My Scolopendra Gigante just won't eat😫

[Thegreatiandi]

Hello all.

I've stalk these post from afar for many...many years now, just never actually signed up. I decided to because I feel like I need the assistance.

My Scolopendra Gigante stopped eating about 3 weeks ago. Before that she would eat rat pups but, not entirely. She would eat them though, so that was fine. I fed her normally once a week on Tuesdays. Definitely not trying to overfeed her but, currently she sits at about 13 and a half inches long so, she's a big girl.

Now however, she's just not eating. I've tried earthworms, rat pups, pinky mice, green horned worms, bananas, etc ( I never do crickets as they seem to really aggravate any arachnid or arthropod that I purchase them for ). She's just not wanting anything.

This is my first Gigante but I've kept many of the Vietnamese species over the years. The Vietnamese are a hyper aggressive species of scolopendra whereas this girl is very docile. I'm not sure if possible she's getting close to molting or what but, there are currently two pinky mice sitting in her hollowed out log with her and, she just won't eat. I'm not sure if this is a pre-molting stage or what. She does have two of her many legs that the tips are broken off. Not the entire leg just the small portion of the tips. They've already healed up but possibly, she's getting close to molting. I'm just not sure and it's stressing me out!

She is still fairly active though. At night time you'll catch her trying to climb up the glass, climb up and down the fake trees that I have in the enclosure, she's constantly tunneling throughout the entire enclosure... So she is definitely active.

I have her and housed in a 4' long by 24-in wide by 18-in tall aquarium. One side has a heating pad underneath and the other does not so she can have a warm and cool side. The subterrate is about four and a half inches deep and nice and moist so the humidity stays nice and warm for her. And she has water everyday.

Helpful hints or advice are welcome to a Arachnoboards newcomer.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Jumbie Spider]

That's a great sized tank you got setup for her, she must enjoy roaming in there. Got any pics of how it's looking now after fasting for 3 weeks?

 

[Thegreatiandi]

That's a great sized tank you got setup for her, she must enjoy roaming in there. Got any pics of how it's looking now after fasting for 3 weeks?

Thanks!

Every time I end up going to a place that actually has the exotic insects that I want, their aquarium prices are just insane. For the same size tank, the pet store was charging around $200 and something dollars for it. I went to a store that only sells fish and the accoutrement to go with. That exact tank was $55 bucks. For a tank that has to be capable of holding gallons and gallons of water.. not just a little bit of soil.

I'll get a few shots of her tonight or tomorrow. She honestly doesn't look bad per se, I just know that she's not eating anything at all. I did see her drink a little bit of water a week and a half ago ...but no food.

Just a worrying father at the moment, LOL

 

[Jumbie Spider]

Thanks!

Every time I end up going to a place that actually has the exotic insects that I want, their aquarium prices are just insane. For the same size tank, the pet store was charging around $200 and something dollars for it. I went to a store that only sells fish and the accoutrement to go with. That exact tank was $55 bucks. For a tank that has to be capable of holding gallons and gallons of water.. not just a little bit of soil.

I'll get a few shots of her tonight or tomorrow. She honestly doesn't look bad per se, I just know that she's not eating anything at all. I did see her drink a little bit of water a week and a half ago ...but no food.

Just a worrying father at the moment, LOL

I know exactly what you mean. I keep fishes, and I know exactly how sweet a tank with 48"x24" footprint is, and the kind of possibilities it opens up in terms of what you are able to keep in it. In fact, I have 2 120 gallon tanks with the exact same footprint.

With the pics, try to also get a pic of her sides so it shows her pleural region (the sides between the tergites and sternities). That way the experts on the forum (not me haha) should be able to tell you if she is getting too thin where it might be a cause for concern.

Also, (not that I think it's the cause or anything) - that particular species I've read likes it a bit on the dryer side with a water dish present. I doubt it's causing the hunger strike, but maybe others who have kept this species can better advise.

