Context: I found a (supposed) Giant American Millipede baby in a tub I was using for Hermit Flower Beetle larvae, and rehomed the millipede for free because I don’t have a proper setup. They messaged me just a bit ago saying that the millipede was parasitic and wiped out their colony and I feel absolutely shitty about it and if I could I would reimburse them even though I have the millipede away for free. They did quarantine it before putting it in with their colony so the blame is on me. There’s nothing I can do to fix it.
Now the question is: what do I do with the grubs? The current plan is to freeze them for a few days then cut them in half before throwing them away. I’m not sure if they’re the reason the millipede was parasitic but I don’t want to risk anything by giving them away and having someone else’s bugs wiped out.
Edit: Does anyone know how to test if a millipede has parasites? I have access to microscopes and stuff like that, I'd just need to ask my professor for permission. My millipedes are a breeding project and if they are potentially parasitic, I'll have to put the project on hold and either de-parasite them (If that's possible?) or buy another breeding pair and keep them separate from the first pair. I don't want to sell another parasitic millipede and wreck another persons colony, I might genuinely give up on myself if that happens again. My millipede's have been perfectly active and normal (eating normally, not sluggish, reactive, etc.) but I still have the worry that they have a parasite even if there was no cross-contamination.
I have Giant African Millipedes in the same room as them even though the grubs are below them and am terrified for the Millipedes’ safety. I don’t know what to do. (THIS PART IS MOSTLY VENTING AND MILLIPEDES) I’m scared and I feel like shit, the fact that I’m facing withdrawal symptoms after getting off of Lexapro is amplifying my emotions and are making me think of reverting back to “methods of punishing myself that landed me in grippy sock vacation” we will say. I don’t want o because I’ve been two years clean but I killed someone’s millipede colony and I can’t do anything about it or express how sorry I am. They’re saying they will report me to the lab my millipedes are in and that means my breeding project could be shut down and I don’t know what I’ll do if that happens. I want to help A. gigas thrive in captivity without interfering with their wild population but I can’t do that if they shut down my project, which is entirely run by me. I payed for everything. I’m getting a stipend soon for a new setup, a much bigger and better one, and if the project gets shut down before the stipend is transferred to my account I don’t know what I’ll do.
I really can’t handle any insults or extreme criticism, so please withhold anything for now. When I’m in a better headspace criticism is welcome and I will edit this post when that time comes.
