Mites on Centipede?

[tarantulastuff]

On a FINAL note, if temperatures are correct in the enclosures anything other than a solid stone will pass.
If temperatures are too low other food eaten will not be digested causing anything else to back up in the digestive tract..

As in the link you kindly provided it was stated that " 1/3 strands were found with undigested food.

If I eat a vast amount of Coco fibre and die of a heart attack - the Coco fibre DID NOT kill me !!

Please do not keep spreading misinformation. Low temperatures will only make the centipede sluggish. Being taken out of context- this quotation is misleading. Here is the actual quotation:

These deaths where all fully and unmistakably due to the cocofiber impaction and there is indisputable evidence that I've personally found in a huge amount of cases. No strands found post-impaction or pre-impaction, just 1-3 strands at the exact impaction site with severe infection and advanced decomposition post impaction, while there was overly huge amounts of undigested or partially digested food pre impaction. The smell and decomposition state of the tissue was apparent even in ones that died minutes before the autopsy, and it's not mistakable for it just being in the digestive tract with the internal state of decay that's seen 100% of the time in these situations. In every autopsy I've done that showed the expanded center section and the deflated rear trunk indicative of centipede impaction, all results where entirely conclusive and identical; 1-3 simple strands that are not digestibleade made it deep into the digestive tract and killed them. These are not millipedes, they cannot process woods or plant based solid fiber strands like beetles and millipedes can, they are simply not the same especially in the diet/digestive area.

With that said, go ahead and use cocofiber if you want, it's more expensive then peat by a long shot, it helps mold grow where as peat doesn't allow mold growth, and it does kill centipedes and there is decades of proof, where peat is 100000% safe and has never killed a single specimen to my knowledge or that I have seen at least in my 2 decades+ of keeping.

It was not found with undigested food, but there were partially digested food particles pre impaction, proving that the food would not be able to move to a later section of the digestive tract. Please read more research papers on the subject, and avoid misinformation.

just 1-3 strands at the exact impaction site with severe infection and advanced decomposition post impaction, while there was overly huge amounts of undigested or partially digested food pre impaction.

With this being said, please do not take advice from this person. They are misleading and do not have facts, pictures, or research to back up their wrong opinions. Multiple multi-year and experienced centipede keepers have said so, and I personally have also experienced this. This being said, I would welcome any constructive, fact-based discussion.

 

[Wolfram1]

This being said, I would welcome any constructive, fact-based discussion.

Look, i do recognize that coco fibre can be a problem, and the examples of impaction you provided are real and relevant, but i personally do think it has to go hand in hand with other serious problems as it is often used as a substrate without a problem. At least it does not seem a blanked statement like that holds true as i have seen many pictures of healthy Scolopendra beeing raised on cocopeat or other coco-dominated substrates.

They are suseptible to dehydration so maybe they do try to consume it for hydration in the absence of a proper source of drinking water, but you are certainly right that they are unable to digest the material.

I personally always worry that they will ingest dirt simply because they can be messy eaters and additionally i have witnessed them take short nibbles of bark or leaflitter although that doesn't seem to pose a problem with digestion. I even wonder if very small quantities, may be benefitial and help with digestion.

Perhaps its simply the tough long fibres that are the problem, failing to pass properly and causing a blockage, followed by inflammation and later sepsis, regardless of weather its coco or not. These longer fibres are not in every coco-based substrate, depending on production quality and may explain the different experiences people have.

Anyway i personally don't use cocofibre as a substrate for my centipededes just in case...

@Dry Desert what are "low temperatures" to you? Personally i think most people keep them too hot.


@Auzelous i would probably opt for the method @Charliemum described and offer food to the mites, hoping they will leave the centipede for greener pastures. I dont have much hope that you will get them all this way but even half would be a big help.

@tarantulastuff the problem with the drowning method is that not all centipeded will survive it, so it is something i would only use as a last resort, like if the OP felt like the mites were not just an annoyance but actively killing his pede.

