# Going to have my first giant centipedes



## Timmy (Nov 26, 2006)

Hey all you pros! I'm sure you guys come across these questions a lot, but.



How big should the container be for a 7-10 pede?
Substrate with best results?
Cork Bark/Rock - what's recommended?

Thanks,
Tim


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## Mr. Mordax (Nov 26, 2006)

The standard tank dimensions for any giant myriapod is 1 pede wide by 2 pedes long.  For centipedes, it's important that it be tall enough to prevent escapes (I know _I_ wouldn't want to wake up with a Hong Kong Giant curled up in my bed).

Use a soft substrate that they can burrow in easily.  You may wind up living with a pet hole, but if they can dig, they'll be happier.  It's difficult to dig through bark chips or rock.  I use coco fiber in all my terrariums, but a lot of people swear by the peat / sand mixtures.

I'd also suggest giving a hiding place (they'll probably wind up burrowing underneath it).  Something like a flat rock, maybe.

Good luck!


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## Timmy (Nov 26, 2006)

Thanks that helps a lot.


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## GartenSpinnen (Nov 26, 2006)

In my centipede enclosure i use a mixture of wood chips/vermiculite/sand/forest litter/and coco fiber, it seems to work really good. Basically i just bought the mixed up packaging at the petstore but that didnt work well, so i added a little bit of sand to it then added a whole bunch of coco fiber. For some reason that mixture clumps together and holds moisture really nicely. However, just plain old coco fiber has never done me wrong and its cheap. For a hide almost anything would work from cork bark slabs to a large flat rock (just make sure the rock doesnt have sharp edges!). Good luck!


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## Timmy (Nov 26, 2006)

Thanks, shammer. Would  a curved peice of bark work, you know, the ones sold at all the pet stores?


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## Tony92 (Nov 26, 2006)

Unlike Tarantulas which are extremely tidy eaters, pedes have eating mechanical jaws similar to mantids, so in effect they chew/grind their way across the food, the side effect of this being body parts being strewn everywhere, good fun to watch though.


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## cacoseraph (Nov 26, 2006)

*bigger isn't always better =P*



IHeartMantids said:


> The standard tank dimensions for any giant myriapod is 1 pede wide by 2 pedes long.  For centipedes, it's important that it be tall enough to prevent escapes (I know _I_ wouldn't want to wake up with a Hong Kong Giant curled up in my bed).
> 
> Use a soft substrate that they can burrow in easily.  You may wind up living with a pet hole, but if they can dig, they'll be happier.  It's difficult to dig through bark chips or rock.  I use coco fiber in all my terrariums, but a lot of people swear by the peat / sand mixtures.
> 
> ...



the 1pede x 2pede thing seems to be more about owner aethetics than pede health. all my babymaker cages are pretty tiny.

Ethmostigmus species, trigonopodus, "african giant yellowleg"





zoom


S. polymorpha, "north american tiger centipede"





zoom

S. morsitans, "egyptian emerald"





zoom


i believe since the centipedes are positively thigmotaxic (they like to be in contact with solid structures) that making a smaller cage with some structure to burrow under is the best way to go for centipede health and reproductive health

also, i could only have about 1/10th the number of pets i do if i went with such a large cage standard.


but... which do i think looks better aesthetically? a big planted cage is hard to beat =P

Reactions: Like 1


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## David Burns (Nov 26, 2006)

Cacoseraph- do you breed them in bigger containers and then put them into smaller jars or do you just breed them in the small jars?


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## cacoseraph (Nov 27, 2006)

David Burns said:


> Cacoseraph- do you breed them in bigger containers and then put them into smaller jars or do you just breed them in the small jars?


those are all WC gravids. 

i would make a special mating bin with all kinds of structure for the male to spin his sperm web on. i imagine dif genera of centipedes might need slightly dif angles and openings to make their prefered web so i would concentrate all my efforts into making one or two mating boxes.

i tried the first steps of breeding a few times, but my two pairs of centipedes both had a death before i could actually make a breeding box and pair them off in it for a while. 'bout time i started trying again, i think


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## Timmy (Nov 27, 2006)

Caco what substrate are you using? Is it coconut fiber?


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## Timmy (Nov 27, 2006)

Oh yeah, and does a centipede need humidty  - - - a heater?


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## cacoseraph (Nov 27, 2006)

Timmy said:


> Caco what substrate are you using? Is it coconut fiber?


i pretty much only use coconut fiber



Timmy said:


> Oh yeah, and does a centipede need humidty  - - - a heater?


humidity yes. a heater, generally no unless you room gets to like 50*F. centipedes retain water the worst of the tarantulas, scorpions, and centipedes. therefore you must always have some form of humidity be it in the substrate or a waterdish or whatever. also remember, high ventilation cages dry out VERY fast sometimes. that is part of what i like my jugs and tupperware. i poke relatively few holes and don't have to worry about the cages drying out too fast


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## Timmy (Nov 27, 2006)

Ok, so wet substrate is a plus. Thanks caco.


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## cacoseraph (Nov 28, 2006)

Timmy said:


> Ok, so wet substrate is a plus. Thanks caco.


negative. wet substrate is not advised for *anything*. 

well, i guess it depends what you mean by wet. to me that means you could squeeze moisture out of the substrate with your hand. that is too wet, by far!

basically i think the optimum moisture content for coconut fiber substrate could be characterized by:
- doesn't produce dust when agitated (dry, unpacked cocofiber is HORRIBLY dusty!)
- is darker than lighter brown. one of the aspects of coconut fiber that i really dig is that the color gives a very good indication of the moisture level. very light brown = completely dry and very dark brown = completley wet.
- can be molded into balls by hand
- doesn't produce water when hand squeezed

once you have some experience with keeping stuff on coconut fiber it becomes very easy to gauge the moisture level in it, i think


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## Galapoheros (Nov 28, 2006)

Timmy said:


> Ok, so wet substrate is a plus. Thanks caco.


Yea, ..not too wet.  I think a good way to do it is to buy the coco fiber, soak it to where it is saturated.  Then use your hands to squeeze as much water as you can.  That'd be good.  In fact, I believe those are the basic instructions on the coco fiber wrapping if you want to use it for T's.   .....something like that.  I'm in there with Caco, it may take a while to tweek things up as you go along.  Or after reading all the tips, you may get it down pretty fast:drool: .


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