Otostigmus spp.
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.
Otostigmus Centipedes: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: Small pantropical centipedes: O. scaber, O. politus and relatives. Humid tropical care, moderate venom, a smaller cage than a giant Scolopendra needs. Still fast, venomous, and an escape risk. Never handle. Adults reach about 3-4 inches.
Group: Industry StaplesDifficulty: Spice 4: AdvancedSetup: Tropical centipede (humid)Handling: No handling, moderate venom
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-vent at substrate level; humid retreat |
| Setup Type | Tropical centipede (humid) |
| Substrate | Moist soil/coco mix with a humid retreat; locked lid |
| Feeding | Small prey weekly |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 4: Advanced |
| Handling | No handling, moderate venom |
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
- Secure housing: terrestrial burrow setup.
Warnings First
- Venomous bite (moderate), fast, an escape artist. Never handle.
- Solitary housing only; never house centipedes together.
- Small, but the lid must still lock, with tiny, tough ventilation.
- Small humid enclosures go stale fast: cross ventilation low on two opposite walls is the top priority.
Simple Care
- Moist substrate with a humid retreat; ventilation to prevent mold and mites.
- Cross ventilation low on two opposite walls, at substrate level; a small humid box needs it most.
- Bottle-cap or jar-lid water dish filled with pebbles so it can't drown; a locked lid.
- House singly; centipedes are cannibalistic.
- Tools and a catch cup; never touch with hands.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- O. scaber, O. politus and others: pantropical. Small humid-tropical centipedes; a compact enclosure works, with moist substrate, a humid retreat, and airflow.
- Same containment standard as a giant Scolopendra: locked lid, tiny tough ventilation, deep enough substrate to hide in.
- Fine-mesh vents low on two opposite walls, at or just above the substrate, so air moves through the burrow layer. A small enclosure goes stale far faster than a large one.
- Use fine bonded stainless mesh and size every opening against the head; at 3-4 in these exploit gaps a giant never would.
- Mist under the retreat, not across the enclosure, for a stable damp microclimate while the rest of the substrate stays breathable.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Small prey weekly; remove it if the animal is molting or uninterested.
- Venom is moderate: a painful bite, not usually a medical emergency, but still a firm no-handling animal. Solitary; centipedes are cannibalistic.
- Molting: it stops eating and seals into its burrow, staying soft and vulnerable for days. Leave it completely alone, keep all prey out, and don't dig to check.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Pantropical: Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas; humid forest.
- Habitat translation: A moist, ventilated enclosure with a humid retreat, a shallow water dish, and an escape-proof, locked lid.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Adult size about 3-4 in: a starter-scale tropical centipede, smaller and less imposing than the giants but just as fast and escape-prone.
- Pantropical species complex; ID is often loose. Tune moisture from behavior and molt success.
- Standard centipede rules apply in miniature: never handle, never cohab, locked enclosure, secondary containment for transfers.