1. Gastrointestinal inflammation
1. Causes of the disease
The causes of centipede gastrointestinal inflammation can be as follows:
(1) Rotten and deteriorated feed, which is the most common cause of centipede gastrointestinal inflammation. Especially in hot seasons, the feed of centipedes are mostly small animals with high protein content, rich in water and juice. Generally, they are killed before being fed. If they are stored for too long after being killed, they are easily rotten and deteriorated. After the centipedes consume the feed, it will cause acute gastrointestinal inflammation.
(2) Toxic feed animals. Under normal circumstances, the regular feed animals of centipedes do not produce toxic substances that are harmful to centipedes. The toxicity of feed animals is mainly caused by toxic substances present in the growth environment that enter and invade the body surface of the feed animals. The feed animals are not sensitive to this toxin or it has not entered the body, so it does not cause a reaction in the feed animals and is difficult for the feeders to notice. However, after feeding, it causes acute or chronic gastrointestinal inflammation in centipedes.
(3) Inadequate feeding amount. Occasionally, if the feeding amount is too small and some centipedes become excessively hungry, and the next day, the feeding amount greatly increases, causing these hungry centipedes to consume too much feed. At this time, if the temperature suddenly drops, these overfed centipedes will inevitably have indigestion. The food stays in the digestive tract for too long and causes fermentation, leading to inflammation.
2. Symptoms and characteristics
Simultaneous diseases caused by multiple pathogenic factors are the characteristics of this disease. The infected centipedes first have indigestion, swollen and soft abdomen, followed by diarrhea and loss of appetite. Then, toxic substances produced by inflammation invade the tissues of the whole body, and the centipedes suffer from internal poisoning. The head becomes congested and purplish-red, the whole body becomes weak and paralyzed, with slow movement and the maxillipeds fully extended. Finally, they become unable to crawl and die under tiles or other hidden places. They rarely die in the breeding soil. Autopsy of dead centipedes shows warm and red intestinal mucosa, ulceration, pale yellow liquid in the abdominal cavity, and loose and foul-smelling feces in the intestines.
3. Prevention and treatment
(1) Strictly control the feed quality. It is best to feed fresh live feed animals to centipedes. The feed should be killed immediately before feeding. If the live feed cannot be consumed completely, it can be stored. However, the feed animals that have been killed are best discarded. If the feed is found to be rotten and deteriorated, it should never be fed.
(2) For feed animals bred in-house, attention should be paid to the breeding environment, feed, drinking water, etc., and avoid the use of substances that may cause diseases in centipedes, such as heavy metal drugs and certain disinfectants. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that the breeding soil, feed, drinking water, and even the air are not contaminated by pathogens. Once infected feed animals are found, the cause or type of pathogenic bacteria and possible range of infection should be analyzed to determine whether the feed animals in that batch can be used.
(3) For wild-caught feed animals, try to catch them in areas without pesticide, fertilizer, and other harmful substances. When capturing, it is also necessary to check whether there are dead animals of the same species in the area to determine whether the captured feed animals are already infected with diseases, etc.
(4) Clean the pool. Remove all centipedes in infected pools and place them in several small containers. According to specific symptoms, divide them into healthy groups, suspicious groups, and diseased groups for isolated breeding. All the feed soil in the pool should be removed and replaced with new soil. All items in the pool, such as beverage trays, water trays or tanks, and tiles, should be thoroughly disinfected and exposed to sunlight before reuse.
(5) In seasons with sudden temperature rises and drops, when the temperature drops suddenly, close the doors and windows, and if necessary, open heating facilities appropriately to ensure relatively stable temperature. However, pay attention to not causing smoke or gas pollution in the breeding house during heating.
(6) Medication. The following formulas are available for diseased or suspicious centipedes:
① 0.5 grams of sulfamethazine, 0.6 grams of multienzyme tablets, and 200-300 grams of feed crushed and mixed. Feed once a day for three consecutive days.
② 2 grams of coptis powder, 1 multienzyme tablet, 5 grams of full-fat milk powder, dissolved in 100 milliliters of warm boiling water, mixed well, absorbed by a sponge, let centipedes suck, once a day for three consecutive days. Note that the sponge should be replaced every day. This treatment is mainly for small centipedes.
③ 0.25 grams of chloramphenicol, 0.5 grams of compound vitamins, and 300 grams of feed minced and mixed with the drug pressed into powder, and fed once a day for three consecutive days.
④ 0.5 grams of Fuke'an, pressed into powder, and 500 grams of feed minced and mixed evenly, fed once a day for two consecutive days.
2. Pharyngeal ulcer disease
This disease is a kind of centipede acute outbreak infectious disease recently discovered and first reported by experts such as Liang Jiaquan of Guangxi Agricultural University.
