# Centipede Visibility question



## CelticKitsune (Nov 26, 2011)

Hi!

When I obtain my centipede, my biggest anxiety is that it will stay hidden 98% of the time. I've hear that Sc. alternans, while better natured and calmer than most Scolopendra species, is exactly like that. How can I avoid just seeing it once when I put the thing in its terrarium, and once again when it comes to the surface to die a few years later? Which giant species are pretty, readily available and least likely to either hide all the time or have an exceptionally nasty attitude?


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## LV-426 (Nov 27, 2011)

CelticKitsune said:


> Hi!
> 
> When I obtain my centipede, my biggest anxiety is that it will stay hidden 98% of the time. I've hear that Sc. alternans, while better natured and calmer than most Scolopendra species, is exactly like that. How can I avoid just seeing it once when I put the thing in its terrarium, and once again when it comes to the surface to die a few years later? Which giant species are pretty, readily available and least likely to either hide all the time or have an exceptionally nasty attitude?


I have a S. alternans and I haven't seen it above ground in a month, and it hasn't eaten in about a month also. This is my only pede so I really can't give advice on other species


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## Gnat (Nov 27, 2011)

I have a S. polymorpha that i only see when i look for it. I previously had an adult S. subspinipes that liked to burrow a bit but was often visible. If you are in to small centipedes i would recommend Scolopocryptops spinicaudus, the 2 I had were visible quite often, they are small and hard to get but are out often


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## satchellwk (Nov 27, 2011)

My subspinipes Vietnamese likes to chill out on the surface a lot, as long as the ambient light isn't too bright and no one is messing with the terrarium. Mine is also pretty calm, however, I hear that this is not the case with many  others, and that, for the most part, they can be pretty ornery.


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## xhexdx (Nov 27, 2011)

If your main concern is that you will not see it because it's doing what it's _supposed_ to be doing, I would suggest getting something like a dog, cat, bird, or rat.


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## alexi (Nov 27, 2011)

xhexdx said:


> If your main concern is that you will not see it because it's doing what it's _supposed_ to be doing, I would suggest getting something like a dog, cat, bird, or rat.


I think the question is are all pedes supposed to be hidden 98% of the time


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## xhexdx (Nov 27, 2011)

alexi said:


> I think the question is are all pedes supposed to be hidden 98% of the time


Hmm...I thought these were the questions:



CelticKitsune said:


> How can I avoid just seeing it once when I put the thing in its terrarium, and once again when it comes to the surface to die a few years later? Which giant species are pretty, readily available and least likely to either hide all the time or have an exceptionally nasty attitude?


...


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## Hendersoniana (Nov 27, 2011)

Well, this wont make them come out often, but if you're up at night, get the red light and observe them, they might be out.

But xhexdx is right, it is supposed to be hiding, not entertaining you or any pede keepers for that matter!


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## CelticKitsune (Nov 27, 2011)

But these ARE pets, Hendersoniana, and a pet is something that I think at least some people would like to observe and appreciate once in awhile...that's part of having a pet, entertainment on some level, unless you're breeding them and selling them for profit. Especially if you're not breeding endangered species to replenish a population or rehabbing them to return to their ecosystem. Otherwise you just paid a lot of money for a creature where you merely have the intellectual knowledge that you have it in your possession. And it could do the same thing in the jungle or desert from which it was most likely caught, and serve more of a purpose while doing it :^)  Some might disagree with me, and sometimes it's enough for some individuals to collect a type of animal and just know it's in its tank somewhere - that's fine, because these animals mean something different to everyone. Heck, I've kept every animal under the sun, and dogs, cats and rats aren't the only animals that are able to be observed as pets...I think Darkling beetles, crayfish, snakes, geckoes, some species of fish, mantids, etc etc also make good observable pets 

Just...for me, a pet has value if it can be observed and appreciated, because, illusions aside, people keep "pets" mainly for human benefit, not mainly for the benefit of the animal (even if the animal is kept especially well and gets whatever it needs to live for many years). Or, if it's not a pet and can't be observed, it's kept for the benefit of the species or the animal itself, to replenish the species or to be rehabbed for release or given sanctuary from abuse. It might be different for you or the next guy, but that's my opinion.

