Curious About why a Scolopendra Heros "bit" me.

[Scolopendra Addict]

Hi yall! So today I was handling my 7 inch scolopendra heros in attempts to socialize it, and received 3 envenomations. This was to be expected, and I'm not too fussed about it, but what i'm curious about is why the centipede bit me. The first two bites were clearly defensive, as I overstepped what the centipede was comfortable with in attempts to desensitize it. However the last bite was quite perplexing. After the first two envenomations I was able to get the centipede to calm down and lower its terminal legs, even allowing me to apply pressure as it calmly walked through my hands. It then rested its body and started cleaning its antennae, immediately after which it "bit" down on the finger it had its head resting on. I was under the assumption that lowered terminal legs and cleaning were signs that the centipede wasn't stressed so I'm wondering if anyone knows why the centipede would envenomate me a third time? I'd also like to add that before this I had handled a young grey rat snake and a scolopocryptops sexpinosus, but I made sure to thoroughly clean my hands before and after each handling so that none of the animals would sense each other's smells on my hands. I'd also like to say that this is my first time trying to socialize a giant centipede so I am by no means adept at understanding their body language, but that being said most of my animal experience comes from extensive work with venomous snakes so I'd consider myself quite good at picking up body language after becoming familiar with it.

 

[coolnweird]

 

[BoyFromLA]

If you are really curious why your Scolopendra Heros bit you, read the below quote carefully.

I was handling my 7 inch scolopendra heros in attempts to socialize it

Handling is why.

By handling, your chance to be bitten by it increases from 0% to not zero %, and that is huge.

 

[Taffy]

Hi yall! So today I was handling my 7 inch scolopendra heros in attempts to socialize it, and received 3 envenomations. This was to be expected, and I'm not too fussed about it, but what i'm curious about is why the centipede bit me. The first two bites were clearly defensive, as I overstepped what the centipede was comfortable with in attempts to desensitize it. However the last bite was quite perplexing. After the first two envenomations I was able to get the centipede to calm down and lower its terminal legs, even allowing me to apply pressure as it calmly walked through my hands. It then rested its body and started cleaning its antennae, immediately after which it "bit" down on the finger it had its head resting on. I was under the assumption that lowered terminal legs and cleaning were signs that the centipede wasn't stressed so I'm wondering if anyone knows why the centipede would envenomate me a third time? I'd also like to add that before this I had handled a young grey rat snake and a scolopocryptops sexpinosus, but I made sure to thoroughly clean my hands before and after each handling so that none of the animals would sense each other's smells on my hands. I'd also like to say that this is my first time trying to socialize a giant centipede so I am by no means adept at understanding their body language, but that being said most of my animal experience comes from extensive work with venomous snakes so I'd consider myself quite good at picking up body language after becoming familiar with it.

because you can’t socialize a centipede. you can learn how they behave but there is no socializing.

 

[centipede boy]

Centipedes can be “socialized” they can get used to your touch and smell I’ve done it and I know, And this can go to amazing lengths. Now, animals work in modes once it got out of defense mode it probably was like “cleaning my self, cleaning my self, hey! Im on a meaty thing… ima try to eat that” in theory you might be able with future handling to have it no longer associate human smell with food, but of course this is all just speculation and we really don’t know much about centipede “socialization”. I my self am very much an optimist as you can see in the above picture and will believe these animals are more than meets the eye until someone finds a scientific paper that proves me wrong.

 

[Taffy]

Centipedes can be “socialized” they can get used to your touch and smell I’ve done it and I know, And this can go to amazing lengths. Now, animals work in modes once it got out of defense mode it probably was like “cleaning my self, cleaning my self, hey! Im on a meaty thing… ima try to eat that” in theory you might be able with future handling to have it no longer associate human smell with food, but of course this is all just speculation and we really don’t know much about centipede “socialization”. I my self am very much an optimist as you can see in the above picture and will believe these animals are more than meets the eye until someone finds a scientific paper that proves me wrong.

well they literally can not be socialized. you can learn how they behave and learn to work with that but that isn’t the same as socializing them. 99% of y’all don’t understand what socialization actually is. centipedes can not be socialized. this is coming from someone who adores centipedes and owns many of them. i handle my centipedes from time to time but they can’t be socialized.

 

[ouroboross]

well they literally can not be socialized. you can learn how they behave and learn to work with that but that isn’t the same as socializing them. 99% of y’all don’t understand what socialization actually is. centipedes can not be socialized. this is coming from someone who adores centipedes and owns many of them. i handle my centipedes from time to time but they can’t be socialized.

Yes you can. I don't know what word Id use to call it but you can make a centipede accustomed to you. For this I'm gonna use my personal experience. My polymorpha was super skittish and would bite me the moment any pressure was applied to it's body. Now after chronically petting/stroking, handling, picking up, i can handle with ease. It's only skittish in its enclosure now but when it's on my hand its terminal legs go down and it slowly walks around and grooms itself. I can even pick it up like you would do with a snake that size

 

[Dry Desert]

Yes you can. I don't know what word Id use to call it but you can make a centipede accustomed to you. For this I'm gonna use my personal experience. My polymorpha was super skittish and would bite me the moment any pressure was applied to it's body. Now after chronically petting/stroking, handling, picking up, i can handle with ease. It's only skittish in its enclosure now but when it's on my hand its terminal legs go down and it slowly walks around and grooms itself. I can even pick it up like you would do with a snake that size

No invert can be " socialize".

It's just varing degrees of Tolerance. !!

 

[ouroboross]

No invert can be " socialize".

It's just varing degrees of Tolerance. !!

That's why I said "I don't know what word I would call it"

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

If you are really curious why your Scolopendra Heros bit you, read the below quote carefully.

Handling is why.

By handling, your chance to be bitten by it increases from 0% to not zero %, and that is huge.

Yeah if op wants to handle something get a reptile a mammal or something, maybe hissing roaches or other roaches are holdable not sure if they enjoy being held by a huge carnivore ?
Predatory inverts aren’t supposed to be handled ever, I mean unless it runs on you in rehouse . I’ve been attacked by a mantis before it hurts , but a centepede is a highly aggressive thing to hold . And like most if not all tarantulas want nothing to do with being handled. Imo bugs/inverts lack the intelligence level to be socialized so anyone saying this is possible is a mad hatter .