 

[Dry Desert]

Look, i do recognize that coco fibre can be a problem, and the examples of impaction you provided are real and relevant, but i personally do think it has to go hand in hand with other serious problems as it is often used as a substrate without a problem. At least it does not seem a blanked statement like that holds true as i have seen many pictures of healthy Scolopendra beeing raised on cocopeat or other coco-dominated substrates.

They are suseptible to dehydration so maybe they do try to consume it for hydration in the absence of a proper source of drinking water, but you are certainly right that they are unable to digest the material.

I personally always worry that they will ingest dirt simply because they can be messy eaters and additionally i have witnessed them take short nibbles of bark or leaflitter although that doesn't seem to pose a problem with digestion. I even wonder if very small quantities, may be benefitial and help with digestion.

Perhaps its simply the tough long fibres that are the problem, failing to pass properly and causing a blockage, followed by inflammation and later sepsis, regardless of weather its coco or not. These longer fibres are not in every coco-based substrate, depending on production quality and may explain the different experiences people have.

Anyway i personally don't use cocofibre as a substrate for my centipededes just in case...

@Dry Desert what are "low temperatures" to you? Personally i think most people keep them too hot.


@Auzelous i would probably opt for the method @Charliemum described and offer food to the mites, hoping they will leave the centipede for greener pastures. I dont have much hope that you will get them all this way but even half would be a big help.

@tarantulastuff the problem with the drowning method is that not all centipeded will survive it, so it is something i would only use as a last resort, like if the OP felt like the mites were not just an annoyance but actively killing his pede.

Centipede temperature range, depending on species,
75-85 f, or 23 -29 c.

Humidity is the important one,

70% + , slightly lower for arid species.

If humidity not correct, mould will cause a problem, too little and they will try to obtain moisture from the substrate.

 

[Ravn]

Another thing you could try is to add a lot of sand to your substrate, this could make it easier for the centipede to remove the mites itself by digging through the substrate

 

[tarantulastuff]

Look, i do recognize that coco fibre can be a problem, and the examples of impaction you provided are real and relevant, but i personally do think it has to go hand in hand with other serious problems as it is often used as a substrate without a problem. At least it does not seem a blanked statement like that holds true as i have seen many pictures of healthy Scolopendra beeing raised on cocopeat or other coco-dominated substrates.

They are suseptible to dehydration so maybe they do try to consume it for hydration in the absence of a proper source of drinking water, but you are certainly right that they are unable to digest the material.

I personally always worry that they will ingest dirt simply because they can be messy eaters and additionally i have witnessed them take short nibbles of bark or leaflitter although that doesn't seem to pose a problem with digestion. I even wonder if very small quantities, may be benefitial and help with digestion.

Perhaps its simply the tough long fibres that are the problem, failing to pass properly and causing a blockage, followed by inflammation and later sepsis, regardless of weather its coco or not. These longer fibres are not in every coco-based substrate, depending on production quality and may explain the different experiences people have.

Anyway i personally don't use cocofibre as a substrate for my centipededes just in case...

@Dry Desert what are "low temperatures" to you? Personally i think most people keep them too hot.


@Auzelous i would probably opt for the method @Charliemum described and offer food to the mites, hoping they will leave the centipede for greener pastures. I dont have much hope that you will get them all this way but even half would be a big help.

@tarantulastuff the problem with the drowning method is that not all centipeded will survive it, so it is something i would only use as a last resort, like if the OP felt like the mites were not just an annoyance but actively killing his pede.

Almost the entire thing is indigestible. But you are correct, smaller pieces pass through. The tough, long fibres are a particular offender, but buildups (see human bezoars) are also an offender.
In any case, it is better to shut your window before the rain, and it is better to not use these offending substrates entirely.
Also, there are centipedes which have to be kept colder than 23 C, like the highland Mint Legs or Scolopendra paradoxa. But this is rare, and is an outlier.

 

[Ravn]

They also look like flour mites, and are often found in feeder colonies. It might be good to check your feeders for any mites just in case, and to get flour mites of the centipede you could try fish food to lure them of and then removing the fish food with the mites

 

[Wolfram1]

Centipede temperature range, depending on species,
75-85 f, or 23 -29 c.

