Beginner centipedes?

[Rhysandfish]

I really like centipedes and i were wondering if there were any suitable to a new T or invert keeper. I love the classic centipede look with the yellow legs and "spooky face".

 

[RTTB]

I would recommend a Scolopendra polymorpha.

 

[Rhysandfish]

I would recommend a Scolopendra polymorpha.

Its perfect. Its the classic centipede look and i dig that. How potent is their venom and are they sonic speed?

 

[RTTB]

Not potent at all, I've heard like a bee sting. They are moderately fast. I always advise go tall with centipede enclosures, taller than the tbl of the centipede. Tall gallon or so plastic screw top jars are what I use. Not pretty but practical. Small nail holes in lid and you are good to go. Centipedes are great escape artists.

 

[Rhysandfish]

Not potent at all, I've heard like a bee sting. They are moderately fast. I always advise go tall with centipede enclosures, taller than the tbl of the centipede. Tall gallon or so plastic screw top jars are what I use. Not pretty but practical. Small nail holes in lid and you are good to go. Centipedes are great escape artists.

wow thats a big cage! How large of a specimen would be in there?

 

[RTTB]

Oh they get maybe 6 " max. You want to have several inches of substrate as well. They burrow.

 

[Rhysandfish]

Oh they get maybe 6 " max. You want to have several inches of substrate as well. They burrow.

what is the minimum enclosure size for them?

 

[RTTB]

You can keep them in 32oz ventilated deli cups.

 

[Rhysandfish]

You can keep them in 32oz ventilated deli cups.

awesome. I got a pair of .3 gallon kritter keepers and theyre just a little bigger than 32 oz.

 

[RTTB]

Perfect.

 

[Rhysandfish]

Perfect.

thanks a lot! Now i can plot my centipede invasion.

 

[Ex0tic]

Personally I'd say there is no 'Starter Centipede' but on the other hand the calmest species I work with and have ever work with and own a number of Specimens in this genus is Ethmostigmus sp. I can highly suggest Ethmostigmus sp. 'Orange Legs' in this genus as the calmest. Hope I could help at all.

 

[Rhysandfish]

Personally I'd say there is no 'Starter Centipede' but on the other hand the calmest species I work with and have ever work with and own a number of Specimens in this genus is Ethmostigmus sp. I can highly suggest Ethmostigmus sp. 'Orange Legs' in this genus as the calmest. Hope I could help at all.

very pretty centipede and i will definitely be looking into it.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Its perfect. Its the classic centipede look and i dig that. How potent is their venom and are they sonic speed?

It's not the venom (somewhat mild, in the case of S.polymorpha. Hurts, but mild) and the speed part is a bit exaggerated (my female S.subspinipes is fast when she wants, but not even near the speed level always depicted) but the 'pedes ability to escape, no matter the 'pede in question, so do your best for offer a no escape enclosure.

 

[Crowbawt]

Pedes are fairly fast but for me it's that they move very erratically and unpredictably and grab on to anything they can with either end. I definitely recommend Polymorpha as your first pede, not just because of the "mild" venom but because they're easy to get (in the USA) and cheap, and they're hardy. They don't need quite as much humidity as a tropical species (you definitely still can't let them dry out though) and don't have strict temperature requirements.

Plus, you can get some cool color variations on them, though the traditional "tiger striped" is by far the most common.

It says you live in Texas-you might be able to go out and catch one yourself, if you're patient and determined enough.

 

[BobBarley]

Polymorpha is extremely variable. There's the California blues (I know of at least 3 separate morphs of the blue ones in Cali), the "standard" form (even the standard ones carry lots of variability), patternless, different colored heads, etc. Most of the blues are small, maxing out at 4", but 3" is more average. I know of at least one morph (Madrean) that can reach 6-7" body-length. I'd recommend one of the Arizona morphs, as they seem a bit more active. Look into the "Madrean" morph.

 

[patriotgator]

I would stay away from a s. subspinipes if you're a beginner

 

[Rhysandfish]

@OKBISh

 

[DubiaW]

Not potent at all, I've heard like a bee sting.

Agreed that it isn't potent but the one centipede bite that I have sustained, that wasn't a dry bite, was from a Madrean S. polymorpha. It was a little bit more than a bee sting but it was also accompanied by some intense itching and very, very mild bone pain and the area of effect was larger than a typical bee sting (about half my hand) no notable swelling. The pain came in waves (classic centipede symptom in the bite report forum), just about the time I thought it was gone for good the pain would come back (although mild). The whole experience lasted about two hours. The pain was mild the itching was the most annoying part. It did itch a little the next morning from time to time. This is the one species that I handle on a regular basis just to practice for the times when I have no choice but to handle larger species (for example field collecting). Of course this advice is going to come with the usual warning: Don't handle any centipede unless you really need to do it. In this case I just needed more practice to wild catch S. heros. My actual quote when the S. polymorphs venom was at its peak was, "This isn't that bad, but they are definitely venomous." Not once have any of my S. polymorpha ever attempted to bite me in captivity, only when I am grabbing them in the wild.

As far as caging and substrate goes I have had a few die when their substrate was too moist. They like to dig and if they refuse to dig and just hang out on top all the time I usually change out their substrate for some fresh substrate that is less moist and then just keep a cap full of fresh water and a small moist spot at one end of the cage just in case. As a general rule if your centipede seems unhealthy, lethargic, scratches itself or refuses to eat for extended periods of time the first step is to change the substrate. Sometimes poly's burry themselves for long periods of time and are rarely seen. One hobbyist on an older forum used a ceramic heater for basking with a thermostat set from 85-90F and it helped his become more active and eat more. Obviously if you chose to do that you are going to need a large enough enclosure for a cool retreat. Centipedes do like to cruise around their enclosures when they are active and it might sound strange to say this but they seem to get depressed or bored when they are kept in small containers. They are very intelligent and active compared to a tarantula which often doesn't venture very far from the safety of it's burrow even in the wild. My two big Madrean S. polymorpha are in large ziplock containers with a series of holes punched in the top (or side) for ventilation. But as RTTB suggested a one gallon jar is probably the best choice because delis and zip locks don't always seal properly. Escape is more of a hazard to your centipede than you because they can desiccate and die in a matter of days or even hours depending on the species and the ambient humidity of your home. I usually carry moist coco fiber with me on a collection trip for small centipedes ever since having a few desiccate and die during transit.

As a new hobbyist you are going to read a lot of different opinions about how to keep and what to feed and so forth. I went through this for about a year before realizing there was more than one best way to do this. Just use your best judgment. The way someone keeps their substrate in a humid part of the world might not be suitable for a dry area (like where I live). Using a wet spot and a dryer spot will let your lede tell you what it likes. Some people use a biological clean up crew like springtails and isopods, I don't use either but prefer to keep them in larger cages with the deepest substrate possible to avoid waste buildup and stabilize humidity levels (it is very dry here and mold isn't rampant). Some people feed their centipedes fruit some people scoff at that practice as unnatural. I know of one member that collected Trinidad Black Scolopendra sp. on the island of Trinidad that found one hanging from the side of a cave eating fruit in the wild. I also read a strange conversation on a German forum about feeding them cheese.......Uh, yeah. I wash my hands after touching stuff like that before handling my substrate.