Customer Reviews

The Guide to Owning Millipedes and Centipedes

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a beutifully illustrated book with lots of excellent pictures. The section dealing with millipedes is an accomplishment all by itself, not only because this is the first book to deal with millipedes, "there is no other" but it tells you all you could possibly want to know about millipedes. Unfortunatley if the author did not like centipedes (which he seems to state in the book) He should have only made this a book only about millipedes. I was dissapointed that there was only a very small section on centipedes near the end describing centipedes, but at least he does explain general care and a few species. If this book had shared it's pages equally with millipedes and centipedes i would have given it 5 stars. But if you really are a beginner and don't know much about millipedes and centipedes i recommend buying this book i'ts definatley worth the money.

In the introduction the author tells us he has kept a number of millipedes over a number of years. He then goes on to state; "Overall, I've had limited success" and "I admit to being confounded by some millipedes I've tried to keep". Thanks for the honesty, but I don't want to read your book if you don't know what you're talking about. In his section on care he talks about regularly removing dead millipedes from the tank. I don't know about other millipede owners, but that's not something that happens on a routine basis for me. He also says he has never had success breeding Giant Africans - from my own experience and from ever other source I've read these guys are happy to give you lots of babies. In fact, mine are mating as I write. Other major flaws in the book:

-The species he lists are only a few of those commonly available in the millipede trade.

-He has a whole paragraph on how it's bad to drop you millipede on the floor (though he once dropped one from about four feet and it was fine)

-His overall writing is unprofessional and wandering, he claims to know almost nothing with any certainty.

-There are 7 pages total in the book about centipedes, including one full-page photo and several half-page ones.

If you want to know about the basic care of millipedes, the common species, and where to buy them, go to:

http://www.geocities.com/millipedes_uk/

And seriously, unless you want the color photos, don't buy this book.

I am rating this book with 4 stars, even though I think that it leaves a lot to be desired regarding the care of millipedes. There are not many books on millipede care... so do get this one if you are interested in millipedes. However, this book does contradict itself in a couple of areas... and is limited in what it teaches... so do some web searches and find articles on the web regarding the care of millipedes. CentralPets.com has a report on Madagascan Orange Legged Millipedes, for example, that is very beneficial with many good points. Most people overclean their millipede enclosures... if you do not overfeed them, there is no need to keep cleaning; cleaning too much will kill them. Rotten Oak wood and branches, which many pedes like, must be thouroughly sterilized, though, before placing them into a terrarium... or various invertebrate enemies, such as unwanted centipedes, can enter your terrarium, killing the millipedes. Heating and freezing (in the freezer overnight) wood and branches... will help keep invertebrate enemies to a minimum.

This is the best book available for the new millepede owner or those considering buying one. It's an easy to read book, filled with color photos. After research on the web I bought this book as a resource and to learn more. Highly recommend.