Centipedes live longer on omnivorous diet?

sayomi

Arachnopeon
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Nov 23, 2020
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Hello, new user to this forum. I've been keeping centipedes for some years and was today years old when I learned they can eat fruit. I also read online from veteran keepers that giving them fruit makes them live longer and grow bigger than average. Can anyone testify to this? Also how much fruit should be offered to an adult S. subsnipipes?
My centipede Baby eating.
 

sayomi

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 23, 2020
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9
Hello, new user to this forum. I've been keeping centipedes for some years and was today years old when I learned they can eat fruit. I also read online from veteran keepers that giving them fruit makes them live longer and grow bigger than average. Can anyone testify to this? Also how much fruit should be offered to an adult S. subsnipipes?
My centipede Baby eating.
 

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Grace18

Arachnopeon
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Well, I have never heard about centipedes eating fruit, let alone increasing their longevity. Could you perhaps send any online link about the veteran keepers who can attest to this knowledge? Also, your baby centipede looks very healthy and appears to be loving the food he's eating!
 

Grace18

Arachnopeon
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You could try it if you would like to but feeding them live insects is the best course. The reasons for the centipede eating fruit could be 1. Perhaps the person mistook a millipede for a centipede. 2. There have been laboratory experiments where starved or food deprived centipedes have been known to eat fruit or plant matter. Either way, it does seem easy enough to try it out. You could, in a way, start an 'experiment' of your own! (The experiment being, will centipedes eat plant matter along with their usual insect diet? Do they also like to eat plant matter/ fruit too if not being pressured by food deprivation?)
 

ignithium

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Mar 1, 2020
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yes they eating almost anything, i feeding fruits, cheeses, raw meat, etc. If u feeding it only insect it will be malnourish. Referring specific to scolopendra of course
 

paumotu

Arachnobaron
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I honestly think that in moderation, foods provided outside of just feeder insects would be quite beneficial. Scolopendra are known scavengers in nature, and in the forests they typically dwell in fallen fruits + carrion likely constitute at least a portion of their diet.
 

sayomi

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Nov 23, 2020
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You could try it if you would like to but feeding them live insects is the best course. The reasons for the centipede eating fruit could be 1. Perhaps the person mistook a millipede for a centipede. 2. There have been laboratory experiments where starved or food deprived centipedes have been known to eat fruit or plant matter. Either way, it does seem easy enough to try it out. You could, in a way, start an 'experiment' of your own! (The experiment being, will centipedes eat plant matter along with their usual insect diet? Do they also like to eat plant matter/ fruit too if not being pressured by food deprivation?)
So interesting personal development. Baby is on a regular insect diet of crickets and mealworms once a week. She ate 2 large crickets 3 days ago so definitely not super hungry. I decided to leave a piece of grape in her tank just out of curiosity. And what do you know, she is currently eating it. My idea was that if she isn't super hungry she would not eat it. But she was attracted to it right away.
 

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Celestus

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This guy feeds his centipedes mangos
Reptiliatus does not keep his S. c.f. gigantea properly, so his husbandry is likely not a good example. Nonetheless, Scolopendra do eat fruit, especially tropical species.
 

TheHouseof21pairs

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Dec 27, 2020
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Those specimens are captive bred and fed with fruits fish and veg since they’re born. They haven’t a clue what a roach, a lizard or a pinkie is unless it was given to them. They’d eat anything if they’re really hungry of course like any other living being. Scolopendromorpha sp are merciless predators...they come out at night to hunt for food...verts and inverts alike ...they don’t hunt down bananas and don’t just stop eating one because they stumble on it. The only 2 reasons I can think why such a voracious predator could stop to eat fruit is if it was starving from days and couldn’t catch nothing or if there’s lack of hydration or water around.
 

Staehilomyces

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Centipedes have been seen eating fruit in the wild, and they certainly don't only eat it when starved. Mine eat fruit straight after eating something else.
 

Scoly

Arachnobaron
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Dec 4, 2013
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Centipedes definitely eat fruit, both in captivity and the wild. I don't think there's any data of the effect on longevity. There are many keepers who never feed fruit to their pedes, and some of those have lived decent lifespans for centipedes (e.g. 7 years) so it doesn't seem necessary.

A centipede will certainly use a fruit for water if thirsty, but they also do actually eat fruit, like mango and banana, and their digestive system does contain amylase (to digest starch) but then again perhaps all insectivores need this to break down prey gut content?

I think it doesn't do any harm, and it is quite possibly beneficial, but to my knowledge there's no hard data on longevity or health.
 

Alex9104

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Oct 28, 2019
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Reptiliatus does not keep his S. c.f. gigantea properly, so his husbandry is likely not a good example. Nonetheless, Scolopendra do eat fruit, especially tropical species.
Agreed, I see mycosis on the pede
 

Renatozzo

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Dec 11, 2020
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Out of curiosity I tried giving a small piece of apple to a Scolopendra cingulata I'm keeping, I fed him yesterday and usually takes food once a week but after around half an hour he was already munching on it and seems to really enjoy it.
Also there's a small water dish always filled so it's not like he's eating just for the moisture.
I really didn't expect this as it's not a tropical species and I don't think they get to eat fruit often in nature but hey, I've never seen him eat something so quickly
 

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CanebrakeRattlesnake

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I found this bit of info on insects tasting abilities. It doesn't mention centipedes but it does say:

"Dr Tom Turpin, Purdue University Entomology Professor gives us a glimpse of the insect taste buds. Behavioral studies in insects show that, like humans, their sense of taste includes the ability to detect sweet, salty, acidic and bitter tastes. Of these four, only sweet is acceptable to insects. Unlike humans, the other three tastes are not of interest to insects."

So maybe they enjoy the taste of the sweet fruit?
 

Alex9104

Arachnosquire
Joined
Oct 28, 2019
Messages
121
Out of curiosity I tried giving a small piece of apple to a Scolopendra cingulata I'm keeping, I fed him yesterday and usually takes food once a week but after around half an hour he was already munching on it and seems to really enjoy it.
Also there's a small water dish always filled so it's not like he's eating just for the moisture.
I really didn't expect this as it's not a tropical species and I don't think they get to eat fruit often in nature but hey, I've never seen him eat something so quickly
It’s hard to tell if they’re doing it for the moisture or not, because I too would have a water dish, and my pedes do drink from it, and when I throw in a web paper towel they’ll also suck on the towel too.
 
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