Centipede Question

[Codename Colorado]

Hey guys, havent posted in a while. I have an opportunity to buy a Vietnamese centipede, but the guy at the exotics store is telling me some things that are kind of sketchy. I have never owned one, and he is telling me that they are very aggressive and will go after you in a heartbeat. He's also telling me they are escape artists and can put me in the hospital with a bite. I need some input as to whether I should buy this guy or not.

 

[ignithium]

Hey guys, havent posted in a while. I have an opportunity to buy a Vietnamese centipede, but the guy at the exotics store is telling me some things that are kind of sketchy. I have never owned one, and he is telling me that they are very aggressive and will go after you in a heartbeat. He's also telling me they are escape artists and can put me in the hospital with a bite. I need some input as to whether I should buy this guy or not.

I don't know about aggressive but they are pretty fast and curious and they won't hesitate to bite. The venom is pretty bad, it wont most likely wont kill you but people have compared the pain to a gunshot wound. If you keep it in a locking container and use tongs to feed you wont have an issue.

 

[Codename Colorado]

I don't know about aggressive but they are pretty fast and curious and they won't hesitate to bite. The venom is pretty bad, it wont most likely wont kill you but people have compared the pain to a gunshot wound. If you keep it in a locking container and use tongs to feed you wont have an issue.

Cool, thanks for the input. What kind of substrate and climate do they like? I live in Colorado and it gets pretty dry.

 

[mantisfan101]

Moist sub works well but as states before, keep it in an absolutely escape proof enclosure. Tall sterilite bins with locking lids and some small holes burned in for ventilation would work best, skip “aesthetic” or “display” enclosures with this one. The bite’s not gonna kill you but it is going to hurt a lot. Practicing caution and common sense(don’t pick it up, use tongs, transport them with a tall container, have multiple catch cups and work in an open, uncluttered area) will be the best thinf you can do

 

[Bill S]

There's never "only one correct way" to do anything, so with that in mind I'll offer another idea or two.

As stated in comments above - don't pick it up. They are not aggressive, but will defend themselves very readily. And even if you get one calm enough to let you handle it, it might mistake the scent of something on your hand for food (they are scavengers in nature as much as they are predators).

But there are times when you will need to transfer it from one place to another. I never use tongs. Too high a risk of accidentally inflicting damage to the animal. Instead, I use cardboard tubes capped at one end, with another cap to close the entrance to the tube once the centipede is in it. It's fast and easy - centipedes readily run into the tube as a safe shelter. When you want to put them back into their cage, or in a new cage, just a gentle shake or two will deposit the centipede where you want it.

I prefer at least a token gesture to aesthetically pleasing cages, and two of the S. dehaani I keep are in ten gallon terrariums set up to look fairly nice and natural. (Since they can be "pet holes" much of the time, I figure at least the cage should be pleasant to look at.) For a medium I use a mix of coco fiber and sphagnum, usually some dead leaves that start out on the surface but get gradually mixed into the medium. The medium should be fairly deep, and for S. dehaani more damp/humid than for some other species. If the cage is big enough, you can make one end wetter than the other and let the centipede choose its comfort zone.

I live in Arizona, so dryness can be an issue. I keep a fairly large water dish in the cages (usually the lid of a peanut butter jar) and pay attention to the dampness of the substrate. In the summer my "bug room" gets up to around 80 degrees, in the winter down to the low 60s. The centipedes are more active between 70 and 80.

Variety in their diet is good. I alternate between live food (crickets) and Gerber's baby food (chicken). Baby food can be nutritionally boosted with a light dusting of crumbled flake fish food.

 

[NYAN]

These are not the best beginner species in my opinion. A majority of what the pet store guy said is fairly accurate. They are indeed escape artists and do indeed have a very painful bite. The only thing I disagree on is him describing them as being bloodthirsty and out to get you. This is simply not the case.

 

[Codename Colorado]

There's never "only one correct way" to do anything, so with that in mind I'll offer another idea or two.

