Archispirostreptus gigas (African Giant Millipede) Care Guide

Let me start by saying this is by no means to be interpreted as the only way to breed Archispirostreptus gigas. It’s the way that I have been successful with it.
Archispirostreptus gigas – more commonly known as the African Giant Millipede or African Giant Black – is a very hardy and easy to keep species from Africa. They are desired by both private keepers as well as educational institutions due to their large size and level of activeness. Subadult and adult gigas are bold enough to even be seen sleeping curled up on the surface of the substrate without cover. Unfortunately, due to the high volume of people who are after these amazing animals, the vast majority are taken from the wild and sold around the world to inexperienced keepers who haven’t done proper research, have been given the wrong information, or have no intention of trying to breed and simply want a trophy pet.
You may be asking why collect wild specimens instead of just captive breeding and selling those offspring? Well, even though A. gigas can be seen mating quite often in captivity, getting the female to lay eggs is another task entirely. To accomplish that you need to mimic the environment from which they come from and “cycle” the female.
To start, A. gigas come from the forests of East Africa. This means that in nature they experience a wet season (monsoon season), a dry season, and "quick dry season" that doesn't occur in all East African countries.
Before we get to cycling, let’s cover the basics.
To house A. gigas properly to attempt cycling your animals you must ensure you have a deep substrate. The general rule of thumb for millipede keeping is to have a substrate no less than your millipede is long. Since they get such a large size, I suggest no less than 12” deep. Preferably you want 14” or more. The substrate should be full of decomposing wood, leaf litter, and other organic matter with NO COCONUT COIR. You also want a thick leaf layer (1.5”-2”) on the surface. The combination of substrate depth and leaf layer will play a big role in maintaining adequate moisture for the millipedes during cycling. They do need a good amount of ventilation and shouldn't have a constant high level of humidity.
Once you have your enclosure setup you want to ensure your animals are healthy and have everything they need to produce healthy viable eggs. This means making sure you’re feeding the proper diet. At least 80% of a millipede's diet is the substrate. The reason I stress no coconut coir in the substrate is because it has been known to cause impaction which will lead to death of your animal. Ideally you’d want to use flake soil as your substrate or at least as the base of your substrate. Flake soil is fermented wood that has been allowed to break down long enough that millipedes can consume and extract the nutrients from. Without the wood being broken down, your millipede simply cannot digest it. You can mix it with plain top soil to stretch it out and fill large tubs, or use the top soil by itself. Whichever route you choose you will need to mix in decaying wood and leaf litter into it as well (even more if you use just top soil by itself). Fruits and veggies can be given every other week and should be seen as treats really. Yes your millipede loves cucumber, just like you love pizza. We all know it’s not good for us but we eat it anyway. Same thing with the millipede. Protein should be given once a week, or even twice depending on the size of the millipede and species. Unlike isopods and some other invertebrates, the exoskeleton of a millipede is made up of protein not calcium. Millipedes do need calcium but not all that much. If you offer things like fish flake, freeze dried minnows, or f/t pinkie mice as your protein source then that’ll provide all the calcium they need.
Now on to the cycling.
Like I said earlier, Archispirostreptus gigas come from the forests of East Africa such as Mozambique, Zambia, Uganda, etc. The months for the dry season in most of East Africa are July, August, September. The months of the rain are the end of April, May, June, October, and November. Notice some months were skipped? That's because not all parts of East Africa experience the heavy rains from the monsoon or the dry heat brought on by the summer. During this time the weather can vary. In West Africa the cycle is opposite with some areas having what's referred to as the "August break." This is when the rain stops and there is a temporary dry period.
Earlier I talked about how deep the substrate and leaf layer should be. The reason for the deep depths of substrate and leaf litter is to ensure that the millipedes are safe during the cycling period. During the wet period they will have the upper area of the substrate to get away from the extra wet area down at the bottom and conversely during the dry season they will seek refuge down at the bottom for moisture. The thick leaf layer serves as an insulation to allow the moisture from the substrate to slowly evaporate instead of desiccating as quickly as possible.
For the wet seasons I keep the day time temperature between 72-75°F (22-24°C) and allow the night temperature to get as low 70°F (21°C). Mist every day 1-2x a day for 3 months. This may seem like a lot but remember we want them to think there will be lots of vegetation and decay for them to feed on. Use your judgement when misting. You don't want the substrate absolutely saturated, but you don't want the top to totally dry out. This may take some trial and error. I would suggest setting up an empty tub and make sure you have your misting dialed in if you do not have experience with cycling animals before.
For the dry seasons I keep the day time temperature between 80-82°F (26-28°C) and let it get no lower than 75°F (24°C) for night time. Mist once lightly the first month, a heavy misting once during the second month, and once again a light misting the third month. That's all. Depth of substrate is absolutely vital during the dry season since it can be very easy to allow the tub to get too dry. Again, I suggest doing a test run with an empty tub for the inexperienced.
During the period in between the wet and dry the female will dig down into the substrate to lay her eggs. This gives the eggs time to develop and hatch just as the wet season is approaching. The babies grow extremely slow and take around 5 years to reach sexual maturity.
If you have follow the advice in this write up properly, you will hopefully achieve the same success I have and will be able to establish more captive bred animals for future generations to enjoy.