First Scorpion - C. vittatus

[becca81]

I received 3 C. vittatus from BrianS earlier this week and have just got them settled in. I never thought I'd own a scorpion and really didn't think that I'd like these at all. However, I have to admit that they're pretty cool. Much more active and colorful than what I expected.

I have them in a small setup at the moment, which I'm assuming that will last until they get a little bigger. Brian told me that there is 1 male and 2 females, but I don't know how to tell them apart. I've been doing some reading on housing and other basic stuff and I think they'll be okay in the setup I have them in. Please let me know if I need to change anything or if the size is too small.

Also, if anyone can tell which one is male and which are females I'd appreciate the info.

 

[Raan_Jodus]

the male will have longer tail segments than the females. Thats about the easiest way to sex Centuroides I believe. Hope you like em, they are cool lil critters.

 

[TheNothing]

whats the white thing in the lower corner?

Centruroides are great scorpions, I don't have any of the C. vittatus yet, but I have a few other species.

Males will have enlongated metasomas (tails). Most notably the last 2 segments.

 

[Eurypterid]

Very cool Becca. I love this species. They are great little scorps (with the stress on little). I haven't kept any for awhile, but I actually just ordered two today.

Raan is right, the males of this species, like other Centruroides, have longer, thinner segments in their metasoma. Here a link to a pic of a male C. vittatus that shows how much longer and thinner they appear. However, many times this difference isn't apparent until their final molt.

 

[Eurypterid]

Actually, here's an even better one.

 

[Brian S]

Wow!! They look good Becca!!! I'm glad you like them

 

[haroldo359]

i got some from brian too (scorpions that is) and i love them. out of all the scorps i keep... this i my fav ssp.

congrats.

 

[becca81]

whats the white thing in the lower corner?

It's a paper towel that is slightly damp. I didn't have any more lids on hand so I put that there temporarily as a water source.

 

[carpe scorpio]

Congratulations, Mrs.B, it's good to have you with us. Very nice photos.

 

[TheNothing]

It's a paper towel that is slightly damp. I didn't have any more lids on hand so I put that there temporarily as a water source.

ah, OK
scorps won't be able to draw water from it, but they'll appreciate the humidity it will help maintain

 

[carpe scorpio]

ah, OK
scorps won't be able to draw water from it, but they'll appreciate the humidity it will help maintain

If it were wet enough, they could, but I have found that paper towels turn slimy rather fast when used in caps/dishes. I did some experimenting and discovered that regular white bath-tissue placed in bottle caps stays fresh for three to four days. All but one of my scorpions have this water arrangement and seem to prefer it to standing water. The evaporative properties add the needed humidity as you mentioned, but I vary the size of the dishes and the number of holes in the lids to maintain specific %'s.

 

[haroldo359]

btw... do you live in GA or Tenn?

 

[becca81]

btw... do you live in GA or Tenn?

I actually live in Georgia, but only about 1/2 mile from the TN border and I work in Tennessee. Although I usually will claim GA much faster than TN.

 

[becca81]

I've been playing around with my new camera, so I thought I'd add some more pictures.

 

[Brian S]

Wow!!! Those are some really good pictures Becca

 

[buthidae46290]

Very nice quality pics! How much would a camera like that cost?

 

[becca81]

Very nice quality pics! How much would a camera like that cost?

I just got the camera and I'm still learning how to use it, so I'm pretty sure that the pictures could be a bit better than what they are. I bought this camera for about $450.

 

[cacoseraph]

Much more active and colorful than what I expected.

just wait for a molt!

the colors go from pretty to unreal