African Banded Millipede
Rhapidostreptus virgator
No venom, no sting
Millipedes don't bite or sting and have no venom. Many do secrete defensive chemicals when stressed, so wash your hands after handling and keep them away from your eyes and mouth.
Secretes benzoquinones
Stains skin brown for several days and stings badly in the eyes or on broken skin. Wash your hands after handling, don't rub your face, and keep it well away from small children.
About
A large banded African millipede kept much like the giant African (Archispirostreptus gigas): a deep substrate of coco/soil topped with oak leaf litter and rotten hardwood, 70-80°F and 70-80% humidity, with cuttlebone for calcium. A gentle, long-lived detritivore that does well in groups — an easy, rewarding beginner millipede.
Taxonomy
Size & growth
Millipedes molt underground in a small chamber and can stay buried for weeks. If yours has disappeared into the substrate, leave it be — digging it up mid-molt can kill it.
Climate
Enclosure
Feeding
Times kept: 0