Cheap Beginner centipede??Pedes king of arachnids?

[windscorpions1]

Catch yourself a house centipede I wash them down the kitchen sink all the time XD

 

[Quixtar]

Searched "beginner centipede", just for you. Merry Christmas, 3 months early.

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/search.php?searchid=1145435

"Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms."

Nice job.

 

[freedumbdclxvi]

Beginner centipede brings up a number of posts. Strangely, it brings up another post from 2012 by the OP asking the same question.

 

[Mister Internet]

Hello, I haven't posted in ages, and likely will not again after this, but it seems that some things need correcting that haven't been corrected in the interim during my absence.

First of all, centipedes are not "Deadly". There are, as best I can recall, only two verified reports of deaths RELATED to centipede bites in all known scientific literature, and those were due to secondary infection/fasciitis, not the venom itself. The venom will not kill a human. Period. There's never even been a documented anaphylactic event that I've ever heard of. Some species' venomous bites may be more painful than others, but it's more a matter of the size of the specimen than the species itself... smaller species=less venom.

Secondly, you're making it sound like a person considering a centipede is approaching a task paramount to keeping a live Saltwater Crocodile in their swimming pool. For crap's sake, it's a bug. A sizeable one possibly, but a bug nonetheless. Perpetuating this silly hype about how "aggressive", "deadly", or "dangerous" they are only makes matters worse. This is the kind of sensationalistic nonsense that makes meat head types WANT to buy them when they shouldn't. Truth be told, if you're keeping a centipede CORRECTLY, you'll likely never see it except on the occasional lucky nighttime visit to your bug cages... they are basically the Boa Constrictors of the arthropod world: big, impressive, and potentially dangerous of handled incorrectly, but mostly they just lay sheltered and wait for food.

And to the person that said they have 3 people, Epi-Pens, and pain killers on hand for a CAGE TRANSFER?? Sorry, YOU'RE the one who shouldn't be owning centipedes if you're that terrified of them, lol. They are not radioactive, they can't jump 4 feet off their terminal legs, they can't spit venom in your eyes... they are easily contained in a smooth-walled container, and easily transferred with a small snake hook. I can appreciate wanting to be CAREFUL, but holy crap... I would NEVER keep something in my house with my kids that I truly thought deserved all THAT caution.

To the OP, please search for "beginner centipede"... you'll find a lot of reading material. Generally, I'd say start small and work your way up, but I bought a 8" S.heros and an 8" S.subspinipes for my first pedes, so I'm not one to talk. Sometimes the smaller ones are actually "out" more and more interesting to watch... my subspinipes got almost 10" long before she died, and I NEVER saw her... I kept her on deep substrate and she stayed burrowed 24/7. I actually think S.heros make GREAT first pedes... they are rather easy to come by here in the USA, and they don't grow terribly fast, so you have some time to "grow into them". Plus, they eat well and are visible more often than some of the tropical species. I actually caught these in the wild near Waurika, Kansas, and they were able to found in many cases by flipping large rocks...

So... take it down a notch, fellas. They are not the terrifying spawn of Satan your admonitions are making them out to be. They are fast, clever, and require CAREFUL HANDLING... but really, what bugs are we keeping that don't? Besides millipedes and roaches, maybe lol. If you keep them in a secure container, don't act like an idiot with them, and do your cage maintenance with forceps, there is ZERO chance of a bite. And if you do get bitten, there is ZERO chance of you dying.

Search the username "Cacoseraph", he let dozens, if not hundreds, of his centipedes bite him over a period of months/years... little guys all the way up to rather sizeable specimens... he lived.

