# British centipedes



## Bug collecter (Dec 9, 2003)

Hi there
im new to the board and have always been facinated by insects and spiders.  I would like to start keeping british species of centipedes.  I would like to know what to feed them,do they need a water dish, what about humidty and also would they need any kind of heating?.  Sorry about all the questions but i would like to start collecting them next spring and summer thanks. 

David


----------



## Steven (Dec 9, 2003)

what specie of centipedes are british


----------



## Bob (Dec 9, 2003)

The ones driving Mini Coopers..................


----------



## Bug collecter (Dec 9, 2003)

We have centipedes in the uk but they are quite small and harmless.  I will go to my local forest to collect them in spring and summer and thats why i was asking about their requirements.


----------



## Steven (Dec 9, 2003)

> I will go to my local forest to collect them in spring and summer and thats why i was asking about their requirements.


i can't quite figure out why asking the requirements?
cause shouldn't it be best to just keep them the same way you found them in the forest?

i guess you'll find them underneath woodlogs or stones,.... where it is very humid,... if you use the same substrate in your mini-pede-tank as found in the forest where you caught them,... mist them 3 times a week orso (depending on the season in UK) and feed them 1 small cricket (or other bug you also can be found in your nearby forest) each week orso,... it should be fine, No ?

just try to make your pede-enclosure a small piece of the forest you find them in,.....

cheers


----------



## Bug collecter (Dec 9, 2003)

> _Originally posted by gongyles _
> *i can't quite figure out why asking the requirements?
> cause shouldn't it be best to just keep them the same way you found them in the forest?
> 
> ...


Thanks for your replies Steven thats great.  Sorry for my confusing message before but i just want to take care of a local species for a while before moving onto a more exotic species thanks. 

David


----------



## Steven (Dec 9, 2003)

> but i just want to take care of a local species for a while before moving onto a more exotic species thanks


i think you can't compare the two,....
guess best way to learn is to see how other pede-keepers keep theirs,...
go visit someone who allready keeps "exotic" centipedes,...
the're some "weird"-british pede-keepers active on the board here,.. you'll get to know them,....  

i guess my days are count now,.. saying that about the british-part of this board     

owww well it was good time spending here  

greetz


----------



## Melmoth (Dec 9, 2003)

> _Originally posted by gongyles _
> *,...
> the're some "weird"-british pede-keepers active on the board here,.. you'll get to know them,....
> 
> ...


                            Being British Steven,we prefer to thought of as mildly eccentric rather than "weird"      
     The Halloween Pede is watching YOU!!!!;P  
               George


----------



## danread (Dec 9, 2003)

Hi David,

It's a nice idea to try and keep some of the british species, but unfortunately i dont think it will be particularly rewarding. British species are very criptic (i.e they wont be seen very much) and are very small, so they really ont make good pets. If you want to get a good started pede, have a look on www.bugsdirectuk.com. One of the tiger pedes or egyptian pedes or feathertails would be good as they are hardy and have a relatively mild bite (although i wouldnt want to test it  ) and are a reasonable size (approx 6 inches). 
If you really do wan to keep british pedes, i'd keep them in small containers to keep the hunidity up, spray with water a couple of times a week, use peat moss as the substrate and feed on small crickets or wingless fruitflies. 
If you decide to go with any of the tropical centipedes, feel free to ask any questions concerning housing and care.

Dan.


----------



## MrDeranged (Dec 9, 2003)

> _Originally posted by gongyles _
> *
> 
> i guess my days are count now,.. saying that about the british-part of this board
> *


Not a problem as the owner is American and doesn't mind if you rip on the british... ;P

Scott


----------



## Bug collecter (Dec 9, 2003)

> _Originally posted by danread _
> *Hi David,
> 
> It's a nice idea to try and keep some of the british species, but unfortunately i dont think it will be particularly rewarding. British species are very criptic (i.e they wont be seen very much) and are very small, so they really ont make good pets. If you want to get a good started pede, have a look on www.bugsdirectuk.com. One of the tiger pedes or egyptian pedes or feathertails would be good as they are hardy and have a relatively mild bite (although i wouldnt want to test it  ) and are a reasonable size (approx 6 inches).
> ...



Hi Dan thanks for replying to my topic.  

Thanks for your advice on keeping British Centipedes i think ill give that idea a miss.  As for the species that you mentioned would they be advisable for handling and could their bite be venomous?.  Also how big a tank would i need for the tiger or Egyptian pede's?.  For feeding would it be the same as for British Pedes but with larger crickets?.  Sorry about all the questions and hope u can help thanks. 

David


----------



## Steven (Dec 10, 2003)

> Being British Steven,we prefer to thought of as mildly eccentric rather than "weird"


=D 


> The Halloween Pede is watching YOU!!!!


@George,... this means you allready got one ? 



> Not a problem as the owner is American and doesn't mind if you rip on the british...


 :} :} :} lol


----------



## Melmoth (Dec 10, 2003)

> _Originally posted by gongyles _
> *=D
> 
> @George,... this means you allready got one ?
> ...


     No Steven,just wishful thinking on my part. You were worried though,admit it!!=D =D  
      George


----------



## Steven (Dec 10, 2003)

> You were worried though,admit it!!


:8o


----------



## danread (Dec 10, 2003)

Hi David,

As other people have replied in other threads, any centipede that reached a decent size it likely to have a pretty painful bite. Read up on the internet for bite reports from scolopendra centipedes and you'll see what i mean. If you decide you dont mind keeping such a creature, you need to keep it in a very secure enclosure. The best way of doing this would be to have a tank that is much taller than the full lentgh of the centipede. I havent done this with my pedes, but i've made sure they have a very secure lid on all the containers, and i made sure i know where it is before i open the lid. I've recently seen tall glass hexagonal tanks designed for fish in petsmart, one of these would be ideal. Then put a brick on the lid or tape it down when the pede is in it. Use peat and vermiculite (50/50 mix) as substrate, to a deph of about an inch of you dont want yor pede to burrow that much. Include a piece of wood for it to hide under and a decent size water bowl that you always keep full of water. Feed a couple of crickets per week, but if it stops eating them, stop feding until it is hungry again. I'd get a good pair of long tweezers for moving stuff around in the tank and picking out any uneaten food. If you even need to move the pede, or if you're putting it in the tank for the first time, put the tank in the bath, that way if it escapes, its not going anywhere. If you are careful, i see no reason why you cant go straight in with a vietnamese pede, but you have to make sure you keep your hands away from it! Feel free to ask anymore questions if you want, that what these forums are here for.

Cheers,

Dan.


----------

