A little help with centipedes.

[AvLteralice]

Hi guys, early this morning while collecting some rotten wood and leaf litter for my millies, I caught this juvenile(like a teenager) centipede. A friend of mine ID - Scolopendra Subsnipipes, in which he told me it will be likely get bigger as it grows(I'm not sure if he's just fooling me around)(Not familiar with species for centipedes) Or maybe it was just a native-common centipede. by the way the color of the body is red-maroon and the legs are yellow.

I can't take a nice pic because it's so fast and it will just stay if it is under it's cover log which I can't take a peek(maybe its not yet familiar with its new environment because it was caught in the wild, not sure)(but will try again). I want it to set it free but the other side of me wants to try it out so I kept it in a small container for the meantime.

I own some millipedes so substrate and enclosure is not a problem. I really want to expand(millipedes and centipedes collection) and planning to own more centipede in the future but the problem is I don't have a food source. Maybe I need to start my own roach colony.

I did some research, just basic. Want to ask if they eat any insects as long as the centipede is bigger than the insect? how many times do I feed it? like once every 3 days or? well... its really hard to catch some crickets or roach or other small insects to feed it around here(they dont sell crickets/roaches/earthworms to feed in our pet stores). maybe some superworms will do? or catching some different sizes of beetle larva... thanks for reading. any suggestions/ideas/advice will be much appreciated.

 

[LeFanDesBugs]

One feeding every 3 days sounds good. Based on your location the centipede can be a Scolopendra subspinipes. The max known size for this species is 20cm without the terminals legs and antennae.

 

[LawnShrimp]

Wait around a week after feeding it, or more if the food was very large. As yours is a juvenile it might need to be fed more often. Centipedes will eat any nonpoisonous invertebrate that can be as half as long as they are, but prefer roaches, crickets and other insects to worms and snails (though the Philippine green S. subcrustalis apparently eats snails). Superworms are an OK food but they do have a little too much fat. Try keeping a bright light on at night and see what arrives. Moths are fatty but are big meals. Flies (remove wings) are also suitable. Centipedes readily eat prekilled prey.

You can even feed it small lizards or baby mice, though this is not necessary. Feeding it raw chicken once a month is an appropriate substitute for live vertebrates. Centipedes also need fruit about once a month too; mango, banana, or other soft, sweet fruit is good.

 

[AvLteralice]

Thanks for the information. again, while collecting some rotten wood/leaf litter near a creek, caught this little fella. Super fast. This time I make sure to take a picture of it. centipede ID? It's different color than the other, different species or just a normal/common centipede(it's not that big or maybe growing)? The other one is not under its cover log - burrowed? I dont think it can escape from my enclosure.. when it re-surface I'll try to get a pic(dont want to disturb it poking with stick). I only have a lot of small-medium sized beetle larvas from the rotten wood I collected - maybe they will eat it or if not will try to offer again tomorrow worms/snails.

 

[LeFanDesBugs]

The one in the pic is Rhysida longipes. A small species (max 12cm)
Don't worry about your subspinipes it may just be a bit stressed out from the catch. Will be out soon enough
Might also be molting or guarding eggs but that's less likely

 

[LawnShrimp]

Thanks for the information. again, while collecting some rotten wood/leaf litter near a creek, caught this little fella. Super fast. This time I make sure to take a picture of it. centipede ID?
View attachment 259173

This is a Rhysida longipes, one of the species I own as well. They are quite common worldwide, including in the Philippines. They are small compared to others, very shy and rarely can be seen above ground in a container, though they are just as voracious as most other species. They can be kept communally.

 

[AvLteralice]

thanks for the ID. not unlike millipedes that re-surface at night(I can watch them roam around), sometimes centipedes keep burrowed for some time. It's been days now since I saw them at the surface of the substrate even at night. I would like to feed them, maybe they are still not hungry. I did try to poke the substrate so I can see it re-surface, I toss some beetle larva but ignored the larva and burrowed again. I think this takes practice in feeding intervals or I'm doing something wrong, or you need to starve them before you feed them? since I dont have small lid w/ water in their enclosure - spraying the surface to make it moist will suffice for water and moisture needs? I'm practicing in small-medium centipedes to prepare myself if I catch a big one next time. centipede and millipede pets are really amazing. thanks for the replies.

 

[LeFanDesBugs]

A rule of thumb with centipedes is that if they're in defensive/fleeing mode, they won't eat anything. Just leave the grubs inside and see what has happened the next day
Mhh regarding the humidity I'd say you should continue spraying and still try to provide a water dish. It is useful if you're not sure you can be there all the time to keep the humidity up. Once you get rigorous enough you can do without. But maybe you already are.

 

[LawnShrimp]

A rule of thumb with centipedes is that if they're in defensive/fleeing mode, they won't eat anything. Just leave the grubs inside and see what has happened the next day
Mhh regarding the humidity I'd say you should continue spraying and still try to provide a water dish. It is useful if you're not sure you can be there all the time to keep the humidity up. Once you get rigorous enough you can do without. But maybe you already are.

Try prekilling a grub or leaving a slice of meat in there. Put it in a bottlecap or a leaf so it doesn't mold over. The 'pede will eat if it wants to without you disturbing it. Do take the food out if it isn't eaten after a night though.

 

[AvLteralice]

thanks for the advice guys, noted. I will try it later. And for the water dish, I really dont like putting water dish in their enclosure since the other one is not that big yet and the other is rather small specie... I'll continue spraying for moisture and leave a water dish for them if I leave town for days.

 

[LawnShrimp]

A water dish is not necessary; I've kept 'pedes without one for as long as I've had them. Dishes are more useful for keeping dryland species that are kept fairly dry and need a place to drink. Most humid species like yours can get by on food moisture, condensation, and the lack of water being sucked out of them by the air.

I recommended the dish for food because it keeps a rotting carcass away from the soil where it will breed mold and pests. I mean, if you wanted to just toss a dead bug or meat in I'm sure that it will get eaten eventually too.