# Scolopendra gigantea “White leg” Info?



## DerekG4 (Mar 7, 2019)

Lately I’ve been thinking about getting myself an S. gigantea white leg, I tried doing a couple quick google searches but there doesn’t seem to be much info on them. I’d like to learn mostly basic care and a couple other questions about them.

How cheap can they go? I personally work at a pet store and the supplier of the store offered me one for $250. I’ve seen a few for $300+, I’m assuming this is probably as cheap as it can get?

What humidity level would this centipede need? I see Peruvian giants need 70-85% but nothing specifically on giganteas, would it be the same? 

How long do they normally live for? I’ve had a few A. Grandidieri that didn’t live for very long, 1 lasted for about 5 months, the other about a year and a half. Would these guys have a similar lifespan or would they live longer? Wouldn’t wanna buy something so expensive only to die shortly after. The ones he’s offering me are adults, so who knows how old they currently even are.

How venomous exactly are these guys? I’ve heard mixed answers, the supplier telling me they’re very venomous, not deadly, but may need hospitalization. I’ve heard others say it’s not very potent at all, only being painful from mechanical damage. Anyone here that has been bitten? Lol

From what I could gather, I plan on housing it in a 10 gallon tank with about 3” of soil, lots of leaf litter and a couple pieces of cork bark with a small water dish. Just need to know if it needs high humidity or not to see if I should spray it. It’ll be in my shed so it’ll be roughly 78-82°. I heard these guys were a great beginner centipede (minus their initial cost) due to their docility and overall hardiness.


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## Greasylake (Mar 7, 2019)

DerekG4 said:


> How cheap can they go? I personally work at a pet store and the supplier of the store offered me one for $250. I’ve seen a few for $300+, I’m assuming this is probably as cheap as it can get?


250 is a good price for an adult. I would buy one at 250.



DerekG4 said:


> What humidity level would this centipede need? I see Peruvian giants need 70-85% but nothing specifically on giganteas, would it be the same?


Don't chase humidity numbers, it's a centipede not a reptile. Keep on slightly moist substrate with good ventilation and you should be fine.



DerekG4 said:


> How long do they normally live for? I’ve had a few A. Grandidieri that didn’t live for very long, 1 lasted for about 5 months, the other about a year and a half. Would these guys have a similar lifespan or would they live longer? Wouldn’t wanna buy something so expensive only to die shortly after. The ones he’s offering me are adults, so who knows how old they currently even are.


Grandidieri have been having some problems in captivity. I had one that lived for about 6 months and then died. Shortest time I've had a pede. If you got a white legs and kept it right it should live longer, assuming it's not already super old and it's healthy.



DerekG4 said:


> How venomous exactly are these guys?


Not very. The only thing you really have to worry about is the mechanical damage.

P.s. white legs aren't really gigantea, someone just called them that and it stuck. It would be more accurate to call them Scolopendra sp. "white legs"

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2


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## Ratmosphere (Mar 7, 2019)

If you found one for 250, take it. Make sure the substrate holds moisture but isn't wet. Sand and coco fiber is the substrate I use. I line the enclosure with dry moss around the edges so they have a dry space to go to. Put a flat piece of cork bark in the middle. A few of mine barley ever burrow and are always on the moss. Make sure there is adequate ventilation as well.

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## DerekG4 (Mar 7, 2019)

Would a normal mesh lid work for ventilation? 

Also, I’ve seen certain centipedes eating bits of fruit occasionally, would this particular species benefit from it or even eat some at all? Since it is a way bigger centipede, would I have to feed it mostly large insects (like roaches) or would superworms suffice? Would once a week work or do they eat more frequently?


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## Greasylake (Mar 7, 2019)

DerekG4 said:


> Would a normal mesh lid work for ventilation?


I've seen pictures of mesh lids that were chewed through by the bigger pedes. Personally I wouldn't do it. I use locking plastic tubs from walmart, drill a few lines of holes towards the top and the bottom and that has worked fine.



DerekG4 said:


> Also, I’ve seen certain centipedes eating bits of fruit occasionally, would this particular species benefit from it or even eat some at all? Since it is a way bigger centipede, would I have to feed it mostly large insects (like roaches) or would superworms suffice? Would once a week work or do they eat more frequently?