That said, Arachnoboards has been a great source of information in my research. Looking over the Myriapods forum and the Bite reports forum for many hours, I've come to the conclusion that it would probably be quite irresponsible of me to get a giant centipede, for independent undergrad study or otherwise. Giant centipedes seem to be a poor choice if I'm looking for an arthropod that I can observe and document as a subject of study. Escapes seem quite common even for experienced keepers, and a portion of bites seem to end in the ER. Not only do I not have health insurance, but I also live with two other people. That wouldn't be fair.

Thanks a million, guys! You prevented one of these beatsies from ending up in the wrong home, and I couldn't thank you more for that. Bravo!


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## catfishrod69 (Nov 27, 2011)

i see both of my centipedes alot.my dehaani burrows under his water dish, but also comes out alot....and the waterdish is clear, so i can see him anyways..and my blue ring leg usually hides under some fake plants...but also comes out alot....you should try a trap door spider....i almost got rid of mine, but since they require almost no attention, why not keep em...they are the cactus of spider world.....


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## Ran (Nov 27, 2011)

Back in the mid 90's my gigantea would appear from their burrows at dusk...recently my Thai redhead would do the same if dark enough. If given a good size burrow, kept warm/moist they should have a good appetite and will forage at nite


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## Elytra and Antenna (Nov 27, 2011)

I see my _Scolopendra alternans _every single day. I don't drown them in a lot of substrate. If someone is the type of person who barely checks on their animals and can't be bothered to keep the substrate adequately damp then tons of substrate is a good idea.

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xhexdx said:


> If your main concern is that you will not see it because it's doing what it's _supposed_ to be doing, I would suggest getting something like a dog, cat, bird, or rat.


 I've seen plenty of movies where your 'pet' animals banded together and killed everyone (except for cats, they just steal the souls of babies). I'll stick with the centipedes.


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## Hendersoniana (Nov 27, 2011)

Well you are right, i keep these as pets and as enjoyment of caring for them. If u really want to see it more often, you could bury a hide (eg a pot or smth) along the tank sides and if it takes refuge in there, you could see it everyday. Thats what i did with my burrowing scorpions and S Morsitans. But aside from that, one of my pede comes out evry single night to hunt but has now gone into hiding cos its in premolt. One species u should avoid is rhysids longipes, i have never seen mine before, i only dig it out to photograph it and never see it again! Good luck choosing ur pedes! If ur looking into big pedes like subspinnipes deehani or somethin else, just get a tank with a strong lid and it shouldnt escape.


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## lizardminion (Nov 28, 2011)

Eh, to me, a pet is not something you'll see 24-7. A pet is an animal that you enjoy caring for and having ownership for it etc etc. I'd also suggest you'd get a millipede instead of a centipede, since they tend to be surfaced more often. Alternatively, don't fill up half the terrarium with substrate. Dogs have dog-houses.  Don't you think a c-pede would need it's own den?



xhexdx said:


> If your main concern is that you will not see it because it's doing what it's _supposed_ to be doing, I would suggest getting something like a dog, cat, bird, or rat.


Oh gee, how original. As if anyone who had the mindset to join this site would enjoy having a stinking filthy rat over a tarantula, or a bird who won't STFU instead of the perfect assasin's pet(scorpion). And who doesn't already have a dog or cat?
C'mon, we all love our exotic arthropods! It shows how *coughnerdycough* cool we are.


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## TexasT (Dec 5, 2011)

Ryan the Roach Guy said:


> Eh, to me, a pet is not something you'll see 24-7. A pet is an animal that you enjoy caring for and having ownership for it etc etc. I'd also suggest you'd get a millipede instead of a centipede, since they tend to be surfaced more often. Alternatively, don't fill up half the terrarium with substrate. Dogs have dog-houses.  Don't you think a c-pede would need it's own den?
> 
> 
> Oh gee, how original. As if anyone who had the mindset to join this site would enjoy having a stinking filthy rat over a tarantula, or a bird who won't STFU instead of the perfect assasin's pet(scorpion). And who doesn't already have a dog or cat?
> C'mon, we all love our exotic arthropods! It shows how *coughnerdycough* cool we are.


