# I think my pet Vietnamese Centipede is dying? Please help



## Centipeder (Oct 17, 2013)

Hi, I'm new here although I joined this forum and looked around before purchasing my first centipede. I'll give you guys a little back-story before I get into what happened. I'm a beginner centipede owner and this was actually my first _actual_ pet giant centipede, after wanting to own one for most of my life. I was excited to find the website backwaterreptiles and saw that I can purchase from there so did my research and got what I needed before making the purchase. 

This was all about a month ago, and have had him since then. I keep him in one of those containers meant for mouses/insects/reptiles and on Eco Earth substrate that I bought from the pet shop. I also make sure to rather keep water in a small water dish and am sure to mist (a section) of substrate every so often (maybe every 4-5 days). For the first week or two I would feed him crickets that I bought at the pet shop; i would feed him every other night. And for the last week and a half I have been feeding him meal worms. 

now just today about 40 minutes ago, out of nowhere he ran straight out of his little house I gave him and started being VERY active. The most active I've ever seen him act actually. He ran out and would try to crawl up the sides of the container and would be very jumpy, it was like he was going kind of crazy (or something). My girlfriend and I were fascinated at how active he was being and watched him for a little while before deciding maybe we should feed him. We tried for the next half hour and he wouldn't attack the meal worms like he usually would, he would just walk around his container trying to crawl up the sides. It was then when he started calming down and he would move slower and slower and would move in very...weird stutters and would curl his body up backwards every so often and then just walk around slowly again. 

As I was watching him I could tell something was up because of the way he was moving in such an odd way. It then happened that he would curl his head in and got very stiff...He tensely curled and then went limp but really stiff....We thought we just watched him die...we poked and proded him with chopsticks to try and see if he was still alive but he would only twitch a little every now and then. We waited and assumed he just died, but after about 7-10 minutes we saw him get up again and walk slowly around and try to (weakly) climb up the sides again and then he would just stop and "die" again. He's done this one more time after that and now he hasn't moved for the last 15 minutes. Now, whenever I blow into the container, he responds by moving his legs and walking around just a little but he's very weak.. The following video is the way he was acting the last time before he went limp again. 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3XaMIoacQY

If you guys can give me any advice at what caused this and why this happened I would appreciate it a lot. I have chosen to transform the grieving I would be doing into finding out what went wrong and how to prevent this when I end up getting a new centipede. A little more information: 

I live in San Francisco (gets kind of cold), and sometimes we put this roach pesticide DuPont Advion Roach gell that we use to kill roaches that come around our apartment building (the pesticide has to be eaten by the roaches, no smell or spray). I do remember once that I found a roach and without thinking about it, put it in his container that he may or may not have eaten. Could it be possible that he ate a roach that just before ate the pesticide and was dying which ended up leading to his death? Also, I'm not sure if..maybe he could be molting? I hope it's the latter although I doubt.

Sorry for the long wall of text, I'm just a little flabbergasted that this just happened.


-Update-
we've been poking him and he's moving again though very weakly..Not sure weather to keep him moving or to leave him alone.


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## Kazaam (Oct 17, 2013)

Why the hell do you keep poking your pet if you think something is wrong.

I'd wait it out, centipedes do weird things all the time.


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## Centipeder (Oct 17, 2013)

Kazaam said:


> Why the hell do you keep poking your pet if you think something is wrong.
> 
> I'd wait it out, centipedes do weird things all the time.


You may be right, though I started poking him to check if he was even still alive and for a while he wouldn't even react. I'm just kind of worried he's dying is why, I've stopped poking him and kind of just waiting to see what happens. Currently he's moving really jittery/sezurie. I'm hoping it's something to do with...molting maybe?


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## melijoc (Oct 17, 2013)

If the legs arent curled under its still alive. Y invest on a space heater to keep your inverts warm?


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## Centipeder (Oct 17, 2013)

melijoc said:


> If the legs arent curled under its still alive. Y invest on a space heater to keep your inverts warm?


Hi and thanks for the reply. For the last hour or two he's been laying upside down and twitching every couple seconds...It really doesn't look like he's alright, I don't know what to do. I'm assuming when I wake up tomorrow morning I'll find him dead.


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## Centipeder (Oct 17, 2013)

Welp..Woke up to him dead as I expected..

I'm currently going to do some research on centipede care..If someone can help me out here, as I said I'm a beginner centipede owner. Before I get a new one I would appreciate it if anybody can help me out..I am suspecting that he could have been getting too cold, I live in SF which could get down to the mid 50's during the night..I also have no knowledge on humidity or heat. As I read, a beginner centipede mistake is over misting the substrate thinking I'm adding humidity which is wrong. 

As someone suggested earlier why not get a space heater, but I was under the impression that heat would dehydrate the centipede (as I said I'm a beginner). I'm not sure where to start and I want to make sure I get all the correct things I need before buying a new one (temperature, humidity, how to check both etc.etc.)

Please can anybody help?


