new pedes - feeding question

[BigBadConrad]

Just got my first pedes yesterday - a Vietnamese and a Puerto Rican, both about 7-8" (the PR is fatter), from Swift's. In seperate 10 gal habitats, 1" gravel (2 watering tubes), 3-4" peat/potting soil mix (70/30), cork bark log, broken flower pot, medium water dish. 80% of screen covered with sheet of glass to keep humidity in, UTH heater in back corner. Running about 80-85F, 80%H. The V scooted under the bark right away. The PR burrowed around for a few minutes (damn, they're good at that. He went right down to the gravel in seconds like a drill bit, legs passing the dirt back & out like a conveyor belt LOL), then crawled under the bark log. Have checked on them many times since, including during night, and still in hiding. Neither came out for a pinkie or cricket that I offered at different times. No worries - I realize I'll rarely see them anyway, plus they are probably still acclimating.

Any feeding tips? Kelly says they're both good pinky eaters and that the PR is especially ravenous. Do you just toss the prey in and they come out of the dirt for it (like "Tremors" LOL)? Day or night? Amount/frequency? Any details of feeding practices for these varieties is appreciated.

 

[Cooper]

I just got my haitian yesterday, he is HUGE! It also hides undr the bark but I just lifted it up and chucked a cricket at it, and it ate. Two hours later, same thing and it ate again. 11:00 pm, ok, I thaw out a pinky and put it in front of the bark, walk away. Watch jurassic park 3(the first one is still the best) come back and pinky is gone. I will try to keep my impulsive feeding rituals to a minimum from now on or esle I will end up with an exploded pede I have it in a 5 gal locking lid critter keeper, vermiculite around 1 inch and potting soil on top of that, about 4 inches deep. A nice piece of driftwood making the soil into two level;s and a piece of bark. I will try to get some pictures up soon.

 

[BigBadConrad]

Well it's been two days since I got these guys. So far the Vietnamese has not come out of hiding once as far as I know, no signs of burrowing or anything in his habitat. The Puerto Rican has done quite a bit of burrowing, especially under the water dish. Tried to feed them both the day I got them but they didn't come out for crickets or pinkies. Will they come out and prowl when they're hungry, or should I just drop a couple cricks in there when the pede is hidden and he'll come out if he's hungry? Do I take them out if uneaten or is this not a concern with pedes? How is this supposed to go? Can't say I like the idea of unearthing them for a feeding, and don't think that will work for me long-term. Still looking for some specific feeding advice as these are my first pedes. Thx.

 

[phoenixxavierre]

Conrad,

How fat were the pedes when you got them? They could be refusing food due to being full. You could always try every couple days introducing food or once a week and see what happens. It may take them up to a week to get comfortable in their new homes.

Cooper,

Just to let you know for future reference, potting soil/vermiculite mix are one of the worst mixes for mites/mold, etc., or so I've been told. I rarely use vermic myself, but stick to peat and pottings soil since peat's acidity helps a bit with retarding mites. If the potting soil/vermic works for you and your inverts, though, that's what's important!

 

[fatbloke]

BigBadConrad


the thing with pedes is to give them time to settle in as they can get very stressed during shipping as for feeding i just drop 3-4 large crickets or a large roach in the tanks about every 7 days even if they are hidden they will come out and take the food at some point during the night if the food is still in there a couple of days after putting it in i will take it out as it could be coming up for a molt and crickets are known to nibble on other animals aswell as pedes


fatbloke

 

[BigBadConrad]

Thx Phoenix. The PR looks kinda fat to me, but I don't have much basis for comparison as this is the first one I've seen up close. The V isn't fat at all (from what I remember - haven't seen it in two days LOL). I guess I'll try feeding again on Tuesday (one week).

Any time I've seen pedes on nature shows, they are out actively hunting for food. I realize those programs use the most exciting, active footage they have, but is this the pede's normal hunting behavior? Will my pedes come out and prowl, and is this the cue I wait for to feed them? Or should I just offer the food once a week even if they're hidden? For instance, not an issue with my Desert Hairy scorpion since he feels the vibration of the prey I drop in and comes out of his hide almost immediately to chow. Or do I rouse them as Cooper suggests? Sorry for all the questions, but inquiring minds and hungry pedes want to know.

 

[Cooper]

I dont really rouse them, I just lift the bark.

 

[phoenixxavierre]

You're welcome, Conrad.

Actually, IME, the Vietnamese pedes have a VERY hardy appetite. It may not eating because it's "scared" of its new environment, getting settled in and all that.
If it didn't look "fat" you might try putting prey in for a couple hours every couple days and see what happens. Do be careful though, as Fatbloke stated, crickets CAN munch on molting inverts.

Most of my Scolopendras, the big ones, have actively hunted for food when they're hungry and no food is present. And most of them also exhibited the same hiding behavior when first introduced into their enclosure. So probably once your pede becomes more comfortable with its environment and decides its hungry enough it will come out looking for food. Water is very important as well. Definitely needs a water dish, though I have kept S. subspinipes, large specimens, in large sterlite containers with damp soil. The water condensed on the sides and they would drink from the sides of the container. I wouldn't suggest disturbing it for a while, though. It needs to feel secure in its new home. If it gets to be a couple months with no sighting of the pede, then I would begin to get a little concerned and probably very carefully go fishing around for it to make sure it's not deceased.

 

[BigBadConrad]

Thx for all the great suggestions, guys. What a terrific resource this board is.

Yeah, after just a couple days I'm not worried about anything, just want to learn as much as I can. The PR has made a burrow that runs along a good part of the front glass, so I can see him often. A few pieces of the 1" undergravel are now on the surface. Strong digger. I wonder why the V hasn't dug around at all yet. I guess he's content with the cork bark for now.

Yes, they have medium ZooMed water dishes that I'll change every few days or when they get fouled.

I really appreciate all your tips.

 

[pediepablo]

My Vanuatu pede had been burrowed for almost three weeks. I didn't see him once during that period, and none of the food i threw in there at night would disapear by morning. Last night, however, i looked in his tank and he was just chillin on the surface. I went ahead and threw 5 crickets in there, knowing he had to be hungry. Sure enough, this morning, ony 2 crickets are left and he is burrowed again. I am not sure if that three weeks of being hidden was molt-related or not. it was definitely unusual behavior for him. But i guess that when they get hungry enough they will actively come looking for food.

 

[BigBadConrad]

The Vietnamese pede scarfed a pinky last night! After four days of hiding since I got him, he was out and about last night. Froze up when I came into the room, but didn't run & hide. The pink crawled under his bark log and when I checked an hour later he was under there eating it. The Puerto Rican hasn't come out of his burrow though and didn't come out for the pinky I left in with him for a few hours. Guess I just need to be patient...