Galapagoensis enclosure

[Chilon]

Hello. So I recently got a 4 inch long S. galapagoensis yesterday and i got it settled on a big enclosure. It is a plastic bin that is 24 in. Long, and about 12 in. Wide and tall. No top ventilation but it has multiple holes in every side of the container this was to prevent humidity from escaping fast. So about 1/3 of the substrate is pure peat, other 1/3 peat and sand and the last 1/3 is pure sand ( i am using black desert sand by exoterra) the dry side is the sand and wet side is the substrate with peat in it. Would this be sufficient? There are 2 cork barks for it to hide in as well and I also need to know how will I heat its enclosure up without blocking any of the holes?

 

[Brewser]

Scolopendra galapagoensis

Named for the Galapagos Islands where it's found.
(Darwinism Locale)

Sometimes commonly refered to as 'Darwins Goliath Centipede'
Namesake of Evolution Theorist Charles Darwin.

S. galapagoensis is also found in Ecuador, Peru, and Cocos Island, Costa Rica.

 

[dragonofend]

You don’t really need external heat, I keep my room temperature around 74 Fahrenheit and he does great. You’ll see people list a range of temps online tho. I also use pure beach sand but I can get it easily, so I don’t know about the exoterra sand. Also be aware that when they’re adults, if you open the enclosure they might be able to climb out on cork bark.

Everything else in your enclosure sounds solid. Just make sure there are air holes an inch above the substrate to prevent mycosis.

 

[Chilon]

You don’t really need external heat, I keep my room temperature around 74 Fahrenheit and he does great. You’ll see people list a range of temps online tho. I also use pure beach sand but I can get it easily, so I don’t know about the exoterra sand. Also be aware that when they’re adults, if you open the enclosure they might be able to climb out on cork bark.

Everything else in your enclosure sounds solid. Just make sure there are air holes an inch above the substrate to prevent mycosis.

Ok what about humidity. I have 3 clumps of sphagnum moss on the wet side and a small clump on the dry side. I mist it every couple hours where all of the walls on the wet side have condensation on them. I also very lightly mist the moss clump on the dry side

 

[Ratmosphere]

I think you are over doing the misting, as long as the moss and substrate is damp on the “wet” side you’re fine. Add a water dish if you haven’t already.

Could you post pics of the setup as well?

 

[dragonofend]

I highly doubt you need to mist that much. Changes in humidity vary from home to home, but I *never* mist because it'll get too wet and humid. Substrate should be moist but not wet, and humidity should be 70-80% at substrate level. Just get a cheap hydrometer and throw it in the enclosure just above the substrate and monitor it. It'll give you a better idea of how much you need to mist, if at all. Then just check from time to time if the substrate feels dry below surface level occasionally.

 

[Chilon]

I think you are over doing the misting, as long as the moss and substrate is damp on the “wet” side you’re fine. Add a water dish if you haven’t already.

Could you post pics of the setup as well?

These are the pics of the enclosure. The side where water dish is in is purely sand.

http://imgur.com/a/rHmiSR8

 

[Ratmosphere]

It should work as is, just stop misting so much. Every few hours is a bit excessive, it should be once every few days if anything. Do you notice the material drying out quickly?

 

[Chilon]

It should work as is, just stop misting so much. Every few hours is a bit excessive, it should be once every few days if anything. Do you notice the material drying out quickly?

Yeah for some reason the substrate and moss dries out within like 12 hours. Dry as in if you touch it you can barely feel any dampness or water

 

[Ratmosphere]

I'm at a loss to be honest.

 

[dragonofend]

Stick ur finger into the soil before you mist to see if moisture is still being trapped below. Does it dry out when you have the lid on, and do you frequently notice moisture collecting on the sides of the container?

 

[Desert scorps]

Personally, i’d mix all the substrate together instead of having little sections but that’s just me. I dont know if it’s true but i’ve heard pure sand substrate is rough on the tips of their legs, plus this species would be unlikely to ever be on “dune” type substrate in the wild.

But back to the more important stuff, your enclosure looks good, but there are a few things i’d like to point out.
this species does not need any extra heat. if you are comfortable, so are they.
Also, misting does little to nothing when it comes to humidity / keeping things damp. It basically spikes the humidity for a couple hours at most and then completely dries out. Misting is only for the animals to drink the droplets off the walls, so if you have a water dish then misting is pointless. Of course you already know this because you’ve been experiencing it lol, but, the correct way to keep humidity up is by pouring water into the substrate itself, this will hold moisture for a very long time. I like to do this while filling the water dish, i’ll just overflow it into the substrate, usually a decent amount, and it’ll slowly leech into 1/4 or 1/2 of the substrate over the span of a few hours which is ideal. it may take some trial and error to get the amount right, but as long as you have good ventilation (which you do), there should be no problems at all.

 

[Chilon]

Personally, i’d mix all the substrate together instead of having little sections but that’s just me. I dont know if it’s true but i’ve heard pure sand substrate is rough on the tips of their legs, plus this species would be unlikely to ever be on “dune” type substrate in the wild.

But back to the more important stuff, your enclosure looks good, but there are a few things i’d like to point out.
this species does not need any extra heat. if you are comfortable, so are they.
Also, misting does little to nothing when it comes to humidity / keeping things damp. It basically spikes the humidity for a couple hours at most and then completely dries out. Misting is only for the animals to drink the droplets off the walls, so if you have a water dish then misting is pointless. Of course you already know this because you’ve been experiencing it lol, but, the correct way to keep humidity up is by pouring water into the substrate itself, this will hold moisture for a very long time. I like to do this while filling the water dish, i’ll just overflow it into the substrate, usually a decent amount, and it’ll slowly leech into 1/4 or 1/2 of the substrate over the span of a few hours which is ideal. it may take some trial and error to get the amount right, but as long as you have good ventilation (which you do), there should be no problems at all.

Ok this is all i need. Thank you