Acladocricus sp. Philippine Blue
Sold under its hobby name. This guide covers the group or trade name this fella is sold as, so the ranges fit the whole group. Start in the middle and watch how your animal settles in.
Philippine Blue Giant Millipede: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: A big tropical millipede that does well in groups when it gets deep edible substrate, steady humidity and real floor space. Drying out and cramped, stale bins are the big problems.
Group: MillipedesDifficulty: Spice 3: IntermediateSetup: Large tropical burrower, deep substrateHandling: Not recommended, fragile if dropped
Use This Guide Safely
- Confirm the exact animal. Match this guide to the species, locality, size, and life stage on your label. If the ID is uncertain, use the more conservative part of the range and ask before changing the setup.
- Change one thing at a time. Treat temperature and humidity as target zones, then watch posture, burrowing, drinking, feeding, and molt behavior before making another adjustment.
- Respect the handling boundary. If the guide says no handling, fast, defensive, or medically significant, plan transfers with catch cups, locked lids, and no bare hands. For serious bites, stings, or symptoms, seek emergency medical care.
Quick Snapshot
| Temperature | 74-80°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 75-85%, damp lower layers, drier surface |
| Setup Type | Large tropical burrower, deep substrate |
| Substrate | Deep rotting leaves and wood, damp below, not coco alone |
| Feeding | Decaying leaves, rotten wood, veggies, calcium |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 3: Intermediate |
| Handling | Not recommended, fragile if dropped |
Humidity zones: Very Low under 30% - Low 30-60% - Low-Moderate 40-70% - Moderate 60-80% - Moderate-High 70-85% - High 80%+ - Very High 90%+
Enclosure Format / Size Class
- Young juveniles: Baby Buddy with deep edible substrate
- Juveniles: Burrow Buddy with enough depth to burrow completely
- Adults: large custom enclosure, deep substrate and room to avoid crowding
Warnings First
- Sensitive to drying. Keep the deep layer damp and the humidity stable.
- Pack the water dish with pebbles. Large adults can still drown, and juveniles get lost in a big bin.
- Millipedes molt buried and go still for days or weeks. Never dig one up, and keep that spot damp.
- Big deep bins develop still corners that go sour. Vent low on two opposite walls along the long side.
- Large species: a box that works for one juvenile is not an adult colony enclosure.
- Fragile if dropped. Keep handling to a minimum.
Simple Care
- Build deep, edible substrate first: decomposing hardwood leaves and wood.
- Keep humidity high and stable, but never waterlogged or sour.
- Vent low on two opposite walls, scaled to the footprint, not copied from a small bin.
- Keep a shallow water dish packed with pebbles or flat stones.
- Give groups enough depth, food substrate and floor space.
- Keep handling to a minimum.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- Give enough depth to burrow completely. Use decomposing hardwood leaves and wood, not coco fiber alone.
- Vent low on two opposite walls along the long axis so air crosses the whole floor. A few cup-sized holes leave a big bin's far corners still and sour.
- Keep the moisture in the substrate, not the air. Keep the deep layer damp, vent freely, and top up instead of sealing.
- Check substrate from every corner. It should clump like a wrung-out sponge with no free water and smell like forest floor. A sour corner means airflow, not watering.
- Mist under the leaf litter and rotting hardwood, not over the surface.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Keep decaying hardwood leaves and rotten wood on offer, plus veggies and calcium.
- Molting: they seal into an underground chamber and go still for days or weeks. Never dig one up, keep that spot damp, and keep cuttlebone in. They eat the shed for calcium.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Philippines, on the humid tropical forest floor.
- Habitat translation: Humid tropical forest floor becomes deep organic substrate of rotting leaves and hardwood, damp below, with cross ventilation and room to burrow.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Group size is limited by space and substrate quality, not temperament.
- Large juveniles and adults need depth and surface area, not a dry display box.
- Buddy enclosures suit younger animals. Adults need upgraded housing.
- Avoid digging them up unless absolutely necessary.