 

[Galapoheros]

Imo a beginner pede means "a cheap" one. The points being to see how responsible you are in keeping it in the container, to see if you stay interested, to see if you can keep it alive and to see if you can keep yourself from getting bit by it. You don't want to waste a lot of money on one if it doesn't work out for any of those reasons. There is one I've recently had experience with that seems different than most, ...young Sc. galapagoensis, they are unusually fast and unpredictable. Centipedes aren't as fast as they appear to be, just like snakes really don't crawl as fast as it looks like they do. Even when they are trying to really move fast, it only looks like they are moving much faster than they really are. A fast walk is about how fast the fastest coachwhip snakes go. I know that doesn't sound true but I've played around with that kind of thing a lot in an open field, it's their fast break in random directions that make them seem fast too. But in a straight line, they really aren't that fast. There is a Youtube setup where they are looking for a centipede on a show and then show the guy "running" after the centipede, this is a big lie, it's only for entertainment. Somebody moved the centipede, the guy acted like it took off and ran over to where they put it, what a joke. These kind of lies cause all kinds of mis-info. The young galapagoensis though, if they bolt out while you're doing something, if you don't have a way to grab them, before you know it they are behind something you may have a hard time moving, they almost seem to disappear if you take your eyes off them.

 

[Gel]

Hello, I haven't posted in ages, and likely will not again after this, but it seems that some things need correcting that haven't been corrected in the interim during my absence.

First of all, centipedes are not "Deadly". There are, as best I can recall, only two verified reports of deaths RELATED to centipede bites in all known scientific literature, and those were due to secondary infection/fasciitis, not the venom itself. The venom will not kill a human. Period. There's never even been a documented anaphylactic event that I've ever heard of. Some species' venomous bites may be more painful than others, but it's more a matter of the size of the specimen than the species itself... smaller species=less venom.

Secondly, you're making it sound like a person considering a centipede is approaching a task paramount to keeping a live Saltwater Crocodile in their swimming pool. For crap's sake, it's a bug. A sizeable one possibly, but a bug nonetheless. Perpetuating this silly hype about how "aggressive", "deadly", or "dangerous" they are only makes matters worse. This is the kind of sensationalistic nonsense that makes meat head types WANT to buy them when they shouldn't. Truth be told, if you're keeping a centipede CORRECTLY, you'll likely never see it except on the occasional lucky nighttime visit to your bug cages... they are basically the Boa Constrictors of the arthropod world: big, impressive, and potentially dangerous of handled incorrectly, but mostly they just lay sheltered and wait for food.

And to the person that said they have 3 people, Epi-Pens, and pain killers on hand for a CAGE TRANSFER?? Sorry, YOU'RE the one who shouldn't be owning centipedes if you're that terrified of them, lol. They are not radioactive, they can't jump 4 feet off their terminal legs, they can't spit venom in your eyes... they are easily contained in a smooth-walled container, and easily transferred with a small snake hook. I can appreciate wanting to be CAREFUL, but holy crap... I would NEVER keep something in my house with my kids that I truly thought deserved all THAT caution.

To the OP, please search for "beginner centipede"... you'll find a lot of reading material. Generally, I'd say start small and work your way up, but I bought a 8" S.heros and an 8" S.subspinipes for my first pedes, so I'm not one to talk. Sometimes the smaller ones are actually "out" more and more interesting to watch... my subspinipes got almost 10" long before she died, and I NEVER saw her... I kept her on deep substrate and she stayed burrowed 24/7. I actually think S.heros make GREAT first pedes... they are rather easy to come by here in the USA, and they don't grow terribly fast, so you have some time to "grow into them". Plus, they eat well and are visible more often than some of the tropical species. I actually caught these in the wild near Waurika, Kansas, and they were able to found in many cases by flipping large rocks...

So... take it down a notch, fellas. They are not the terrifying spawn of Satan your admonitions are making them out to be. They are fast, clever, and require CAREFUL HANDLING... but really, what bugs are we keeping that don't? Besides millipedes and roaches, maybe lol. If you keep them in a secure container, don't act like an idiot with them, and do your cage maintenance with forceps, there is ZERO chance of a bite. And if you do get bitten, there is ZERO chance of you dying.

Search the username "Cacoseraph", he let dozens, if not hundreds, of his centipedes bite him over a period of months/years... little guys all the way up to rather sizeable specimens... he lived.

Thank you Mister Internet. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Yes they require extra caution, yes their bites are not a walk in the park, yes people in their native habitats don't want them running loose in their houses (but who would anyways haha? well, I'd be stoked to find one and I'm sure some others here would too lol), yes they are more apt at escaping then other inverts, yes it's not something you would buy 5 year old Timmy for his birthday. BUT they are not the monsters people make them out to be. I have gathered all of this in my relatively short time in centipede keeping/husbandry.

