New to inverts - looking for a recommendation

[Wicked Witch]

Hello all. I'm looking to get into centipedes, just to even out my collection as I've always been attracted to inverts even if they weren't the focus of my attention. I've been keeping snakes for almost a decade and have a large space, around 1.2m, where I want to make one giant display enclosure for a centipede (and after keeping animals who, from what I know about centipedes, are equally as secretive, I'm aware they won't be on display usually). Help me out here in recommending an animal that'd be hard for a novice invert keeper to kill but still be large enough that I'd have a chance to comfortably house it.

Thank you all.

 

[NYAN]

Good choice to get a centipede, they are fascinating and powerful. A polymorpha is a good starter, they are cheap, fairly easy to find, venom is mild and they are easy to care for. The downside to them is they don’t usually grow very large (4-6 inches), however they aren’t as secretive as other pedes can be. If you wanted something larger you could go for a dehanni which is sold as Vietnamese centipede. They are the easiest pede to find, are cheap, fairly easy to care for but the venom is brutal (seriously don’t get bitten). Other options for starter centipedes are heros, they are harder to find and more expensive, however the care isn’t too difficult and the venom is about midway for centipedes. Keep in mind with all centipedes you will need an escape proof enclosure. Also with centipedes they are prone to desiccation( drying out) even the desert species require moisture in the substrate. Scolopendra heros and polymorpha are both desert and dehanni is tropical. Also, my personal thoughts are that such a large enclosure is unnecessary, but don’t take my word alone for that.

 

[Scoly]

My personal opinion is that giant centipedes don't make ideal candidates for large display enclosures. With centipedes you really need to make sure the thing is escape proof. And even if it is, you might panic when you don't find it thinking it's either dead or escaped, and it's only natural to go poking around until you locate it, which in a large display enclosure might be difficult, and depending on the centipede and decor, could even be risky.

Large display enclosures also often need a lot of work, which entails moving bark and plants around with your hands, possibly leaving the door open a long time, a lot of stuff going in and out of the enclosure etc... All of which is not that compatible with having a giant centipede in there. You don't want to do large reshuffles, only not to see your pede for 4 weeks and worry whether it's escaped, or it got squashed under something heavy from burrowing, and then decide to tear everything up to put your mind at ease.

Or you might decide to leave it be, and a few months down the line you find dozens of baby centipedes crawling in and around the enclosure!

If you are dead set on making a large display with centipedes, one option is to go for Scolopendra multians, which are communal. That's what I keep in my largest tank currently, which is a 20 gallon aquarium with a heavy secured lid. So it's not a "large" display tank, but it large enough to be considered a "display" tank, and has plants in it. I can easily locate and count all the centipedes, and take stuff in and out without fear of escapees. If I went with something larger, say twice the size, I'd probably give up counting and treat it as a colony.

 

[Greasylake]

And even if it is, you might panic when you don't find it thinking it's either dead or escaped

I spent yesterday panicking because I thought my Subspinipes had escaped from an escape proof enclosure because I hadn't seen it about a week and I could't see it in any of its burrows like I usually can. I ended up dropping in a roach and this morning I found it ravaged so I know that's still in there and alive lol. Another thing to consider is that with a tropical pede you'll need to keep the humidity up in the enclosure and that can lead to a lot of mold growth. I suggest springtails if that's the kind of centipede you're going for.

 

[Wicked Witch]

Thank you both for the responses! I'll address mine in points just to keep my own response organized.

-Being a giant isn't something I'm necessarily desiring, I just figured a larger animal would be more confident, and thus a better candidate for the type of enclosure I'm trying to establish. Other options are more than welcome, as my biggest concern is that the overall care is simplistic.

-I've dealt with exotherms before, and these specific animals are likewise escape artists (not to the same degree, but it's something to build from). I plan on housing it in a custom-built wooden enclosure. I'll have a swinging door that latches tight, heat it with an RHP coupled with daytime light (UV and full spectrum), and drill air holes too small for the animal to escape through and too high for them to reach for ventilation. Does this sound right? Not sure if they'd chew on wood or not, although I will take measures to preventing rot.

