Centipede Care and Husbandry

Similar to other exotic pets, maintaining invertebrates in captivity is continuing to increase. Therefore, adequate husbandry is vital to achieve success. Centipedes have an aggressive nature, are venomous, and potentially dangerous to humans; they require specific environmental conditions and possess unique anatomic and physiologic features. Considering these circumstances, the clinician must be knowledgeable on the proper approach to handle and examine centipedes. The objective of this article is to aid the clinician in treating centipedes, providing important information on how to keep centipedes in captivity, to recognize potential signs of illness, and to perform common procedures such as hemolymph sampling.