Artificial Diet for Centipedes

[KyuZo]

the pede in the picture looks familiar .

anyway, the artificial food would definitely be interesting. If you think about it and make a comparison to keeping fish, more people are keeping fish that accept flakes and pellets as oppose to people that keep fish that feed on live food only.

at least the idea of having artifical food allow people to have the option if they choose to.

thanks for sharing and good luck on the project.

 

[Nich]

I fed one of my largest pedes mostly raw cleaned chicken with some vitamins for what it's worth. I find the speculation in some of these responses to be very defensive, all things considered.

She did great on chicken breast, Ild say about 90% of her diet.

 

[Nanotrev]

Defensive? I'm not sure I've seen people whack me in the face via text though I think there's skepticism. I don't blame them at all for that. It's a pretty massive change in diet to go from something meaty and natural (animal meat, crickets etc) to something that's clay-like in texture made from processed foods. I think people are unsure because it's been done for so long. It's great to see that there are people such as yourself Nich, who are trying to think of alternatives. I'm on a little adventure here trying to find something that needs as little time as possible to prepare in regards to what the keeper has to do- all the while making it as nutritionally complete as possible and filling any gaps. In addition to that I'd also like to offer predatory arthropods something a little extra that helps them grow and maintain a longer lifespan.

So far I've found that the powdered diet swings in my favor for how it needs to be kept before you add water. When I'm done, it won't be something that's shipped in a plastic baggy but instead (hopefully) what can simply be opened and tossed in the enclosure.

 

[Galapoheros]

You've gone further than I though you would. What concerns me also with grains and plant foods these days is the GMOs designed to contain "natural"(haha) insecticides http://www.bt.ucsd.edu/, makes me think twice about what to feed feeders.

btw Nich, what is that?, a dark heros?, looks like a arizonensis/castaneiceps mix.

 

[Nich]

I was referring to the thoughts on possible cons, I like the idea your researching. I lost some very nice pedes from bad crickets/roaches. Albiet I should of been able to spot pests on them beforehand. On an ironic note, she bit bit me on several occasions after I started feeding chicken lol...

---------- Post added 11-13-2012 at 07:32 PM ----------

You've gone further than I though you would. What concerns me also with grains and plant foods these days is the GMOs designed to contain "natural"(haha) insecticides http://www.bt.ucsd.edu/, makes me think twice about what to feed feeders.

btw Nich, what is that?, a dark heros?, looks like a arizonensis/castaneiceps mix.

To be quite honest I'm not sure. She was lighter when I got her and a bit skinnier ( but still very healthy), after two molts she took on a darker coloration. I purchased her from a fellow user as a banded arizonensis. I should never have sold her. I was too impulsive then I guess.

 

[Nanotrev]

Well...

I've got some fat blue ring leg centipedes, one of which appears to be going into the pre-molt stages. The S. heros and the two S. dehaani that have eaten the mix aren't fat at all but appear to be at a healthy medium. Overall it appears that the blend satisfies Ethmostigmus but from what I can see the Scolopendra prefer a much meatier diet. Still, I think it's something I can work out but for that it's back to the drawing board. If one has to store it in the fridge would that still be appealing? It's not like feeding chicken but rather something I hope I can provide in little cubes and then make it so that people can just let it thaw and toss it to their inverts.

However, I might delve into how to prepare meat so that it can be served dry though not something like a jerky. Does anyone know how they make cat and dog food? I'm imagining it's like a batter, then cooked and ground up before it's compressed into pellets.'

Edit-
I ask this because the centipede that's been refusing the food all along just took in the premium cat food. It's 50% protein and 22% fat as mentioned. If I can create my own food in the same manner they do I'll be able to make something softer if I please and then people really can just serve wet pellets. It takes the hassle out of putting things in the fridge or thawing them out.

I also wanted to add that it was quite the thrill to have a large S. heros take that food from my hand and eat it. The other one isn't so crazy about it. That being said 2/3 of the S. heros enjoy the cat food. If I were to abandon those foods completely and make my own this is enough evidence for me that they wouldn't have too much of a problem taking it.

 

[VictorHernandez]

I feed my centipedes fish food. I guess that's kind of artificial.

---------- Post added 11-16-2012 at 07:16 AM ----------

I feed my centipedes and millipedes food with wheat and flour, is that harmful?

 

[Nanotrev]

I feed my centipedes fish food. I guess that's kind of artificial.

---------- Post added 11-16-2012 at 07:16 AM ----------

I feed my centipedes and millipedes food with wheat and flour, is that harmful?

Depends on the source really- and as for the artificial diet of fish food...
I really can't tell you if that's good or not. While it's good for tropical fish you might want to check out the ingredients on the label and research them before you continue. If I kept feeding my pedes the Marshall's Premium ferret food the copper sulfate might allow them to grow faster but at the same time they would live shorter lives and produce "significantly less offspring" as the scientific article I was reading indicated via results gathered from testing copper sulfate on predatory beetles and their larvae. I would buy pelleted fish food or switch to Hikari's "Carnivore Pellets" if you haven't been using them. Be sure to seal the bag when you're not using it and replace it every six months being that fish food has a reputation as losing nutrients very rapidly. It's something I should also probably consider when making my own food for the centipedes.

---------- Post added 11-16-2012 at 04:32 PM ----------

On that note- you may have just helped me out tremendously. I'm going to go and research Hikari's ingredient list and the protein content of that food and see if I can run and grab some tonight. Thanks Victor

Update- Something to know though is that I'm being incredibly picky about all this and I'd like to create a premium diet for our predatory arthropods in the hobby. It's not that I think you're feeding your inverts a horrible diet but I'd like to try and make a food that would bump up size, growth rate, longevity, and birth rate. Yes the bar is pretty high but I'll at least try and reach it even if I've raised it to where it seems I can't possibly succeed. Here's the ingredient list for the "Sinking Carnivore Pellets." What's the food you're using?

White fish meal, shrimp meal, alfalfa meal, wheat flour, alpha starch, brewer's dried yeast, l-lysin, dl-methionine, fish oil, vitamin A supplement, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), d-activated animal sterol (source of vitamin D3), vitamin E supplement, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, choline chloride, inositol, calcium iodate, manganese sulfate, magnesium carbonate.

 

[Nanotrev]

Some pretty booming success with canned cat food. I'm not really too surprised since I suspected half the battle was to have the right moisture content in the food and a nice stinky, meaty smell to go with it. All species of centipede have accepted it and now I'm looking into what I can do with it from here now that something has been found that they'll all eat.


Chicken, Turkey, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Ground Flaxseed, Montmorillonite Clay, Eggs, Peas, Carrots, Lecithin, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Dried Kelp, Potassium Chloride, Tricalcium Phosphate, Salt, Taurine, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide), Artichokes, Cranberries, Pumpkin, Tomato, Blueberries, Broccoli, Cabbage, Kale, Parsley

The full ingredient list on the can. It seems to offer a large variety of things not generally associated with a feeder diet. I'd say the cat food is pretty whole on its own but I'll add a little touch of something and see how it works out.