-The intricacies of how I'm going to manage the animal and maintain it is something I'll have to work through on my own. Right now, I'm trying to dip my toe in the water, see what works and what doesn't from experienced keepers, and find a community that can help supplement this. With that being said, right now my initial plan is that I'm not going to worry about the animal so long as the food gets eaten. For cleaning it, I'm considering just doing a live-planted bioactive enclosure. Again, will have to work out those details later as right now I'm just trying to introduce myself to this community. Let me know if this seems like a plausible route to go down.

-I'll look into all the species so far suggested and appreciate the advice! Toxicity isn't something I'm super concerned with, as I don't intend to free handle anything, so long as it isn't a bite I'd have to be hospitalized for. I preferred large because I thought they'd be more confident animals, but I'm not picky in regards to this. Mostly it's just making sure I can find an animal that's easy to care for.

 

[Greasylake]

Don't put a light on the enclosure as it'll only increase the chances of desiccation and could harm your centipede. Most pedes will do well in the mid 70s and if it gets too cold in the room during the winter the best thing to do would be to get a space heater so you can control the temperature of the room. Also i suggest that you have your enclosure open from the top rather than the front so your centipede can't just run straight out while you're doing maintenance. Also size and confidence don't really go together. It's kind of like how tarantulas are, some giant spiders can be wimps and some smaller ones can be really brave. Polymorpha has pretty simple care requirements and has some beautiful colors as well as being one of the cheaper centipedes in the hobby. I hear that Rhysida Longipes is also a good starter but I've never kept them so I can't say much about them.

 

[NYAN]

What works for housing is a plastic tub with locking tops that is taller than the centipede is long with the substrate depth and an extra few inches. Heating isn’t necessary and can be bad. Also if you choose a tropical species the wood would probably decay from the moisture.

 

[Wicked Witch]

Greasylake-

Thank you so much for the clarifications. If the animal doesn't need supplemental heat, or at least not a variety that couldn't be provided through ambient heating, I wouldn't use the RHP. Would fluorescent lighting still put them at risk of dessication, since it doesn't have a high heat output?

The manner in which the enclosure opens is also a non-problem for me. Nothing that can't be worked around.

NYAN-

I have a combination of wooden and PVC vivariums, and will use one or the other in regards to the humidity output, although I've found that this isn't normally an issue so long as it's sealed properly and I have a separate barrier (plastic lining usually) between the wood and the substrate. Would a 6" substrate layer +18" of height (total 24") work for most species?

 

[Greasylake]

Centipedes are primarily nocturnal and the natural light that'll be in the room will be enough. Most centipedes will be burrowed or hiding under something most of the time anyway and they despise light. When I shine a light in my enclosure to check up on my centipede it immediately bolts into one of its burrows. If you want the light so you'll be able to look at the animal I recommend getting something that can shine red light too as that doesn't bother my pede as much as white light. You can get a headlight that can shine both red and white light at CVS for like 10 bucks and I love it. I think that a fluorescent light would be strong enough that it probably wouldn't want to come out but red or purple light would be okay. (Maybe LED's?) As long as it doesn't have a high heat output I don't think you'd have to be worried about desiccation, just make sure to keep the enclosure humid if the species requires it. Water dishes are good too, they will actually drink out of them.

 

[Wicked Witch]

Greasylake-

Thank you for the response! The lights I use will not raise the temperature much, if at all. If I do live planted, it'll be for them and also just to give the animals an appropriate photoperiod as I do try to attempt giving my animals an enclosure that resembles what they'd experience in nature as much as possible. With that being said, I will provide ample cover both in terms of complete darkness and partial shade, so the animals can photoregulate themselves, since I'm all about giving options.

 

[Greasylake]

That sounds like it'll work great. I've heard there are some centipede species that are semi-arboreal and would climb around your plants but I've only seen pictures of the Hispaniola red giant climbing around. If that's something you'd be interested in that option is also there, but the red giants are pretty rare and expensive.

 

[Dovey]

I'm a big fan of S. heros. But I'll tell you right now that the term "desert species" is highly misleading. I recently read a dissertation on our local Sonoran sand roaches here in central Arizona, which have very similar denning tendencies to Scolopendra heros, and that scholar found that, in 110 degree summer heat, the sand roaches' dens registered average temperatures in the mid 70s with 100% humidity--and this months since the last rain. Don't let desert species get too dry, not in an artificial habitat with shallow substrate.

 

[Dovey]

Ooooo, wood enclosure? Oooo, scary. Granted, I've never seen big ones, but I regularly see little desert centipedes way high up on the sides of wooden walls at night around here...

