Posted by DRZUUM on April 18, 2003 at 19:19:13:
:Hi,if you set up your tank with a layer of shredded wood bark jungle habitat has a good brand,then a water dish and a piece of lava rock,one that sits like a cave or at least can be placed so that there is a area on its underside that is open like a cave.
The centipede will live underneath it,it will cruise the tank sit on top of its lava rock home,and be very content.and YOU WILL SEE IT ALL THE TIME,i dont subscribe to the potting soil vermiculite mixtures or other types of dirt substrate for the tank setup,mites and various types of whit lice always appear sooner or later,i use the shrededed jungle bark whic just like the type found in the jungle areas most centipedes from south america come from.
There is also a softer form of jungle barl flooring that is almost like cork either of these will do.A one inch layer on the bottom of a 10 gallon tank is quite sufficient for a nice enviornment.i have various types of the larger scolopendra,they all are active and out in the open,the go under thier rock from time to time and sleep sometimes the big females just go to sleep on top of the rock.
For maximum growth i feed mine hamburger which i form into a ball about the size of a large marble,they love it and grow very fast feeding on it,most will take it right from my hand picking it up with thier front legs,with no agression what so ever.with the exception of the vietnamese species,these take it but are very aggressive when they grab it from me so i use a pair of forceps.these are very intelligent creatures for myriapods,almost catlike in some of thier behaviour.
Set up a 10 gallon tank the way ive described with a screen lid (metal) which you can buy at any pet store dealing in reptiles ot other small animals.They cruise the tank and relax out in the open no hole hiding they will spend some time under thier lava rock cave from what ive observed its 2 to 3 hr periods then they are out cruising.
Also a higher humidty and temperature makes them more active misting the bark flooring every couple of days will control humidity a heating pad from any wall mart placed under the tank warms the whole bottom of the tank get a variable setting one with a low medium and high heat setting,i use a 2ft x 2ft one under a 50 gallon show tank on medium setting this keeps the ambient temperature within the tank at around 78 to 84 degrees.
The humidity runs around 75% on my ten gallon tanks i use a 12"x12" heating pad underneath it set on low it maintains the 10 gallon the same ratio as the 50.try it you wont be dissapointed.