That was the goal of my thread "Scolopendra Venom". Yes, their venom is not something to underestimate but they are NOT deadly. We can't jump on every new person who posts here and make them leave screaming and running in the other direction with "doomsday" warnings. This is a publicly accessed forum and we can't afford visitors leaving misinformed. We need to back our information with facts from credible sources. Anything else is doing a disservice to centipedes and to an already misunderstood hobby.

Anyways, I'm ranting and rehashing what was already eloquently and rationally said by Mr. Internet's post, so I'll leave it at that for now.

 

[Quixtar]

I agree with all of the above. Their venom and temperament are really exaggerated here. It's not like they're black mambas.

 

[zonbonzovi]

"Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms."

Nice job.

Oops. There, all fixed. Now the OP doesn't have to do the work for himself, as usual.

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/search.php?searchid=1147354

<Edit: It appears that these re-posted links aren't working. That's OK. At least the search function still is >

To no one in particular and maybe I'm just being grumpy today: it's funny how no one has anything to say around here when the question is a complex one but when it is one that is simplistic or of a personal nature everyone comes out of the woodwork.

Get a polymorpha. Don't put it in your pants or your mouth. It'll hurt and then you will have learned a valuable lesson. Then, put it in an escape free container(use your imagination) with substrate, water and don't forget to feed it.

 

[Kazaam]

Oh zonbonzovi, can I put you in the escape-proof container of my heart?

 

[cantthinkofone]

im not afraid of them just extra cautious. if safety no longer is important then i guess i will just go snuggle with my pedes. fear is not the problem. the problem is simply the fact that i refuse to be bit. i do things correctly and as safe as i can. im sorry if that was post worthy. i guess nextime i will just use my hands and refuse medicine in the case of a bite.

 

[freedumbdclxvi]

im not afraid of them just extra cautious. if safety no longer is important then i guess i will just go snuggle with my pedes. fear is not the problem. the problem is simply the fact that i refuse to be bit. i do things correctly and as safe as i can. im sorry if that was post worthy. i guess nextime i will just use my hands and refuse medicine in the case of a bite.

that's not what he said. safety is paramount, but what you posted is overkill. I am conscious of safety, but I don't even go that far with my Phoneutria. I am not "unsafe" because of it, and I am just as leery of taking a bite. However, care and common sense are your best weapons.

 

[Greenjewls]

my Phoneutria would be in a paperweight

 

[biomedical]

I agree with all of the above. Their venom and temperament are really exaggerated here. It's not like they're black mambas.

So far, the most aggressive venomous arthropods that I've kept is the Vietnamese giant centipede which easily shoots around even when little vibration is detected. I'm not an experienced collector but, as observed from what I've kept (including Baboon and Earth Tiger tarantulas), centipedes, general speaking, are like the black mamba/king cobra/lancehead/saw-scaled viper of the venomous snake world with respect to temperament, although their danger isn't as exaggerated as what have been said.

 

[Quixtar]

So far, the most aggressive venomous arthropods that I've kept is the Vietnamese giant centipede which easily shoots around even when little vibration is detected. I'm not an experienced collector but, as observed from what I've kept (including Baboon and Earth Tiger tarantulas), centipedes, general speaking, are like the black mamba/king cobra/lancehead/saw-scaled viper of the venomous snake world with respect to temperament, although their danger isn't as exaggerated as what have been said.

Temperament wise sure, but venom wise, not quite. I'd say a better example would be Phoneutria sp., which have the speed, temperament, and venom to make them the "black mambas" of the arthropod world. In fact, I would consider most fast and highly venomous spiders to be the "elapids", while I would consider most highly venomous scorpions to be the "viperids" for their more robust builds compared to spiders (elapids).

Centipedes, in my opinion, are more like constrictors. Their bites are painful, but you wouldn't die from them directly. You could still succumb to secondary infections. They have the power to subdue most prey and the grasping action of their legs reminds me of constriction.

 

[AzJohn]

Anyone comparing even the most dangerous invert to even the least dangerous venomous snake is making a huge exaggeration just by making the comparison. That's like me saying my Red Rider is the UZI of the BB gun world.

