As is true for all my care guides, this is not intended to be taken as the only way to keep these fascinating animals.
This has been one of the most requested guides for me to write. After years of working with these animals and having nearly losing my entire colony twice, I am confident enough to share what I've learned and has helped me succeed. 
Epiperipatus barbadensis - Barbados Brown Velvet Worm - is a medium sized member of the phylum Onychophora. Onycophora may look like worms with nubs, but they are actually considered part of the (debated) clade Panarthropoda. If you're into taxonomy at all, you would know that in order to classify something as an Arthropod it must have 3 specific characteristics. The requirements are that the animal molts/sheds its skin as it grows, it must have jointed legs, and lastly it must have a segmented body. 
If you take a quick look at a velvet worm, you wouldn't think it has any need to shed. You'd be wrong. Velvet worms do in fact shed as they grow. They may not have a hard exoskeleton, but their velvet looking appearence is due to their skin being comprised of chitin (like exoskeletons), extremely tiny scales, and little papillae (bumps like those on your tongue). 
​
"Well it doesn't have a segmented body...or does it?"

Velvet worms are in fact segmented! It isn't as obvious as seeing the body segments of an ant or spider since their segments are visible from just looking at them. Their body is made of rings with pair legs that come off of them, and they also have a 3 segmented head comprised of the antenna, mandibles, and oral papillae.

"Ok, but they definitely don't have any joints in their legs." 

