Hello and welcome to the site once again. As I'm sure you already know you have wonderful taste in pet bugs and I hope you enjoy keeping millipedes as much as I do.

Millipedes have not been readily available as pets for very long and unfortunately due to increased popularity some species suffered a decline in numbers in the wild do to over collection. The Madagascan fire (Aphistogoniulus sp) which was collected in large numbers from the rainforests of Madagascar. Unfortunately not many keepers had success in breeding them and exportation stopped. Most of the remaining captive ones died out though a few were bred. These millipedes have just started appearing for sale again and I'm not sure if these are captive bred or wild caught. There are many different species of millipede imported and many sport fantastic colouration.

Anyway millipedes are fairly simple to classify, they belong to the kingdom Animalia, the phylum Arthropoda, the subphylum Myriapoda and the class Diplopoda which comes from the term "doubled-feet". This refers to the fact millipedes have 2 pairs of legs on each segment unlike the centipedes which only have one. The class Diplopoda was previously known as Chilognatha. Most of the millipedes you will encounter are members of the Spirostrepidae family which is one of the orders of Diplopoda.

Most millipedes have long rounded bodies but there are a few that have flatter shapes which can sometimes be purchased. One of the most impressive is the Nigerian flat millipede Coromus vittatus vittatus shown below

Growth and Development
Baby millipedes resemble beetle grubs when they first hatch due to the fact they only have three pairs of legs. As they moult they grow more segments with more legs. Millipedes grow by shedding the old exoskeleton after first secreting a new one under the old. They will often look a bit "out of sorts" before they do so and will seek out a sheltered spot in which to moult. They are very vulnerable at this stage and disturbing them could be fatal so it is important you do not root around in the substrate of their tanks.

It is not clear just how old millipedes can reach though it is believed the larger species could reach between 8 and 12 years old if living in optimal conditions. No one has kept and bred millipedes long enough to know their exact lifespan but what is clear is that many of the larger species young take quite a long time to grow into adults.

Handling
Millipedes can be handled easily due to their docile nature and easy going pace. Best way is to scoop them out of their enclosure and allow them to uncurl at their leisure. Many will curl up when threatened and a few more can secrete a foul smelling liquid which resembles iodine. This may stain hands and clothes so try and wash it off as soon as possible. Some millipedes have the unfortunate habit of defacating on their owners hands. This can be quite smelly but with regular handling your millipede shouldn't do this as much if ever. Young millipedes are very delicate and best left alone, it is easy enough to injure an adult millipede with improper handling and you should try and ensure you handle millipedes over the floor or a soft surface.