# pedes not eating mealworms



## micheldied (Jul 17, 2009)

anyone with the same experience?
my pedes wont ever touch mealworms.
ive actually had so many mealworms living together with the pedes and even walk over them or hide under them.
do you think they could be a "clean up" crew for the pede enclosure?


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## Elytra and Antenna (Jul 17, 2009)

If they get hungry enough most centipedes will eventually eat mealworms. They'd make a poor clean up crew because there's a good chance they'll chew on the centipede when it molts and kill it.


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## Mack&Cass (Jul 17, 2009)

Elytra and Antenna said:


> If they get hungry enough most centipedes will eventually eat mealworms. They'd make a poor clean up crew because there's a good chance they'll chew on the centipede when it molts and kill it.


Especially if they are jumbo mealworms, which seem to have a very high protein requirement. I've had large jumbos decapitate and devour live crickets.


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## micheldied (Jul 17, 2009)

Elytra and Antenna said:


> If they get hungry enough most centipedes will eventually eat mealworms. They'd make a poor clean up crew because there's a good chance they'll chew on the centipede when it molts and kill it.


cool.
luckily ive removed them all.
how hungry is hungry?
cause i tried starving for 2-3 weeks and still they wouldnt touch the mealworms.


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## KyuZo (Jul 18, 2009)

if they are not eating the mealworms, then this is what i would recommend that you do to get them to start eating them.  

take 1-2 mealworms and cut it in half, then throw it in the centipede enclosure.  usually when the centipede touches the mealworm's blood, they would know that it's food and usually will eat them.  

you also need to be aware that when a centipede refuses to eat is usually when it is in premolt (about to molt).  if this is the case, then its color will look very dull and it becomes sluggish.  after it molted you can resume feeding after 7-10 days (depending on its size).


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## micheldied (Jul 18, 2009)

KyuZo said:


> if they are not eating the mealworms, then this is what i would recommend that you do to get them to start eating them.
> 
> take 1-2 mealworms and cut it in half, then throw it in the centipede enclosure.  usually when the centipede touches the mealworm's blood, they would know that it's food and usually will eat them.
> 
> you also need to be aware that when a centipede refuses to eat is usually when it is in premolt (about to molt).  if this is the case, then its color will look very dull and it becomes sluggish.  after it molted you can resume feeding after 7-10 days (depending on its size).


i'll try that in a couple of days.
thanks.
i just tried frogs for the first time today,seems like my pedes dont like them either...
after i started feeding cut up shrimp,they pretty much lost interest in live food.
maybe they lost their sense of smell?:? 
nah,none of them are in premolt right now.
both still very bright.


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## cacoseraph (Jul 22, 2009)

i pretty much always prekill mealworms to feed them out.  too many times something would go to put the bite on a mealworm and have the worm spaz out and flip all over the place turning the predator off of them


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## micheldied (Jul 22, 2009)

cacoseraph said:


> i pretty much always prekill mealworms to feed them out.  too many times something would go to put the bite on a mealworm and have the worm spaz out and flip all over the place turning the predator off of them


ive tried prekilled as well.
they just...walk over it.:?


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## Satellite Rob (Jul 22, 2009)

I've have some that wont eat mealworms to.There are plenty of other food 
items out there.So just feed them something else.


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## micheldied (Jul 22, 2009)

Satellite Rob said:


> I've have some that wont eat mealworms to.There are plenty of other food
> items out there.So just feed them something else.


they love their crickets and shrimp.


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## cacoseraph (Jul 23, 2009)

micheldied said:


> ive tried prekilled as well.
> they just...walk over it.:?


how often and how much do you feed?


it kind of seems like you might be over feeding


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## KyuZo (Jul 23, 2009)

cacoseraph said:


> how often and how much do you feed?
> 
> 
> it kind of seems like you might be over feeding


I am thinking the same.


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## ranchulas (Jul 24, 2009)

KyuZo said:


> I am thinking the same.


I thought this myself a few days ago when I read this thread.....My pedes really only turn down a meal....any meal when they are full or about to molt.


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## micheldied (Jul 24, 2009)

like i said before,i tried starving for several weeks.
pretty sure htey werent overfed.
right after i tried the mealworms,they took shrimp.


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## cacoseraph (Jul 24, 2009)

not to belabor the point, but i only feed my pedes every 2-3 weeks so i wouldn't really consider that starving them


while it is possible that your specimen does not "like" meal worms i have had hundreds of centipedes and can't think of a single one that wouldn't eat what i gave it (prekilled only, centipedes tend to be wimps and get scared off by live food)


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## micheldied (Aug 15, 2009)

cacoseraph said:


> not to belabor the point, but i only feed my pedes every 2-3 weeks so i wouldn't really consider that starving them
> 
> 
> while it is possible that your specimen does not "like" meal worms i have had hundreds of centipedes and can't think of a single one that wouldn't eat what i gave it (prekilled only, centipedes tend to be wimps and get scared off by live food)


by a few weeks i meant more than 2 months.

well,one of my pedes has eaten mealworms.
i cut it into pieces cause i feed my T slings cut up mealworms,and i put the remainder with the pedes.


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## cacoseraph (Aug 16, 2009)

right on 


i personally think centipedes are by far the moist stupid of all the common pet bugs... i think it takes them longer to learn something is good to eat.  and i think this is what makes them more bitey... they just don't have the thought power to realize i am not a threat 


congrats on getting one to eat... i think a balanced diet is much more likely when feeding different species of prey


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## micheldied (Aug 16, 2009)

cacoseraph said:


> right on
> 
> 
> i personally think centipedes are by far the moist stupid of all the common pet bugs... i think it takes them longer to learn something is good to eat.  and i think this is what makes them more bitey... they just don't have the thought power to realize i am not a threat
> ...


not just one.
a few of them.
theyll only eat cut up ones,not live ones.:? 
the live ones just walk over them (maybe they think its another pede?theyre a communal species).

yea,they are pretty stupid alright...
when a frog stops moving,they go right over it while looking for it...
but at least theyll grab crickets and cut up shrimp immediately.


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