# ----the centipede thread----



## PESKY (May 25, 2010)

im new to centipedes, im getting my first tomorrow a scolopendra mirabilis. whilst trying to read up on them ive found they arnt too commonly kept and theres not that much info out there on them, so i thought id start a centipede thread. 

so any picutres-tips-tricks-links-articles-websites please feel free to post

Il start off by popping up a very basic care sheet i found for other beginners like me

*General Care Information*​*Food:*
Centipedes are carnivorous arthropods that hunt for their food. They will eat anything that they can overpower. Staples of the Scolopendra diet include crickets, roaches, and mice. Small centipedes can be fed on micro crickets, fruit flies or other appropriately sized insects. For the larger full grown species of centipedes, you can try fuzzy rats, or lizards (such as anoles). Food does not have to be live and you can try to feed your centipede using a long pair of tweezers or forceps. A rule of thumb is to not feed your centipede anything longer than half it's body length. You should not feed your pet wild caught prey as the prey may have been exposed to pesticides that can potentially kill your pet. Uneaten prey should be removed from the tank within 48 hrs as they may unduly stress your centipede or harm it if it molts. If you are lucky enough to see your centipede molting or believe that your centipede has molted remove any uneaten prey items from the enclosure immediately as the centipede is vulnerable until its exoskeleton sclerotises (hardens). A good habit to get into is cleaning up any remains the day after feeding your centipede as decaying organic matter commonly attracts mites, fungus, mold and other potentially harmful organisms into the enclosure.
*Water:*
Although centipedes get much of their moisture from the prey they eat, a source of water should be present in the centipedes enclosure. This can be from daily misting or for larger centipedes, a water dish in the enclosure. A source of water is very important as centipedes can desiccate (dry out) very quickly due to moisture loss through their spiracle openings (this is very important if you use any artificial heating sources). You can use anything from bottle caps to actual water dishes bought at a pet store for this purpose.
*Substrate:*
Good results have been reported with substrates made of a combination of potting soil/peat moss or peat moss/vermiculite. Both of these substrates hold moisture well and support burrowing. An added bonus is that the high acidity of the peat moss retards the growth of fungus and mold. Be sure to use pesticide free ingredients in your substrate as they can quite easily kill your pet. Sand is not recommended as it goes stale quickly in the high humidity environment that centipedes need.
*Housing:* 
Housing can be as cheap or as expensive as the individual keeper wants. Anything from plastic Rubbermaid containers (with plenty of air holes drilled in of course) to 20 Gallon aquariums with screen lids can be used to house your centipede. The enclosure should be twice as long and at least as wide as the centipede. Above all, the one thing that you must remember is to have a secure lid on the enclosure. Centipedes are escape artists. The last thing you need is to be awoken in the middle of the night by your prized centipede chewing on your nose because you forgot to close the lid properly or because there was a space between the lid and the enclosure that you ignored because "There's no way the centipede can fit through that." For the sake of safety, your centipede enclosure should have sides higher than the centipede is long. This is because although they can not climb glass, they can push themselves up from the floor of the enclosure. If using an aquarium, centipedes have been know to climb the silicon sealant used in the corners of the tank. Ideally, your centipede should be given 2 to 3 inches of substrate and somewhere for it to hide such as cork bark, a half log or a rock. If you wish to disallow burrowing, you can put an inch or less of substrate in the enclosure, but should then definitely place something in the enclosure for it to hide under. A centipede without a hiding place is a stressed centipede. Also remember that anything placed in the enclosure is a potential starting point for the centipede to explore the top of its surroundings and you should take that into consideration when deciding on the height of the enclosure.
*Climate:* 
Most centipedes can be safely kept at 75 to 85° F. This is an approximation and you should see what temperature works best for your centipede. Being moisture dependant creatures, at higher temperatures (80° +) desiccation is a major problem and you must be sure that your centipedes humidity needs are being kept. Centipedes should be comfortable with a humidity of 75 to 85%. This can be accomplished by a number of things. One is a shallow water dish with a wide surface area to increase evaporation. You may also cover the enclosure (if you have a screen top) with saran wrap. If you're using a sealed container (such as Rubbermaid) as long as you do not have too many air holes in the enclosure, your humidity should be fine because of the closed nature of the environment. If you do have a sealed environment you must make sure that there is sufficient ventilation as high humidity and no ventilation creates a breeding ground for mold, fungus and mites. Daily misting or keeping the substrate damp can be used as well. This is not recommended for the same reasons that you may have problems with sealed environments without adequate ventilation. There are also other problems with misting and keeping the substrate damp. With misting, you may be stressing the centipede and with moist substrate you have a prime egg laying ground for adult crickets. If possible, you should try to increase the ambient humidity of the room that the centipede is in with the use of a humidifier.


