Interesting Scolopendra Dehaani escape story

[Tsantsa]

I'm pretty new here on the board and haven't posted anything, but just wanted to share what happened today.

I have a juvenile Scolopendra dehaani. I was sitting on the couch in my living room and see what looks like a centipede laying motionless on the floor by the patio door. I go over, thinking it was probably a leaf, and there is the centipede laying there kind of pale and barely moving. I figured it must have found a way out of the enclosure and was making a break for it.

So I get the enclosure and pick up the pede with tweezers and it wiggled around some. So I put it back in the enclosure and mist it with some water and tried to get it to drink. It slowly quit moving its legs and I figured it was most likely dead. But I put it back up on the shelf to give it some time. I looked in at it 10 minutes later, and it wasn't in the spot on the cork bark that I left it. Then I saw my dehaani wiggling around like nothing happened, color good and everything. I looked closer and it was carrying along the dead centipede that I put in with it and starting to eat it.

I figure the dead one is probably a juvenile Scolopendra polymorpha that sneaked into the house and possibly got stepped on or attacked by my dog.

 

[chanda]

I'm pretty new here on the board and haven't posted anything, but just wanted to share what happened today.

I have a juvenile Scolopendra Dehaani. I was sitting on the couch in my living room and see what looks like a centipede laying motionless on the floor by the patio door. I go over, thinking it was probably a leaf, and there is the centipede laying there kind of pale and barely moving. I figured it must have found a way out of the enclosure and was making a break for it.

So I get the enclosure and pick up the pede with tweezers and it wiggled around some. So I put it back in the enclosure and mist it with some water and tried to get it to drink. It slowly quit moving its legs and I figured it was most likely dead. But I put it back up on the shelf to give it some time. I looked in at it 10 minutes later, and it wasn't in the spot on the cork bark that I left it. Then I saw my Dehaani wiggling around like nothing happened, color good and everything. I looked closer and it was carrying along the dead centipede that I put in with it and starting to eat it.

I figure the dead one is probably a juvenile Scolopendra Polymorpha that sneaked into the house and possibly got stepped on or attacked by my dog.

I sincerely hope that the dead one you dropped in had not succumbed to pesticides! Otherwise, you may end up with two dead centipedes.

Unfortunately, the scenario you describe does sound like the centipede could have been poisoned. It is virtually impossible to accidentally (or even intentionally) step on a healthy centipede because they are very well aware of what is going on around them - and very fast. When the dog or cat gets ahold of anything, they tend to cause a fair amount of visible damage.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Funny story

Love your username, btw: I love shrunken heads

 

[Greasylake]

I have a dehaani that briefly escaped during a feeding. I chased it up my curtains and it took a tumble, then it ran back up and I managed to cup it the second time. I put it in the enclosure and it was writhing around like it had completely lost control of its body, knotting itself up and flipping onto it's back then back onto its legs and then rolling over again. I went to sleep, woke up the next day and found it on top of its cork bark grooming, shes still perfectly fine. Pedes are weird.

 

[Tsantsa]

I sincerely hope that the dead one you dropped in had not succumbed to pesticides! Otherwise, you may end up with two dead centipedes.

Unfortunately, the scenario you describe does sound like the centipede could have been poisoned. It is virtually impossible to accidentally (or even intentionally) step on a healthy centipede because they are very well aware of what is going on around them - and very fast. When the dog or cat gets ahold of anything, they tend to cause a fair amount of visible damage.

Yikes, good point! Just removed the remainder of the dead one, only the head was eaten so far, so hopefully mine will be fine. Tried giving it a cricket in exchange, but it didn't want any part of it. Scurried away from the cricket several times before disappearing under the cork bark. Gave the cricket to my scorpion (Centruroides sculpturatus) who gladly grabbed it. Thanks for the heads up

Funny story

Love your username, btw: I love shrunken heads

Hehe thanks, yeah they are awesome

I have a dehaani that briefly escaped during a feeding. I chased it up my curtains and it took a tumble, then it ran back up and I managed to cup it the second time. I put it in the enclosure and it was writhing around like it had completely lost control of its body, knotting itself up and flipping onto it's back then back onto its legs and then rolling over again. I went to sleep, woke up the next day and found it on top of its cork bark grooming, shes still perfectly fine. Pedes are weird.

LOL yeah they are. I don't have much context, as this is my first pede, but definitely skittish and unpredictable.

 

[the league of shadows]

I have a dehaani that briefly escaped during a feeding. I chased it up my curtains and it took a tumble, then it ran back up and I managed to cup it the second time. I put it in the enclosure and it was writhing around like it had completely lost control of its body, knotting itself up and flipping onto it's back then back onto its legs and then rolling over again. I went to sleep, woke up the next day and found it on top of its cork bark grooming, shes still perfectly fine. Pedes are weird.

Agree pedes are very weird at times.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Hehe thanks, yeah they are awesome

Yes!

Here's one of mine, Morgan Freeman 'rasta' shrunken head, ah ah.

 

[Ratmosphere]

Great story! Hahaha. Chris, awesome shrunken head bro.

 

[the league of shadows]

Yes!

Here's one of mine, Morgan Freeman 'rasta' shrunken head, ah ah.

View attachment 286438

View attachment 286439

Morgan freeman?

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Morgan freeman?

Ah ah, because IMO looks (sorta) like old good Morgan

 

[Scoly]

It is virtually impossible to accidentally (or even intentionally) step on a healthy centipede because they are very well aware of what is going on around them - and very fast.

Unfortunately that's not true. I have a friend who accidentally stepped backwards onto his viridicornis that got out during maintenance, and killed it. It wasn't a small specimen either!

Centipedes actually have very little awareness of what's above them, you can have your hand hovering an inch or two above it and it won't even know it's there (which is why it's important to touch the antennae when you go to stroke them - if that's your thing).

 

[Greasylake]

Centipedes actually have very little awareness

I've seen this many times while feeding. I can hold a cricket an inch above them, and they don't react, but as soon as it hits the substrate they lunge for it.