# How often to feed centipedes?



## Exoskelos (May 21, 2018)

I hate being the guy to put the spammy sort of thread up, but I'm more of a millipede guy, and now I'm stuck with the results of my brother's impulse buy, two _S. dehaani. _I've been feeding them small roaches roughly once a week, maybe once every two weeks, or whenever they seem to be roaming around. 

Kinda afraid to feed them too much, so I've only given them full size dubia once, night after moving them from the plastic sale cups to ten gallon tanks. Is once a week/every other week too much, and are there any signs to watch for if I've already overfed them?


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## Staehilomyces (May 21, 2018)

Generally, once a week/fortnight is good. Don't feed any more than that though. A lot of people think that a pede will always be hungry if it surfaces, which isn't really the case. My pedes are on the surface most of the time, even directly after a feed.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## chanda (May 21, 2018)

It sounds like you're doing just fine! I feed my pedes roughly every week to two weeks, too.


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## Exoskelos (May 21, 2018)

Ok. They were pretty hefty when we got them, eat anything, all the time. So I know they'll eat stuff every time I put it in there, which is good since I know they're eating, but I just wasn't sure how often to feed them.

On a side note, the warmer summer air here in the US has them MUCH faster and unpredictable, I see what you guys were talking about in some of the other threads.
I think the ten gallon tanks they're in now might be a bit too short, saw one on the lid not even ten minutes ago.  Good thing the mesh is held down with paint cans, if they got out, don't know what I'd do.


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## Staehilomyces (May 21, 2018)

I wouldn't use those as enclosures. Plastic tubs work better, and they're way cheaper too.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Exoskelos (May 21, 2018)

Staehilomyces said:


> I wouldn't use those as enclosures. Plastic tubs work better, and they're way cheaper too.


I moved my millipedes into a plastic tub last week, they're definitely the way to go. Next time I'm out, I'll get a couple more for the centipedes.


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## Shockwave Bot (Jun 3, 2018)

Exoskelos said:


> I hate being the guy to put the spammy sort of thread up, but I'm more of a millipede guy, and now I'm stuck with the results of my brother's impulse buy, two _S. dehaani. _I've been feeding them small roaches roughly once a week, maybe once every two weeks, or whenever they seem to be roaming around.
> 
> Kinda afraid to feed them too much, so I've only given them full size dubia once, night after moving them from the plastic sale cups to ten gallon tanks. Is once a week/every other week too much, and are there any signs to watch for if I've already overfed them?


Just make sure there’s always food in its home, if they’re not hungry they won’t eat it. Simple. Over feeding BS has been thoroughly debunked.


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## Staehilomyces (Jun 4, 2018)

Shockwave Bot said:


> Just make sure there’s always food in its home, if they’re not hungry they won’t eat it. Simple. Over feeding BS has been thoroughly debunked.


I don't agree with that, for several reasons.
Firstly, pedes may molt or lay clutches with little or no warning. You don't want feeder insects in the enclosure when that happens. Furthermore, the constant presence of feeder insects would likely stress the pede out. Also, just because a pede accepts prey doesn't necessarily mean it's starving, nor does it mean that such heavy feeding isn't potentially harmful. As long as the pede has a reasonably plump body, it's well fed. Mine are all nice and plump, and they eat once a fortnight.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## LawnShrimp (Jun 5, 2018)

Shockwave Bot said:


> Just make sure there’s always food in its home, if they’re not hungry they won’t eat it. Simple. Over feeding BS has been thoroughly debunked.


I don't see the problem with letting the pede not eat for a few days. Adult pedes regularly go several months without eating, and a fast of a week or two can't hurt a pede at all. They're hardy creatures that don't require constant feeding. A full 'pede may also kill a feeder because it feels threatened or is slightly hungry but not enough to eat the entire feeder. The result is an accumulation of rotting feeder corpses that attract mites, gnats, phorid flies, or other unwanted/dangerous pests.

Feeders are all capable of injuring a molting pede or putting a female off her eggs. Injury by roaches, crickets, and larvae have killed even non-molting pedes before and there are many threads on here you can read to prove that. Antennae are often the target and those grow back slowly, if at all. Pedes run away from invertebrates they don't want to do anything with. A full, molting, or premolt pede will get terribly stressed by having other living things in the tank. There is also no place for the 'pede to hide from a hungry feeder inside an enclosure.

Reactions: Agree 1


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