# Centipede escapes



## P. Novak (Jan 30, 2007)

I forgot to post this, but two days ago my 20+cm Scolopendra subspinipes "mau chau" escaped it's cage while I was at the movies watching Smokin' Aces(which a great movie BTW). Anyways, the way I found out it escaped is on the ride home my dad told me that my centipede escaped. Now at first I thought he was kidding, but then I realized he wasn't! I was like s**t! He told me he caught it and put it in a tubberware. I am so lucky I have parents that respect my love for these creatures and hobby; didn't just try to kill it or anything. Just thought I'd share, anyone have any other centipede escape stories.

Oh and the centipede is now residing in a new tank which it definetly can't escape now.


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## KyuZo (Jan 30, 2007)

Yes, i have a story as well.  One of my S. polymorpha escaped sometime during the day.  I realized when i was about to feed it.  So i closed my door that night and stuffed the bottom with two shirts make sure that there is no crack at the bottom of the door so it can't get out of my room.  So i threw a few shirt around on the floor.  That night the centipede was out and about to do whatever it does in my room.  The next morning i lift up all the shirts to check for it and sure enough i found it under one of the shirts.


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## spinnekop (Jan 30, 2007)

I think many pede keepers experienced an escape. Scolo's are escape experts. One's I had a gigantea who lifted up the plastic cover of it's enclosure (faunabox). The cages were located in my bedroom but even after a very thorough searcht I couldn't find it back. 2 weeks later, while watching TV at night we saw it crawling on the curten of our front window in the living room. I catched it and I was screaming from happiness.
Since then, all my pede eclosures are firmly locked


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## cacoseraph (Jan 30, 2007)

hmm, let me think

i had a baby S. polymorpha escape into my jacket not too long ago

i had like ~30 baby S. morsitans escape into my room. i eventually recaptured something like 7-10 of them.

i don't think i've had any big ones escape on me before. i generally use screw top jars which are pretty hard for the cents to get out of.


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## SouthernStyle (Jan 30, 2007)

spinnekop said:


> I think many pede keepers experienced an escape.


THAT Might be an understatement! I had my Hong Kong deceide to get out after my Fiance' had traveled almost 2+ hours to bring it to me at the Sheriff's Office I work for, only to find out that the little thing had escaped about 4 hours before! It took almost 2 days to find her (once my Fiance' got back to her house up north) and it wasn't even her that found the pede...one of our Dogs actucally did, she was barking at it while it scampered across the floor...My Fiance' picked it up with a Shoe (surely I thought she was going to squash it) and put it in a Locking tuperware container until I got there about a day later....GOTTA HATE when that stuff happens!


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## Mr. Mordax (Jan 30, 2007)

I had a baby cherry-red and baby Hong Kong get out once (at different times).  Luckily for me, I keep all my babies' containers within a locking 10-gallon.  The Hong Kong was hiding in the deli cup I brought him home in, and the cherry-red found the crevice underneath her KK.

The Hong Kong also _almost_ escaped the first time I fed it.  I put a 2I or so hissing roach in its deli cup -- but the roach startled him and he leapt out.  He ran to the edge of the big tank he was on and just stopped, so I managed to sandwich him between the lid and cup.

Still gave me a massive adrenaline rush (even though he was less than two inches long .


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## Galapoheros (Jan 30, 2007)

