centipede infestation?

[DoctorCosmonaut]

Hi all! Long time no post!

I have a problem. My tort table has centipedes/millipede, or something that looks like them. Whenever I life up the water dish or feeding bowl they are under it. I figure i'm going to have to clean out the whole thing... but my question is where did they come from? I'm on the second floor of an apartment. I'm afraid they will just come right back... I don't think they bother my redfoots. I've heard centipedes are poisonous? Would it hurt my torts if they ate them? Will they? They aren't that big, but they are really nasty looking and I don't want them in there. Do you think anoles would eat them? My other idea was putting something in there to eat them that would coexist with my 2 torts (my table is about 7 1/2 by 2 1/2 with 2 1/2 ft tall sides).

Someone give me more insight than "clean" please. I want to know what they came from too and if they are a danger and if something eats them.

Thanks for any help!

 

[terryo]

I can't help you with any of your questions Jordan, but I do see them in my boxie vivarium sometimes. I'm glad to see you again.

 

[DoctorCosmonaut]

I can't help you with any of your questions Jordan, but I do see them in my boxie vivarium sometimes. I'm glad to see you again.

And I'm glad to see you too

 

[RV's mom]

centipedes or millipedes? how many legs do the things have? I was totally freaked out in my first apartment when a house centipede rippled across my kitchen floor. never knew I could jump from the floor to the table in one try..

you can go to www.bugguide.net and look at the pictures to the left of the screen. click on the centipede and you'll go to a page where you can compare what you have with what you see... let us know.

 

[Madkins007]

Centipedes have one set of legs per segment, millipedes have more than that. Usually, centipede legs come out the side, millipede come out the bottom. As general rule, millipedes feed on debris and are a decomposer, and centipedes are hunters. Red-foots sometimes eat both kinds if they find them so you might just toss them on the food dish.

Depending on your situation, I am not sure I would worry a lot about this. If the habitat is big, and the substrate is soil-based and deep, I would probably count the critters as beneficial and leave them pretty much alone.

 

[Tom]

I'm with Mark on this one. How big are they? If its a 6" giant tropical centipede and a tiny hatchling RF you may have a problem. If its just those little one inch millipedes, they are beneficial and a potential food source. They would have to either come in with your substrate or potted plants.

 

[DoctorCosmonaut]

Thanks for the bugguide sharkstar Haven't had a chance to go through it yet.

Madkins and Tom:
They are probably about one inch. So as long as you all seem to think they aren't going to hurt the torts, I won't rush cleaning and be so worried. And if they are eating leaves that fall or other bugs then that's cool. They won't overpopulate will they? Like hatch 500 million babies or anything?

 

[Yvonne G]

Oh darn! Now you're going to have to change your signature to include them.

 

[DoctorCosmonaut]

Oh darn! Now you're going to have to change your signature to include them.

haha I have a whole new family i suppose

 

[onarock]

Like this?

 

[John]

Like this?

Hey,I know that girl!

 

[ChiKat]

Ughhh I am so sorry to hear this I am not scared of spiders, snakes, mice, blah blah but centipedes CREEP me out!! I held a giant millipede once and thought it was awesome. But if I see a centipede crawling in my house...shudder.
Good to see you back! Pictures of the RFs would be great

 

[HarleyK]

Haha the ones you are posting are probably someone's pets. Those are tropical species. I am guessing the ones you are seeing are stone centipedes.....those are the ones I see in the garden...sort of a rust/dark maroon color. I used to own scropions so centipedes don't scare me.

 

[Mao Senpai]

YUCK. I hate centipedes. Anyway, it could be house centipedes... if this is what they look like

Ugh I am getting shivers just looking at these things

Certain kinds are poisonous, especially if they are big. In some parts of asia they get centipedes over 12 inches.... which would be poisonous to us and among other animals. The house centipede I think has a very painful bee sting like bite so... that's not good either but they tend to leave things alone.... but gross.

 

[dmarcus]

I used to go in the desert in Las Vegas back in the 70's and 80's in search of centipede's. They are interesting.

 

[CtTortoiseMom]

Oh my gosh Mao I hate those things!! They get really big too. When I used to work at this insurance agency, I would often have to go down to the basement in our office building. Our main computer for our electronic filing system was down there and I would sometimes have a couple hours of work to do. The longer I stayed down there the more of those exact centipedes would appear. I would feel something watching me and look behind me to see like 5 of them on the wall directly behind me!!!! Ugh, I am so creeped out by that picture!!

 

[Balboa]

WOW those are freaky looking, Mao, we don't get those up here, just little versions of what Paul posted.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

WOW, double edged!

 

[Mao Senpai]

Yeah.... I saw it once or twice in my house and I nearly ran around screaming. Then I finally built up the courage and grabbed a 6 feet long stick to kill it.... better to get rid of it now before it crawls around on my bed or something.

 

[coreyc]

I think that is a silver fish but it just as creepy

YUCK. I hate centipedes. Anyway, it could be house centipedes... if this is what they look like

Ugh I am getting shivers just looking at these things

Certain kinds are poisonous, especially if they are big. In some parts of asia they get centipedes over 12 inches.... which would be poisonous to us and among other animals. The house centipede I think has a very painful bee sting like bite so... that's not good either but they tend to leave things alone.... but gross.