Common Name: Giant Jet Black Congo Millipede
Scientific Name: Spiropoeus species

Size: Large juvenile/Sub-adult
Status: Captive bred

Country of origin: Congo

Food: Fruit, vegetables, leaf litter, rotten wood

A large, robust, stocky millipede, jet black in colour (up to 18cm long). They have a shiny body, are most attractive and tend not to burrow away out of sight as many other millipedes do! These babies are super cute but still very small, I think it will be several years until they reach their adult size! They need both warmth and a high humidity at this stage.

How I keep mine

I keep these 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 am using peat or coir on the base and adding leaf litter (Oak, Beech or other hardwoods) and pieces of rotten wood. Some millipedes seem to eat just the decaying leaves and wood but I find that the Giant Cameroon Black millipedes enjoy a little fruit/vegetables, especially apple, banana and cucumber.  Warmth and humidity are important. I use a small heat mat and make sure 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 and food.