u/AwarenessHealthy9727

Hi everyone

I’m new to isopods and just wanted to show my little land shrimps 🦐🩷

Started my first colony with pink Armadillo officinalis and I’m already obsessed haha

Hi everyone, I’m trying to understand what may have caused my millipede to die.

Species was sold to me as an African giant/red leg type millipede (Aleinostreptus bicoloripes). I only had him for 8 days.

The first day he was very active, walking around the enclosure and exploring. He also ate well during the time I had him (cucumber and thin slices of apple with leftovers removed).

Enclosure:

- Glass terrarium

- Humidity usually around 68–78%

- I lightly misted the enclosure/moss to keep moisture up

- Moss, wood, leaf litter, hides/decor

- No heat source, normal room temperature

Substrate history:

- He was originally on coconut fiber.

- After a few days I noticed he seemed to struggle digging/burrowing.

- Because of that, I changed the substrate to a better terrarium soil/bio ground mix.

- The new substrate was mixed with leaf mulch and white rotten wood.

- It should have held moisture better and been easier to burrow in.

- After the substrate change, he did not burrow into the new substrate even once.

Behavior before death:

- Last few days he slept/rested a lot more than at first

- He had difficulty digging

- Less active overall compared to day 1

- Then I found him dead on the surface of the enclosure

I’m wondering if this sounds more like:

1. old age / already weak when purchased

2. stress from transport / relocation

3. substrate or humidity issue

4. too much disturbance from changing substrate

5. something else

I really cared about him and tried to improve things when I noticed issues, so I’d appreciate honest advice for what most likely happened and what I should do differently next time.