Communal Centipede: Ethmostigmus trigonopodus??

Hi!
I have one of these right now, and, as there is a reptile store near me that has several more, I was curious if anyone has experience with housing these communally? I have heard mixed things about keeping ethmostigmus together, and I seem to recall most of what I have heard has been about the blue ring leg, not the yellow leg (which is what I have and am considering more of). I would probably only do a group of two at first, (if I decide to do this at all). I was jut curious if anyone has any insight into this matter? I have read accounts of a "friend of a friend" type nature, and I was hoping to get a little more definitive information about them. Anyway, any information anyone has time to give will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!



Evan

Ethmostigmus species are not communal. They might live in the same area for a period of time but eventually bad things will happen.

Hi!
Thanks for the info. That's why I wanted to check.... Most of the accounts I have come across have been very opaque and not especially from the person who tried it. Good to know, thanks!


Evan

I'd say they are communal compared to the Chinese red heads which often eat each other. Even the Alipes I've seen devour each other. However, I've kept groups of both Ethmostigmus together for as long as five years straight with zero cannibalism.

Hi!
Hmm... This was my problem. It seems that there are maybe no really, dyed in the wool "communal" centipedes...? Maybe only more anecdotal success with varying species that differs from one person to the next... I am still interested in trying this, and, if I do, I will certainly update the thread here. I am assming that with plenty of space, hides, and food, the chance of a massacare becomes less? (Though maybe never fully goes away..) Well, thanks for the input, I guess I might just try it and see what happens.


Thanks!
Evan

Hi,

why not sex and then mate them? Since pedes are rogues and only come together for mating purposes in nature, never inhabit the same burrows if they are not forced to and don't show any social behaviour (hiding under the same bark in a terrarium may work for a certain time, but they don't live in communities and don't hunt together) I don't see a sense in this human-made communal desire.

I also kept the "oh-so-communal" Alipes in a big terrarium in past, after 7 months 3 out of 6 survived. They molt, they lay eggs - and then they can't defend themselves and can't run away if aggressions occur.

Several friends even kept E. trigonopdus couples, but usually after 7 months one of both suffered (usually the males).

I could even watch aggressions after mating, so that I always separate couples after the mating process has finished.

But you can try it out if you don't care that maybe only some survive in the end.

Regards
Turgut

And here is my problem... 2 people responded NO, I person responded YES with an alledged 5 year period of success. THIS was more the point of my topic than anything else. And, as I said in the last post, I think the "communial" pede does not exist in the strictest sense of the word. Even with S. mutilans the success stories are always tainted with "but then..." or "after a while though..." So, I guess it is just not a feasible option at this point.. Thanks for the input though, I appreciate it and hearing differing opinions about this is really intriguing.


Evan

If all the people I know who didn't have success with communal pede setups posted in this thread (compared to the few who succeeded, whatever success means in this case) it would be a permanent-sticky.

People usually post success, not failure. That distorts the statistics.
But if you are so keen on making your own experiences, then just try it out - don't wanna discourage you.

Fact is that pedes are not communal in nature (cause they don't need to).

Regards
Turgut

Fact is that pedes are not communal in nature (cause they don't need to).

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This is certainly what I was interested in, and I have to say regardless of species, I agree with you. Anecdotal success seems to be the limit of what we can hope for I suppose, unfortunately.

Thanks!
Evan

EMWhite said:

And here is my problem... 2 people responded NO, I person responded YES with an alledged 5 year period of success. THIS was more the point of my topic than anything else.

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Elytra and Antenna should be trustworthy sources They have published a number of books about inverts, which I understand does not make one an expert but I think they have a good reputation here, and have been in the hobby for a while.

Centipedes have to be one of the more frustrating inverts to keep and understand because of the lack of study at both the hobby and expert level. As you know ID'ing a centipede can be a challenge, especially down to the subspecies level with some, so even when someone does report on their experiences sometimes the actual ID can be in doubt. That and I don't think many people have attempted communal centipede setups because the general rule of thumb is to not do it. Combine that with the difficulty in breeding them and cost of buying new specimens I can see where people aren't usually too keen to try it. Good luck with whatever you do...I loved the heck out of my E. trigo, I think I actually cried when it died.