Some individuals will take soft fruits occasionally and some won't, it depends on your pede. You could do like 2 superworms a week or one large dubia. I like to do dubias and supers but if I don't have any I'll throw in 3 large crickets and my pedes will hunt them down on their own.

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## NYAN (Mar 7, 2019)

DerekG4 said:


> How cheap can they go? I personally work at a pet store and the supplier of the store offered me one for $250. I’ve seen a few for $300+, I’m assuming this is probably as cheap as it can get?


They go for around 350 usually.



DerekG4 said:


> What humidity level would this centipede need? I see Peruvian giants need 70-85% but nothing specifically on giganteas, would it be the same?


Humidity is irreverent. It’s mostly a matter of how moist the substrate is. Keep white legs on the dry side. Dark form and orange form sp. ‘galapagoensis’ are kept more moist though. 



DerekG4 said:


> How long do they normally live for? I’ve had a few A. Grandidieri that didn’t live for very long, 1 lasted for about 5 months, the other about a year and a half. Would these guys have a similar lifespan or would they live longer? Wouldn’t wanna buy something so expensive only to die shortly after. The ones he’s offering me are adults, so who knows how old they currently even are.


The lifespan depends on a lot of factors. If you keep it in good contiions, receive a healthy specimen, feed it a varied diet and keep it on good substrate you could get 5-10 years from it. I don’t think anyone knows any Pedes real lifespan though.




DerekG4 said:


> How venomous exactly are these guys? I’ve heard mixed answers, the supplier telling me they’re very venomous, not deadly, but may need hospitalization. I’ve heard others say it’s not very potent at all, only being painful from mechanical damage. Anyone here that has been bitten? Lol


Their venom is extremely mild. I’ve been bitten by orange form sp. ‘galapagoensis,’ and it felt like a bee sting. All of the Peruvian giants that are sold have mild venom.



DerekG4 said:


> From what I could gather, I plan on housing it in a 10 gallon tank with about 3” of soil, lots of leaf litter and a couple pieces of cork bark with a small water dish. Just need to know if it needs high humidity or not to see if I should spray it. It’ll be in my shed so it’ll be roughly 78-82°. I heard these guys were a great beginner centipede (minus their initial cost) due to their docility and overall hardiness.


That sounds fine. Make sure the lid is secure. I’ve read about Pedes prying mesh apart but I haven’t had it happen myself yet.

Reactions: Like 1


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## NYAN (Mar 7, 2019)

DerekG4 said:


> Also, I’ve seen certain centipedes eating bits of fruit occasionally, would this particular species benefit from it or even eat some at all? Since it is a way bigger centipede, would I have to feed it mostly large insects (like roaches) or would superworms suffice? Would once a week work or do they eat more frequently?


Yes, they can and will eat fruit. Feed it more as a treat to them though. The pede you’ll be getting won’t be big yet. It’ll probably be 6-7 inches, so crickets, roaches, super worms and an occasional frozen thawed mouse are fine.

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## DerekG4 (Mar 7, 2019)

He says they’re full grown adults but I’d be happier with a juvenile or sub adult knowing it’s younger. 

I’ll try mixing up the feeding to get the most of it’s lifespan. 

I’m pretty sure I’m gonna get it but last question, are these guys really that docile or can be aggressive at times?


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## NYAN (Mar 7, 2019)

DerekG4 said:


> He says they’re full grown adults but I’d be happier with a juvenile or sub adult knowing it’s younger.


Full grown adults are around 12 inches. I doubt they are going to be full grown. You’ll likely get a subadult/juvenile, so that works out for you. 



DerekG4 said:


> I’m pretty sure I’m gonna get it but last question, are these guys really that docile or can be aggressive at times?


Each individual varies with temperament. Generally they are fairly calm.

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## DerekG4 (Mar 7, 2019)

Alrighty, I’m definitely getting it. Hopefully they’re all healthy, assuming most (if not all) of his specimens are wild caught.

 Thanks for your help and quick replies everyone 

I’ll post a pic soon as I get one.


