What Do Millipedes Eat?
Millipedes mainly eat decaying plant material, including fallen leaves, soft rotten wood and organic matter within the substrate. These natural foods should form the foundation of their diet, with fresh vegetables, fruit and other supplemental foods offered only in small amounts.
Unlike pets that rely on food placed in a bowl, millipedes live within much of their food. A well-prepared enclosure should contain enough nutritious substrate, leaf litter and decaying hardwood to support natural feeding throughout the day and below the surface.
What Is a Millipede’s Natural Diet?
Millipedes are detritivores, meaning they feed primarily on dead and decomposing organic material. In the wild, they help break down fallen leaves, softened wood and other plant matter on the forest floor.
The staple diet in captivity should recreate that natural food source as closely as possible. Suitable foods include:
- Well-decayed hardwood
- Partially decomposed leaf litter
- Nutritious organic substrate
- Fungi and microorganisms growing within the enclosure
These materials provide food over time while also supporting burrowing, moisture retention and natural behaviour.
Why Leaf Litter and Rotten Wood Matter
Leaf litter should always be available on the surface of a millipede enclosure. Millipedes will shelter beneath it, drag pieces underground and gradually eat it as it softens and decomposes.
Rotten wood is equally important. Use soft, well-decayed hardwood that can be broken apart easily by hand rather than fresh wood or decorative bark chips. Pieces can be mixed through the substrate and placed on the surface for the millipedes to graze on.
Both materials will gradually disappear as they are eaten and broken down, so top them up before the supply becomes depleted.
What Vegetables Can Millipedes Eat?
Millipedes can be offered small pieces of fresh vegetables for variety. Popular options include:
- Courgette
- Carrot
- Sweet potato
- Squash
- Cucumber
- Mushroom
Vegetables should supplement the natural diet rather than become the main food source. Offer a small portion and remove anything that begins to spoil, smell or attract excessive mould.
Watery foods such as cucumber are readily eaten by many millipedes but provide less lasting nutrition than leaf litter, rotten wood and more substantial vegetables.
Can Millipedes Eat Fruit?
Small amounts of fruit can be given as an occasional treat. Apple, pear, melon and banana may be accepted, but sugary fruit can spoil quickly and attract unwanted pests if too much is added.
Use very small portions and remove leftovers promptly. Fruit should never replace the decomposing leaves and wood that make up the millipede’s natural diet.
Do Millipedes Need Protein?
Many millipedes will eat occasional protein-rich foods. Small amounts of suitable invertebrate food, fish food or another plain protein source can be offered periodically, particularly in a growing colony.
Protein should remain supplemental. Too much can spoil, smell and encourage mites or other unwanted organisms, so offer only a small quantity that can be consumed quickly.
Do Millipedes Need Calcium?
A calcium source can be kept available to support the exoskeleton, growth and moulting. Cuttlebone, limestone or another suitable calcium source can be placed in the enclosure or lightly added to the surface.
Calcium is an addition to a balanced enclosure rather than a substitute for nutritious substrate, rotten wood and leaf litter.
How Often Should You Feed Millipedes?
Natural foods should remain available at all times. Maintain a generous layer of leaf litter and replenish decaying wood and nutritious substrate as they are consumed.
Fresh foods can usually be offered in small portions once or twice a week, depending on the number and size of the millipedes. Check the enclosure before adding more and reduce the amount if food regularly remains uneaten.
Millipedes often feed at night or beneath cover, so you may not always see them eating. Look for feeding marks, softened edges and gradual disappearance rather than expecting them to gather around food immediately.
Foods to Avoid
Avoid foods that are salty, seasoned, oily or heavily processed. Do not use plant material that may have been exposed to pesticides, herbicides or roadside pollution.
Fresh resinous wood and chemically treated timber are also unsuitable. Any leaves and wood collected outdoors should come from a safe source and be prepared appropriately before being added to the enclosure.
Build the Diet Into the Enclosure
The most reliable millipede diet begins with the enclosure itself. Deep organic substrate, abundant leaf litter and soft decaying hardwood create a continuing food supply and allow the animals to feed naturally above and below the surface.
Our guide to the Best Substrate for Millipedes explains how to build this nutritious base. For wider advice on moisture, housing, feeding and maintenance, visit the Millipede Care Guide.
Fresh vegetables, fruit, protein and calcium can all add useful variety, but the central rule remains simple: build the diet around decomposing leaves, rotten hardwood and a rich, edible substrate.
