil surrounding the plants. 

If your aesthetic sensibilities require that you get rid of them, the CO2 won't work on the eggs, so you will probably need to treat the tank several times. If you can get over the creepy crawly feeling they may give you, I'd strongly suggest that you simply leave them alone. They will eventually diminish in numbers so you will rarely even find one.


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## boogsawaste

slaytonp said:


> In my experience, these common "greenhouse" millipedes are not harmful to either plants or the frogs. They feed on detritus-- decaying organic matter for the most part, and may even be helpful in recycling frog waste. I have them in nearly all of my vivariums, where they have lived for years with no appreciable problem for the plants. In the beginning, they may appear in large numbers, then gradually diminish in number as the vivarium acquires balance. They do not bite. I have witnessed one of my frogs attempt to eat one, then quickly spit it out, wiping his mouth. They exude a nasty tasting substance as a defense mechanism.
> 
> I believe they are acquired when plants are introduced, as they are common in nurseries and greenhouses, so their eggs are present in the soil surrounding the plants.
> 
> If your aesthetic sensibilities require that you get rid of them, the CO2 won't work on the eggs, so you will probably need to treat the tank several times. If you can get over the creepy crawly feeling they may give you, I'd strongly suggest that you simply leave them alone. They will eventually diminish in numbers so you will rarely even find one.


Good to see you're still around Patty!


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## RichardA

If they were centipedes you would have one big one left and no other critters in the tank. Looks like millipedes are your critter and they will not hurt the frogs. They eat decaying organic matter like leaf litter and dead plant material. Also millipedes are very difficult to breed in captivity, not impossible....just difficult. So if you think they are spreading that would be a cool thing to me being an invert guy....LOL


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## Austin P

Im kinda doubting my own question here but just wondering if you would be able to keep Giant African Millipedes with PDF's?


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## Philsuma

Austin P said:


> Im kinda doubting my own question here but just wondering if you would be able to keep Giant African Millipedes with PDF's?


The bigger question would be _why_ would you want to combine those particular animals?


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## yumpster

Not many things will do well in the type of environment PDFs require except mold and various little pests. I can't imagine a huge millipede from Africa of all places to survive well in 100% humidity...but I know nothing about them so I could be wrong.


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## Austin P

Philsuma, I am just wondering, not saying I want to, I thought since maybe these would survive in a Viv maybe a Giant one could..

And yumpster I guess your right, I never even thought about humidity.......Although I do know that giant millipedes do require humidity I doubt they would survive in 100%


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## RichardA

I have kept Giant Blacks for years.....they do require a heavy misting here and there but are not a 100% humidity type millie. Not to mention they would take up quite a bit of prime real estate in a dart tank.....LOL


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## FuzzyTB

I had a couple of giant millipedes. At first I kept them in a pdf type enclosure and one died. The second lived another four years in an open container with regular misting. Sadley he died a couple of weeks ago.


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