 

[Thegreatiandi]

I know exactly what you mean. I keep fishes, and I know exactly how sweet a tank with 48"x24" footprint is, and the kind of possibilities it opens up in terms of what you are able to keep in it. In fact, I have 2 120 gallon tanks with the exact same footprint.

With the pics, try to also get a pic of her sides so it shows her pleural region (the sides between the tergites and sternities). That way the experts on the forum (not me haha) should be able to tell you if she is getting too thin where it might be a cause for concern.

Also, (not that I think it's the cause or anything) - that particular species I've read likes it a bit on the dryer side with a water dish present. I doubt it's causing the hunger strike, but maybe others who have kept this species can better advise.

I absolutely will do buddy. Honestly, I feel as though the pet store that I got it from didn't give me the best information. Whilst they are super nice and the only place that's ever been able to actually get an Amazonian, they definitely give you mixed messages on the environment they need to be in.

I believe you can upload video to this site, no? Because if so, maybe I can just get video of her along with some zoomed in shots.

Those 120 tanks are super nice. I opted for this one in the way it looks because the Vietnamese that I used to keep would always climb the edges to get out. I opted for this one because of how tall it was but never imagined I'd actually end up getting an Amazonian who doesn't try to climb in the corner of the silicone like the Vietnamese but, is almost tall enough to reach the top regardless. I went and had glass cut specifically for the tops of this thing, lol. It's about two and a half pounds of glass cut in half that lays across the top. What a fairly sizable hole drilled in the middle that I keep semi-covered but it's enough to let air in.

 

[Jumbie Spider]

I believe you can upload video to this site, no?

Yes I've seen others upload videos directly to the site before (although I have never tried it myself). I'm with you on the deep tanks for keeping the centipedes secure. I keep one in a 40b (Exo-Terra) footprint which is similar height (18"), but I have some deeper tanks (24") if one ever gets big enough.

 

[Thegreatiandi]

Yes I've seen others upload videos directly to the site before (although I have never tried it myself). I'm with you on the deep tanks for keeping the centipedes secure. I keep one in a 40b (Exo-Terra) footprint which is similar height (18"), but I have some deeper tanks (24") if one ever gets big enough.

My last Vietnamese got to about 9" when she died. And she ate and killed everything imaginable.

This Scolopendra already dwarfs the Vietnamese.

The footprint is definitely the best thing ever for centipedes in my opinion. Watching them roam around is awesome. Watching them climb the little trees or on top of the houses that I have in the aquarium is cool and gives them something to do.

I'm going to look into the video upload. Maybe I'll have to upload it to my YouTube and then just post the link or something.

 

[TheHouseof21pairs]

First of all TAKE THAT HEAT PAD AWAY and toss it in the trash!!! Glass tanks have already very low ventilation as it is, even with an open lid, with the heat pad and moist substrate is a dead trap and will only create best condition for mycosis to develop very quickly! (Look close at the last pic, on the forcipule, you can easily spot a black mark which suggest me she’s already picking up some mycosis and that could be cause of her lack of appetite) Gigantea sp. like it a bit on the dryer side so avoid misting so often and just make sure there’s always a good source of water for her to drink! The size of the tank is ok although pedes don’t really need that amount of roaming space being fossorial Arthropods and having so much tank to keep under control against mould, mites and so forward might get out of hand. I suggest you introduce a colony of springtails to help you keep that under check. In my opinion rat pups once a week are way too much protein boost for any scolopendra no matter how big and hungry it is! All that said, I hope this can be of any help and get her to go back to a normal behaviour, she’s a fine girl !
Take care

 

[Thegreatiandi]

Thank you so much for the advice. I definitely feel each breed is so different, you can always use the advice. I do keep it fairly humid in there as the pet store I got it from said as much.

So you're saying no need for the heating pad, a? And that moist soil won't be too cold? As I have it now, I have the one side that has the heating pad underneath and one side that doesn't so it's definitely cooler. But if you're saying this also contributes to possible mold, I can remove it.

