# scorpions?



## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

im kinda interested in keeping a scorpion, i have never keep anthing thing of that nature before, any advice or suggestions would be more then apperiated
thanks


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## studmuffin992 (Feb 27, 2006)

dont u think u have enough pets







get a gf


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## Snake_Eyes (Jun 14, 2006)

I'd recommend a *Desert Hairy (Hadrurus arizonensis)* or a *Dune scorpion (Smeringurus **mesaensis)...*keep both on sand with a temp of around 85 degrees, put a milk cap of water in once a week.

Both of these are a bit more venomous and a lot more aggressive than an emperor but in return you get a more active scorpion, a scorpion that shows a threat display at the drop of a hat, a specie that you don't have to worry about humidity (except for to much) and one that practically always stings it's prey.


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## ICEE (Feb 3, 2007)

a specie that can kill u lol


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## studmuffin992 (Feb 27, 2006)

coutl said:


> a specie that can kill u lol


 hehe he mite want something that aint gunna try and go for him everytime he has to stick his hand in the tank.
and iv oready told him he shud get a gf nevamind more pets how about alife u guys must have alot of time on ur hands geeze.


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

thanks snake eyes ill look into both those scorpions, i like how there desert species, so all they need is that little bit of water, can you house more then one together cause im going to put them in a 25 (i think) gallon tank? should i add rocks or wood for cover.

piranhaattack i have a gf we have been together for a year and 3 months (our anniversery (sp?) is in two days) so ya i have a girl friend and a life. plus you can never have enough pets (whats the point of having a small collection, go BIG or GO HOME)


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## Snake_Eyes (Jun 14, 2006)

I know people have kept them communal when young but I don't think it's recommended. I keep my scorps enclosure very basic with nothing more than a hide but rocks and wood would be fine. Both specie's that I mentioned should be kept around 50-60% humidity, much more than that there is a danger of them developing mycosis. Many keepers don't even keep a source of water with them and believe that they get their water needs from their food but I keep a milk cap of water in with mine anyways and refill ONCE a week.

One more thing if you get a desert hairy get an adult or a sub-adult because because baby DH's are extremely difficult to raise.


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

alright cool thanks are either species expensive, and are they easy to get? whats there diet crickets, when adult size baby mice? how long do they live? what do u use for heating bulb or undertank heater? and are they active during the day or night?

sorry for so many questions but i got a new appereation for them when i was watching an emp mother taking care of her babies. i really like the ones you suggested, love the colour


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## Snake_Eyes (Jun 14, 2006)

I'm not sure on the lifespan of the Dune but the Desrt hairy is reported to live 15+ years. Gut loaded crickets or roaches is the best food for them, I would aviod feeding them pinkies. I heat mine with UTH placed on the SIDE of the enclosure. They are most active at night/early morning.


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

why do u place them on the sides of the enclosures


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

also how often do they eat


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## psychofish (Jun 5, 2004)

The two species Snake Eyes mentioned are great. Definately go with one of those. 
I have kept both species and they were great, I also had an emperor and it was a very 
boring species to have. Wasnt very active and feeding times there was never a sting, they 
99% of the time use their pedipalps. Just dont try to free handle them and you will have no problem 
keeping them. I have a long pair of feeding tongs with foam tape at the end that I use to pick up my 
scorpions by the tail with, Ive never ever been even close to being stung.


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

thanks psychofish thats some good advice i was wondering how you handle them, i have tongs and all that.

just called one of my pet store around me and there looking into getting some of the desert hairys in for me i asked for a pair and for them to be sub adult or adults


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## psychofish (Jun 5, 2004)

I wouldnt try to keep them together, If you happen to get 2 males the absolute 
best scenario I see is that you get lucky and 1 lives.


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

even in a 25 gallon (maybe 30 gallon). is there any way to sex them, can a pair go together, if not ill either keep them seperate each in a 25 gal or put a divider in


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## psychofish (Jun 5, 2004)

Best info I can give you on sexing them is males have longer pectines and they also have more pectinal teeth.


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

cool thanks


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## Snake_Eyes (Jun 14, 2006)

dark FrOsT said:


> why do u place them on the sides of the enclosures


Instinct tells scorpions to burrow when they get to warm and by doing that they would dig right towards the heat.


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

thats cool i didnt know that, makes sense now to place the heat pad on the wall of the tank

so you only feed yours once a mouth 2-4 crickets or is it like 1 crickets every week?


