Scolopendra dehaani
Malaysian Cherry Red Centipede: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: A large, fast, defensive centipede for advanced keepers only. Adults reach 8-9 in and more, one of the biggest in the genus. Medically significant bite.
Group: CentipedesDifficulty: Spice 5: ExtremeSetup: Tropical fossorial centipedeHandling: No handling, never touch with hands
Use This Guide Safely
- Confirm the exact animal. Match this guide to the species, locality, size, and life stage on your label. If the ID is uncertain, use the more conservative part of the range and ask before changing the setup.
- Change one thing at a time. Treat temperature and humidity as target zones, then watch posture, burrowing, drinking, feeding, and molt behavior before making another adjustment.
- Respect the handling boundary. If the guide says no handling, fast, defensive, or medically significant, plan transfers with catch cups, locked lids, and no bare hands. For serious bites, stings, or symptoms, seek emergency medical care.
Quick Snapshot
| Temperature | 75-85°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 70-85%, cross-ventilated, dry refuge zone |
| Setup Type | Tropical fossorial centipede |
| Substrate | Deep moist soil/coco mix |
| Feeding | Prey weekly or biweekly |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 5: Extreme |
| Handling | No handling, never touch with hands |
Humidity zones: Very Low under 30% - Low 30-60% - Low-Moderate 40-70% - Moderate 60-80% - Moderate-High 70-85% - High 80%+ - Very High 90%+
Enclosure Format / Size Class
- Juveniles to adults: secure terrestrial burrow setup, deep substrate, locked lid.
Warnings First
- Medically significant bite: severe pain, swelling, and rare fatalities in young children are documented for large Asian Scolopendra.
- Strict no-contact. Double-locked lid.
- Extreme escape risk. Fast and flexible, it flexes through gaps that look too small.
- Solitary housing only, never cohab centipedes.
- No handling, ever. Never touch with hands.
- Weak airflow at substrate level brings mold, mites, and failed molts to a humid burrow.
Simple Care
- Use deep substrate and a locked lid.
- Vent low on two opposite walls for real cross airflow.
- Keep it moist but ventilated, not wet.
- Keep a shallow water dish full, packed with pebbles.
- House singly.
- Never touch with hands.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- This species needs real containment planning, not just decoration. Lids must lock and vents must resist chewing.
- Deep substrate allows burrowing and reduces stress. Keep a moisture gradient, not standing water.
- Vent low on two opposite walls, mesh sized under the head. It's famous for flexing through openings that look far too small.
- Hold 70-85% by feeding moisture up from damp lower substrate and a water dish, not by restricting the vents.
- Mist under the cork or hide, not the whole enclosure, so the open surface and air keep drying and turning over.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Feed with tongs or drop prey carefully. Remove prey if it's molting or uninterested.
- Never cohab centipedes. Use catch cups and tools for any transfer.
- Molting: it stops eating and seals into its burrow for days. Pull all prey and leave it alone.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Southeast Asia, especially Malaysia, Thailand, or Indonesia.
- Habitat translation: Deep, humid but ventilated substrate with a secure lid and minimal opening size.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Strict solitary housing. Centipedes are cannibalistic and escape-driven.
- Rehouse with tubs or catch cups only, never chase with hands or soft tools.
- Adult size 8-9 in+ (the genus runs to about a foot). Lifespan around 5-10 yrs. Formerly treated as a subspecies of S. subspinipes.