Common Name: Giant Chocolate Millipede
Scientific Name : Ophistreptus guineensis

Size : Adult/Sub-adult
Status: Wild Caught 

Food : Fruit, vegetables, leaf litter.

A large and stocky, African millipede, milk chocolate coloured. Adults up to 19cm.  

How I keep mine

I keep my Giant Chocolate millipedes in a plastic box but a fish tank would work just as well. I buy the boxes from Wilko or Tesco and make air holes in the lid with a soldering iron, a great little tool for burning the right size holes through plastic. I use peat or coir on the base and add leaf litter (Oak, Beech or other hard woods) and pieces of rotten wood. These millipedes seem to enjoy fruit, especially banana, apple and cucumber.  I sometimes add a little cuttlefish or powdered calcium carbonate which I am told is good for their growth. Both warmth and humidity are important. I use a small heat mat and ensure there is not too much ventilation. If you are housing the millipedes in a fish tank you may need to cover some of the air holes with cling film so that the cage does not dry out. I rarely mist my millipedes as I find they get enough moisture from the leaf litter.