African Giant Millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas)
Millipede
$94.99
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Spice 1 · Kid Friendly
How the Spice System works
Kid friendly
Lower-risk animals a child can help care for, with an adult in charge. For watching, not handling.
WC: Wild caught
Collected from the wild and settled in at Big Z's before it ships. Many species, adults especially, are rarely bred in captivity.
Big Z's notes
About this Fella
Purple Rainbow Ivory Millipede for sale from Big Z's (Chicobolus spinigerus). Comes with a Spice rating and a care guide, and ships packed for the weather.
The Florida Ivory in a purple color form
This is Chicobolus spinigerus, the native Florida Ivory Millipede, in its “Purple Rainbow” color form. The dark bands show a purple sheen in the right light.
Care is the same as the standard Ivory: hardy and easy, with oak leaf litter and rotting hardwood as food and substrate. Millipedes don’t bite or sting. When stressed they curl up and can release a fluid that irritates skin, so wash your hands after maintenance.
Full care is in the care guide. It covers enclosure size, temperature, humidity, feeding, molting signs and handling limits for this species. Read the Advanced guide, or the shorter Simple guide →
- Lane
- Spice 1 · Kid Friendly
- Source
- WC: wild caught.
Purple Rainbow Ivory Millipede (Chicobolus spinigerus)
Millipede
Keeper feedbackYour experience can help another keeper.
$14.992-4" (Mixed Sizes) WC selected
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Spice 1 · Kid Friendly
How the Spice System works
In stock, ships from Big Z HQ
151 available right now
Ready to ship
At a glance
The quick read on this fella
- Adult size
- 3-4 in long
- Venom
- No venom
- May release defensive fluid
- Type
- Fossorial
- Burrower
- Climate
- 72-78°F · 70-80%
- Damp lower layers, drier surface
- Feeding
- Decayed leaf litter and wood
- Veggies, calcium
- Lifespan
- Reported up to 10 yrs
From our Ivory Millipede / Purple Rainbow Ivory care guide. Read the full guide
Live animals ship Mon to Wed
FedEx Standard Overnight $44.99 or Priority Overnight $49.99, both with the Live Arrival Guarantee; free overnight on orders $499.99 and up. FedEx 2Day $34.99 has no guarantee and needs a signed waiver. Pickup in the Phoenix area or at an expo is free (arrange with Big Z first). Weather holds are free and we message you first.
Live arrival support
Every order is packed for that week’s weather. Not sure if Purple Rainbow Ivory Millipede is your spice level? Message us and we’ll talk it through.
Big Z's here to help
Not sure if Purple Rainbow Ivory Millipede is your spice level? Message us and we’ll talk it through.
Care guide Shipping and Live Arrival Guarantee
About this Fella Big Z's notes
Purple Rainbow Ivory Millipede for sale from Big Z's (Chicobolus spinigerus). Comes with a Spice rating and a care guide, and ships packed for the weather.
The Florida Ivory in a purple color form
This is Chicobolus spinigerus, the native Florida Ivory Millipede, in its “Purple Rainbow” color form. The dark bands show a purple sheen in the right light.
Care is the same as the standard Ivory: hardy and easy, with oak leaf litter and rotting hardwood as food and substrate. Millipedes don’t bite or sting. When stressed they curl up and can release a fluid that irritates skin, so wash your hands after maintenance.
Full care is in the care guide. It covers enclosure size, temperature, humidity, feeding, molting signs and handling limits for this species. Read the Advanced guide, or the shorter Simple guide →
- Lane
- Spice 1 · Kid Friendly
- Source
- WC: wild caught.
What ships with this order Care + shipping
- A free care guide for this species
- A heat or cold pack when the forecast calls for it
- Tracking and an arrival window before it ships
- Message Big Z about your animal for as long as you keep it
Care guideSpice 1 · Kid Friendly
Matched care guide
View in Care Guides library
Ivory Millipede / Purple Rainbow Ivory
Chicobolus spinigerus · Spice 1: Kid Friendly. Baby Buddy: small juveniles. Damp edible leaf litter and a pebble-filled water dish. Burrow Buddy: display groups. Enough edible substrate and surface cover for everyone.
Chicobolus spinigerus
Ivory Millipede / Purple Rainbow Ivory
Big Z's Quick Verdict: A US-native millipede that does well in groups, with the same care for ivory and purple morphs. Keep a deep, damp, edible leaf-litter bed with air moving low across it.
