New to scorpions

Jones0911

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 5, 2013
Messages
406
I'm usually a tarantula/snake guy but I'm looking into getting a scorpion or two:

Hadrurus pallidus

Paruroctonus xanthus Neon Sand-Swimmer

Paruroctonus baergi Baerg's Sand-Swimmer

Hadrurus arizonensis

The ones above are my interests.

My questions before i make any decisions:

- housing
*Sand /places to hide
* Water dishes?....I've never seen any with scorpions with water dishes on this page but maybe I missed them.
*heat pad? do these need an exteral heat source not counting how hot I keep my room from a heater?

-Food
*How often do scorpions eat?

* Are they scavengers?

* Do they get filled up fast?

* If i put something in there that barely moves like a dubia will they find/kill it or should I hand feed with tongs?

* how can I tell the difference between a full and a pregnant scorpion? (Well try to breed but in the far future)

-Molting
* what are the signs that a scorpion will molt soon?

*Are scorpions like tarantulas when they molt in the sense the bigger they are the longer it takes to molts?

*Do scorpions remove/regenerate lost/injured limbs?

* Do I need to raise the humidity more than normal during the molting act?

-Sexing/breeding
*Do males/females mature at the same speed?

* Are females bigger than males as adults?

*How do you sex scorpions?

* are the species that I selected communal within their own species?

Are the species I picked Asexual?

Any other general scorpion information or specific info for my selected species would be greatly appreciated!!!!
 

RTTB

Arachnoprince
Joined
Dec 4, 2016
Messages
1,771
Those are all desert species that will do just great at room temperature with no external heat needed. The Paruroctonus are sand dune dwellers so sand 3" deep and a flat piece of bark laid so they can get under it and promote a burrow is all you need. You do not need a water dish for them . The Hadrurus will make use of a small water dish. I'll leave the Hadrurus care open to the experts here. They simply need more space and a deeper burrow system with a sand and clay mixture.
 

Jones0911

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 5, 2013
Messages
406
Those are all desert species that will do just great at room temperature with no external heat needed. The Paruroctonus are sand dune dwellers so sand 3" deep and a flat piece of bark laid so they can get under it and promote a burrow is all you need. You do not need a water dish for them . The Hadrurus will make use of a small water dish. I'll leave the Hadrurus care open to the experts here. They simply need more space and a deeper burrow system with a sand and clay mixture.
Thank you very much for your input, do you recommend any particular clay brand that is available at petco/pet smart?

Since you didn't add it, I'm assuming the Paruroctonus are all housed one per enclosure correct?

And is 5 molts considered an adult for a scorpion?

Thanks again!!
 

VaejovisCarolineanusSDS

Arachnoknight
Joined
Aug 4, 2017
Messages
248
I'm kinda amateur with with scorpions but, I have more scorpions species than any other of my pets and they are my favorite arachnid so I will try to help as much as I can.
When sexing a scorpions you look at the pectines (those comb like structures on the bottom of the scorp) If the pectines are long that means the scorpion is most likely a male, is shorter female.
As far as I know tarantulas and scorpions are similar in the sense that the older a scorpion gets the longer it takes to molt.
I feed mine once a week.
I am also interested in hadrurus arizonensis I would recommend that one. The only desert species I have is vaejovis confusus.
I don't put water dishes in any of my enclosures except for my heterometrus spinifer. Always use shallow water dishes when you do.
I feed mine crickets only because my parents won't let me keep any cockroach species.(Can't wait to move out)
Some scorpion species females and males are different sizes, but mine are all the same size.
 

Jones0911

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 5, 2013
Messages
406
I'm kinda amateur with with scorpions but, I have more scorpions species than any other of my pets and they are my favorite arachnid so I will try to help as much as I can.
When sexing a scorpions you look at the pectines (those comb like structures on the bottom of the scorp) If the pectines are long that means the scorpion is most likely a male, is shorter female.
As far as I know tarantulas and scorpions are similar in the sense that the older a scorpion gets the longer it takes to molt.
I feed mine once a week.
I am also interested in hadrurus arizonensis I would recommend that one. The only desert species I have is vaejovis confusus.
I don't put water dishes in any of my enclosures except for my heterometrus spinifer. Always use shallow water dishes when you do.
I feed mine crickets only because my parents won't let me keep any cockroach species.(Can't wait to move out)
Some scorpion species females and males are different sizes, but mine are all the same size.
Thank you both for the taking the time to write so much!!
 

