Texas redhead

[steel]

howdy from Texas!

I have a young Texas redheaded centipede (2.5-3in). this is currently the first and only invertebrate I have owned since I was 9 so I'm really hoping for care tips.

I've had him for barley if even over a month and currently he has eaten 3 geckos and 2 crickets and has even molted.

i keep him in a large glass jar with a screw on lid about 2in dig-able substrate and a small heating pad for warmth. some bark for hides and a cotton ball filled bottle cap for water.

his name is Lucifer (this is courtesy of my girlfriend) and when i got him he was missing 2 legs and has a broken one. he molted this week and one of his legs grew back ( halfway but its there) but his other leg is still broken. I'm wondering if i should be concerned of his broken leg??

thank you in advance for your interest and help!

 

[SDCPs]

Beautiful critter there! I personally would not be concerned. Worst case is he'll never be a perfect specimen from my experience, don't think there's any health risk. We'll see what others say. Sounds like a pretty good setup to me. Frankly I think critters such as this are hardy and can live in a variety of environments so again wouldn't be too concerned!

 

[Greasylake]

I have a young Texas redheaded centipede

Scolopendra heros castaneiceps presumably.

i keep him in a large glass jar with a screw on lid about 2in dig-able substrate and a small heating pad for warmth. some bark for hides and a cotton ball filled bottle cap for water.

Heating pad and cotton ball in the water dish are not necessary, and both are potentially harmful as the heating pad can cook the pede and the cotton ball will just breed bacteria. Remove both. A glass jar would work, I personally don't use them for any of my pedes but if you give it room to dig it'll probably be fine.

. I'm wondering if i should be concerned of his broken leg??

No, legs are overrated. One missing or broken leg isn't a big deal for a pede, it should grow back right eventually.

 

[Jurdon]

Beautiful pede! Heros are one of my favorites. Firstly, you don’t need a cotton ball in the water dish, centipedes are perfectly capable of drinking from just straight up water. Heat pad is also largely unnecessary if your house’s temps are in the 70s range.

His “broken” leg is most likely nothing to worry about, he will drop it if it bothers him that much. More substrate would also be appreciated by him, I’d definitely be interested in seeing your setup to help you give this guy a good home! One last thing worth noting is that you’re definitely on the right path feeding him a varied diet, but he should be getting more crickets than geckos, and, while a lot of people consider this to be optional, feeding pieces of fruit can be rather beneficial to your pede! There are a few threads already about what fruits they like & dislike, I definitely suggest giving them a read. Experiment, and see what he likes!

 

[NYAN]

I keep 4 heros in my collection. My castaneiceps is kept in a 5.5 gallon container with a secure lid. The secure lid is extremely important. Pedes can squeeze through gaps or lids that are not secure. Anyway, I keep it on a mix of sand, coco fiber and gravel. It has 2-3 inches of substrate, but normally is out or hiding under its cork bark. This brings me to another point, hides. Give your pede a couple things to hide under. I recommend cork bark since it’s light weight and looks nice. A water dish is another important thing to have. Keep the substrate slightly moist, but not too moist. Heros and other more arid species are able to get mycosis (a fungus that can be lethal) in too moist of an environment.


You’re setup sounds good, but ditch the heat pad and cotton ball in the water dish. Pedes can lose legs and be totally fine, so don’t worry. They will grow back completely after 1-2 more molts.

 

[steel]

i turned off the heating pad and replaced his water dish!! I never would have thought of feeding fruits to a centipede. i almost feed him a small snake last week but he was still in his cave (i presume that's when he molted).

here are some pics of his enclosure

 

[NYAN]

That looks way too moist. If there’s condensation like that, you need to dry it out much more. Like I said, they get mycosis when kept too moist.

 

[steel]

That looks way too moist. If there’s condensation like that, you need to dry it out much more. Like I said, they get mycosis when kept too moist.

i noticed that after your post I've already replaced the substrate with some much dryer ecoearth (coconut husk). i probably need to find soothing else but for now its what I had on hand! i also took the opportunity to give him deeper substrate!

 

[Jurdon]

i noticed that after your post I've already replaced the substrate with some much dryer ecoearth (coconut husk). i probably need to find soothing else but for now its what I had on hand! i also took the opportunity to give him deeper substrate! View attachment 289556 View attachment 289556 View attachment 289557

Eco Earth is perfectly fine! I also would like to take this opportunity to tell you (since I’m assuming all of his food is wild-caught) that getting crickets, roaches or mealworms from a pet store is your best friend. There’s less risk of parasites, and a few feeders can last a long time, considering the little guy only needs to eat once a week or so. And, if you’re feeling like Lucifer is in need of a meatier snack, most pet shops also sell pre-killed pinkie mice, which are happily taken by 99.9% of pedes when thawed out. Make sure these are a treat though, as they’re kinda fatty and not a very good staple diet. Best of luck with the little guy!

 

[steel]

Eco Earth is perfectly fine! I also would like to take this opportunity to tell you (since I’m assuming all of his food is wild-caught) that getting crickets, roaches or mealworms from a pet store is your best friend. There’s less risk of parasites, and a few feeders can last a long time, considering the little guy only needs to eat once a week or so. And, if you’re feeling like Lucifer is in need of a meatier snack, most pet shops also sell pre-killed pinkie mice, which are happily taken by 99.9% of pedes when thawed out. Make sure these are a treat though, as they’re kinda fatty and not a very good staple diet. Best of luck with the little guy!

Thank you!!!!

 

[SDCPs]

Very beautiful critter! And excellent work on the enclosure! May he grow fast and strong

 

[steel]

my centipede likes bananas!! and thank you!!

 

[FrDoc]

I really don’t have a burning desire for keeping centipedes in general, but I NEED one of these.

 

[Jurdon]

my centipede likes bananas!! and thank you!!

That’s great! Banana seems to be a favorite. The sheer variety of things they eat is crazy

 

[Greenjewls]

My pedes love scrambled eggs! And fingers...