Dendrostreptus macracanthus as food?

[formica]

Came across some of these cheap, wondering if they would be a good food for a Sav? They are African, although they squirt a noxious fluid when they are startled, or being eaten, dont know if its something that will annoy/hurt Savs?

Will start breeding them if not!

[murrindindi]

Hi, Daniel Bennett recommends feeding only Archispirostreptus gigas (Giant African millipede) to captive Savannah monitors (pers. commun.).

[formica]

did he say why?

according to this:

Originally Posted by http://www.waza.org/en/zoo/pick-a-picture/varanus-exanthematicus-albigularis

Savannah monitors have evolved a way to eat poisonous millipeds: The lizard rubs its chin on the millipede for up to fifteen minutes before eating it. It is believed to do this to make the millipede excrete the distasteful fluid in its defense and then it will eat it when the supply of this fluid is exhausted.

...they know how to deal with millipedes, and it doesnt appear to suggest that Savs have any more tolerance towards giant africans than other african species


perhaps Daniel was saying that he cant recommend it, because he doesn't have an answer? rather than, they are known to be an issue?

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by formica

did he say why?

according to this:



...they know how to deal with millipedes, and it doesnt appear to suggest that Savs have any more tolerance towards giant africans than other african species


perhaps Daniel was saying that he cant recommend it, because he doesn't have an answer? rather than, they are known to be an issue?

Because they "normally" prey and A. gigas they may well be tolerant to some extent to the secretions. Daniel mentioned to me that he recommends feeding only that species to captives (I`ll take his word for it), if you want clarification, drop him an email, I`m sure he`ll be happy to elaborate.

[formica]

might do, tbh i think the answer is ''we dont know''.


cant find the chemical makeup of their secretions anywhere, or infact for any millipede except the few that secrete cyanide

[formica]

found this...

(link) paper is called "Composition of the defensive secretion of the Neotropical millipede
Rhinocricus padbergi Verhoeff 1938 (Diplopoda: Spirobolida: Rhinocricidae)"

also outlines chemical make up of other species..

...benzoquinones by the species of the
orders Julida, Spirobolida, and Spirostreptida...

both dendrostreptus and Archispirostreptus, are the same family; Spirostreptida

the truely toxic millipedes...

...hydrogen cyanide, cyanogenic compounds and
nitroalkenes by the Polydesmida; and terpenoids by
the Colobognatha...

Savs are well known in Tanzania and Kenya, where dendrostreptus is found. cant find anything to be of concern regarding this sepecies, yet