 

[Quixtar]

No one is arguing that they're as dangerous as venomous snakes, but your statement isn't true for all venomous snakes. The most venomous true spiders and scorpions are still more lethal than the least venomous colubrids. Commonly kept species such as Boiga dendrophila and Hydrodynastes gigas do not have any documented deaths. Though there are highly venomous colubrids like the boomslang, I suppose most people think of vipers and elapids when they think of venomous snakes. For that, your statement is true. The copperhead is an example of a viper with relatively weak venom, but has still produced a good number of fatalities, which is comparable to the fatalities produced by deadly true spiders and scorpions. Often times, higher numbers in the case of the latter are a result of them coming in frequent contact with humans. However, the mortality rate of an untreated black mamba bite is nearly 100%. There is no known venomous arthropod with a mortality rate that high. Even bites from species like Atrax robustus and Phoneutria nigriventer have an untreated rate of something like 5% or lower.

It's not so much a matter of toxicity as it is about quantity when comparing venomous arthropods with venomous snakes. Snakes are bigger, have larger venom glands, and therefore inject a hell of a lot more venom into their bites.

Now if you're just comparing inverts, please realize that this includes more than just arthropods. The box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) is more venomous than any snake. Many mollusks such as cone snails and the blue-ringed octopus are very much comparable.

 

[AzJohn]

No one is arguing that they're as dangerous as venomous snakes, but your statement isn't true for all venomous snakes. The most venomous true spiders and scorpions are still more lethal than the least venomous colubrids. Commonly kept species such as Boiga dendrophila and Hydrodynastes gigas do not have any documented deaths. Though there are highly venomous colubrids like the boomslang, I suppose most people think of vipers and elapids when they think of venomous snakes. For that, your statement is true. The copperhead is an example of a viper with relatively weak venom, but has still produced a good number of fatalities, which is comparable to the fatalities produced by deadly true spiders and scorpions. Often times, higher numbers in the case of the latter are a result of them coming in frequent contact with humans. However, the mortality rate of an untreated black mamba bite is nearly 100%. There is no known venomous arthropod with a mortality rate that high. Even bites from species like Atrax robustus and Phoneutria nigriventer have an untreated rate of something like 5% or lower.

It's not so much a matter of toxicity as it is about quantity when comparing venomous arthropods with venomous snakes. Snakes are bigger, have larger venom glands, and therefore inject a hell of a lot more venom into their bites.

Now if you're just comparing inverts, please realize that this includes more than just arthropods. The box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) is more venomous than any snake. Many mollusks such as cone snails and the blue-ringed octopus are very much comparable.

LOL, I guess people comparing inverts to a mangrove snake, while more realistic, doesn't have the same pizazz as comparing them to a mamba.

 

[pperrotta03]

Anyone comparing even the most dangerous invert to even the least dangerous venomous snake is making a huge exaggeration just by making the comparison. That's like me saying my Red Rider is the UZI of the BB gun world.

But the red rider IS the uzi of the bb gun world.

tappy tappa taparoo

 

[vespers]

But the red rider IS the uzi of the bb gun world.

"You'll shoot your eye out, kid."

 

[biomedical]

Temperament wise sure, but venom wise, not quite. I'd say a better example would be Phoneutria sp., which have the speed, temperament, and venom to make them the "black mambas" of the arthropod world. In fact, I would consider most fast and highly venomous spiders to be the "elapids", while I would consider most highly venomous scorpions to be the "viperids" for their more robust builds compared to spiders (elapids).

Centipedes, in my opinion, are more like constrictors. Their bites are painful, but you wouldn't die from them directly. You could still succumb to secondary infections. They have the power to subdue most prey and the grasping action of their legs reminds me of constriction.

Yes, centipede venom isn't really deadly to a man but I said that with respect to their temperament and speed as observed. Just from what I've seen, centipedes are relatively active/aggressive when hunting or defending, and are more difficult to handle (no one wants sharp pain and severe swelling resulting from a bite even though they're unlikely to kill you!). I admit every creature has unique characteristics and my analogy is never perfect. In my opinion, scorpions, generally, aren't as aggressive as the other two (centipedes and some spiders).