Bug problem?

[Lamour]

So I found 3 of these little bugs in the plastic pot holder I have in the bottom of Clydes cage to catch suicidal crickets. I believe they are centipedes.

Could they be a problem? I squished the 3 I found. Where did they come from? I have a parlor palm next to the holder but it never sits outside. There was also a bag of sphagnum moss next to where they sit on the cabinet. Could they have been in there even though it's dried out? The only other thing I could think is one latched on Clydes outside cage last time I used it. I am in the basement though so bugs always find ways down here.

Please let me know if they are going to be a problem and what I should do besides squish any I see. The pictures were the best I could do with my suckish camera. I hate bugs, just dealt with mites in my geckos tank and now these

 

[buddy912]

So I found 3 of these little bugs in the plastic pot holder I have in the bottom of Clydes cage to catch suicidal crickets. I believe they are centipedes.

Could they be a problem? I squished the 3 I found. Where did they come from? I have a parlor palm next to the holder but it never sits outside. There was also a bag of sphagnum moss next to where they sit on the cabinet. Could they have been in there even though it's dried out? The only other thing I could think is one latched on Clydes outside cage last time I used it. I am in the basement though so bugs always find ways down here.

Please let me know if they are going to be a problem and what I should do besides squish any I see. The pictures were the best I could do with my suckish camera. I hate bugs, just dealt with mites in my geckos tank and now these

i have no idea what or where they coulda came from but im with u ... eww better to be safe then sorry tho n killing them prob was a good idea.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Look like centipedes to me. I don't know if they're actually a problem but I wouldn't let my cham eat them if it were me.

 

[Lamour]

It just seems so weird. It's not like they were roaming the cage but they were all in this plastic holder, I think if they had climbed in from somewhere else they would be out on the paper towels. Clyde is so picky, he won't even eat a cricket if it is on the ground.

 

[Elizadolots]

I think they're millipedes....according to this centipedes have one set of legs per body segment, millipedes have two.

It doesn't seem like they are seriously poisonous, but it does say they can be irritating:

Many species also emit poisonous liquid secretions or hydrogen cyanide gas through microscopic pores called odoriferous glands along the sides of their bodies as a secondary defense.Some of these substances are caustic and can burn the exoskeleton of ants and other insect predators, and the skin and eyes of larger predators.

So, yeah, definitely a good idea to kill them.

 

[Lamour]

Thanks for the info. I haven't seen any more so far, so I'll just have to watch for them. Hopefully my palm won't be infested or something.

 

[bwert435]

I think they're millipedes....according to this centipedes have one set of legs per body segment, millipedes have two.

It doesn't seem like they are seriously poisonous, but it does say they can be irritating:


So, yeah, definitely a good idea to kill them.

Yup I agree definitely millipedes

 

[carol5208]

you are going to have an ongoing problem and I would suggest changing out your soil completely. If there are three, there are more! I kept seeing them in my cham's cage and I finally got so tired of it I brought the plant outside and was shocked when I saw how many were living in the soil. They do secrete some nasty stuff that I don't think a chameleon would not like to taste. I threw some of them out in my yard and the the wild anoles came running picked them up in their mouths and spit them out immediately!!!

 

[Lamour]

I'll wait out the rest of the week and see what happens I think. Once the weekend comes around I can get my boyfriend to help me pull the pot off and look at the soil. I have to go buy some new soil too.
Does anyone have suggestions on storing their soil or where to get soil that would be unlikely to have bugs or bug eggs in it?

 

[carol5208]

did you buy the plant potted and not change out the soil? I think the bugs come with the plant when you buy it and they are down in the soil and you just dont know it and then they start to multiply. I would get some bagged organic soil and try that if you find the whole soil is full of them.

 

[d3s5]

Yes, they are millipedes. I have a few every so often that come out from my plants before I repot them. Phineas LOVES them. Go figure. I discovered how much he liked them because he was splashing around in the bottom of the plant dish one day. Kept aiming his tongue in the water. I thought he was drinking at first - no, just trying to get a millipede that was drowning in the water!

 

[pssh]

Usually bagged organic soil doesnt have them (at least in my experience!) But like others have said, squish them when you find them.

 

[buddy912]

Usually bagged organic soil doesnt have them (at least in my experience!) But like others have said, squish them when you find them.

i just checked out the spiffybugs site i like it... thank you!

 

[carol5208]

Yes, they are millipedes. I have a few every so often that come out from my plants before I repot them. Phineas LOVES them. Go figure. I discovered how much he liked them because he was splashing around in the bottom of the plant dish one day. Kept aiming his tongue in the water. I thought he was drinking at first - no, just trying to get a millipede that was drowning in the water!

wow I am surprised at that. Like I said I threw a bunch of them out to the wild anoles in the my yard. They all came running and everyone of them spit them out!! here is the link with a few pics from a while back. https://www.chameleonforums.com/little-experiment-74791/ I had thought there were toxic.

 

[Lamour]

I didn't re-pot the plants so they could have been there. I've had it for at least a couple months without seeing any though. I haven't had a problem with the original soil so far, Clyde doesn't try to eat it or anything. Organic soil was very hard to find in my area, the kind I did find and used on my old schefflera was very dense and ended up drowning/killing the plant roots so I'm unsure about using it again.

 

[pssh]

i just checked out the spiffybugs site i like it... thank you!

Thanks! I dont have as much stuff right now because school is getting harder, but if you ever need anything send an email and I'll help you out.

 

[d3s5]

wow I am surprised at that. Like I said I threw a bunch of them out to the wild anoles in the my yard. They all came running and everyone of them spit them out!! here is the link with a few pics from a while back. https://www.chameleonforums.com/little-experiment-74791/ I had thought there were toxic.

Those pics with the anoles look like centipedes. Regardless, I wouldn't purposely feed millipedes or centipedes to my chameleon! It's just that he is free-ranged and he knows where to find them. When I see him lurking at the bottom of a pot - well, I know it's time for a soil change. The thing is, he refuses good gut-loaded roaches for those crummy things! Eats crickets, silks, etc., but still. . .Plus, I've only ever seen him eat about three. But he did eat them with gusto!

 

[carol5208]

Those pics with the anoles look like centipedes. Regardless, I wouldn't purposely feed millipedes or centipedes to my chameleon! It's just that he is free-ranged and he knows where to find them. When I see him lurking at the bottom of a pot - well, I know it's time for a soil change. The thing is, he refuses good gut-loaded roaches for those crummy things! Eats crickets, silks, etc., but still. . .Plus, I've only ever seen him eat about three. But he did eat them with gusto!

yeah, I forgot what they were centipede or millipede, but whatever the case, they were living in the soil, mulitplying and I did not want my chameleon to eat them after I saw the anoles spitting themout! I thought they were centipedes and were corrected by several members that they were millipedes.