Scolopendra dehaani - expectations

[StampFan]

Just wanted to start a helpful thread based on a number of posts I've read.

Wild caught dehaani appear to be one of the most commonly available, and cheapest species available to keepers around the world. Imported almost everywhere. They are often purchased at the 5 or 6 inch in length mark.

For those buying one what is the consensus from you folks about how long they may expect this type of specimen to live after purchase, keeping in mind these animals may come into care with pre-existing issues or conditions (mycosis, parasites, etc)?

6 months? A year? Two years?

Thoughts?

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Here in Italy not only S.dehaani but S.subspinipes as well are the species always available... cheap as heck, AFAIK they WC like there's no tomorrow, in Vietnam and other Asian nations.

I've received a juvenile, in 2017 if I remember well. Was just a bit longer than a packet of cigarettes. Was also gravid, btw, so I've managed to know in a different way the sex (was sold to me as unsexed, like basically happens in the 90% of the case, with 'pedes), along with a bunch of 30 pedelings.

So far, so good. A quite healthy specimen

 

[Greasylake]

It depends. I had one dehaani live 6 months and die of unknown causes, but I've had another one for a year and a half now and I'm getting ready to breed her, and I've had another one for about and it's still going strong. Those were all adults though, 7 inches plus. If you get one smaller than that you can probably expect a couple years out of them.

 

[Salvador]

Very hard to say, sometimes you can tell when you get the specimen if it's a bit old looking. I've had some dehaani in the past which seem healthy, only to die within 6 months, but saying this also, I've currently got 7 adults, all of which have been in my care from 1-3 years and all appear totally fine without that sign of eventual death not related to poor care ; weight loss, lack of interest in feeding, colour change, slower reactions/movement.

I'm also growing 10 juveniles on, and I have thought about keeping track how long they'll live once adult, but 4-5 years wouldn't surprise me, I have S.subspinipes which are equal to that.

 

[Curiosipede]

Centipede lifespan has a variety of factors.

Temperatures and food availability being the most important, and seem to have the biggest effect.

A juvenile dehaani(say four inches) should live a bare minimum of two more years, if not four maybe. Again it will depend on how hot you keep it and how often it is fed. A slow metabolism keeps a pede alive longer.

Species will also be a determining factor. Same as locality, honestly. I have some north american pedes that take 3-4 years MINIMUM just to be anything close to adult.