You're correct! Their chubby stubby legs - called lobopods - are fluid filled nubs with 2 tiny claws on the end. They gain a new pair of legs every time they shed and grow. The lack of joints in their legs is why they are classified as Panarthropods and not Arthropods. 
Something I get asked quite often about them is if they are hard to care for. Sad to say these amazing creatures seem to prove difficult even for some experienced keepers. I tend to keep my colony around 75°F-82°F (~24°C-~27.5°C) with humidity between 80-90%. I have experimented with humidity as low as 65%, but the lower the humidity is, the more they will hide. The easiest way I have found to maintain such a high level of humidity is to setup your animals in a bioactive vivarium. Now when people hear bioactive nowadays, most seem to think that just involves having live plants, springtails, and isopods in the enclosure. While those are some components that are included into a bioactive enclosure, what really makes it bioactive is a healthy establishment of fungi and bacteria. This is something the majority of keepers never even consider. Think of setting up a fish tank. You add your substrate, plants/coral/live rock, fill with water, add bacteria, and let it cycle for a couple weeks until the tank has established enough beneficial bacteria to keep the water clean. Ideally you want to do the same for your velvet worms. 
The way I set mine up was to first put a couple inches of vermiculite on the bottom of the enclosure and covered it with a screen to create a drainage layer. Even though these animals enjoy high humidity, they are not designed to be sitting on super damp substrate. 
Next comes substrate. I use a mixture of coco coir, soil, and some live moss. There is also a layer of leaf litter which acts as both hiding spots and it helps create areas of different micro climates within the vivarium. As far as substrate depth, as deep as your plants will require is fine. Adult E. barbadensis do not burrow, but I have observed the babies digging down a small way into the substrate. Live plants are great in a vivarium because they provide oxygen, can aide in humidity, and provide hiding spots. These animals are photophobic (hide when they see light), so the more shady spots for them to retreat to, the more comfortable they will feel. If your vivarium is setup to have enough shade, you may even get to see them walking around during the day.
Alright onto the fun part - feeding time.
Feeding these animals is pretty easy. Most live inverts seem to be fair game (within proportion to their size). Even prekilled invertebrates are readily accepted. My favorite prekilled feeder to use are dubia (Blaptica dubia) roaches. I kill the roach and cut it in half. Even though they cant chew through the tough exoskeleton, they readily eat the innards. They will even feed communally. If you're very lucky you will get the opportunity to watch them do what made them so famous - shoot goo! 
Onycophora have specialized papillae on their head just in front of the first pair of legs. These papillae are each connected to their own slime glands which they contract in order to spray their slime not only as a defense, but to glue their prey in place. The slime has a similar reaction to moisture the same way cyanoacrylate (CA glue/super glue)  does, it hardens to make it even more difficult to escape. After glueing down their meal, they use mandibles equipped with sharp teeth to slice open the prey. They pump their saliva into the wound as they chew, the enzymes digesting the innards quickly so the velvet worm can slurp it up. Any remaining exoskeleton should be removed to prevent mold from growing.
As long as everything is setup properly and the animals are old enough, breeding takes no effort at all. After mating, females will start to grow embryos in succession in the uterus. Imagine looking at a conveyor belt with boxes on it. As the boxes move down the line something gets added to each until they get to the end. The first box down the line is full and ready to be shipped. The next box is almost there but not quite full. The box after that has less in it and needs more time to fill, and on and on it goes. This is how the embryos form, with the female birthing 1 live baby at a time. Babies can be observed staying near their mother until they get a certain size. Epiperipatus barbadensis hasn't been studied by scientists all that much, but going off other peripatopsids, you can expect the female to give birth to anywhere from 6-20+ babies in a year.
Earlier I mentioned setting them up in a vivarium and usually that means add isopods and springtails. There are 2 issues with that. Velvet worms are very soft bodied and not all that fast. They can only shoot so much slime before needing to recover also, so hungry isopods can easily overtake and eat your velvets. Now springtails are an iffy situation. Myself and other experienced keepers have witnessed springtails actively chewing on some of our worms, some keepers lost entire colonies due to this. Different keepers tried different species and all the same results. Something I did take note of and made sure to pay attention to was which worms were being attacked by springtails. Never did I witness any juvenile or baby being attacked by springtails. It is always larger adults that seem to be the target. 
Anyone who's kept springtails knows their primary diet is fungi and bacteria. Due to the enviornment velvet worms need to survive and their soft skin, this makes them very susceptable to fungal infections. Like I said before, it was always older animals being attacked. One thing that holds true among every living thing is older animals have weaker immune systems leaving them more prone to getting infections. It's my belief that the springtails are eating the fungus off the worms, but not just stopping once the fungus is all gone. Even without springtails to eat away at them, fungal infections quickly spread from animal to animal and cause spontaneous abortion while killing the velvet worm. A small bit of mold in an enclosure is an immediate risk to the health of your colony. I wholeheartedly belive being on top of the overall health of the enclosure is the key to keeping a healthy long term colony.
Now that you have a better understanding on what it's like to care for these animals, I hope potential keepers will make sure to have everything correctly setup before deciding to take on the rewarding challenge of breeding Epiperipatus barbadensis.

Trigoniulus macropygus aka the Philippine Flame Leg, is a beautiful, medium sized millipede native to the Philippines in the same regions that Acladocricus sp "PGB" are found. 
Their stunning deep red body with contrastingly bright yellow legs, hardiness, and high level of activity means they make a great display animal for a well designed vivarium. Setting up these animals for success starts with a high quality substrate. For substrate composition please see my General Care Guide. As for depth, 5" should be considered the minimum but as with all millipedes, deeper is better. 
Trigs and Acladocricus sp "PGB" have essentially the same care requirements. Trigs also come from the jungle floor where temperatures are much cooler than the surrounding air and do not like temperatures to get too high. I keep them around 75°F (23°C). Humidity is something that should be kept on the moderate to high side around 60-75%. Night time temperatures can be allowed to get down to as low as 65°F (18.5°C) with no ill effects. In fact, the biggest issue that this species faces in captivity is lack of food. They need a constant supply of decaying hardwood and leaf litter to ensure the colony doesn't collapse. Protein should be given twice weekly to make sure they have adequate nutrition to keep up with their quick growth rate. The unfortunate side effect to a quick growth is a short lifespan, with this species living a maximum of 1.5-2 years.
To get Trigs to breed you just need to make sure their husbandry requirements are met and have some patience. Females lay eggs one by one, encapsulating each one in feces and substrate after she lays them. As is the case with other species that encapsulate their eggs, they will be dispersed underneath the leaf litter instead of being buried into the substrate. Some people have claimed that females die after laying eggs. That simply isn't true. 
Within 2-3 months the eggs will hatch and the life cycle will start anew. Sexual maturity is reached around 10 months old.
Hopefully this simple guide conveys just how easy it is to keep and care for this gorgeous species.