I agree with your definition of what a "pet" is but I'm going to have to disagree with your statement about "stinking filthy rats".  Domesticated pet rats are actually very clean animals who constantly groom themselves.  The only reason for them to be stinking and filthy is if you're not cleaning their cage and letting the waste build up--obviously that IS going to stink after awhile.  Many can also be trained to use a litter box both inside and outside of their cage.  I've had rats for years now and they are probably my favorite pet (and I've had a lot of different animals).  You're obviously entitled to your own opinion, just felt the need to stick up for my little rodent friends lol.


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## David Burns (Dec 5, 2011)

Get 10 specimens of different species.  Then you have more chances at interaction.  If you're still bored, buy 10 more.


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## Introvertebrate (Dec 5, 2011)

It would be nice if it came out to feed at least.  You only see trapdoor spiders for a fraction of a second when they grab their meal, but its still worth it.


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## KyuZo (Dec 5, 2011)

David Burns said:


> Get 10 specimens of different species.  Then you have more chances at interaction.  If you're still bored, buy 10 more.


i have only read a little of what this thread is about, i think that it deals with the concern of not seeing your pedes, correct?  well, what David Burns said is correct if you have more species to play with then you will almost always see someone out and about (if you can find them available to buy at an affordable price that is). 

also, if you keep an inch or 1.5" of substrate like what E&A said and just give it a hide to stay under then you are guaranteed to always know where it is (this doesn't apply if your pede escapes).  

also, i'm raising some S. alternans up from since they were about 3/4" of an inch and they are not as calm from my personal experience.  the 6.5" female that i just got seems to be calm tho.  maybe they're only calm as they get bigger, i don't know.  

i would recommend any of the S. heros subspecies.


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## Galapoheros (Dec 6, 2011)

I didn't read it all either but touched on the "pet" issue a little.  I try to rely on my imagination more than on words, it can be hard to do imo.  Words come from trying to express the imagination but words can throw us off in debate when really, it only comes to semantics.  To me, every arthropod is not a pet, it's a terrarium animal to keep out of interest.  A pet is much closer to something you can "pet" imo, the origin of the word, "chicken or the egg first", I don't know but I see arthropods as more of a hobbyist lab animal more than a pet.  lol it's interesting to see people say, "You have spiders, blablabla, as pets?!"  I want to say, "No, try to understand, they are a curiosity, they are not 'pets' at all to me!!"  They try to define life with words, words society has defined for us and we have a hard time thinking about it independently, I think anyway.

Reactions: Like 1


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## pavel (Dec 6, 2011)

CelticKitsune said:


> Just...for me, a pet has value if it can be observed and appreciated, because, illusions aside, people keep "pets" mainly for human benefit, not mainly for the benefit of the animal (even if the animal is kept especially well and gets whatever it needs to live for many years). Or, if it's not a pet and can't be observed, it's kept for the benefit of the species or the animal itself, to replenish the species or to be rehabbed for release or given sanctuary from abuse. It might be different for you or the next guy, but that's my opinion.


And you are entitled to your opinion.  Based on your "pet" criteria -- as you have deduced -- a centipede would not be a good choice of a pet for you.


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## ArachnidSentinl (Dec 7, 2011)

I generally keep my S. subspinipes in a glass, 5 gallon tank with about six inches of substrate, a piece of driftwood, and few plastic plants. When she's in this enclosure, she seems to remain visible about 70% of the time. When I later moved her to a ~5 gallon tupperware bin as a temp enclosure for a move, I found that she rarely, if ever, remained on the surface.  This leads me to believe that it's all about minimizing stress and providing a "comfortable" environment for the animal.

