keeping Lithobius forficatus .

[zxneon]

Just curios has anyone successfully kept Lithobius forficatus ? Thy are ubiquitous here . Why not give a try ?
How long thy live anyway ?

 

[yougrowgirl]

Did you ever go ahead and keep any? I recently brought one that I found in my garden indoors. Set it up in a terrestrial acrylic enclosure with a few inches of moist coir and leaf litter. Am keeping the substrate on the moist side and have fed it a mealworm that I killed first. It ate half so I feel things are off to a good start. I believe they eat small inverts, worms, and isopods. My only issue is how often to feed. My guess is weekly as with many other inverts. I’m not a fan of centipedes but thought t would be an interesting way to get to know these creatures that inhabit my garden and perhaps I will develop more of an appreciation.

 

[steel]

in not sure where you live but I live just outside of Waco TX. I find hundreds of those under boards in my back yard ( or at least they look similar)!!! i all ways catch them eating small worms, crickets, and lots of termites!!! SO MANY TERMITES!!!! I most commonly find them where the termites are!!

hopefully that helps!!

 

[Scoly]

I keep a colony of these, partly for their own sake, partly as feeders for other growing centipedes. For my set up I stacked sheets of cardboard with a layer of topsoil between each sheet inside a small aquarium. The idea was to give them lots of surface area to clamber around, I'm not sure how successful this will be long term as the cardboard may disintegrate into nothing. The colony started in my millipede enclosure where they utilised the tunnel network created by the millies, but they also preyed on the baby millies, so I had to separate the whole lot - which wasn't an easy task.

I throw in dead cockroaches, and the colony's young feed on mites which feed off the cockroaches, and I suspect the larger feed off the young so will be adding another food source soon, perhaps a tiny cockroach species.

Also, they lay their eggs in the soil, and they hatch out as tiny 5mm long mini yellow pedes with a tiny amount of legs, and they can take weeks to hatch, so keep an eye out for them

 

[RTTB]

Easy to keep. Recently heard they are communal. Once every 2 weeks feeding is fine. One source says they can live up to 5 years.

 

[yougrowgirl]

Easy to keep. Recently heard they are communal. Once every 2 weeks feeding is fine. One source says they can live up to 5 years.

WOW! I would not have expected 5 years.

 

[yougrowgirl]

in not sure where you live but I live just outside of Waco TX. I find hundreds of those under boards in my back yard ( or at least they look similar)!!! i all ways catch them eating small worms, crickets, and lots of termites!!! SO MANY TERMITES!!!! I most commonly find them where the termites are!!

hopefully that helps!!

I'm in Toronto, Canada. Great that you have these in abundance to manage termite populations.

 

[yougrowgirl]

I keep a colony of these, partly for their own sake, partly as feeders for other growing centipedes. For my set up I stacked sheets of cardboard with a layer of topsoil between each sheet inside a small aquarium. The idea was to give them lots of surface area to clamber around, I'm not sure how successful this will be long term as the cardboard may disintegrate into nothing. The colony started in my millipede enclosure where they utilised the tunnel network created by the millies, but they also preyed on the baby millies, so I had to separate the whole lot - which wasn't an easy task.

I throw in dead cockroaches, and the colony's young feed on mites which feed off the cockroaches, and I suspect the larger feed off the young so will be adding another food source soon, perhaps a tiny cockroach species.

Also, they lay their eggs in the soil, and they hatch out as tiny 5mm long mini yellow pedes with a tiny amount of legs, and they can take weeks to hatch, so keep an eye out for them

Interesting about a communal colony. I don't think I'm up for that since I'm not (yet) a fan of centipedes... I prefer arachnids and other inverts. But useful info should I decide to go that route in the future. I was surprised to discover how much they burrow and was glad I put enough substrate in there.

 

[KristianDobias]

I keep a colony of these, partly for their own sake, partly as feeders for other growing centipedes. For my set up I stacked sheets of cardboard with a layer of topsoil between each sheet inside a small aquarium. The idea was to give them lots of surface area to clamber around, I'm not sure how successful this will be long term as the cardboard may disintegrate into nothing. The colony started in my millipede enclosure where they utilised the tunnel network created by the millies, but they also preyed on the baby millies, so I had to separate the whole lot - which wasn't an easy task.

I throw in dead cockroaches, and the colony's young feed on mites which feed off the cockroaches, and I suspect the larger feed off the young so will be adding another food source soon, perhaps a tiny cockroach species.

Also, they lay their eggs in the soil, and they hatch out as tiny 5mm long mini yellow pedes with a tiny amount of legs, and they can take weeks to hatch, so keep an eye out for them

So they do eat pre-killed food if I got it right ?
I found yesterday centipede in my apartment which I think is Lithobius forficatus but Iam not really sure with the food and humidity
How humid should I keep it's enclousure ?
Iam keeping it's dirt wet (not overly wet)
And what should I feed it Iam trying now pre-killed fly larva as the specimen I have is probably a juvenile as it poses less than 15 segments and it was kinda scared of the living one
Am I doing it right or should I change some of my care ? (The first image is the centipede (it's 15 milimiters long if we are not counting the terminal legs and antene) and the second image is it's current enclousure)

 

[pentapede]

They will readily scavenge pre-killed, benefit from having many soil creatures in the enclosure, they like it quite wet, can be kept communally if enough food is offered, and enjoy a thick layer of dead/decaying leaves in my experience. They also require minimal to no ventilation if the enclosure is opened every so often.

 

[KristianDobias]

They will readily scavenge pre-killed, benefit from having many soil creatures in the enclosure, they like it quite wet, can be kept communally if enough food is offered, and enjoy a thick layer of dead/decaying leaves in my experience. They also require minimal to no ventilation if the enclosure is opened every so often.

Oh Okay Thank You Very Much for your help ^ ^ (this is my first ever centipede so Iam quite ne

They will readily scavenge pre-killed, benefit from having many soil creatures in the enclosure, they like it quite wet, can be kept communally if enough food is offered, and enjoy a thick layer of dead/decaying leaves in my experience. They also require minimal to no ventilation if the enclosure is opened every so often.

Oh Okay Thank You Very Much for your help ^ ^ (this is my first ever centipede so Iam quite new to centipede husbandry (I just found this cutie by lucky accident ) but I wanna give it as best care as I can)

 

[pentapede]

As a general warning; care for most common stone centipedes should DEFINITELY NOT be applied to most scolopendromorpha.

 

[KristianDobias]

As a general warning; care for most common stone centipedes should DEFINITELY NOT be applied to most scolopendromorpha.

Thank You don't worry I wouldn't do that I always research the species Iam going to keep (I don't think scolopendromorphes even occur here but if I ever got one (whether by buying or catching one) I would definitely research it don't worry but still thanks for the advice)

 

[KristianDobias]

They will readily scavenge pre-killed, benefit from having many soil creatures in the enclosure, they like it quite wet, can be kept communally if enough food is offered, and enjoy a thick layer of dead/decaying leaves in my experience. They also require minimal to no ventilation if the enclosure is opened every so often.

I gave him/her more of dead leaves as you suggested me
Is this good ?

 

[KristianDobias]

I gave him/her more of dead leaves as you suggested me
Is this good ?

The first image is there by accident sorry