Just ordered a Golden Desert Millipede for my neice! Then I read this.....

Instead of the mass amount of toys and clothes she's already overloaded with, I wanted to get my about-to-turn 3 year old something different. A pet. A nice, small, low maintenance, simple, friendly pet that won't bite or make noise and can be held. Me and her mom discussed pets and she wanted to get her a rat or hamster but I thought it was a bad idea. She needs something simple at her age right now. In all we agreed to the beautiful giant millipede I found on ebay. She already loves insects as it is. I read they are friendly, easy to care for, and make good pets for all ages and can be handled even by small children(of course with supervision.).

After ordering it, I researched some extra care instructions for the arrival of our new buddy - and to also find out something concerning about them.

I know they release a musk, because the little ones I find here make your fingers smell like root beer after messing with them. Little did I know how dangerous this musk is. I did not know that they can "shoot" their secretions and could cause skin and eye irritation. I did further research and found out that some species can actually burn skin and damage eyes with acid and hydrolic cyanide(wtf?!), but they did not mention what species of millipedes. I couldn't find any info regarding desert millipede in particular about their secretions. This is the complete opposite of what I wanted. A dumb idea.

But, is there hope? I've seen youtube videos of people handling there millipedes without problems. How dangerous is the musk of the golden desert millipede in particular? Are they known to musk a lot? How dangerous is it to a child?

Thank you!

Contributed by JuneBugs on 8 April, 2017 - 9:48pm

The millipedes only spray whe

The millipedes only spray when they feel scared or threatened so as a pet they shouldn't feel that way because they should be handled with care.

… BugGirl335, 11 April, 2017 - 9:33am

I had two desert millipedes quite a few years ago...

and I was never sprayed. I was able to handle them quite often.

If you're still looking for something else, check out Blue death-feigning beetles or Domino roaches, they are both very easy to care for, easy to hold, and completely harmless :)

… metrioptera, 9 April, 2017 - 7:56am

Can Millipedes Drink Cricket gel drink?

Just stopping by to ask a quick question. Need to know if my pede can thrive off of "gel drinks" like Cricket Quencher instead of water? Thanks!

… JuneBugs, 23 April, 2017 - 6:00pm

Thank you

Thank you for your response! I've looked into beetles but so far almost all are available in larva stages and I'm pretty sure my niece is not going to find that interesting and I'm sure she will be impatient about it too(she can be a brat). As for roaches...I'm certain mom would be very unhappy with that. She already hates the millipede and it isn't here yet.
So I think I'll stick with the millipede. I just ordered her some toddler sized gloves so she can handle it without getting the fluids on her hands. We'll see how things go, hopefully it will make a nice pet!

… JuneBugs, 9 April, 2017 - 8:24pm

I think

if you handle them gently, they will be less inclined to think you're a threat and thus less likely to emit anything.

BTW, Bugsincyberspace has blue death feigning beetles as adults for sale currently

Good luck!

… metrioptera, 10 April, 2017 - 7:23am

I got him!

I just got him! Need to charge camera though. He's really pretty and friendly. He loves cat treats. He did squirt me(just a little drop on my hand) when I was holding him and my mom went to pet it. However, it did not burn or irritate. I made sure to wash afterwards. It also didn't smell as bad as I thought. It's very feint and smells like Round Up or some type of weed killer.

Even though I was musked, I'm so relieved that things did not go the way I nightmared.

Like a wild caught stinkpot musk turtle, can regular handling help "tame" him from musking?

… JuneBugs, 12 April, 2017 - 4:20pm

I would think so

I've had similar things happen with Florida skunk roaches, where after a while of handling they almost never sprayed me. And also with Hissing roaches, where again after regular handling they almost never hissed at me.

Glad things are going well!

… metrioptera, 13 April, 2017 - 7:28am

Thank you.

Thank you! I will update about him and show some pictures when he arrives. He'll be here either tomorrow or Thursday!

… JuneBugs, 10 April, 2017 - 8:30pm

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