I've also found that the higher the temperature, the more active and visible my centipede is (this is just common sense, rly).

Of course, the caveat here is that I only have this one 'pede and my observation is entirely based on one animal.



TexasT said:


> Domesticated pet rats are actually very clean animals who constantly groom themselves.


I love my four rats dearly and would never trade them for anything. I'm also the first to advocate for domestic rats as pets. I agree that, in theory, they're very clean animals...however I think that depends on the rat. As fuzzy and sweet and my four boys are, they're nasty as all hell


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## KyuZo (Dec 7, 2011)

sgiath said:


> I generally keep my S. subspinipes in a glass, 5 gallon tank with about six inches of substrate, a piece of driftwood, and few plastic plants. When she's in this enclosure, she seems to remain visible about 70% of the time. When I later moved her to a ~5 gallon tupperware bin as a temp enclosure for a move, I found that she rarely, if ever, remained on the surface.  This leads me to believe that it's all about minimizing stress and providing a "comfortable" environment for the animal.
> 
> I've also found that the higher the temperature, the more active and visible my centipede is (this is just common sense, rly).
> 
> Of course, the caveat here is that I only have this one 'pede and my observation is entirely based on one animal.


this could also mean that because your centipede was visible and surfaced too often that it got caught by you and now is more fearful and chooses to stay in the soil and out of view where it feels safer


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## zonbonzovi (Dec 7, 2011)

sgiath said:


> I've also found that the higher the temperature, the more active and visible my centipede is (this is just common sense, rly).


Do be careful with heat.  Even though many of our centipedes come from hot climates, exceptional heat seems to be a factor in early demise.


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## xStainD (Dec 11, 2011)

xhexdx said:


> If your main concern is that you will not see it because it's doing what it's _supposed_ to be doing, I would suggest getting something like a dog, cat, bird, or rat.


Great job coming into a thread and making the OP feel like an idiot while sharing no relevant information. Is it really that hard for you to just keep your mouth shut?


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## LV-426 (Dec 11, 2011)

xStainD said:


> Great job coming into a thread and making the OP feel like an idiot while sharing no relevant information. Is it really that hard for you to just keep your mouth shut?


In Joe's defense he is  100% right


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## Michiel (Dec 13, 2011)

xStainD said:


> Great job coming into a thread and making the OP feel like an idiot while sharing no relevant information. Is it really that hard for you to just keep your mouth shut?



Don't mind me saying that you might feel you have a point, but strictly seen you are doing exactly the same. You come into this thread and ventilate your opinion, but where's the relevant information in your post?


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## Elytra and Antenna (Dec 13, 2011)

LV-426 said:


> In Joe's defense he is  100% right


You apparently missed the irrefutable evidence presented to the contrary in post #12.


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## ArachnidSentinl (Dec 14, 2011)

KyuZo said:


> this could also mean that because your centipede was visible and surfaced too often that it got caught by you and now is more fearful and chooses to stay in the soil and out of view where it feels safer


lol, true. I'm a scary guy :sarcasm:



zonbonzovi said:


> Do be careful with heat.  Even though many of our centipedes come from hot climates, exceptional heat seems to be a factor in early demise.


Thanks for the tip! By "higher the temperature," I meant like 75ish. She's much more chill (no pun intended) when kept at room temp.


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## Galapoheros (Dec 14, 2011)

David Burns said:


> Get 10 specimens of different species.  Then you have more chances at interaction.  If you're still bored, buy 10 more.


Oh yeah!, my solution as well.


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## LV-426 (Dec 18, 2011)

Elytra and Antenna said:


> I see my _Scolopendra alternans _every single day. I don't drown them in a lot of substrate. If someone is the type of person who barely checks on their animals and can't be bothered to keep the substrate adequately damp then tons of substrate is a good idea.[COLOR="
> 
> I see your point also. Since I got my pede it's previous owner kept the sub half moist, half dry. As of late the sub started getting more moist so I added more dry sub, since then it has come out every night.


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