Thinking About Getting A Centipede

[lostbrane]

Hello one and all.

I got stuck reading a bunch of threads here over in the Myriapod section over the past few days and well, I think I might want to try my hand at keeping a centipede. Since getting back into inverts, I said to myself never a centipede. They're too crazy for me. Well, it appears I'm maybe ready for a change. With that being said, I want to verify some information before I even get one, just so I know what to do, etc.

The species I'm looking into getting would be a S. polymorpha. The enclosure I would be looking at would either be a 20 or 54 qt plastic tub with a gasket making sure to inspect how the lid fits to make sure there aren't any gaps or anything of the sort. I'd add airholes in the lid/top portions of the tub. The substrate I think I would use would be a sand/coco coir mix. I would also add a slab of cork bark and some leaf litter. Plus, a water dish. I'd also have a moisture gradient going.

So, the questions I have are as follows:

• Should I even bother with the 20 qt and go straight for the 54 qt even if it isn't an adult? Are the downsides lack of seeing where it's at/potentially it not coming across food?

• Would 3 or so inches of sub be enough or should I aim for more?
• Is there anything else I should add to my sub mix?
• Do they benefit from having multiple hides?
  
• Are there any leaves I should really try to avoid? (For instance, I'm pretty sure using Eucalyptus leaves are no bueno)

Any other tips or advice would be appreciated! If my plans are good, then swell but if not I definitely need to know. I just want to know what I'm doing before making any sort of plunge.

Many thanks in advance.

P.S. Sorry if most of this was covered in another thread, for if it was, I totally missed it.

 

[Staehilomyces]

3" should be good enough, provided hides and leaf litter are present.
Everything else seems good.

Welcome to the hobby!

 

[RTTB]

That’s a huge enclosure for a polymorpha. It won’t use all that space. 3” of substrate slightly moist is perfect.

 

[Bill S]

S. polymorpha is a good choice to start with. Easy to keep, inexpensive to acquire. I've been experimenting with keeping several together in a ten gallon terrarium, and so far (over a year) they seem to be doing fine. The only live food I offer mine is crickets, but I also give them Gerber's baby food (chicken or beef). Put a little in a bottle cap with a dusting of flake fish food on top and they dig in.

 

[lostbrane]

That’s a huge enclosure for a polymorpha. It won’t use all that space. 3” of substrate slightly moist is perfect.

I'm assuming that the 54 qt is too big? Or is the 20 qt also too big?

The only live food I offer mine is crickets, but I also give them Gerber's baby food (chicken or beef). Put a little in a bottle cap with a dusting of flake fish food on top and they dig in.

I seem to vaguely recall a post about the poultry baby food being better? Either way thanks for the food tip.

 

[Staehilomyces]

Actually yeah, that enclosure is unnecessarily large. For a pede of polymorpha size, I'd just go for a moderately sized plastic storage container or jar.

 

[lostbrane]

I shall look for one of those then. Thank you all!
I'll keep everyone posted once this gets off the ground.

 

[Bill S]

I seem to vaguely recall a post about the poultry baby food being better? Either way thanks for the food tip.

Poultry is more easily digestible for humans, and is a more "efficient" food source - for humans. I don't think anyone has done research on food values and digestibility in centipedes, which could be quite different from humans. In any case, centipedes in the wild eat a wide range of foods, including scavenging on carrion. (A friend of mine gave me a S. polymorpha a few days ago that he found eating a road-kill snake.) There is speculation that the reason some species of Scolopendras in captivity lose their color (S. heros tend to change from orange to brown in captivity) is because of nutritional deficiencies. I offer both beef and chicken to try to expand their diet, and top it off with fish flake food to increase it further.

 

[AZCeptipede]

Poultry is more easily digestible for humans, and is a more "efficient" food source - for humans. I don't think anyone has done research on food values and digestibility in centipedes, which could be quite different from humans. In any case, centipedes in the wild eat a wide range of foods, including scavenging on carrion. (A friend of mine gave me a S. polymorpha a few days ago that he found eating a road-kill snake.) There is speculation that the reason some species of Scolopendras in captivity lose their color (S. heros tend to change from orange to brown in captivity) is because of nutritional deficiencies. I offer both beef and chicken to try to expand their diet, and top it off with fish flake food to increase it further.

Interesting, I've seen some extremely pale looking heros at a reptile show recently and I was wondering why. I try to get my pedes a decent variety of dusted crickets and roaches so hopefully they're doing alright.

 

[Teds ts and Inverts]

Here’s a link to a exotics shop that has polymorpha. I got my S. h. c. pling from them and they were easy to work with.
https://www.overboardaquatics.com/collections/centipedes/products/polymorpha

 

[Willuminati]

I got some prettty lil polymorpha plings RNRN.
LMK if you want a couple, also have 2 LARGE females of the Santa Monica mtn locale

 

[lostbrane]

Thanks for the links et all folks. Unfortunately I am having problems with my bank and can’t get a pede right now (but next month looks really good!).

 

[RTTB]

I got some prettty lil polymorpha plings RNRN.
LMK if you want a couple, also have 2 LARGE females of the Santa Monica mtn locale

PM me. I have a home for those 2 females. Mine.

 

[SDCPs]

You saw the pede I just captured. He was probably a bit cold but I'd go as far as to say was docile...started climbing a friend's leg before capture and scared the sh*t out of her!

 

[SDCPs]

Actually yeah, that enclosure is unnecessarily large. For a pede of polymorpha size, I'd just go for a moderately sized plastic storage container or jar.

Agree, jar seems adequate...make it a large pretzel jar if concerns!

 

[Greenjewls]

The pitfall to buying Polymorphas is that often what you receive is S. viridis, a smaller, similar species. They reach about 3.5" which is disappointing when you expect your pede to reach 5 or 6". Not many people can really tell the difference from photos.

 

[lostbrane]

Well, I am finally getting a centipede tomorrow. It’s a S. viridis (I was told it's 4" but that remains to be seen). I just want to make sure that my enclosure is set up ok.



Sub is ~60% coco coir and ~40% sand. Water dish is 3/4” deep. Have two pieces of cork bark laid flat, both longer than 4” and dried sphagnum moss as clutter. I lightly moistened an eighth of the sub on the left side. Should I make any other adjustments or should I be ok?

 

[Teds ts and Inverts]

Well, I am finally getting a centipede tomorrow. It’s a S. viridis (I was told it's 4" but that remains to be seen). I just want to make sure that my enclosure is set up ok.

View attachment 299457

Sub is ~60% coco coir and ~40% sand. Water dish is 3/4” deep. Have two pieces of cork bark laid flat, both longer than 4” and dried sphagnum moss as clutter. I lightly moistened an eighth of the sub on the left side. Should I make any other adjustments or should I be ok?

I would moisten a 1/4 of the substrate, but I think what you have set up right now looks alright to me! Post pics when he/she arrives

 

[AZCeptipede]

It's looking good! How deep is the substrate?

 

[lostbrane]

Good thing you asked. In my excitement I forgot to check sub depth. It was somewhere around 2.4" but I bumped it up to 3" just now, with some portions a little deeper.