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## DerekG4 (Mar 9, 2019)

You guys were right, it definitely wasn’t a full grown adult. I went and turns out the last one just got sold, but he gets more in, and when he does I’ll be getting it

This is the last one he had. It’s a lot smaller than I thought it would be, it was only like 5”

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## Scoly (Mar 10, 2019)

DerekG4 said:


> You guys were right, it definitely wasn’t a full grown adult. I went and turns out the last one just got sold, but he gets more in, and when he does I’ll be getting it
> 
> This is the last one he had. It’s a lot smaller than I thought it would be, it was only like 5”


That one is so cute! They usually come in bigger... 

I wish people would stop labelling them as "Amazon" because its incorrect and misleading. They're from much drier areas in Peru (and are susceptible to mycosis if kept with insufficient ventilation).

Reactions: Agree 1


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## pigbloodpond (Mar 10, 2019)

Greasylake said:


> P.s. white legs aren't really gigantea, someone just called them that and it stuck. It would be more accurate to call them Scolopendra sp. "white legs"


This isn't specifically related to the topic but what exactly /is/ a gigantea then if not a white legs or robusta? SA Giant taxonomy gives me a headache.


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## NYAN (Mar 10, 2019)

pigbloodpond said:


> This isn't specifically related to the topic but what exactly /is/ a gigantea then if not a white legs or robusta? SA Giant taxonomy gives me a headache.


It’s a different species; possibly an undescribed one.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Teds ts and Inverts (Mar 10, 2019)

pigbloodpond said:


> This isn't specifically related to the topic but what exactly /is/ a gigantea then if not a white legs or robusta? SA Giant taxonomy gives me a headache.


The “true” S. gigantea comes from Trinidad, and they aren’t in the hobby yet.

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## Teds ts and Inverts (Mar 12, 2019)

DerekG4 said:


> You guys were right, it definitely wasn’t a full grown adult. I went and turns out the last one just got sold, but he gets more in, and when he does I’ll be getting it
> 
> This is the last one he had. It’s a lot smaller than I thought it would be, it was only like 5”


If I were you, I’d go for the smallest specimen available. This is because if it doesn’t already internal problems, you’ll probably have it for a longer time. And since you’re dropping $250 on it, I’d want to have the specimen that has the highest probability of living the longest.


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## DerekG4 (Mar 13, 2019)

Teds ts and Inverts said:


> If I were you, I’d go for the smallest specimen available. This is because if it doesn’t already internal problems, you’ll probably have it for a longer time. And since you’re dropping $250 on it, I’d want to have the specimen that has the highest probability of living the longest.


Yea, that was my main fear. I’ve read most centipedes should last 5+ years but when I owned my Alipes and they died so quickly, I was afraid the “Gigantea” would die shortly as well. But I guess as long as I inspect it well, make sure it has no external parasites or ailments I should hopefully be fine.

Speaking of size, roughly how long would it take for a 5” to reach full size?


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## Teds ts and Inverts (Mar 13, 2019)

DerekG4 said:


> Yea, that was my main fear. I’ve read most centipedes should last 5+ years but when I owned my Alipes and they died so quickly, I was afraid the “Gigantea” would die shortly as well. But I guess as long as I inspect it well, make sure it has no external parasites or ailments I should hopefully be fine.
> 
> Speaking of size, roughly how long would it take for a 5” to reach full size?


I’ve personally never kept a S. gigantea “White Legs” before so I can’t help you there. But I am pretty sure that many other keepers have had trouble keeping their Alipes alive recently, so yours isn’t an isolated case. Btw, post some pics of the gig when you get it

Reactions: Agree 1


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## dragonfire1577 (Apr 15, 2019)

DerekG4 said:


> Yea, that was my main fear. I’ve read most centipedes should last 5+ years but when I owned my Alipes and they died so quickly, I was afraid the “Gigantea” would die shortly as well. But I guess as long as I inspect it well, make sure it has no external parasites or ailments I should hopefully be fine.
> 
> Speaking of size, roughly how long would it take for a 5” to reach full size?


I got a 5 inch juvenile a little over a year ago and it was the size shown in my profile pic. It has since reached about 7-8 inches and is still a while away from full grown so I would guess 2 to 3 years to maximum size from 5 inches.


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