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## MelissaDBrown (Oct 17, 2013)

I am so sorry for your loss. I checked out your video and I was shocked. I have never seen that kind of behavior from a centipede. It looked very stiff, uncomfortable, and possible in pain. It could be possible that your centipede was older. I notice that when I watch my centipedes move they are very graceful and flexible. They don't need much moisture or food. I feed mine every two weeks and it seems to be very happy and healthy. Again, I am extremely sorry for the loss of your centipede. I don't think you necessarily did anything to cause this. I think it might have just been sick or older. Don't give up and maybe try a smaller, younger one so you know you will get to spend more time with it. Good luck!


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## Centipeder (Oct 17, 2013)

MelissaDBrown said:


> I am so sorry for your loss. I checked out your video and I was shocked. I have never seen that kind of behavior from a centipede. It looked very stiff, uncomfortable, and possible in pain. It could be possible that your centipede was older. I notice that when I watch my centipedes move they are very graceful and flexible. They don't need much moisture or food. I feed mine every two weeks and it seems to be very happy and healthy. Again, I am extremely sorry for the loss of your centipede. I don't think you necessarily did anything to cause this. I think it might have just been sick or older. Don't give up and maybe try a smaller, younger one so you know you will get to spend more time with it. Good luck!


Thanks very much. If him being older was the case than that puts my mind to ease that I didn't do anything to cause his death. It was very strange though that before he started acting weird he all-of-a-suddenly just ran out and starting acting erractic and very very active before finally twitching/dying. I'm going to get a new pede but first I want to make sure I have everything I need. I need to learn about humidity and space headers?? I want to make sure the next pede I get has the correct temperature and moisture to prevent him from getting sick or dying. Thanks for the reply, it means a lot.


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## Truffs1178 (Oct 17, 2013)

Maybe get a baby from a breeder. It could have already been ill if you got it a month ago. Also Backwater reptiles are notoriously bad dealers.


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## MelissaDBrown (Oct 17, 2013)

It's hard. I can tell by the way you wrote you felt at fault for this. I'm just like you, always wondering why, what I did wrong, and how I can learn from a situation. My S. polymorpha hasn't eaten since I've had it from July and I don't know what to do. It's scared of everything and just hides. I have never heard of this before and I'm desperate for help. Sometimes they do things and we just don't know why. That's the only downside to invertebrates. We can't take them to a vet like other animals.


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## Centipeder (Oct 17, 2013)

Truffs1178 said:


> Maybe get a baby from a breeder. It could have already been ill if you got it a month ago. Also Backwater reptiles are notoriously bad dealers.


I have hear bad things about Backwater but didn't think they would sell a sick animal. I wonder how they would have known it was ill though, when I first got him, he seemed to act normally, though I wouldn't put it past them with all their bad reviews. 

Do you have any website/contacts for people who breed that I can look into ? thanks

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MelissaDBrown said:


> It's hard. I can tell by the way you wrote you felt at fault for this. I'm just like you, always wondering why, what I did wrong, and how I can learn from a situation. My S. polymorpha hasn't eaten since I've had it from July and I don't know what to do. It's scared of everything and just hides. I have never heard of this before and I'm desperate for help. Sometimes they do things and we just don't know why. That's the only downside to invertebrates. We can't take them to a vet like other animals.


It is kind of hard, I'm still half convinced it was something I caused. I just want the next pede to live a lot longer than a month. Thanks


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## Truffs1178 (Oct 18, 2013)

Not sorry I live in UK so don't know any American breeders. I have heard of Ken the Bug Guy and his site has EVERYTHING. I have heard he's pretty good to buy from. Don't know if Backwater reptiles would sell a sick animal but they are bad so they might.


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## Centipeder (Oct 18, 2013)

Truffs1178 said:


> Not sorry I live in UK so don't know any American breeders. I have heard of Ken the Bug Guy and his site has EVERYTHING. I have heard he's pretty good to buy from. Don't know if Backwater reptiles would sell a sick animal but they are bad so they might.


Thanks, I'm going to look into Ken The Bug Guy. If he's (more) reliable than backwater then I might go and order from him instead. 

I'm a beginner owner so do you have any information on if I should get a space heater for my next pede? I was under the impression that heat was bad for them because dehydration. But if they need heat, then what's a good space heater to get? Any help with this or temperature/humidity helps me out a lot. Thanks


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## Truffs1178 (Oct 18, 2013)

I put all my inverts in a big heated tank but each one has its own breeding box or deli cup etc. I guess you could say what I do is like using a space heater. I don't see a problem using it but let's see what others say first.


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## Centipeder (Oct 18, 2013)

Truffs1178 said:


> I put all my inverts in a big heated tank but each one has its own breeding box or deli cup etc. I guess you could say what I do is like using a space heater. I don't see a problem using it but let's see what others say first.


I was thinking of something like this: http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/reptile-supplies/heat-pads-heat-panels-heat-cable-and-rocks/ 
I think you put it under the tank? As I said, I thought heat was bad for pedes though cause it dehydrates them. At least that's what I thought, any help on this?

Also another thing I read is what about leaving a lamp on them overnight to produce heat in its container..Would that work?


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