Micro Fauna

[Brad Ramsey]

It seems to me like more little forest floor creatures than springtails and wood lice could be beneficial in a pygmy enclosure.
We have been field collecting wood lice/ sow bugs/ rolly pollies/ pill bugs ... whatever common name you want to give them and always run across a lot of little millipedes. They are about an inch and a half long and the diameter of a pencil lead.
I can't think of a reason not to introduce them into our enclosures .... if no one else can come up with a good one, I'm going to do it.

-Brad

 

[insert name here]

I thought people do put them in enclosures. I was told they are good for pygmy enclosures and they eat decaying plant matter. There is a little something about them in this article on constructing a pygmy habitat .

http://www.chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=63 (it is towards the bottom)

 

[ChamNovice]

misposted sorry

 

[Syn]

Brad - are you planning on feeding them off or something? Is there a chance they could bite? Just curious.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Brad - are you planning on feeding them off or something? Is there a chance they could bite? Just curious.

I don't think the pygmys would be interested in eating them. I don't think they would be visible much. Just busy under the litter, helping to keep the enclosure clean.

-Brad

 

[Syn]

That sounds pretty neat, Brad! Good luck!

 

[Brad Ramsey]

I thought people do put them in enclosures. I was told they are good for pygmy enclosures and they eat decaying plant matter. There is a little something about them in this article on constructing a pygmy habitat .

http://www.chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=63 (it is towards the bottom)

I have read Tom's articles countless times. How have I missed the info on millipedes? I'm still missing it.

Incidentally Both of his articles on stump tailed chameleons are printed and in page protectors in a binder on my night stand. Along with several other chameleon related writings ... this is what puts me to sleep at night.

-Brad

 

[FooL111394]

I say go for it. Did it say something in that article against it?:O

 

[insert name here]

Oh! My mistake brad. I thought you were just talking about sow bugs. I dont know why I couldnt understand you were talking about millipides untill now. I apologize for the misunderstanding.

 

[luevelvet]

Brad, I'm with you on that one. I have a few copies of CiN publications next to the bed that Nicole and I read together. Not sure how I feel abut admitting to that.. :-/

At any rate. I had a simple ignorant enclosure when I hatched a bunch of Greenhouse Frog eggs. They were so small, all they ate was springtails and other soil mites. I used to scoop a cup of dirt from deep in our compost heap and spread it out inside a 10 gallon tank. I also placed a few weeds in there for cover. The frogs were 2-3 mm's each and lived for quite a while, all things considered. When I went searching for the frogs, i would encounter a bunch of small 1-1.5" millipedes, small beetles, pill bugs etc etc, which did nothing but keep the dirt a nice healthy ecosystem, as it were. The frogs never seemed bothered by them and I never witness anything attack any of the frogs. Unless millipedes can be toxic, I would go for it. Actually, I think I'll look that up now...

Keep us posted, I'm interested in the results.

Luis

 

[Zen Reptiles]

I stick them in all my vivs.

 

[luevelvet]

Interested note I just picked up about millipedes...

Millipedes are not entirely defenseless either but instead of overt aggression, they resort to chemical warfare. A threatened millipede secretes toxic chemicals such as cyanide, benzoquinones and alkaloids. Smell your hands after you've handled a millipede and you may detect the almondy odor of cyanide. This defense is definitely effective. I once watched a robin happily prospecting for worms in our compost heap until he came upon a millipede. After several attempts to carry it away, the robin spit the millipede out and flew off. The millipede crawled back into the ground not much worse for the wear.

I'm not trying to negate anyone's experience, just posting for more food for thought.

Luis

 

[dragongoddess]

What kind of millipedes are we talking about here? Are we talking 2" long millipedes or the little pill bugs that roll into a ball?

 

[Zen Reptiles]

Hmmm, I haven't had any problems, but perhaps it's best not to use them?

All the ones I've put in my vivs have probably escaped by now, and I'm sure very few ever got eaten. This is from bugguide.net

...but they're harmless to (adult) humans. The worst they can do is secrete chemicals that would burn if you got them on your hands and then rubbed them in your eyes or nose. It's also not a good idea to put them in your mouth, as the defense chemicals are said to be extremely distasteful. That's why I put "adult" in the first sentence - small children that put everything in their mouth should be your only concern, really. Millipedes typically show up in houses after very heavy rains, or if you have a room that sits below ground level. They're easily removed from the home with a small container of some sort. The ones you can't catch will quickly dry out and die.
… Aaron Goodwin, 3 September, 2006 - 6:16pm

Edit: All North American small millipedes are from the family Parajulidae if you'd like to research for yourself.

 

[ttshibby]

hey brad,

I have a little bit of experiance with millipedes...

I bought a few abricola's that had a few tiny 1/2 inch long millipedes in the pot. there were only a few of them, and i thaught nothing of it, and left them. However, now, 6 mths later, i have an out break of them! they reproduce like crazy in the moist environment in my cages. They actually have spread from pot to pot and are so abundant that i am researching ways to elimnate or reduce them organically.

I dont know if they are doing much damage, but i think too much of anything can be a problem

I hope this helps.

Troy

 

[eisentrauti]

Hi,

over the ocean it's common to put soil from the forest into tanks - it's called "impaction". It's good for the natural cleaning of the tanks and sometimes chameleons, espacially stump tailed ones find something to eat.

Regards

 

[dodolah]

Hi,

over the ocean it's common to put soil from the forest into tanks - it's called "impaction". It's good for the natural cleaning of the tanks and sometimes chameleons, espacially stump tailed ones find something to eat.

Regards

with this statement and your signature, I have difficulty understanding whether you are being serious or being sarcastic. impaction as in fecal impaction?
lol sorry if i miss your points. English is not my native language.

 

[summoner12]

with this statement and your signature, I have difficulty understanding whether you are being serious or being sarcastic. impaction as in fecal impaction?
lol sorry if i miss your points. English is not my native language.

Maybe you two should speak in German...

 

[eisentrauti]

with this statement and your signature, I have difficulty understanding whether you are being serious or being sarcastic. impaction as in fecal impaction?
lol sorry if i miss your points. English is not my native language.

Why do you think it put the "..." around impaction ? Just for fun ? English is also not my native language as you could imagine and it's very hard to find terms which could describe that word. Maybe systematic contamination with "unclean" soil is better.

 

[CNorton]

harsh words for this hour in the morning don't we think?