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## Snake_Eyes (Jun 14, 2006)

Yeah usually 1 cricket every week to every other week depending on size of the cricket.


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

awesome thanks


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## Bsixxx (Aug 31, 2006)

screw the scorpion get a camel spider or a centipede

get something that wont run away from its prey

trust me scorpions are over rated!!

but get what ever you would lke


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

spiders and centipedes scary the hell out of me. i wouldnt be able to sleep with them around


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## jerogreg (Oct 30, 2006)

Snake_Eyes said:


> I'd recommend a *Desert Hairy (Hadrurus arizonensis)* or a *Dune scorpion (Smeringurus **mesaensis)...*keep both on sand with a temp of around 85 degrees, put a milk cap of water in once a week.
> 
> Both of these are a bit more venomous and a lot more aggressive than an emperor but in return you get a more active scorpion, a scorpion that shows a threat display at the drop of a hat, a specie that you don't have to worry about humidity (except for to much) and one that practically always stings it's prey.


I thought he said hes new and that this would be his first scorpion. Wouldnt this type be just a little bit advanced for him?


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## Snake_Eyes (Jun 14, 2006)

Bsixxx said:


> screw the scorpion get a camel spider or a centipede
> 
> get something that wont run away from its prey
> 
> ...


ROFL!!!

Umm none of the scorpions that I keep/kept have ran away from it's prey.


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

meh im up to the challenge, i really dont think it will be that hard. its not like im going to touch it or want to take it out of its enclousure


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## Snake_Eyes (Jun 14, 2006)

Lloyd and Jabbas dad said:


> I'd recommend a *Desert Hairy (Hadrurus arizonensis)* or a *Dune scorpion (Smeringurus **mesaensis)...*keep both on sand with a temp of around 85 degrees, put a milk cap of water in once a week.
> 
> Both of these are a bit more venomous and a lot more aggressive than an emperor but in return you get a more active scorpion, a scorpion that shows a threat display at the drop of a hat, a specie that you don't have to worry about humidity (except for to much) and one that practically always stings it's prey.


I thought he said hes new and that this would be his first scorpion. Wouldnt this type be just a little bit advanced for him?








[/quote]
Not at all...IMO both are a better beginner scorpion than an emp. these are soooooo easy to take care of and they are NOT dangerous, it's not like I recommended him starting out with a Parabuthus, Leiurus or an Androctonus. If you go by the venom chart both of these are rated as a 2 for venom on the 1-5 scale. Besides we're talking about a creature that can't climb smooth surfaces. I'm 100% more comfortable working around my Parabuthus with TWO in the same tank than I am with any of the tarantulas that I keep even though they are far less venomous. At least when working around scorpions I don't have to worry about them running up the side of the glass.

A guy I work with wanted a scorpion and I recommended to him the same as above but he decided to take the petshops advice instead and get an emperor. He said it was about as exciting as having a pet rock. It was always hiding, never ate in front of him and he had a hell of time keeping up humidity and eventually the scorp quit eating and died after him only owning it for about 3 months.


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

snake eyes, i think you really know what your talking about, i have 100% faith in your suggestions. on an other note the desert hairy kinda reminds me of the death stalker. do you keep any of them?


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## Snake_Eyes (Jun 14, 2006)

My current scorp collection...Dune scorpion...Vaejovis sp...Parabuthus Transvaalicus x2. I have had two desert hairy one adult and one baby in the past, I do plan on getting another one most likely next month along with a couple others.

As you can see in the pics the death stalker has black segment at the top of the tail while the DH does not. Also a death stalker has thinner claws. And probably the best way to tell them apart is to look at the many hairs around the desert hairy's stinger, the death stalker has no hair.

Deathstalker


Desert hairy


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

now that i see them at the same time there is a real difference between them. i like the brown colour and the black ring on the death stalker


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## Snake_Eyes (Jun 14, 2006)

Yeah they are a cool looking scorp and not to mention the most venomous scorpion in the world.









Here's a couple pics of my dune scorp in case you didn't see (or payed attention) my "collection" thread I posted a while back.


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

i really like the dune maybe more then the hs... i saw your post but i was to creeped out by the other pics to really take a close look. and when i read it i wasnt looking to get one either, yours looks really nice, if you dont mine me asking wats its value

if you can get around to it can you post a pic of the entire enclouse. no biggie if its a hassle. and thanks for helping me so much


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## Snake_Eyes (Jun 14, 2006)

No problem I love talking scorps. I had a friend come over and take those pics, I plan on buying his camera soon and I'll try to get some more pics up.