Humidity is the important one,

70% + , slightly lower for arid species.

If humidity not correct, mould will cause a problem, too little and they will try to obtain moisture from the substrate.

Well, i was asking since i have been advised to keep my Scolopendra dehaani at about around 22°C, or even lower, and i have to say the ones my friend bought from the same seller were kept at 24°C to 28°C for the past 6 or 7 months and both have passed while the two i have kept at about 21°C over the winter and now at about 22-23° are well and kicking, though i still have not experienced a molt with them yet.

Seems like a win for colder temperatures so far...

Totally agree about the humidity, just that i prefer to offer deep dirt, leaf liter and a large piece of bark they can dig under to regulate the moisture themselves, saves me form having to measure. Lots of ventilation above wont affect the moisture underneath much.

 

[tarantulastuff]

Well, i was asking since i have been advised to keep my Scolopendra dehaani at about around 22°C, or even lower, and i have to say the ones my friend bought from the same seller were kept at 24°C to 28°C for the past 6 or 7 months and both have passed while the two i have kept at about 21°C over the winter and now at about 22-23° are well and kicking, though i still have not experienced a molt with them yet.

Seems like a win for colder temperatures so far...

Totally agree about the humidity, just that i prefer to offer deep dirt, leaf liter and a large piece of bark they can dig under to regulate the moisture themselves, saves me form having to measure. Lots of ventilation above wont affect the moisture underneath much.

Can you post a picture of the dehaani(s)? This is very interesting.
And the region, etc...

 

[Wolfram1]

sure, i prefer not to bother them to often and they spend most of the time burrowed.

sometimes i hear them walking around late at night, between 2-4 in the morning.

these pictures are a bit older but i just fed them yesterday and not much has changed the orange one is still a little chubby and the yellow legged variety is still only eating about half of the roaches i offer and has remsined slim.

0.0.1 Scolopendra dehaani "red"

• Wolfram1
• Jan 26, 2024
• 4
• dehaani scolopendra scolopendra dehaani

unknown locality sadly
same specimen as my other picture

the two my friend had were also of the red legged locality.

0.0.1 Scolopendra dehaani ~7"

• Wolfram1
• Feb 5, 2024
• dehaani scolopendra scolopendra dehaani vietnam

yellow legged vietnam locale

i did make one picture then since the sun was hitting the spot so well, but its not the best:

 

[Dry Desert]

Well, i was asking since i have been advised to keep my Scolopendra dehaani at about around 22°C, or even lower, and i have to say the ones my friend bought from the same seller were kept at 24°C to 28°C for the past 6 or 7 months and both have passed while the two i have kept at about 21°C over the winter and now at about 22-23° are well and kicking, though i still have not experienced a molt with them yet.

Seems like a win for colder temperatures so far...

Totally agree about the humidity, just that i prefer to offer deep dirt, leaf liter and a large piece of bark they can dig under to regulate the moisture themselves, saves me form having to measure. Lots of ventilation above wont affect the moisture underneath much.

I did say 23-28 was the range depending on species.

 

[tarantulastuff]

@Wolfram1 Interestingly, this does not seem to be dehaani, could you get the terminal leg undersides' pictures?

 

[Wolfram1]

It is S. dehaani, none have any spines on the underside of the proximal segment of the terminal legs. So unless that no longer counts as a determining factor they should be S. dehaani.

The one extra spine you see in the last picture is actually the tip of one of the sternites.

 

[tarantulastuff]

If that is so, the Vietnam dehaani have a reputation as highland centipedes, which may be why keeping them colder is working.

 

[Wolfram1]

interesting, might be, in any case, lets not deviate away from the problem at hand, i liked @Ravn 's suggestion as well, the centipede may very well be knocking off some of the mites when burrowing, couple that with some food and it could work as a "soft" removal method.

Wont be final but good enough for a try.

I think we have given poor @Auzelous enough to think about.

on that note, what was the centipede sold as? i find many, especially imports are mislabled. sadly.

Have you thought about it's needs and how to set it up? a well designed environment will certainly help it overcome the mite problem.