What's a good starter centipede?

Kron

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jul 3, 2014
Messages
135
Interested in getting a centipede and so i'm wondering what the easiest to care for species is (if there is one). Also, although I have been doing research, any info/tips on how to care for them in general would also be appreciated (other than not to handle it, I already know that for certain) as often care sheets I find on the internet for my pet A. Avic are rubbish and so the ones for centipedes will probably be rubbish too, so I reckon having you guys as a source will leave me much better off :)
 

laurenkane

Arachnosquire
Joined
Mar 11, 2014
Messages
101
I think a great starter is a scolopendra subspinipes variety. They get large, are hardy, inexpensive, and are active at random times (they aren't as much of a "pet burrow").
They like a 3-4" coconut fiber substrate and moist, but not soaking. Mine likes to climb so I added bark and a few vines. But, make sure your enclosure is escape proof! They are little devils and will get through the tiniest of cracks. If you are using a screen top, be careful. Glass walls NEED to be taller than the pede and keep in mind the extra height the decorations will provide. Some keepers like to keep their pedes in large, screw top jars. This is the best way but does not provide for the best viewing. I keep mine in a tall exo terra enclosure and have had no problems. Just be very thoughtful when putting your set up together.
 

Kron

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jul 3, 2014
Messages
135
how often would I have to feed it and how large the prey?
 

Galapoheros

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 4, 2005
Messages
8,982
I think of "cheap" when I think of starter inverts. Many are just as easy as others but some are of course expensive. So if you get a cheap one and then feel like you're not interested after all, ...no biggy. The former subspinipes varieties are good for the reasons lauren stated imo. I have what was imported as Sc. gigantea and is as hardy, maybe more so, but they are expensive. If you can get polymorpha kind of cheap, a lot of people reco those too. Imo, one adult cricket a week is 'enough' for most pedes and ther inverts. If they are still growing fast, sometimes I let them eat all they can.
 

Gel

Arachnoknight
Joined
Oct 31, 2011
Messages
215
I highly recommend Ethmostigmus trigonopodus. They are one of the easier species to care for in my opinion. I keep mine on an organic peat, potting soil mix which I keep moist. I drop in a few crickets every few weeks and have a large plastic cap for water. They are a nice size and are often recommend as a beginner species by others out there.

Although "beginner" cost wise, I do NOT recommend Scolopendra subspinipes as a beginner species. They are fast, flighty, and big in my experience. They are for experienced keepers.
 

Lurchenstien

Arachnosquire
Joined
Apr 23, 2013
Messages
74
When I was looking in to getting a centipede I looked around on here, Ethmostigmus trigonopodus is often suggested as a good starter, so I got one of them. Temperament wise, the one I got has to be the calmest of the 'pedes I currently have, but it's also the one I see the least. I'd be inclined to suggest Scolopendra morsitans, I've had two of them, the ones I had were out considerably more than the E. trigonopodus, and nicer looking too.
 
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