----------



## PESKY (May 25, 2010)

the pede im getting tomorrow

just a few piccys of others


----------



## egalitarianandy22 (Aug 1, 2011)

sorry mate, not really going to answer your question just want to use your thread to try and shed some light on my own little mystery.

A quick side note though... I would use the care sheets u have found coupled with a forecast from your pede's country or area to provide the correct temps and housing for it. One good bit of advice i got on here was to not feed anything bigger than 2-3x the size of your pedes head. I made the mistake of trying to feed my pling stuff that was way too big. I have also noticed my pling always favours hiding under something hard rather than just being underground. Apparently being between a rock and a hard place is a bonus if your a centipede.

Right! I went to check my pede hadnt escaped the other day, lifted the stone he has been hiding under and a piece of cork bark under there had what looked like bum extract on it (i use that term because i have already been warned there are young impressionable minds on here :/ .) only thing troubling me was... It was blue?! Vivid proper blue. So naturally i took the rear extract laden cork bark out and left it on my kitchen work surface. Went back to the kitchen an hour or so later to discover there was no blue lump on the cork bark anymore! I did put a tiny beetle in the enclosure the day before. So my question is what on earth was the blue stuff? Must of disappeared due to moisture evapourating i guess. But. Was it a. Extract b. Bits of beetle. c. Bits of fresh moult? Or d. None of the above?


----------



## PESKY (May 25, 2010)

thanks for the food size advice, i too would have probably started with bigger prey items

as for the blue secreation, i have no idea what that could be at all


----------



## Colosseum (Aug 8, 2008)

You would of loved it earlier I was down the garden replacing some rotten beams on the compost heap lifted a rotten one up there must of been like 30 uk native pedes under there was awesome.


----------



## Biggys (Jun 6, 2010)

PESKY said:


> image
> 
> the pede im getting tomorrow
> 
> ...


Picture 2 of the other pictures, I NEED that centipede :flrt:


----------



## PESKY (May 25, 2010)

Biggys said:


> Picture 2 of the other pictures, I NEED that centipede :flrt:


mmm yeah i know it nice isn't it im not sure what it is


----------



## Biggys (Jun 6, 2010)

PESKY said:


> mmm yeah i know it nice isn't it im not sure what it is


Hmm...I will see if I can get someone to ID it mate :2thumb:


----------



## Biggys (Jun 6, 2010)

Well aparently it isn't a centipede at all but a millipede :hmm:

Harpaphe haydeniana :2thumb:

And they can release hydrogen cyanide when threatened :gasp:


----------



## PESKY (May 25, 2010)

Does anyone know of any good pede enclosures to use?


----------



## PESKY (May 25, 2010)

Biggys said:


> Well aparently it isn't a centipede at all but a millipede :hmm:
> 
> Harpaphe haydeniana :2thumb:
> 
> And they can release hydrogen cyanide when threatened :gasp:


ha well thats me told. argh asif they release cyanide what beasts


----------



## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

PESKY said:


> Does anyone know of any good pede enclosures to use?


you need a very tall, but long tank.
put that in a larger tank, and that in another larger tank.. repeat as needed, they will escape regardless


----------



## joeyboy (Jul 19, 2008)

Biggys said:


> Well aparently it isn't a centipede at all but a millipede :hmm:
> 
> Harpaphe haydeniana :2thumb:
> 
> And they can release hydrogen cyanide when threatened :gasp:


aye I was about to say it's one of those "flat" species of millipede, you can get them though.

This is another millipede, love the colour..