VaejovisCarolineanusSDS

Arachnoknight
Joined
Aug 4, 2017
Messages
248
H. arizonensis can be kept communally. Almost any species of scorpion can be kept communally with large enough enclosures. Cannibalism can occur with any species you keep communally. Hadrurus species should be kept solitary.
I can't find any thing for paruroctonus species.
I wouldn't keep any of the species you asked about communal.
Sometimes scorpions eat dead insect but, I don't think they are scavengers.
I think most people feed them dubias or crickets.
I just throw the food in the enclosure and wait. My scorpions never eat in front of me, I wish they did. Most of the time it takes a day or two for mine to decide to eat.
I'm still trying to breed my scorpions. I have had no luck.
I have never had one of my scorpions to molt.
I think males and females do mature at the same speed.
 

Stenodactylus

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 20, 2013
Messages
88
Paruroctonus baergi and xanthus are wonderful beginner scorpions, as well as any of the Hadrurus genus. I've had breeding success with baergi, limited success with xanthus, and am raising up some captive born Hadrurus pallidus right now. I have a few baergi babies that I'm raising up right now, female is gravid once again. To answer your questions:

- housing
*Sand /places to hide

Yes, all of these species do very well on sand, and also need a hide. The hides need not be complex, but just enough to make the scorpion feel secure.

* Water dishes?....I've never seen any with scorpions with water dishes on this page but maybe I missed them.
Water dishes can be used with desert species. However, I generally do not use them with either of the genera you mentioned, just because of the fact that they like to dig and bury their water dish. I occasionally mist one side of the enclosure lightly, in order to provide a source of water.

*heat pad? do these need an exteral heat source not counting how hot I keep my room from a heater?
This really depends on the ambient temperature of your room. It is possible to keep them without heat. I would recommend a heat gradient though. All of the scorpions I've kept with a heat gradient seem to do better than the ones without. This is easy. You just need to mount a heat source on one side of the enclosure. With a heat pad, I would not place it under the tank, but on the side.

-Food
*How often do scorpions eat?

The scorpions you mentioned generally do well on a feeding regimen of once to twice a week.

* Are they scavengers?
This, I am not 100% sure. They can be, as I have seen some babies scavenge on freshly killed crickets. However, they definitely prefer live prey.

* Do they get filled up fast?
Paruroctonus, in my experience, yes. They are somewhat timid feeders that do not appreciate bunches of crickets disrupting their meal. Hadrurus, on the other hand, will literally eat themselves to death.

* If i put something in there that barely moves like a dubia will they find/kill it or should I hand feed with tongs?
This is a matter of personal preference. They will generally find something unless it burrows and does not resurface. They will feed off of tongs, but I generally don't do this.

* how can I tell the difference between a full and a pregnant scorpion? (Well try to breed but in the far future)
Another difficult question. However, pregnant scorpions tend to grow very exponentially, and you can sometimes see the outlines/shapes of the babies in her side. I don't know how other to explain this. You will know when you breed scorpions. ;)

-Molting
* what are the signs that a scorpion will molt soon?

In my experience, they grow quite large between the tergites, and tend to stop eating. They become sluggish. Do not disturb them during this time. They will generally molt without issue. However, Hadrurus are quite tricky to get to molt successfully.

*Are scorpions like tarantulas when they molt in the sense the bigger they are the longer it takes to molts?
In general, yes. It takes them longer to molt to the next instar once they become larger.

*Do scorpions remove/regenerate lost/injured limbs?
Nope, not at all.

* Do I need to raise the humidity more than normal during the molting act?
I try to raise it a bit, but remember, if the scorpion is doing well, let it molt on its own. Spiking the humidity might stress it out and the stress might cause a bad molt or death.

-Sexing/breeding
*Do males/females mature at the same speed?

I haven't noticed any significant difference in all of the species and genera I've kept.

* Are females bigger than males as adults?
In general, no. They do generally have a larger metasomal area, but this is because of the babies they will carry.

*How do you sex scorpions?
It differs across many species. The pectines underneath the animal are usually a pretty straightforward way to sex them, but again, this does not apply to all of the vast array of scorpions.

* are the species that I selected communal within their own species?
I would not recommend keeping them together unless you want to breed them. Even then, exercise caution.

Are the species I picked Asexual?
No, the only parthenogenic native species is Serradigitus misconei. The rest occur outside the US. There are quite a few of them available in the hobby, though. A few that come to mind are Tityus stigmurus, Tityus serrulatus, Hottentotta hottentotta, Liocheles australasiae, and Lychas tricarinatus.

Hope this helps! If you need any help with anything else, feel free to ask us.
 

Jones0911

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 5, 2013
Messages
406
Thanks!!!

I'm still deciding what to get but definitely going to get some!@
 
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