Scolopendra Dehaani tips?

[JordanOconnor170]

my first dehaani is arriving tommorow! i've done my research... but is there any tips anyone could give that you found out keeping these monsters? Thanks guys

 

[Teds ts and Inverts]

my first dehaani is arriving tommorow! i've done my research... but is there any tips anyone could give that you found out keeping these monsters? Thanks guys

Well what exactly would you like to know? Like anything specific?

 

[JordanOconnor170]

Well what exactly would you like to know? Like anything specific?

nothing specific, just general tips you think might help for someone whos never kept myriapods before

 

[Teds ts and Inverts]

nothing specific, just general tips you think might help for someone whos never kept myriapods before

Seeing this is going to be your first pede, I'll give you a run-down of everything you should know, just in case....

- Make sure your enclosure is escape proof (pedes are notorious for being escape artists)
- Make sure he/she's got enough substrate to burrow
- In regards to temps, don't go chasing numbers (most pedes will be fine kept at room temp)
- In regards to humidity, same thing (simply make sure to keep the substrate moist, but not soaking wet)
- Provide at least one piece of low-lying cork bark for it to hide under
- Be careful not to overfeed (pedes can easily become obese if you overfeed them, so if he/she is visibly 'fat', slow down on feeding)
- Don't panic if it refuses food (as with any invert, whether or not your pede wants to eat is something that's out of your control, so it's not worth getting stressed over)
- Don't panic if it buries itself for long periods of time (pedes are fossorial by nature, and spend much of their time underground. I have an S. heros arizonensis "Madrean Banded" that once buried itself for 7 MONTHS, but when I finally saw it again, it was completely fine. It'll resurface when it when it feels the need to)
- DO NOT dig it up when it's buried (Two of the main reasons pedes stay buried for prolonged periods of time include getting ready to molt, or laying eggs. The last thing you want to do is to dig it up, only to realize that it's in the middle of a molt, or that it's sitting on a clutch of eggs)
- Provide a water dish (this is optional, but highly recommended)
- And last but not least, don't handle unless you're prepared to be bitten (Bites from S. dehaani are no joke, and although I do keep some Scolopendra sp. that I'd be personally comfortable with handling, S. dehaani is certainly not one of them)

Those are all the basics to keeping any S. dehaani variant/locale. Most of this also applies to keeping any other Scolopendra, but keep in mind that some species may have slightly different care requirements (for instance, S. heros should be kept in a drier, less humid environment than S. dehaani). So just keep that in mind if you ever decide that you'd like to try keeping some different Scolopendra sp. in the future....

Other than that, just stay safe and enjoy your pede! I got my first S. dehaani, who I sexed as Male, at my LPS this past July, and I've fallen in love with them. Even though I've got some pedes in my collection that are much rarer and more desirable to own, my standard Vietnamese specimens are still some of my favorites. Despite being so common, it isn't to say that they aren't beautiful. I absolutely adore the contrast in colors... the "Ferrari red" antenna... the rich, dark brown bodies... the yellow legs, with the last couple being orange fading to red at the terminals... Just, wow. And perhaps best of all, they're cheap! Since then, I bought another standard Vietnamese from my LPS, this one I sexed as Female, and plan on breeding with my Male when he recovers from a bad molt, as well as a 1.1 pair of S. dehaani "Sumatran Cherry Reds", and I hope to acquire some of the other S. dehaani variants in the future, particularly "Orange Legs", "Thai Flame Legs", "Chinese Red Dragon", and "Black Flame Legs". If you ever have any other questions, feel free to let me, or anyone else on here know. Hope this helps, and best of luck!

 

[Ben sibley]

Ted he is gorgeous just got my first dehaani last week it's a Sumatran cherry red also have a polymorpha.

 

[Teds ts and Inverts]

Ted he is gorgeous just got my first dehaani last week it's a Sumatran cherry red also have a polymorpha.

Those pics are actually of two different pedes, haha. The first two are of the Female, and the last one is of my Male.

And congrats! I’m in love with the 1.1 pair of Sumatran Cherries I got. Those deep red legs are simply stunning!

 

[Ben sibley]

Haha I just realised that! Yeah they certainly are had my eye on one for a while glad I went ahead and got it.

 

[Scoly]

@Teds ts and Inverts answer is really comprehensive, so I'd pin that somewhere and take note of each point.

The only bit I would challenge is temperature: room temperature can mean different things depending on where you live, and many pedes do like a bit of extra warmth, so worth bearing that in mind if your place is on the cold side.

But other than that, my advice would be pretty much those same points.