----------



## PESKY (May 25, 2010)

wow i didn't think millipedes could be like that i thought they were pedes. that is stunning, any thanks for the enclosure type, what i ment was any links. i know what you need but would like to know good places to get them


----------



## snakeman8 (Jul 18, 2011)

I have got a Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans.
Mine is about 6-6.5 inches long.

I keep mine in a 30x30x30 exo terra as, this gives enough room for me to work with and, for her to play, the tank should be twice the length of the centipede in height to minimise escapes.
I use a mixture of sphagnum moss and soil for the substrate, the moss helps keep it moist for longer and, then I scatter some dried bamboo leaves over the surface for her to hide under.
For decor I place a small/shallow water bowl in for drinking and, half a broken tile for her to hide under.
I even managed to grow a bamboo plant in my tank but, it was removed to prevent the babies climbing and escaping through the roof.

This has worked for me and, I have successfully hatched babies from her (the mum was WC and pregnant) by using this setup.
Also there is nothing wrong with feeding very large prey to your centipede but, tweezer feed them large food items to prevent them running around and, harming your pede.

Hope this helps,
Oliver


----------



## DeborahR (Aug 27, 2011)

Oooh, I like that pink one. I never imagined they could be so colourful!


----------



## Biggys (Jun 6, 2010)

joeyboy said:


> aye I was about to say it's one of those "flat" species of millipede, you can get them though.
> 
> This is another millipede, love the colour..
> 
> image


That is stunning :gasp:


----------



## mattykyuss (Oct 12, 2009)

*re*

exo tanks are good ,put some near vertical wood ,and watch them climb ,had over 50 different pede,s ,had some in gio tanks ,never did they escape ,check some of my photos in my old threads ,over 25 cm dehhani in her exo ,cool


----------



## egalitarianandy22 (Aug 1, 2011)

tesco do some half decent tubs. Rubber sealed clamping lids. Have to poke your own holes in em though. If your talking adults im not sure if they do a big enough one. Id advise not buying a purpose built tank as you have to pay big for the privilege. Food products often come in decent containers. Brucey to you if its filled with tastey munch! 10gallon ice cream bucket from c+c? Depends how hungry you are 

...On the other hand and with the best of intentions, i dont mind if u get bitten  if being lunch to a killer stick isnt on your to do list and you can afford it maybe splash out n get an e.t tank?


----------



## PESKY (May 25, 2010)

new pick up





























very happy with it, very well behaved no fuss, was a little de-hydrated but picked up very quickly with a light mist


----------



## ex0tics (Jun 9, 2009)

I have kept an s.mirabilis just kept it at about 80F, not TOO humid but not dry either. Hard to explain, was my first pede never had any trouble. Traded it for some Ts though and now keep mainly s.subspinipes and larger pedes.

Just make sure it's quite a bit taller than the level of any tank furnishings, if my large one ever escapes I am moving house and bid the new owners good luck :lol:


----------



## PESKY (May 25, 2010)

ex0tics said:


> I have kept an s.mirabilis just kept it at about 80F, not TOO humid but not dry either. Hard to explain, was my first pede never had any trouble. Traded it for some Ts though and now keep mainly s.subspinipes and larger pedes.
> 
> Just make sure it's quite a bit taller than the level of any tank furnishings, if my large one ever escapes I am moving house and bid the new owners good luck :lol:


thanks for the tips


----------



## PESKY (May 25, 2010)

little bump for the thread as it died pretty quick. 

ive still got the scolopendra mirabilis but.......

im getting a hardwickei very soon and i cant bloody wait!!!!!!!!

has anyone got any info on hardwickei?

also does anybody know the process of moulting in pedes? i know its about once a year but do they double in size after moulting like mantis for example?

what food do people feed their pedes? i just usually feed crickets but i like to vary my mantis, snakes and other bits so ive been thinking of another food type to try?


----------



## vivalabam (Aug 8, 2010)

My pede which is supposed to be an escape artist and go for my throat while I'm sleeping, spends most of the time hidden and when it does come out just sits there. 

Don't get me wrong, when I move the tank, it sure as hell goes for it, disappears within the blink of an eye, but not exactly as terrifying as I was lead to believe...