Asbolus verrucosus (Blue Death Feigning Beetle) BDFB Care Sheet
Courtesy of US Invertebrate LLC

Keeping
Background:
The blue death feigning beetle, also called the desert ironclad beetle, is a species of darkling beetle native to the Southwestern United States and parts of Mexico, found mainly in the Sonoran desert. The body of this beetle is black but covered in a waxy layer that provides protection from the sun and their distinct blue color.  When startled, they will lay motionless on their backs, feigning death, until the threat has passed. Like many insects, they undergo complete metamorphosis with egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages. All life stages of this beetle are harmless to humans, and their lifespan is thought to be about 8 or more years. As adults, their size ranges from about 0.5-1 inch (1.3-2.5 cm) in length.  With their active behavior, long lifespan, and easy care, blue death feigning beetles have become a popular pet insect.
Temperature:
Recommended day temperatures can range between 75-95° F (23.9-35°C) though this beetle species tends to be most active when kept between 80-85 (26.7-29.4°C).  Temperatures should drop at night to mimic natural conditions, but remain around 50-60°F (10-15.6°C). If temperatures drop below 50°F (10°C), a heat source would be beneficial at night. Blue death feigning beetles can be inactive if kept in cooler conditions for over a 24 hour cycle. This may be an indicator to raise the temperature. Having a probe thermometer set on the substrate, is an easy and inexpensive way to monitor enclosure conditions. Heat lamps come in a variety of sizes and are effective in providing stable warmth when on a thermostat. Any heat sources should be placed at one end of the enclosure to provide a warmer end and cooler end to choose from. At this time, it is thought UVB light is not necessary for this species.
Water & Humidity
Blue death feigning beetles are well adapted to their low humidity climate and obtain most hydration from their food.  Keeping a water dish with this species may be a hazard with their poor ability to swim, however ant water towers work well for a water source. Occasionally misting a small portion of their enclosure to provide additional water is recommended. Their enclosure should be kept dry with under about 20% relative humidity. An hygrometer, or humidity gauge, is an easy and inexpensive way to read the humidity. Improving the enclosure ventilation can help lower humidity if needed. Blue death feigning beetles that are wet or are kept in more humid conditions will be darker or black temporarily until conditions are drier.
Diet & Food
These beetles are opportunistic and will feed on a wide variety of plant and animal matter in the wild. It is recommended to keep their diet lower in sugar and higher in protein. Rotate out food items several times per week to vary nutrition and provide a source of hydration. Suggested food options include but are not limited to:
● Seeds: Sunflower seeds and other unsalted, unroasted seeds.
● Produce, Roots, and Similar: Cactus, cactus fruit, lichens, mushrooms, lettuce roots, grass roots, and other plant roots washed well to avoid pesticides and fertilizers. While fruits and vegetables are readily accepted, it is best to limit high sugar fruits and root vegetables to occasional treats rather than staple food items.
● Protein: Bee pollen and fresh killed invertebrates such as crickets, superworms, mealworms, roaches, black soldier fly larva, and more.
● Other: Invertebrate gel mixes, low sugar agar based beetle jelly.
Enclosure & Substrate
Blue death feigning beetles are active insects but cannot fly or climb smooth surfaces. Their enclosure should be a smooth glass or plastic container with good ventilation. When choosing an enclosure, horizontal space has more useable area than vertical space though they will climb any items placed in their enclosure. There should be enough space for all individuals to move freely with multiple hides to choose from. It is recommended each beetle have an area at least 5 times their body size. Larger is better as blue death feigning beetles tend to use all space provided. Clean aquarium decorations, wood, cork, rock, and dried leaves can all offer more climbing surface area, hides, and enrichment. Be sure there are no sharp edges or openings small enough to get stuck in. It is recommended to have a 2 layer substrate. The bottom 2 inch (5.1cm) layer should be a mixture of one part sand/clay (such as a reptile desert substrate) and 3 part decaying plant matter (such as millipede substrate). The top 1 inch (2.5cm) layer should be sand/clay (such as a reptile desert substrate).You can choose to change the substrate out a couple times a year to clean the tank.