She does have a bit of mycosis... But I don't think I've ever had a centipede that didn't...and the darn pet guys say it's normal. I take it that's not normal an caused by to much humidity? So I didn't really think it was that big of a deal....but it sounds like it is!! Is it in fact something that can go away?

So I've thought that maybe the pups were a bit much so I switched it up. She just didn't like anything though. She didn't eat any of the fruit that I put in there but she did eat a bit of cheese that I had in for one of the mice lol...that was pretty awesome to see.

Thanks for the feed back....I really do appreciate the help here.

 

[TheHouseof21pairs]

The answer is yes , take it off!! Heating a moist substrate it’s like steam cooking a lobster. White legs sp. do go thru cooler winter seasons no bother on them, they will just eat less and burrow more, but if you feel the room is too cold use a space heater. Your man at the shop told you a lot of crap and probably he hasn’t a f***ing clue what mycosis is. And NO, it is not normal to have mycosis. It’s a fungal infection that is caused from high humidity and low ventilation( some of us believe is caused from a fungi called Aspergillus Niger commonly called black mold) and if you do not act quickly it will spread so much and kill your centipede in a blink of an eye. The only thing you can really try to stop the mycosis spreading (it’s not a magic formula but it’s the only thing that hypothetically could stop the fungi to keep growing) is rehousing the pede in a bone dry clean substrate with good ventilation and a very large water dish always filled with fresh water for her to hydrate( the best way to get their water is not in the substrate but actually drink it), and pray that she’ll get to the next moult alive and in enough health to get thru it and she should recover.
We’re here to help and we’re all glad to be able to give useful advice where possible.
Take care and keep us updated.

 

[Thegreatiandi]

The answer is yes , take it off!! Heating a moist substrate it’s like steam cooking a lobster. White legs sp. do go thru cooler winter seasons no bother on them, they will just eat less and burrow more, but if you feel the room is too cold use a space heater. Your man at the shop told you a lot of crap and probably he hasn’t a f***ing clue what mycosis is. And NO, it is not normal to have mycosis. It’s a fungal infection that is caused from high humidity and low ventilation( some of us believe is caused from a fungi called Aspergillus Niger commonly called black mold) and if you do not act quickly it will spread so much and kill your centipede in a blink of an eye. The only thing you can really try to stop the mycosis spreading (it’s not a magic formula but it’s the only thing that hypothetically could stop the fungi to keep growing) is rehousing the pede in a bone dry clean substrate with good ventilation and a very large water dish always filled with fresh water for her to hydrate( the best way to get their water is not in the substrate but actually drink it), and pray that she’ll get to the next moult alive and in enough health to get thru it and she should recover.
We’re here to help and we’re all glad to be able to give useful advice where possible.
Take care and keep us updated.

Hey buddy.

So, I have removed the heat and it's fairly cool compared to the norm in her aquarium now. Honestly, she is incredibly sluggish now. I put some bananas in her aquarium and she hasn't touched them so this coupled with the last few weeks, this means she hasn't eaten in about a solid month. For all intents and purposes, I think she looks good still. But she definitely isn't moving around too much with the cooler tank.

I'm considering while she is so sluggish, perhaps take half of the aquarium and partition it for 30-40 minutes whilst I remove all of that sides soil and replace it with nothing but dry substrate. Then she can have the moist side in the bone dry side ...

Here are a few photos of her aquarium. And the 2lbs of glass that I keep on top with the holes I had drilled in to keep oxygen flowing but positioned away from any place she could get her body up and through it, lol.

 

[MrGhostMantis]

WAY too little ventilation. That looks like a fantastic place for mycosis to spread and mold to grow. If there is literal water drops on top you know it’s too little ventilation.

 

[Thegreatiandi]

WAY too little ventilation. That looks like a fantastic place for mycosis to spread and mold to grow. If there is literal water drops on top you know it’s too little ventilation.

Okay, I will go and get these drilled some more. I appreciate everyone jumping into assist here.