Scolopendra sp. (Sumbawa locality, unconfirmed)
Sold under its hobby name. This guide covers the group or trade name this fella is sold as, so the ranges fit the whole group. Start in the middle and watch how your animal settles in.
Gold Sumbawa Centipede: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: Likely a gold-legged locality form of the Scolopendra subspinipes group from Sumbawa Island, Indonesia. ID is provisional, so full medically-significant precautions apply regardless.
Group: CentipedesDifficulty: Spice 5: ExtremeSetup: Tropical burrowing/fossorial terrestrialHandling: No handling, tongs and catch cup only
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 day, not under 70°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 65-90%, cross-ventilated, dry refuge zone |
| Setup Type | Tropical burrowing/fossorial terrestrial |
| Substrate | Deep (6 in+) packed coco fiber/soil blend |
| Feeding | Roaches/crickets under half body, weekly to biweekly |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 5: Extreme |
| Handling | No handling, tongs and catch cup only |
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
- Hatchlings: Baby Buddy, fine-mesh security.
- Juveniles to subadults: Burrow Buddy grow-out.
- Adults: large custom terrestrial, generous floor space.
Warnings First
- Medically significant bite. Treat every bite as a medical event.
- Extremely fast. Tool-only handling, always.
- Solitary, never cohab.
- ID and locality are a guess here. Full precautions for this species group apply regardless.
- Weak airflow at substrate level lets a humid burrow turn stagnant fast, whatever the exact locality turns out to be.
Simple Care
- Use deep, packed substrate.
- Vent low on two opposite walls for real cross airflow.
- Keep a dry zone alongside the humid zone.
- Keep a shallow water dish full, packed with pebbles.
- Use heavy-duty lid security.
- Handle transfers with tongs and a catch cup only.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- Mirror standard care for this species group: 6 in or more of firmly packed, moisture-retentive substrate, one end noticeably drier.
- The locality ID is unconfirmed, so don't over-promise a specific origin story.
- Vent low on two opposite walls from day one, mesh bonded flush and sized under the head.
- Hold 65-90% by keeping the lower substrate damp and running a water dish. Closing vents to hold a number breeds mold and mites instead.
- Mist under the hide, not the whole box, for a dependable damp retreat while the open substrate stays drier.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Feed roaches or crickets no longer than half the body, every 4-7 days for juveniles and every 10-14 days for adults.
- Growth: treat as standard for this species group, roughly a year-plus to maturity, 5-10 yrs lifespan.
- Pull uneaten prey within a day. Don't disturb a fresh molt.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Likely Sumbawa Island, Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia, if the locality holds up. Unconfirmed for this specific animal.
- Habitat translation: Same tropical forest-floor, leaf-litter setup as other members of this species group.
Advanced Keeper Details
- This trade name isn't one the hobby uses in print, so we're not claiming it means a specific taxon until a photo match says otherwise.
- This is an unconfirmed locality color form, and that's all we'll say for now.