Well I'm 43 now and discovered the larger centipedes in the mid eighties while I was on a field trip looking for w tx herps.  But while I was younger living at home, I kept herps and arthropods off and on since I can remember.  My dad was practically married to his career so, I don't know if he considered it much but they were both real cool about it.  Every time something did get out, my mom would help me look for it.  She was real good at finding stuff.  I always knew when she found what got out because she would scream and then say, "I found it!"  I did buy an Emp when I was a teenager.  They were about $30 back then in the 70's.  My dad didn't like the scorpion.  He kept saying, "..what if it got out.  ..what if it got out..."  Kind of bugaphobic but both still let me keep those kinds of things.  I have a bunch of stories.  The one I remember the most was when I caught a Scolopendra heros in the early 90's I think.  It got out in the apartment I was in.  Two days later, I was asleep and felt this thing run across my thigh in the middle of the night.  There was no need to casually look under the covers to see what it was.  I went from REM sleep to RBM(Rapid Body Movement) awake real fast and recovered the pede!  That was a good feeling because, even though they are common out in w tx, they are not easy to find.  About 2 years ago, I had another big S. h. heros get out and found it 3 days later when I got in the shower.  It poked it's head out of the drain.  Then I had a giant S. h. castaneiceps that has a head to last tergite length of 9 1/2" get out!  I was real sad to find it loose.  It's amazing looking to me.  Two months later, I get up in the morning and there it is walking towards me on the rug....YeeeHawww!  I was glad to find it again.  It was fatter and healthier looking than when it got out!  I still have it and hoping for babies in the Spring from that one.  I've had many more get out.  Found some, never found others.  Last year, I was watching TV and a big 6 to 7 inch S. h. castaneiceps walked on the rug in front of me.  I thought, "Dadgumit!..how'd you get out and which one are you?"  Turned out, it was a wild one that came in the house!  I'd never seen one in my yard the whole 11 years I've been here.  That was weird.  Then it got out.  Then, a few days later, I found that same one outside next to my house in the middle of the day!  A cat was watching it.  I know it was the same one.  It had a certain color and look to it.  But I let it get into a hole in the rock on my house.  Then there were a bunch of times when I'd just see them on the rug and put them back.


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## RottweilExpress (Jan 31, 2007)

*Huuhh* This morning I dreamt that my 7" Scolo escaped and was one tough ***** to catch again.


And one of my 4" De Haani's escaped and was gone for 1½ month, happiness ensued as it scuttled across the floor when I was making coffee.


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## Daniel Edwards (Mar 10, 2018)

Last night my African tiger (genus forgotten... The E word). Dug it up to make sure it was ok during feeding. Bolted out and into my pajamas. I stripped.... It vanished! 


P. Novak said:


> I forgot to post this, but two days ago my 20+cm Scolopendra subspinipes "mau chau" escaped it's cage while I was at the movies watching Smokin' Aces(which a great movie BTW). Anyways, the way I found out it escaped is on the ride home my dad told me that my centipede escaped. Now at first I thought he was kidding, but then I realized he wasn't! I was like s**t! He told me he caught it and put it in a tubberware. I am so lucky I have parents that respect my love for these creatures and hobby; didn't just try to kill it or anything. Just thought I'd share, anyone have any other centipede escape stories.
> 
> Oh and the centipede is now residing in a new tank which it definetly can't escape now.


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## Chris LXXIX (Mar 10, 2018)

Daniel Edwards said:


> Last night my African tiger (genus forgotten... The E word). Dug it up to make sure it was ok during feeding. Bolted out and into my pajamas. I stripped.... It vanished!


My advice is this:

1) Your Pajama Party probably was boring as hell, no wonder that the 'pede disappeared  

2) Use the search function outside the virtual world. Search every corner, under furniture, dark spots etc


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## Daniel Edwards (Mar 10, 2018)

Chris LXXIX said:


> My advice is this:
> 
> 1) Your Pajama Party probably was boring as hell, no wonder that the 'pede disappeared
> 
> 2) Use the search function outside the virtual world. Search every corner, under furniture, dark spots etc


Oh yea tore the room apart! Late night is my wind down time to feed the bugs. Was hard to explain my situation when seen flipping furniture and shaking out my drawers!


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## LawnShrimp (Mar 11, 2018)

Daniel Edwards said:


> Last night my African tiger (genus forgotten... The E word). Dug it up to make sure it was ok during feeding. Bolted out and into my pajamas. I stripped.... It vanished!


That's a bloody shame. I haven't seen a tiger Ethmostigmus in the US ever. Hope you find it. Laying out a wet towel or other moist hiding spot might coax him out.


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## Daniel Edwards (Mar 11, 2018)

LawnShrimp said:


> That's a bloody shame. I haven't seen a tiger Ethmostigmus in the US ever. Hope you find it. Laying out a wet towel or other moist hiding spot might coax him out.


It was IDd here on the boards. Imported and sold to me by the guys at Outback Reptiles at the Hamburg PA reptile show. Yea I'm super sad about it. The cage was too shallow. It bolted.


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