Group: MillipedesDifficulty: Spice 1: Kid FriendlySetup: Terrestrial burrower, deep moist leaf litterHandling: Brief contact tolerated, a fall can injure it
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 Care Snapshot
| Temp | 72-78°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 70-80%, damp lower layers, drier surface |
| Setup | Terrestrial burrower, deep moist leaf litter |
| Substrate | Deep hardwood leaves and rotting wood, damp below |
| Feeding | Decayed leaf litter and wood, veggies, calcium |
| Handling | Brief contact tolerated, a fall can injure it |
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%+
Recommended Big Z's Setup
- Baby Buddy: small juveniles. Damp edible leaf litter and a pebble-filled water dish.
- Burrow Buddy: display groups. Enough edible substrate and surface cover for everyone.
Critical Notes
- Do not let the substrate dry out. Keep a damp lower layer and leaf cover.
- Pack the water dish with pebbles. Millipedes climb smooth surfaces poorly and drown in open dishes.
- Millipedes molt buried and go still for days or weeks. Never dig one up, and keep that spot damp.
- A deep damp bin with no airflow sours and triggers mite blooms. Vent low on two opposite walls.
- Crowding makes buried molts easier to disturb. Add depth before adding millipedes.
- Handling is optional, and a fall can injure it.
Care Basics
- Give ivory and purple morphs the same care.
- Keep the substrate moist and edible, with plenty of leaf litter.
- Vent low on two opposite walls so air keeps crossing the substrate surface.
- Keep a shallow water dish packed with pebbles.
- Give groups enough depth, leaf litter and room.
- Do not rely on veggies alone.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Decayed hardwood leaf litter and wood are the staple diet. Do not rely on veggies alone.
- Ventilate enough to stop stagnant mold, but not so hard the enclosure dries fast.
- 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.
Current Big Z's catalog: Yes
Chicobolus spinigerus
Ivory Millipede / Purple Rainbow Ivory: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: A US-native millipede that does well in groups, with the same care for ivory and purple morphs. Keep a deep, damp, edible leaf-litter bed with air moving low across it.
Group: MillipedesDifficulty: Spice 1: Kid FriendlySetup: Terrestrial burrower, deep moist leaf litterHandling: Brief contact tolerated, a fall can injure it
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 | 72-78°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 70-80%, damp lower layers, drier surface |
| Setup Type | Terrestrial burrower, deep moist leaf litter |
| Substrate | Deep hardwood leaves and rotting wood, damp below |
| Feeding | Decayed leaf litter and wood, veggies, calcium |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 1: Kid Friendly |
| Handling | Brief contact tolerated, a fall can injure it |
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
- Small juveniles: Baby Buddy with damp, edible leaf litter
- Display groups: Burrow Buddy with deep substrate. Add depth before adding millipedes
Warnings First
- Do not let the substrate dry out. Keep a damp lower layer and leaf cover.
- Pack the water dish with pebbles. Millipedes climb smooth surfaces poorly and drown in open dishes.
- Millipedes molt buried and go still for days or weeks. Never dig one up, and keep that spot damp.
- A deep damp bin with no airflow sours and triggers mite blooms. Vent low on two opposite walls.
- Crowding makes buried molts easier to disturb. Add depth before adding millipedes.
- Handling is optional, and a fall can injure it.
Simple Care
- Give ivory and purple morphs the same care.
- Keep the substrate moist and edible, with plenty of leaf litter.
- Vent low on two opposite walls so air keeps crossing the substrate surface.
- Keep a shallow water dish packed with pebbles.
- Give groups enough depth, leaf litter and room.
- Do not rely on veggies alone.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- Classic millipede care: deep edible substrate, leaf litter, moisture and calcium. The purple morph needs nothing different.
- Airflow is the part people skip. A deep damp bin with still air composts sour and triggers mite blooms, so vent low on two opposite walls.
- Hold moisture in the substrate, not the air. Do not seal a display bin to chase a humidity number.
- Check by squeeze and smell. Lower substrate clumps like a wrung-out sponge with no free water and smells like forest floor. Sour or ammonia means more air.
- Mist under the leaf litter, not over the surface, so the grazing layer stays damp and the surface breathes.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Decayed hardwood leaf litter and wood are the staple diet. Do not rely on veggies alone.
- Ventilate enough to stop stagnant mold, but not so hard the enclosure dries fast.
- 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: Southeastern United States, especially Florida and Georgia coastal plain habitats.
- Habitat translation: Coastal plain leaf litter becomes a warm, humid burrowing bed of decayed hardwood leaves with good airflow.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Adults reach about 3-4 in. A Florida and Gulf coast native, so it handles slightly cooler room temps as well as warm.
- Deep substrate allows natural burrowing and safe molts.
- Groups are normally fine, but crowding raises food competition and makes buried molts easier to disturb.
- Do not let the top layer crust over and dry completely.
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