----------



## bulkupman (Aug 16, 2011)

vivalabam said:


> My pede which is supposed to be an escape artist and go for my throat while I'm sleeping, spends most of the time hidden and when it does come out just sits there.
> 
> Don't get me wrong, when I move the tank, it sure as hell goes for it, disappears within the blink of an eye, but not exactly as terrifying as I was lead to believe...


i find when the conditions are just right they become very active and are aggressive and love to climb and seek escape from a limiting environment.

i have tinted my tank to create a darker environment and which now i see my big guy out more often.

they are aggressive but i can agree they can appear docile at times but dont muck about as i have almost been biten twice from being a idiot and thinking because he's just laying there not doing anything does not mean he's waiting!

my larger pede's get fed once a month and are hungry and probably why they are more aggressive.

the bottom line is, caution should always be taken. 

you cant give these a tickle, especially mine anyway!


----------



## PESKY (May 25, 2010)

vivalabam said:


> My pede which is supposed to be an escape artist and go for my throat while I'm sleeping, spends most of the time hidden and when it does come out just sits there.
> 
> Don't get me wrong, when I move the tank, it sure as hell goes for it, disappears within the blink of an eye, but not exactly as terrifying as I was lead to believe...


 
ha! yeah i thought the same with my s.mirabilis. i was nervous when i forst got it but it doesn't scare me at all now i know what its like. I'm dead excited to get the hardwickei altho its only a few inches long atm so it shouldn't be too much to handle

what do you feed yours on?

p.s when are your orchids ready?


----------



## PESKY (May 25, 2010)

bulkupman said:


> i find when the conditions are just right they become very active and are aggressive and love to climb and seek escape from a limiting environment.
> 
> i have tinted my tank to create a darker environment and which now i see my big guy out more often.
> 
> ...


 
what do you feed yours on? crickets just seem like they haven't got much to them, ive used lobster roaches as well but because of the setup and the nature of the pede i never see it eat, i do see and find dead crickets and roaches that have been bitten but id quite like to pop something a little bigger in and watch it feed.


----------



## danbutler (Aug 22, 2011)

Depends on how aggressive / how protected you want to be lol, don't know if any one has a picture of one but if you contact matt. At custom Aquaria he does a really good double door system making it very difficult for your pede to ever tag you


----------



## PESKY (May 25, 2010)

danbutler said:


> Depends on how aggressive / how protected you want to be lol, don't know if any one has a picture of one but if you contact matt. At custom Aquaria he does a really good double door system making it very difficult for your pede to ever tag you


 
thanks for this i think il have a look

checked out the hardwickei im getting and its tiny! well about 2 inches long. does anyone know the speed they grow? iread it was about a moult a year but surely that cant be true for young pedes?


----------



## vivalabam (Aug 8, 2010)

bulkupman said:


> i find when the conditions are just right they become very active and are aggressive and love to climb and seek escape from a limiting environment.
> 
> i have tinted my tank to create a darker environment and which now i see my big guy out more often.
> 
> ...


Oh yeah I've not got complacent, I only open the lid when I've nudged the tank enough for him to run under the log.  I never do anything in the tank if he is out, but luckily he is an active pede, so if I poke the tank enough he runs away! 



PESKY said:


> ha! yeah i thought the same with my s.mirabilis. i was nervous when i forst got it but it doesn't scare me at all now i know what its like. I'm dead excited to get the hardwickei altho its only a few inches long atm so it shouldn't be too much to handle
> 
> what do you feed yours on?
> 
> p.s when are your orchids ready?


I feed mine on rickets and locusts, because Rodger is always under his log when I put the cricket in, I just watch it run under the log, like never to be seen again! 

Should be a couple of weeks. ^_^ All 100 are still alive at the moment, well... They were last night!


