Ethmostigmus sp. Borneo Blue
Sold under its hobby name. This guide covers the group or trade name this fella is sold as, so the ranges fit the whole group. Start in the middle and watch how your animal settles in.
Borneo Blue Centipede: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: A fast, venomous tropical centipede that needs tight security and steady humidity. Adults run 6-8 in. Watch only, no handling.
Group: CentipedesDifficulty: Spice 4: AdvancedSetup: Tropical fossorial centipede, deep substrateHandling: No handling, use secondary containment
Use This Guide Safely
- Confirm the exact animal. Match this guide to the species, locality, size, and life stage on your label. If the ID is uncertain, use the more conservative part of the range and ask before changing the setup.
- Change one thing at a time. Treat temperature and humidity as target zones, then watch posture, burrowing, drinking, feeding, and molt behavior before making another adjustment.
- Respect the handling boundary. If the guide says no handling, fast, defensive, or medically significant, plan transfers with catch cups, locked lids, and no bare hands. For serious bites, stings, or symptoms, seek emergency medical care.
Quick Snapshot
| Temperature | 75-85°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 70-85%, cross-ventilated at substrate level, dry refuge zone |
| Setup Type | Tropical fossorial centipede, deep substrate |
| Substrate | Deep, damp soil or coco fiber substrate |
| Feeding | Adults 1 prey item weekly, juveniles more often |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 4: Advanced |
| Handling | No handling, use secondary containment |
Humidity zones: Very Low under 30% - Low 30-60% - Low-Moderate 40-70% - Moderate 60-80% - Moderate-High 70-85% - High 80%+ - Very High 90%+
Enclosure Format / Size Class
- Juveniles: terrestrial burrow setup, deep substrate, secure lid.
Warnings First
- Fast, venomous bite. No handling, ever.
- Advanced keepers only.
- Solo housing only. Centipedes are cannibalistic, never cohab.
- Secure, locked lid. It climbs enclosure seams and finds gaps.
- Weak airflow at substrate level turns a humid setup into a mold and mite trap.
Simple Care
- Use deep, damp coco fiber or soil substrate.
- Vent low on two opposite walls for real cross airflow.
- Lock the lid.
- Keep a shallow water dish full, packed with pebbles.
- House one animal per enclosure.
- Don't handle it. Watch only.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- Bond fine stainless mesh over low vents, sized under head width. It climbs seams, so mesh edges matter as much as gauge.
- Vent low on two opposite walls at substrate level. Top-only venting leaves the burrow layer stale and damp, the start of mold and mites.
- Hold 70-85% with damp lower substrate and a water dish, not by closing vents. A sealed box can look fine on a hygrometer while the animal gets sick.
- Check moisture by hand: bottom third holds together when squeezed, middle cool and damp, top inch can look dry.
- Mist under the hide, not the whole enclosure, so the retreat stays damp and the rest of the box can dry and breathe.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Feed adults about one right-sized prey item weekly. Juveniles can eat more often.
- Use secondary containment for feeding, cleaning and transfers, never bare hands.
- Molting: it stops eating and seals into its burrow for days. Pull all prey and leave it completely alone.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Borneo tropical forest region.
- Habitat translation: Humid tropical substrate with airflow and a secure hide.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Tropical centipedes climb seams surprisingly well, so use deep substrate and a tight lid.
- Calmer than a same-sized Scolopendra, but still not handleable. Venom stays potent and escape risk is the same.
- Sold as Ethmostigmus sp. Borneo Blue, a color and locality form rather than a fully confirmed species ID.