Acladocricus sp. (Philippine Giant Blue Millipede)Care Guide

Acladocricus sp Philippine Giant Blue (PGB) are easily one of my personal favorite species to keep and as I'm sure you've heard by now, the species that helped to get me where I'm at today. Acladocricus are a genus of millipedes native to Asia. There are just over 20 species in the genus, but with little information about the origin of collection (so far the only details we know are the original US stock was collected from the Negros Islands in the Philippines) an accurate ID is hard to pin down at the moment regarding which is in the hobby. Although I have found this species fairly simple to keep, they do seem to be a bit tricky for others to have success with. Talking with keepers who have had issues with their colonies, I feel confident enough to say that too high temperatures and inadequate diet seem to be the main culprits for failures with this species.
To setup an enclosure for PGB's, you can follow my general millipede care guide for substrate composition. For this species a substrate depth of 6-8" is acceptable with 10" being ideal. Although they average a length of 5-6," they will utilize the entire depth of the substrate. I often see molting animals curled up on the bottom when I look from the underside of their tub. 
A substrate comprised of flake soil with additional decomposed hardwood and leaf litter is perfect for them, but they can also be reared on a mix of top soil/decayed hardwood/decayed leaf litter. This species is a very heavy wood eater and can be described as absolute compost machines. Even a small colony will consume a surprinsingly large amount of leaf litter and wood material. Live moss and lichen don't stand a chance for aesthetics since the millipedes will happily ravage any that is offered. Babies will often eat rhizomes off the live moss before consuming the green material. A nice thick layer of leaves provide a humidity barrier to help keep moisture in as well as provides them with food to constantly graze on. Fruits and veggies should be given bi-weekly and almost anything offered will be readily consumed. For a giant species, PGB's grow and mature surprisingly quickly and can hit sexual maturity in less than 2 years. Due to this, they require a quality protein supplement which can be fed once or even twice a week. This can be in the form of bee pollen, prekilled insects, f/t pinkie mice, raw meats, etc. 
As I mentioned earlier, I'm confident most the people who have issues keeping this species are not able to keep temperatures appropriate for them or lack sufficiently decayed material for them to thrive. Although the species hails from the Negros Islands where it regularly gets over 80°F (27°C), you need to bear in mind these animals are deep in the jungles buried way down in the ground under a deep layer of leaf litter. All of these factors keep them much cooler than the surrounding air temperatures. I recommend keeping them between 75°-77°F (23-25°C). They also don't tolerate being too dry and prefer humidity be kept high around 75%+. High temperatures seem to cause problems, but cooler temperatures don't seem to pose any issues for them. I often let night time temps get down to 67°F (19.5°C) 
To get PGB's to breed all you need to do is ensure their husbandry is proper and leave them be. They do not need any enviornmental cues to reproduce or lay eggs and can be very prolific so long as they have had their needs met. The females of this species do not dig down into the substrate to bury their eggs. Instead, they lay indiviual eggs and encapsulate each one in a mix of feces and substrate and leave them scattered under the leaf litter. After a few months the eggs will hatch and my favorite part of keeping this species begins.
The newly emerged millipedes will be all white (like all are) at first, but slowly will turn gray. As the development continues, they will change to various shades of gray, then an almost olive green, then a final gray before turning blue. Once they become sexually mature they will display a vibrant blue with thin white banding along the ridge of each segment. As they continue to age the white will go away and they will become darker and darker blue with a mild green tint.
Following the advice here in this guide should provide you with success so you too can enjoy keeping this beautiful Asian species.