 

[Wicked Witch]

Dovey-

I'll be very mindful to watch the moisture levels, especially those below the surface. Having a live planted enclosure will help with this, as I'll be watering it anyways, at a frequency where the surface will be dry but the lower layers will still be damp. Of course, I can also supplement this with artificial, moss-filled burrows to ensure I don't mess that aspect of husbandry up.

Granted the vivarium will be sealed, so maybe a little harder to grip, but so long as they don't damage anything I wouldn't mind. It's simply the style of vivarium I use for my other animals, so keeping them identical will just be visually pleasing for me.

Greasylake-

Arboreal or semi isn't something I'm exactly looking for, although if I find one in a plant I wouldn't care. Thank you so much for your help so far!

 

[Greasylake]

Do you know what kind of substrate you're going to use? I've planted a terrarium before so I don't know how well planting soil will hold burrows, but that is something that your centipede will certainly appreciate.

 

[NYAN]

6 inches of substrate will definitely be enough. Also @Dovey I just call them desert because they can be found in desert environments, I give my polymorpha and heros moisture do not worry. Heros are often found near sources of water or places where water flows through also I’ve read. Polymorpha I’ve seen in pretty dry areas myself though.

 

[Dovey]

My personal opinion is that giant centipedes don't make ideal candidates for large display enclosures. With centipedes you really need to make sure the thing is escape proof. And even if it is, you might panic when you don't find it thinking it's either dead or escaped, and it's only natural to go poking around until you locate it, which in a large display enclosure might be difficult, and depending on the centipede and decor, could even be risky.

Large display enclosures also often need a lot of work, which entails moving bark and plants around with your hands, possibly leaving the door open a long time, a lot of stuff going in and out of the enclosure etc... All of which is not that compatible with having a giant centipede in there. You don't want to do large reshuffles, only not to see your pede for 4 weeks and worry whether it's escaped, or it got squashed under something heavy from burrowing, and then decide to tear everything up to put your mind at ease.

Or you might decide to leave it be, and a few months down the line you find dozens of baby centipedes crawling in and around the enclosure!

If you are dead set on making a large display with centipedes, one option is to go for Scolopendra multians, which are communal. That's what I keep in my largest tank currently, which is a 20 gallon aquarium with a heavy secured lid. So it's not a "large" display tank, but it large enough to be considered a "display" tank, and has plants in it. I can easily locate and count all the centipedes, and take stuff in and out without fear of escapees. If I went with something larger, say twice the size, I'd probably give up counting and treat it as a colony.

I would LOVE to see some photos or video of your communal S. mulitans tank!

 

[Wicked Witch]

Greasylake-

It depends on the species, of which I'm currently undecided. A mixture of topsoil, sand, and clay most likely, and the burrows I make at least will be made of PVC piping to make sure it doesn't collapse on them. Of course the animals can also make their own if they decide mine isn't good enough, and I try to make it to where I can push my finger into the substrate and the indent won't collapse on itself.

 

[Dovey]

6 inches of substrate will definitely be enough. Also @Dovey I just call them desert because they can be found in desert environments, I give my polymorpha and heros moisture do not worry. Heros are often found near sources of water or places where water flows through also I’ve read. Polymorpha I’ve seen in pretty dry areas myself though.

Oh yes, my comment was completely general. Not at all aimed at you. I totally got what you were saying. One just gets such bad advice from pet stores and so forth that I thought it was worth saying in general not to let desert species get too hot and dry. A guy here actually tried to get me to put a heating mat, and not a small one either, underneath a locally obtained heros. I was nice about it, but I basically implied he ought to be written up for animal cruelty.

 

[NYAN]

Greasylake-

It depends on the species, of which I'm currently undecided. A mixture of topsoil, sand, and clay most likely, and the burrows I make at least will be made of PVC piping to make sure it doesn't collapse on them. Of course the animals can also make their own if they decide mine isn't good enough, and I try to make it to where I can push my finger into the substrate and the indent won't collapse on itself.

I’ve found mixing sand with coco fiber supports burrowing fine, also packing it down after mixing adds to its stability. Another thing, for sand DO NOT use anything that’s calcium enriched, I’ve read from several people that calcium is bad for inverts. Your pvc idea is interesting, however I think the centipedes will have trouble using it because their feet cannot grasp onto smooth surface.