As stated in comments above - don't pick it up. They are not aggressive, but will defend themselves very readily. And even if you get one calm enough to let you handle it, it might mistake the scent of something on your hand for food (they are scavengers in nature as much as they are predators).

But there are times when you will need to transfer it from one place to another. I never use tongs. Too high a risk of accidentally inflicting damage to the animal. Instead, I use cardboard tubes capped at one end, with another cap to close the entrance to the tube once the centipede is in it. It's fast and easy - centipedes readily run into the tube as a safe shelter. When you want to put them back into their cage, or in a new cage, just a gentle shake or two will deposit the centipede where you want it.

I prefer at least a token gesture to aesthetically pleasing cages, and two of the S. dehaani I keep are in ten gallon terrariums set up to look fairly nice and natural. (Since they can be "pet holes" much of the time, I figure at least the cage should be pleasant to look at.) For a medium I use a mix of coco fiber and sphagnum, usually some dead leaves that start out on the surface but get gradually mixed into the medium. The medium should be fairly deep, and for S. dehaani more damp/humid than for some other species. If the cage is big enough, you can make one end wetter than the other and let the centipede choose its comfort zone.

I live in Arizona, so dryness can be an issue. I keep a fairly large water dish in the cages (usually the lid of a peanut butter jar) and pay attention to the dampness of the substrate. In the summer my "bug room" gets up to around 80 degrees, in the winter down to the low 60s. The centipedes are more active between 70 and 80.

Variety in their diet is good. I alternate between live food (crickets) and Gerber's baby food (chicken). Baby food can be nutritionally boosted with a light dusting of crumbled flake fish food.

Thanks, much appreciated. I think Im gonna go ahead and get it while have the chance.

 

[Bill S]

Thanks, much appreciated. I think Im gonna go ahead and get it while have the chance.

Other than briefly keeping a couple of our local centipedes (S. heros), S. dehaani was my first. I'd had an extensive background with venomous reptiles, so I knew how to be careful around such animals, but I have to say that the centipede was easier than I'd anticipated. And it led to many more centipedes.

For whatever it's worth, I'm attaching a pic of a cage I've got set up for S. heros. The cages I have for a couple of my S. dehaani is the same, but not as dry.

 

[StampFan]

Other than briefly keeping a couple of our local centipedes (S. heros), S. dehaani was my first. I'd had an extensive background with venomous reptiles, so I knew how to be careful around such animals, but I have to say that the centipede was easier than I'd anticipated. And it led to many more centipedes.

For whatever it's worth, I'm attaching a pic of a cage I've got set up for S. heros. The cages I have for a couple of my S. dehaani is the same, but not as dry.

What is it eating in the picture?

 

[Bill S]

What is it eating in the picture?

Gerber's Baby Food in a bottle cap from a gallon water bottle. I've heard speculation that a steady diet of crickets will turn the orange colors of a S. heros brown after a while, and I suspect that's true. But this guy has been in this cage for maybe two years, and a Critter Keeper for a while before that, and has kept is coloration fairly well. His diet consists of baby food and crickets.

 

[StampFan]

Gerber's Baby Food in a bottle cap from a gallon water bottle. I've heard speculation that a steady diet of crickets will turn the orange colors of a S. heros brown after a while, and I suspect that's true. But this guy has been in this cage for maybe two years, and a Critter Keeper for a while before that, and has kept is coloration fairly well. His diet consists of baby food and crickets.

I've tried Repashy with mine before once or twice, they ate it. Haven't tried the baby food though.....

 

[Bill S]

I've tried Repashy with mine before once or twice, they ate it. Haven't tried the baby food though.....

Some of mine prefer it to crickets. If I put crickets in a cage and they're still there two days later, I offer baby food. It's common to find the baby food gone the next day and the cricket still there.

 

[Ratmosphere]

I'd just get it man. Just make sure you set up an escape proof enclosure because they try every way possible to get out.

 

[mellow]

The bite does hurt, and yeah maybe it could send you to the hospital but even a bee sting could send you to the hospital if you react badly to the venom, they are fast and do bite but don't let that scare you! They are a very cool bug to keep!