Getting a Vietnamese Giant Centipede, any advice?

[Godzillaalienfan1979]

Really not looking for any specific advice, just any will do. Thanks. I'm so excited to be finally getting one of these mammoths! Aside from hissers, does anyone know any good feeder insects for these guys? I can't think of any insect they sell as feeders big enough to suit a Vietnamese Giant's diet aside from hissers. But anywho, I can't wait!

 

[Chris LXXIX]

They eat basically everything (living) that they can overpower

Crickets, B.dubia, and so forth... hell, leaving out for a moment the moral-ethic part, a lizard? A mouse? No problems for an adult S.subspinipes.

 

[NYAN]

You can feed them crickets, Dubais, super worms and a frozen thawed vertebrate sometimes. My best advice is do not get bitten.

 

[Godzillaalienfan1979]

They eat basically everything (living) that they can overpower

Crickets, B.dubia, and so forth... hell, leaving out for a moment the moral-ethic part, a lizard? A mouse? No problems for an adult S.subspinipes.

I figured. Thanks for the advice. Will they eat dead stuff? I feel like I want to feed 'em a mouse (on special events-I.E. after it molts, is transferred, etc etc etc), but I feel like a live mouse would be waaaaay too messy, and feeding him a lizard just...breaks my heart...I love lizards.

Jokes aside, thanks once again man. I appreciate it!

 

[NYAN]

Yes, they will eat dead stuff.

 

[NYAN]

I feel like I want to feed 'em a mouse (on special events-I.E. after it molts, is transferred, etc etc etc), but I feel like a live mouse would be waaaaay too messy, and feeding him a lizard just...breaks my heart...I love lizards.

Feed prekilled and there is less of an issue.

 

[Godzillaalienfan1979]

Feed prekilled and there is less of an issue.

ok, thanks a ton man! I appreciate it!

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I feel like I want to feed 'em a mouse

The real issue, on this case, IMO (again, not considering the moral-ethic part of that) is that would result into a huge mess, after, for clean the whole stuff, bwaaah seriously, I've watched some pics... not something I would love to remove/deal with.

Especially, considering also the humidity level parameter needed inside the enclosure, on the 'higher' side since we are talking about Asian inverts.

 

[LawnShrimp]

Don't feed it often, and it is best only feed it when you can see it. Once every two weeks should be fine if you are giving it large hissers. Dubia, lateralis, crickets, mealworms or superworms are all good feeders, in fact, probably better than hissers because they are smaller and cheaper to buy. Varying food helps as well, so feed different insects every now and then. Once a month or less, you can offer small quantities of fruit like banana or vertebrate meat like prekilled mice and lizards, or even meat scraps.

High humidity is important; dehaani don't like the dry. 3-4" of cocofiber/sand/peat substrate is best. Water dishes are recommended.
Make sure the enclosure is escape-proof. A large, deep, locking plastic bin is best for all centipedes. You do have to drill holes in the lid/sides and it doesn't look as nice as a glass tank but few things keep a centipede from escaping like a solid lid does.

If you've never worked with 'pedes before, keep in mind that no matter how fast you think they are, they are faster than that. I know you've probably heard this many times but S. dehaani are large, temperamental, and have some of the most painful venom of any centipede, so please be careful.

 

[Greasylake]

Pede's use their sense of smell much more than touch, so when they hunt they smell their prey out rather than relying on vibrations like tarantulas. As such they will happily scavenge dead roaches or crickets that you may drop in there. I like feeding male Dubias as they don't burrow and it's pretty easy just to pick out the wings and carapace rather than looking for little cricket legs. I wouldn't recommend feeding dead mice mostly because the higher humidity you will need to keep your pede in will cause it to decompose quickly, and I hear the smell is HORRENDOUS, but it can be done so if you want to experiment with what your centipede likes to eat then I won't stop you.

 

[Staehilomyces]

If you choose to feed dead mice, I would suggest you do it in a separate enclosure. That way, you don't have to do a complete substrate change from the leaking fluids.

 

[RTTB]

Yes, don’t get bit and be careful.

 

[NukaMedia Exotics]

Advice hmm. Keep it in a Really Useful Box with the handles locking the lid.

 

[dragonfire1577]

I hear they like massages

 

[bryverine]

Oh man, don't feed it mice... that smell afterwards is something fierce... i was at a pet store that feed their subsipinipes a pinky... I'd describe it as a nice, smokey, full bodied rotten animal left in the sun after it rained....

Do these guys like to eat grapes too?

 

[Greasylake]

Oh man, don't feed it mice... that smell afterwards is something fierce... i was at a pet store that feed their subsipinipes a pinky... I'd describe it as a nice, smokey, full bodied rotten animal left in the sun after it rained....

Do these guys like to eat grapes too?

There's a thread here called "what fruit do you guys feed your centipede" or something like that and you can take a read through there to see what people have found their pedes to like.

 

[NYAN]

I fed my Arizonensis a prekilled pinky, no bad smell.

 

[bryverine]

I fed my Arizonensis a prekilled pinky, no bad smell.

Perhaps this one wasn't as efficient as your centipede?

 

[LawnShrimp]

I fed my Arizonensis a prekilled pinky, no bad smell.

Probably because it was drier. Humidity does terrible things to flesh.

Oh man, don't feed it mice... that smell afterwards is something fierce... i was at a pet store that feed their subsipinipes a pinky... I'd describe it as a nice, smokey, full bodied rotten animal left in the sun after it rained....

Do these guys like to eat grapes too?

When it comes to feeding meat, I find that it is best to not feed them for a while before and after the meat so they eat the whole thing. I also don't offer large quantities at once. Putting a small dish and leaving the mouse/meat in that is helpful, though sometimes they drag it out.
Asian 'pedes of all kinds like fruit, although one or two just never seem to take to it and refuse it every time. I haven't tried grapes with mine.

 

[ArachnidSentinl]

It's been a while since I kept centipedes, but with my S. dehaani, I found that the more foliage and ground cover I provided, the more visible she generally was. Those that I kept in relatively barren tubs mostly stayed buried.

Stay away from screen or mesh for ventilation. I've seen several of mine attempt to gnaw through it. Numerous, small air holes in a solid tub with a gasket/locking lid is the way to go.

As everyone else in this thread has immediately suggested: don't underestimate their speed, and don't get tagged.