----------



## PESKY (May 25, 2010)

vivalabam said:


> Oh yeah I've not got complacent, I only open the lid when I've nudged the tank enough for him to run under the log.  I never do anything in the tank if he is out, but luckily he is an active pede, so if I poke the tank enough he runs away!
> 
> 
> I feed mine on rickets and locusts, because Rodger is always under his log when I put the cricket in, I just watch it run under the log, like never to be seen again!
> ...


ha i love it that you call your pede rodger, what sp. is it? mines the same never goes for me i just give it a nudge and it runs off under its slate. would they eat things like worms and grubs?

if and when they get established enough to sell am i ok to buy a few please? i dont know why i haven't got any orchids atm i love them. ive got a walberghi, a few acontista multicolor and an idolomantis diabolica atm, i had a pictipenis but i knocked it when i was unpacking it from the post and it lost a leg, i think it struggled to shed as it was just L1


----------



## egalitarianandy22 (Aug 1, 2011)

hi all, had my s. s. japonica for a while now an decided to get a s. s. dehaani. I bought one from vcheeseman and it turned up on friday. The supplier was very helpful but the pede (Stickmund) is in quite poor condition. Its missing about 9 leg tips and has black patches all over its legs. I was just wondering if there are any common diseases that cause this? If not i assume its just scaring from what ever damaged the legs (maybe she was feeding it rhinos or something like that.) Thanks.


----------



## lucozade3000 (Aug 16, 2008)

egalitarianandy22 said:


> hi all, had my s. s. japonica for a while now an decided to get a s. s. dehaani. I bought one from vcheeseman and it turned up on friday. The supplier was very helpful but the pede (Stickmund) is in quite poor condition. Its missing about 9 leg tips and has black patches all over its legs. I was just wondering if there are any common diseases that cause this? If not i assume its just scaring from what ever damaged the legs (maybe she was feeding it rhinos or something like that.) Thanks.


Give her a call, i'm sure she'll fix the situation.

-J


----------



## buddah (Dec 23, 2009)

this might be interesting to some of you.

Centipede Bite.....Unbelievable - YouTube


----------



## geckodelta (Dec 11, 2008)

buddah said:


> this might be interesting to some of you.
> 
> Centipede Bite.....Unbelievable - YouTube


I wouldn't fancy that!!


----------



## vivalabam (Aug 8, 2010)

PESKY said:


> ha i love it that you call your pede rodger, what sp. is it? mines the same never goes for me i just give it a nudge and it runs off under its slate. would they eat things like worms and grubs?
> 
> if and when they get established enough to sell am i ok to buy a few please? i dont know why i haven't got any orchids atm i love them. ive got a walberghi, a few acontista multicolor and an idolomantis diabolica atm, i had a pictipenis but i knocked it when i was unpacking it from the post and it lost a leg, i think it struggled to shed as it was just L1


He is a Chinese red head, can't remember the scientific name for the life of me! He seems to have doubled in size, when I got him he was half the size of the tank, now he seems to be the same length as it! 

Yeah no problem, I'm hoping for some moults soon, we've lost a few but still have a fair amount. ^_^ I'll send you a message when they start moulting. Ah right, it's never good to send them as L1, it's why we've got a house full of nymphs! :lol2:


----------



## bulkupman (Aug 16, 2011)

if anyone is interested, he must go

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/invert-classifieds/779358-large-adult-centipede-sale.html


----------



## PESKY (May 25, 2010)

The hardwickei is coming on friday!


----------



## Paul c 1 (Sep 30, 2009)

PESKY said:


> The hardwickei is coming on friday!


Where are you getting your S.hardwickei from ... UK seller or overseas? .... just wondered as I haven't seen them offered for a while.
-P


----------



## PESKY (May 25, 2010)

Paul c 1 said:


> Where are you getting your S.hardwickei from ... UK seller or overseas? .... just wondered as I haven't seen them offered for a while.
> -P


 
its from the UK, its from a friend they picked it up from a show. its the only one they have though. its still farily small only 2 inches


----------



## egalitarianandy22 (Aug 1, 2011)

*ID Help.*

hi all. Trying to id my scolopendra. It has yellow legs, head is same colour as body (dark brown) no groove on head plate. 2 thorns on terminal legs.. Not lots of little spikes but 2 bramble bush size thorns coming out ventrolateral looks like the ones iv seen described as prefemoral process (bulge). Any ideas? 
Also yesterday i was watching it clean itself, it was moistening anntenae an terminal legs then i watched it protrude something from between terminal legs (i thought it was giving birth) and it moistened it then popped it back inside. Anyone know what this is?


----------