Breeding and Rearing
Eggs can be seen on top of clay sand substrate. Collect and place one egg in each culture cup on top of substrate. We leave the eggs in the breeding bins (US Invertebrate LLC Asbolus substrate) until we see larvae and then place larvae individually in culturing cups. Culturing Cup: 16 oz deli with a Cloth Vented Lid. Substrate: 50% sand clay, 25% Millipede substrate, 25% coir,. Mix well. The substrate should hold shape for proper dampness. Push ½” sand clay into the bottom of the deli firmly. Mist bottom. Fill cup 3/4 with substrate. Push a dried cricket, shrimp or similar against the deli cup about ½ way down. Fresh killed will mold faster. Replace dried invert as needed, about twice a week. Incubator: Place a 16 oz container of water in incubator if there isn’t a water well. Turn to 84 and place larvae culture cup in. A fan incubator works best. One of the biggest things to note: larvae grow at different stages depending on humidity, heat and food source. When larvae obtain about 1.5”, humidity and temperature should increase. We take each culture cup out, take out larvae and remist the sand clay bottom layer and mist the substrate. When placing the cup back in incubator, increase heat to 88. Leave cups in incubator until beetle surfaces. We leave in cup for 2 weeks after surfacing at 80. Beetles likely won’t eat during 2 weeks although we add a small piece of carrot and fresh killed cricket to each cup.

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.

Here I will continually be adding links to current and credible sources for information regarding millipedes and other invertebrates:

• The Millipede Enthusiast Database
• ​MilliBase
• WoRMS (World Register of Marine Species)
• Isopod Site​​

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.

