Millipede Diet

An easy to keep, easy to feed, and easy to find unusual pet is a millipede. The African Giant Millipede is the most commonly kept. Most people can learn to care for these creatures, making them a good choice for beginner invertebrate hobbyist. Millipedes are plant decomposers, meaning they eat any and all rotting plant material they find. Besides being interesting pets they are a great way to recycle your kitchen scraps.

  1. Vegetables

    • Millipedes can be given most leafy greens. These can be from leftover dinners, or nontoxic plants clipped from the yard. Choices can include salad mix, potato peels, shredded carrots or shredded yams. If you do not use toxins in your yard, such as herbicides or insecticides, then you can feed them your dandelions or grass clippings.

    Fruits

    • Millipedes especially enjoy overripe, or partly molded, fruits such as grapes, pears, berries, bananas and apples. These will also give them a source of water. They will enjoy most any fruit and even the banana peel.

    Vitamin Supplements

    • To provide for any missing nutrients, such as calcium, in their diet the insects can be given a reptile vitamin supplement found at most any pet store. Sprinkle a pinch of vitamins on their food once or twice a week.

    How to Feed

    • The food can be placed on a small dish with low or no sides so that the millipede can get to it. A plastic lid also works well to control its diet. Feed them three to four times a week and leave the food out for a couple of days (they like it rotting). Be warned that this will attract flies so do remove the food before the flies set in. The amount of time you can leave the food may vary depending on your climate and region. Don't leave the food out for the millipede more than a couple of days, you don't want to have an over growth of bacteria or fungi that can make the insect sick. They should have food available at all times.

    Water

    • Most of its water intake will come from its food and humid environment. You can place a soaked sponge or cotton ball on a plastic lid to help with the humidity and to offer an additional source of water.