Want a Centipede?!?

[andy07966]

Originally Posted by SAn

Thus i would bet on Ethmostigmus trigonopodus yellow leg

Sounds good! Thanks for all your help all. Any ideas of full grown size?

I'm getting a scolopendra subspinipes tomorrow off the same person who sold me that as a scolopendra sp. so i will post some pics and see if it is! lol.

[SAn]

Ethmostigmus get on 15cm on average

[beano9419]

i want a centipede... seriously i do... but
1) what sort of enclosure do i keep it in
2) what do i feed it
3) which one has the least deadly bite
4) how much do they cost
5) can you include pricing for food plox
6) im 15.... any good tips on convincing parents?

[andy07966]

Originally Posted by beano9419

i want a centipede... seriously i do... but
1) what sort of enclosure do i keep it in
2) what do i feed it
3) which one has the least deadly bite
4) how much do they cost
5) can you include pricing for food plox
6) im 15.... any good tips on convincing parents?

1) The length of the tank/tub needs to be twive as long as the centipede, and it needs to be taller than the centipede to prevent escapes.

2) Crickets, mealworms, locusts, frozen mice

3) No bites are deadly but all bites are very painful

4) £15 upwards

5) ?

6) ?

If you are this unsure I wouldn't have one. They are extremely fast and aggressive so you will need a little more experience first IMO.

[C_Strike]

Originally Posted by andy07966

1) The length of the tank/tub needs to be twive as long as the centipede, and it needs to be taller than the centipede to prevent escapes.
Not true, centipedes do very well, in jamjars.. as long as they can burrow theyr happy. you dont NEEd a tub twice the legnth at all, but it is generally a bit more appealing.
Personally i keep my big ones in 30x30x30 exo terra, now bare in mind the biggest iv housed in this way has been a 10inch+ S subspinipes 'Quanxi dehaani'

2) Crickets, mealworms, locusts, frozen mice

Youl find the pede to be most comfortable eating something only 1 1/2 times the size of the pedes head, they are active hunters so eat small, and often compared to tarantulas for instance.

3) No bites are deadly but all bites are very painful

4) £15 upwards

5) ?

6) ?

If you are this unsure I wouldn't have one. They are extremely fast and aggressive so you will need a little more experience first IMO.

@ OP
Personally i feel your likely to be too inexperienced with inverts genrally at 15.
I would stick to the more common inverst first off. Pedes are fine IF theyr in their tanks.. but trust me.. an escaped pede is NOT a joke, lol The potential consequences for either you, your parents, your bro or any one of your pets is pretty significant.
If you were to receive a nasty bite. your in for the single most painful experience you will experience.

... But they are amazing animals to keep.. jsut not a beginners invert imo:p

[andy07966]

Valid points, i tend to use the twice as long thing as a rule of thumb.

[matto2k]

Originally Posted by andy07966

1) The length of the tank/tub needs to be twive as long as the centipede, and it needs to be taller than the centipede to prevent escapes.

2) Crickets, mealworms, locusts, frozen mice

3) No bites are deadly but all bites are very painful

4) £15 upwards

5) ?

6) ?

If you are this unsure I wouldn't have one. They are extremely fast and aggressive so you will need a little more experience first IMO.

£15? got mine for a fiver,

[johndavidwoods]

I saw something on a David Attenborough show once where a centipede caught and ate a bat. It hung out on the roof of a cave and seriously managed to catch a bat as it flew past. It then proceeded to eat the whole thing, I think including the skeleton. It was quite possibly the nastiest thing I've ever seen.

Anybody remember this? I have no idea what the species was - I take it nobody keeps them in captivity... if they can much through bone they must be pretty good at escaping from lots of enclosures....

Fascinating thread btw - has caused much amusement but also been very informative. I don't think anything in the world would lead me to get a centipede after reading through all this!

[C_Strike]

Originally Posted by johndavidwoods

I saw something on a David Attenborough show once where a centipede caught and ate a bat. It hung out on the roof of a cave and seriously managed to catch a bat as it flew past. It then proceeded to eat the whole thing, I think including the skeleton. It was quite possibly the nastiest thing I've ever seen.

Anybody remember this? I have no idea what the species was - I take it nobody keeps them in captivity... if they can much through bone they must be pretty good at escaping from lots of enclosures....

Fascinating thread btw - has caused much amusement but also been very informative. I don't think anything in the world would lead me to get a centipede after reading through all this!

Scolopendra gigantea...biggest specie known, and yes its a documented occurance.. and yes people DO keep them... if theyr privelaged enough to actually get ahold of one.

[andy07966]

tarantula barn!!