I got her for $20 at a local petshop.


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

nice .. and they live for a more then 3 years


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

awesome i love talking about herps in gerneral, my gf gets annoyed cause thats all i seem to want to talk about

for the enclosure setup im thinking of using those ground shells (kinda looks like sand, ive seen it used for desert snakes and lizards) a small water dish and im debating on using a piece of grape root wood or making some sort of rock cave


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## Snake_Eyes (Jun 14, 2006)

I tried doing some searching and I couldn't find any info on how long they live.


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

thats cool thanks, how long have you had yours, 20 bucks is the right price i thought they would be more pricey, so if it lives for only a few years im fine with that, maybe i can breed them


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## Snake_Eyes (Jun 14, 2006)

I've had her for 2 months now.


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

are there different dune scorp. ive seen an almost blue looking one, is it just basicly where they come from


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## Snake_Eyes (Jun 14, 2006)

To the best of my knowledge there is only two color morphs...both are yellow but one is a solid yellow while the other is more transparent.


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

ya i think it only looked blue cause it was on a blue substrate, well im expecting a call for the pet store tomorrow so ill see what he says i told him to look into HS but tomorrow im going to ask about DS as well. when i called i talked to his wife so i didnt really want to get to into it.


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## Snake_Eyes (Jun 14, 2006)

This place sells them but they have a $40 minimum order. http://www.goldenphoenixexotica.com/


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

thanks for the link, wonder if they ship to canada. if i only spend 40 bucks ill be lucky, i have a habbit of going to by one things and ending up buying a lot more then what i went to get


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

they dont ship to canada


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## Snake_Eyes (Jun 14, 2006)

Damn that sucks hopefully your LPS can get one for you.


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

well theres two i go to. i know that the one most likely can for sure. but i called the other one cause its been awhile since i have shopped there cause its kinda out of my way. but im thinking il call both up and see where is cheaper. i hope that theyre under 30 bucks.

well im off to bed, well not really going to water the plants in my enclosure, then bed. ill talk to you soon and again thanks for all the help, i can see us doing this again soon. take it easy


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## psychofish (Jun 5, 2004)

Bsixxx said:


> screw the scorpion get a camel spider or a centipede
> 
> get something that wont run away from its prey
> 
> ...










I havent had a scorpion back down 
from anything Ive put in its tank eaither.

I need to get my scorpion collection back up again
all I have as of right now is my A. Australis (African Fattail)


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

wow at one of my lps they wanted between 40-50 for a DH. another lps wanted 29 for a DH. i think im going to get the one thats 29. none of them have seen dune scorps.







... got any suggestions where else i may find them


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## Snake_Eyes (Jun 14, 2006)

I was doing some searching on arachnoboards and found some Canadian dealers. I don't see any on their lists but maybe they will someday. Also on AB their is a Canadian only section that supposedly gives you access to classifieds etc. I can't say for sure though because you have to request to have access to it (and be Canadian).

http://www.tarantulacanada.ca/English/English.htm

http://www.arachnophiliacs.ca/scorpions.htm

http://www.averyexotics.com/

http://www.tarantulacanada.ca/English/English.htm


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

awesome thanks, i will check all them out


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

which one is AB?


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## psychofish (Jun 5, 2004)

dark FrOsT said:


> which one is AB?


Here


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

awesome thanks


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## The Marshal (Jul 31, 2006)

Bsixxx said:


> screw the scorpion get a camel spider or a centipede
> 
> get something that wont run away from its prey
> 
> ...


Haha obviously you've never kept Parabuthus, Tityus, or Leirius.. I have yet to see them run away!

Oh and those two suggestions are good but if you want communal you could look at some Centruroides vittatus or Centruroides hentzi both are quite communal past fourth to fifth instar. They are quite hardy and quite harmless as well!


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

thanks, i will check those 2 out


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## Snake_Eyes (Jun 14, 2006)

The Marshal said:


> screw the scorpion get a camel spider or a centipede
> 
> get something that wont run away from its prey
> 
> ...


Haha obviously you've never kept Parabuthus, Tityus, or Leirius.. I have yet to see them run away!

Oh and those two suggestions are good but if you want communal you could look at some Centruroides vittatus or Centruroides hentzi both are quite communal past fourth to fifth instar. They are quite hardy and quite harmless as well!
[/quote]
Nice collection of hots.


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