Scolopendra alternans, the unseen, is taking forever to grow

BishopiMaster

Arachnobaron
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Jul 12, 2007
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So I dug up my scolopendra alternans pedeling which stays buried for months, i literally never see it, like ever, doesnt matter if its the middle of the night or whenever, but it's basically the same size since I got it 3 months ago, what gives!
 

DubiaW

Arachnobaron
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Jan 10, 2017
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Have you checked the substrate to make sure the roaches aren't just hiding and not getting eaten? I had a big problem with roaches burying themselves. With my P. irmina literally every roach I put in there was hiding in the substrate when I rehoused it. I have an S. polymorpha that will eat roach nymphs that I hand feed it with tweezers. It has grown so I assume that it has molted but Scolopendra usually eat their molt right away. I would switch to crickets for a while if there are a lot of nymphs in the substrate. You can also crush the nymph's heads or just tear them off, they will wiggle for a long time. If you feed with tongs you will disturb your pede more often.
 

DubiaW

Arachnobaron
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Red runners, once or twice a week
Have you ever had a problem with red runners getting out in your house? They are supposed to colonize a house pretty easy. Having arthropods as pets makes it pretty impossible to spray pesticides so I stick to B. dubia and hissers. Hissers aren't so bad about hiding either.
 

BishopiMaster

Arachnobaron
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Have you ever had a problem with red runners getting out in your house? They are supposed to colonize a house pretty easy. Having arthropods as pets makes it pretty impossible to spray pesticides so I stick to B. dubia and hissers. Hissers aren't so bad about hiding either.
Nope they can't climb smooth surfaces, ie, the tub i have them in.
 

DubiaW

Arachnobaron
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Jan 10, 2017
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The two species I raise have telepathic powers. They convince my children to open the lid and take them out and yell "Wheeee!" as they watch them run away. I know this is true. When I ask my kids why they released the roaches they said, "They told me they wanted to come out and play!"
 

RTTB

Arachnoprince
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Burrowing roaches can be frustrating as feeders.
 

BishopiMaster

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
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They aren't burrowing because I feed dead, they eat the roaches, or sometimes just drag them away, i crush every head of every roach, its seriously annoying because its like, how is he still alive, and the roach is still twitching and i have to find like some certain part of the head so that it's actually dead.
 

basin79

ArachnoGod
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Sep 14, 2013
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I think you might be expecting too much to be honest. 3 months isn't long.

This in my Scolopendra hardwickei's growth rate.


July 16



December 16



April 17




Also like T's don't dig up your pede. It's burying for a reason. Do you have a piece of cork bark in the enclosure? Both my pedes moult under theirs.
 

DubiaW

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jan 10, 2017
Messages
471
Venom 1080 is probably right. If it is eating right then it is probably just slow growing. My plings aren't growing really fast but they are growing (even though they aren't giant species). You would think that a large centipede species would grow pretty fast. IDK how often they molt since they eat their molts. I'm still pretty new to centipedes even though I have about 20 of them. Today was the first time I've actually seen one of my S. dehaani molting, Pretty cool.
 

Ivan Ma

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 14, 2018
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So I dug up my scolopendra alternans pedeling which stays buried for months, i literally never see it, like ever, doesnt matter if its the middle of the night or whenever, but it's basically the same size since I got it 3 months ago, what gives!
Alternans are an extremely slow growing species. Have fun owning a jar of dirt haha.
 

LawnShrimp

Arachnoangel
Joined
Dec 9, 2016
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907
Alternans do take a long time to grow from everything I've read, but because of this lead very long lives. It'll be worth the wait.
 

Ivan Ma

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 14, 2018
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8
Alternans do take a long time to grow from everything I've read, but because of this lead very long lives. It'll be worth the wait.
Indeed. I have an 8.5 body length female and the previous owner said she's roughly 14-16 years old.
 
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