hadurus arizonensis gravid!

[Dylan Roberts]

I have a gravid
Hadrurus I need 100 percent advice to provide the best care possible for the scorplings when they come I have heard nothing but bad about raising these babies and I’m willing to do anything to get them to maturity. Please offer any and all advice. Please

 

[darkness975]

I have a gravid
Hadrurus I need 100 percent advice to provide the best care possible for the scorplings when they come I have heard nothing but bad about raising these babies and I’m willing to do anything to get them to maturity. Please offer any and all advice. Please

You are going to need a deep tank with a moisture gradient so it can regulate how dry it wants to be.

You will also need to keep it on the warm side above. No heat pads or lights on the bottom of the tank. They burrow down by instinct to cool off and will fry if the heating element is on the bottom.

 

[Dylan Roberts]

You are going to need a deep tank with a moisture gradient so it can regulate how dry it wants to be.

You will also need to keep it on the warm side above. No heat pads or lights on the bottom of the tank. They burrow down by instinct to cool off and will fry if the heating element is on the bottom.

How deep exactly ? I know they burrow down a lot to give birth in the wild.. and of course no heating paid below tank on any sp I keep. I have reared Asian sp. of course are a lot more hardy. I just want everything right with this.
-Dylan

 

[darkness975]

How deep exactly ? I know they burrow down a lot to give birth in the wild.. and of course no heating paid below tank on any sp I keep. I have reared Asian sp. of course are a lot more hardy. I just want everything right with this.
-Dylan

Hadrurus are just as hardy, or more so, than Heterometrus spp. They are easier to keep as well since you don't need to upkeep moist substrate all the way through.

I have not bred this species, but I do keep them. If you have a tank with 8 - 10 inches (plus) of substrate, that is a good start. A mixture of 30 / 70 of sand/excavator clay will ensure the proper consistency for burrowing. For the bottom layer you can set up a false bottom to make it more moist below. Given that choice of moister or dryer it will self regulate.

I have no interest in breeding, so my enclosures are not that elaborate. But to give them the best chance possible, you will want to try and mimic their natural environment as closely as possible.
Scorpions will often "corkscrew" their burrows, which likely aids in the creation of micro climates within the burrow.

Also, remember that having that much substrate will be very heavy. Make sure the enclosure you are using can support the weight.

 

[Dry Desert]

How deep exactly ? I know they burrow down a lot to give birth in the wild.. and of course no heating paid below tank on any sp I keep. I have reared Asian sp. of course are a lot more hardy. I just want everything right with this.
-Dylan

You will need 2 inches of washed gravel/ small pebbles on the very bottom. On top of this you place a single layer of fine plastic mesh that covers the gravel completely. Then place 2 or more half inch plastic tubes into the tank. Minimum of two depends on the size of the tank. You will need a minimum 16 inches of substrate so a 24 high tank is required, therefore the plastic tubes need to be18 inches +. Then you can add the substrate making sure the tubes stay down into the gravel. Keep the tubes away from the very corners as the scorpion will use them to climb if in the corner. Now that's all set up fill with water using the tubes until the water comes halfway up the gravel. The water will then gradually soak up through the substrate and the scorpion will have hot surface temperature and cooler moister substrate into which it will find it's ideal depth, this is more important for the young than the adults, as the young will be in a different area in the burrow than the adults mostly because of this relatively elaborate setup is one of the reason desert hairys and Scorpio maraus are not bred in captivity, also due to their relatively low price keepers are generally quite happy just to keep in simple setups and not breed.