First time centipede

[Melody102]

Hi everyone,
I am very new to this hobby though I’ve loved bugs my whole life. I have a full grown house centipede (atleast I think so) who I’ve named Cleo (after the scientific name Scutigera coleoptrata) and she(?) has just gotten an upgrade in housing.

I wanted to know what people think, based on my reading I think it’ll be ok for her. It’s got a live plant (i know people on here don’t seem to like mixing bugs and plants much) but since they like room-temp/cooler wetter conditions I thought it should work. I’ve also made it so one side of the Vivarium(am I using the term correctly?) is drier than the other with gravel and sand so she’s got the option of chilling near the fern and moss or closer to the sand and gravel. Please see below my photo, she’s munching on a cricket I gave her in the bottom right corner. (I also decorated the littler fern for the holidays, those red things are little plastic ornaments)

 

[hecklad]

For scutigera, your container should be alright since they don't burrow, but I would advise against using any gravel in the future, and only use sand for species that inhabit very arid regions.

 

[Melody102]

For scutigera, your container should be alright since they don't burrow, but I would advise against using any gravel in the future, and only use sand for species that inhabit very arid regions.

Ok thank you for the info! Why no gravel? It makes sense since for burrowing it would need something they can actually did through, but other than burrowing needs is there anything wrong with it? I thought since it was rock it wouldn’t hold moisture as much as the soil and be a different temperature that my centipede might like

 

[ScoloManiac1101001]

Ok thank you for the info! Why no gravel? It makes sense since for burrowing it would need something they can actually did through, but other than burrowing needs is there anything wrong with it? I thought since it was rock it wouldn’t hold moisture as much as the soil and be a different temperature that my centipede might like

I keep a desert species, Scolopendra polynorpha, right now, and I’ve made my own soil blends that work amazing. Considering desert species, they spend the vast majority of their time underground where there’s some moisture. So how I keep mine is in a well secured, large (like a half gallon) glass jar with plenty of small holes in the lid. I choose this type of enclosure because the thing escaped several years ago and was free-range in my house for about three months before I found it again. So I had to use this set-up.

Anyways, for soil I would do something like this. 4 parts organic peat moss or coco coir, 1/2 part sand, 1 part crushed pumice, and 1 part crushed terra cotta pot. Find an old terra cotta pot and break it into fine pieces. I like to think it adds a special property to it, if nothing else, it looks nice with bits of red clay in the soil. But in all honesty, I suspect it plays the exact same roll the pumice does.
If you can find some organic, chemical-free cacti and succulent mix, that works great too!
And I do a moisture gradient. So when I do add water, I only add it to one side or corner of the enclosure, and not a whole lot, just enough to wet that side/corner of the enclosure.
Whatever soil you use, definitely use a large portion of peat or coir, that should constitute the majority of the blend.