With millipedes becoming more and more popular in the exotic pet hobby I feel it has become important to make a general care guide that can help newcomers learn proper husbandry to make ensure your animal will not just survive, but actually thrive. 
First and foremost, I'd like to address one of the biggest problems in the hobby. Contrary to what your buddy or some social media influencer has told you - keeping millipedes is very different than how most people keep isopods. What works for millipedes will work perfect for isopods, but not vice versa. Another big problem is outdated and just plain wrong information. The most unsettling part is that books are still published with outdated information.
Now that that's out of the way lets get into basic husbandry. Substrate and diet go hand in hand when it comes to keeping millipedes. In fact, the majority of a millipede's diet is the substrate. One thing I cannot stress enough is to avoid coconut coir (coco fiber, nucifera fiber, ground coconut husk, etc.) or anything that contains any coconut husk.
The reasoning behind this is that millipedes rely on bacteria and fungi that live in their intestinal tract to digest food and the gut biome they have isn't designed to break down the coir. A consequence of ingesting this is impaction, which typically leads to death. There are some keepers who claim that coir is fine in the substrate so long as you provide lots of supplemental foods. That's simply not true - especially for more delicate species. This is an old school method of millipede keeping that we now have seen will work for some extremely hardy (typically small invasive/cosmopolitan) species that rely primarily on surface detritus and - most importantly - they all seem to lay a large number of eggs in each clutch. Being on the smaller side means they hit sexual maturity at a surprisingly fast rate. Despite it seeming like there are species that can be kept with some coir in the substrate - they all experience high mortality rates within the colony. The survivng brood members that are lucky enough to breed will give you a false sense of success before ultimately the entire colony crashes.
 "But millipedes can't digest sand and I see that in my millipede's poop." Coir fibers are long and tend to wrap around things or ball up inside the body. While the sand also cannot be digested, it does not clump together and is easily passed along. Even small vertebrates can become impacted from accidental ingestion. While burrowing, millipedes aren't sifting through the substrate - they just consume. This is where the accidental ingestion comes from. It is simply not worth the risk to use any coir products when housing millipedes. Another thing to avoid is any substrate or substrate recipe that says to use hydrated wood pellets. Unless the pellets have decomposed long enough to allow for the lignan and cellulose structures to break down, it's inedible and is nothing more than a filler. People who sell substrates with hydrated pellets try to claim the wood will break down over time, but that's not entirely the case. In an anaerobic environment such as the substrate, it will not break down in a timely manner at all. In fact, by the time those pellets would even start to break down, the rest of the substrate will be spent and need replacing. The raw saw dust can potentially allow inedible fungi to establish itself which means the substrate would be ruined anyway and needs to be replaced.
Now you're probably wondering what is the best substrate to use for millipedes? 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. 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). When I say decayed wood and leaf litter I don't just mean dead and dried. I mean partially broken down and ready for consumption. If you can't find anything at that stage then you can make something close to it yourself. Collect dead hardwood and leaf litter and let it sit in a tub of water in a warm spot and let it sit until it feels slimy. You'll also notice an irridescent sheen form on the surface of the water from the natural proteins and oils being released. This could take a few days to a few weeks depending on the initial level of decomposition your starting material is. What this does is break down the cellulose structure and put a biofilm coating of microorganisms that work to break down the leaves. Let the leaves air dry and then feed to your millipedes. If you keep a desert species than you'll also want to mix in additional play sand and clay into the substrate. Something to note is that you always want your substrate to be at least as deep as the millipede is long. So if your millipede is 5" (12cm) then your substrate should be no less than 5"(12cm) deep.
Fruits and veggies can be given every other week for the majority of species and should be seen as treats really. There are obviously exceptions to this especially with certain African species like those in the genus Pelmatojulus who should be given fruit weekly. Yes we know your millipede loves cucumber, just like you love pizza and burgers/fish and chips/whatever junk food is popular in your country. We all know it’s not good for us, but we eat it anyway. Same thing with the millipede. Just because it is something real tasty, it doesn't mean that it's healthy. Protein should be given once a week, or even twice depending on the size of the millipede and species. A big issue of debate is the amount of supplemental calcium they need. People underestimate the amount of minerals that are in decomposing leaves. A good layer of oak and maple leaves covers the majority of calcium, magnesium, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Supplemental weekly protein feedings of: freeze dried minnows, f/t pinkie mice, fish flakes, etc. will cover the rest of the minerals needed to keep your millipede happy and thriving. If you're really concerned about your millipede not receiving enough calcium for some reason, you can sprinkle a little calcium powder in a spot for your animal or put a piece of cuttlebone in the enclosure. The need for a water dish is unnecessary since they get all their moisture needs from misting and the moisture in the substrate.
Something else that seems to be overlooked is the need for heat sources. Some species do fine at room temperature while others will require supplemental heat. It is important you do your research on where your millipede is native to and replicate the temperature and humidity according to what you find. The best way to heat a millipede enclosure is to use a heat pad placed on the side of the enclosure. This will allow your millipede to escape the heat and choose a cooler side if it feels like. Placing it on the bottom doesn't give the millipede much area to escape it and having a lamp overhead will dry out substrate too quick. It will be up to you to determine the size heat pad you need to bring your enclosure to proper tempertaure in your home.
Hopefully this helps new keepers get a quick run through on setting up their new pet for success instead of failure.