1. Causes of the disease
This disease is caused by an infection of the centipede by a bacterium called "copper green pseudomonas". This disease mostly occurs in hot seasons.
2. Symptoms of the disease
The main symptoms include inability to open and close the mouth, secretion of mucus flowing out of the mouth, inability to eat or swallow, mental decline, and eventual exhaustion and death.
3. Prevention and treatment
The prevention and treatment techniques for this disease are still under research, but strengthening centipede feeding management, improving environmental sanitation, and not feeding contaminated feed animals are effective measures to prevent this disease.
3. Acariasis
1. Causes of the disease
Acariasis is a kind of mite animal with a body length of less than 1 millimeter. When it parasitizes on the surface of centipedes, it causes centipede acariasis. In the hot and humid weather of summer, if the humidity in the breeding room or pool is too high, it is easy for acariasis to infest and reproduce in large numbers. At this time, if centipedes are in the process of molting or if there are young centipedes, because their skin is exposed and unprotected, it is easy for acariasis to parasitize. After parasitism, the mites feed on centipede body fluid and consume a large amount of nutrients, causing the centipedes to become thin, exhausted, and eventually die. At the same time, the mites produce toxins that irritate the centipedes, making them unable to perform normal feeding and drinking activities. At the same time, the mites bite through the centipede's skin, making it susceptible to secondary infections by pathogens. Therefore, when acariasis occurs, if not handled in a timely manner, it often leads to other diseases.
2. Symptoms of the disease
Centipedes infested with acariasis are extremely restless, often crawling alone aimlessly on the activity field or feed soil. Sometimes they try to lick their backs. Even when they are not crawling forward, some appendages still show a "scratching" motion. This phenomenon occurs first in centipedes that have just molted or young centipedes that were born that year. As the disease progresses, other centipedes also start to show symptoms, and the infected centipedes become thin, exhausted, and die. Sometimes, they die from secondary infections by other pathogens. Careful observation on the feed soil can reveal the presence of mite-like animals. The surface of the infected centipedes can also show the presence of mite-like animals, which are acariasis.
3. Prevention and treatment
There is no good drug for the treatment of this disease because drugs that can kill mites often harm centipedes. Therefore, control measures can only be taken from the management aspect. The following are some approaches:
(1) Ensure good ventilation and light, and carry out heat prevention and cooling in the breeding house to maintain a good breeding environment.
(2) Properly store miscellaneous items in the breeding room. Work clothes should be regularly washed, aired, and occasionally subjected to high-temperature treatment to kill mites or mite eggs that may be attached to them.
(3) If acariasis occurs, remove all the centipedes in the pool, remove the original feed soil, and spray the entire pool or house with acaricides such as dichlorvos and chlorfenapyr. Then close the breeding house for a period of time before resuming use.
(4) After removing the diseased centipedes, separate the centipedes in the molting period, newly molted centipedes, and suspicious centipedes from healthy centipedes, and place them in separate small basins. Place the basins intermittently in the sun to drive away mites. The sun exposure time should be about 30 minutes, with breaks every 30 minutes. After sun exposure, quickly pick up the centipedes and transfer them to another basin. After disinfecting the original basin, place it under a ultraviolet lamp for irradiation, which seems to have some effect.
(5) Place a partially dried pork bone, such as a bone with some meat left on it, in the feed soil or activity field during the day, and remove it every 2-3 hours. This method has a good trapping and killing effect. However, this method cannot be used for the prevention of non-infected centipedes, otherwise there is a risk of turning cleverness into foolishness.
4. Parasitic nematode disease
Nematodes commonly parasitic in the intestines of centipedes are also called wireworms. This disease mainly comes from feed animals carrying the worms. The worms parasitize in the digestive tract of centipedes and even penetrate through the intestinal wall, forming a wire-like shape outside the intestine, hence the name. The worms feed on centipede body fluid, causing a large amount of nutrient loss for centipedes, thereby hindering their normal growth and resulting in small and thin centipedes. Although this disease does not occur explosively and does not cause extensive harm to centipede breeding, with the increasing requirements for animal product quality, this disease may become a factor affecting the quality of centipede products. Prevention and treatment of this disease mainly involve reducing or not feeding insects such as grasshoppers and locusts, and using juicy feed such as earthworms and tadpoles, while ensuring that drinking water is not contaminated by insects. When nematodes are frequently found in centipede populations, 0.1 grams of Diethylcarbamazine can be crushed and mixed with 5 grams of whole-fat milk powder dissolved in 100 milliliters of hot water, and then absorbed by a sponge for centipedes to suck and expel the parasitic worms.
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