Pedes and Cork Bark--I am new to Pedes.

Ok, so I'm starting to like my pedes. I have several small ones, I'm not concerned about them so far, it's my two big ol' S. sp. "tiger legs" that are making me wonder about. They are really pretty, so I'd like to catch a glimpse of them now and then, at least to make sure they are alive. When I first got them, I fed them, they ate, we were happy all around.

I set them up in large kritter keepers with a nice peice of cork bark and a water dish. The substrate is mostly organic top soil with a little vermic to keep it from clumping and some sphagnam moss. It is pretty moist.

I haven't seen them in a while. So I lifted the cork bark, rawther brave of me I thought, and there is the pede clinging to the cork bark (which means he was upsidedown), looking like why on earth am I bothering it, please put the bark back down, so I did. It barely moved, but enough so I knew it was alive. Repeat with the second one--the exact same scenario.

Is this normal?

Thanks for the help.

yes, this is normaly

giant centipedes are positively thigmotaxic which means they try to be against solid structures

I use long surgical forceps to lift the big slabs of bark for that very reason. I had an 8" Hong Kong Giant run up the cork and then my arm once. Since then it's always forceps not fingers that touch the bark. I lift the bark up probably at least once a week to make sure I know where the big pedes are when doing cage maintenance, which is a lot since they almost always tip the water dish. I don't think it bothers them too much, since they still eat good and look healthy. I'm not sure it would be ok to do it that often if I was breeding them though.

Mine likes to cling to everything i put into its cage

Hey toxin ur avatar is distrurbing lol

KennyGee said:

Hey toxin ur avatar is distrurbing lol

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You want to be the 'next Steve Irwin' and that little pic bothers you??

My avatar is a picture of what I would look like if the Hong Kong Giant had made it all the way up my arm to my head.

OK, back to MY pedes. I got up really early this morning and turned on the lights and they were both out exploring. They were actually moving around quickly, very fast, zip, zoom. They looked fat, so I guess they've been eating the roaches I've been tossing in.

IguanaMama said:

OK, back to MY pedes. I got up really early this morning and turned on the lights and they were both out exploring. They were actually moving around quickly, very fast, zip, zoom. They looked fat, so I guess they've been eating the roaches I've been tossing in.

Click to expand...

mine seem to sometimes go through phases where i see them more in/for some months and see them not at all sometimes. also, since i have them in relatively small cages they can sort of "dig out" the substrate and then it won't support tunnelling anymore and they get marrooned on top, as it were.

also, i definitely hear all kinds of strange noises from my bug racks in the middle of the night, so if you are ever desperate for a viewing those are the best hours