Tarantulas or Scorpions

[Myrmeleon]

The title pretty much explains it but please say why. I would like to hear people's reasoning.

 

[pannaking22]

Scorpion. Present a unique challenge to keep/rear/breed, the genus Orthochirus is cute as hell, and they're typically quite a bit more active than tarantulas (of course there are plenty of pet rock scorp species too). Hard to beat a giant @gromgrom -esque colony of T. stigmurus too. They also span across a wide range of difficulties, which means there's something for everyone. Tarantulas certainly have their own scale too though, so that one is sort of a toss up.

One big thing tarantulas have going for them is availability and diversity. There are a lot of species the average hobbyist can get their hands on, whereas scorp diversity is lower and they tend to show up in waves because many species take a while to mature and females take forever to give birth (more common in the desert species). You'll have a group of an uncommon/rare species go up for sale and then they'll disappear for a couple years until another keeper successfully breeds them or the original keeper gets a new brood. In many tarantula species, you get one sac and the market will be fairly well satisfied for a while. For some species (think Lasiodora), you get one sac and you basically saturate the market for the immediate future.

 

[pannaking22]

I also say all this as someone who enjoys keeping tarantulas too, so this was kind of a toss up for me lol.

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

Present a unique challenge to keep/rear/breed

Not everyone would consider that a plus. If you like a unique challenge chances are you've already kept a wide variety of animals anyway.

 

[Ratmosphere]

Tarantulas, the idea that a spider could get that big still blows my mind. Their behavior is funny when they eat. Sometimes they strike quick and make it dramatic. Once grab their prey, I love the "Happy Dance" they do. Some are calm and some have serious attitude. I love the different colorations between species to species. All around I love tarantulas and am grateful to own them.

 

[VolkswagenBug]

Wrong thread, I think. But my answer is tarantulas, no question. I've never really liked scorpions all that much, the giant claws and (usually) huge stinger freak me out. Even docile emperors scare me.

 

[Myrmeleon]

Yes in hindsight I probably should have posted this in spiders and other true arachnids

 

[RTTB]

Scorpions are awesome, tarantulas are great.

 

[darkness975]

Wrong thread, I think. But my answer is tarantulas, no question. I've never really liked scorpions all that much, the giant claws and (usually) huge stinger freak me out. Even docile emperors scare me.

As opposed to the fangs of a Tarantula which look the same as the stinger on the Scorpion's telson and perform the same task of envenomation?


I actually started the invertebrate keeping hobby with Scorpions. Never thought the day would come that I would own a Tarantula, let alone more than one Tarantula.


Never say never, after all.

 

[Myrmeleon]

Wrong thread, I think. But my answer is tarantulas, no question. I've never really liked scorpions all that much, the giant claws and (usually) huge stinger freak me out. Even docile emperors scare me.

In my opinion the giant claws and stinger is precisely part of what makes the scorpion such an awesome invert.

 

[Prophet]

I'm extremely new to keeping scorpions but I guess I'll share my pros so far. They are no doubt one of the most fascinating species to watch just walk around. Its extremely impressive when they grab something and sting it. They are very agile and adapt pretty quickly, feeding couldn't be cheaper and overall care is simple. If you have old fish tank equipment, reptile equipment, lighting etc. you could give them extreme comfort b/c they are simple creatures and basic setups are almost overkill on comfort. I got lucky and grabbed a few while on sale so you have to do some searching around to find good ones at a reasonable price..

 

[Myrmeleon]

Don't Ts do the same things? They grab something, pump venom, and are agile as well. Though I can't speak for their ease of care because I've never had one. Maybe when I graduate from high school...

 

[The Snark]

Define 'Pet'. Very subjective. The question is like 'who is the best musician?'. Your personal take, your personal criteria.

 

[Scolopendra1989]

As opposed to the fangs of a Tarantula which look the same as the stinger on the Scorpion's telson and perform the same task of envenomation?


I actually started the invertebrate keeping hobby with Scorpions. Never thought the day would come that I would own a Tarantula, let alone more than one Tarantula.


Never say never, after all.

I think what he was trying to convey was the fact that tarantulas (despite being enormous, hairy spiders) have nothing visually threatening or sharp protruding from them on a cursory glance. The 'fur' and clustered eyes may actually appear cute to newcomers of the hobby.
Scorpions, as much as I love my H. Spinnifer, look quite scary to 'normals' because they have a hooked, sharp tail and prominent, sharp claws. The jet black armor that is common to some of the larger ones may also look quite scary.
Now, this is a pretty shallow view, as I'd rather handle a scorpion than a tarantula, but the scorpion's body seems to radiate danger on a visual level to people. Tarantulas have more 'hidden' features of danger like the fangs under it's chelicerae and the seemingly harmless fur on its abdomen.

 

[Myrmeleon]

Define 'Pet'. Very subjective. The question is like 'who is the best musician?'. Your personal take, your personal criteria.

I want to hear people use their own definitions of what makes a good pet. For example, you could say that scorpions make a better pet due to them being more active, whike another person might prefer a pet to be more lethargic (although I don't know anyone who would like a pet rock). Your opinion is what makes this interesting

 

[darkness975]

If you have old fish tank equipment, reptile equipment, lighting etc. you could give them extreme comfort b/c they are simple creatures and basic setups are almost overkill on comfort.

You shouldn't be using lights with Scorpions. Most reptile equipment is also useless for Scorpions.

The only thing you might need is a heat pad. maybe. It is still best to use a space heater in the room, though.

 

[darkness975]

I think what he was trying to convey was the fact that tarantulas (despite being enormous, hairy spiders) have nothing visually threatening or sharp protruding from them on a cursory glance. The 'fur' and clustered eyes may actually appear cute to newcomers of the hobby.

I understood as much. I was merely opening up a notation for a bit further discussion.

 

[Prophet]

You shouldn't be using lights with Scorpions. Most reptile equipment is also useless for Scorpions.

The only thing you might need is a heat pad. maybe. It is still best to use a space heater in the room, though.

Yea the lighting would be useless indeed. The pump/airstones on the other hand can be used as a diy fogger which is pretty simple and more budget friendly than a store bought humidifier. The substrate can be used if sand/pebbles were included depending on species and the decor from my old setups is all i use. I still had old gutload that now i can give my feeder crickets and reptile water bowls my scorpions now use. Ceramic heater for heating requirements and me personally I'm good to go. If people are creative enough most anything can be used for different purposes

 

[darkness975]

Yea the lighting would be useless indeed. The pump/airstones on the other hand can be used as a diy fogger which is pretty simple and more budget friendly than a store bought humidifier. The substrate can be used if sand/pebbles were included depending on species and the decor from my old setups is all i use. I still had old gutload that now i can give my feeder crickets and reptile water bowls my scorpions now use. Ceramic heater for heating requirements and me personally I'm good to go. If people are creative enough most anything can be used for different purposes

May I offer a suggestion? Feeding your crickets fish flakes is a thousand times easier than anything else.

They're dry and cheap.

The term "gut loading" is a carry over from the reptile world, scorpions don't need anything special from the crickets, as long as they're alive and hydrated they're good to go.

 

[Prophet]

May I offer a suggestion? Feeding your crickets fish flakes is a thousand times easier than anything else.

They're dry and cheap.

The term "gut loading" is a carry over from the reptile world, scorpions don't need anything special from the crickets, as long as they're alive and hydrated they're good to go.

Yea I used flakes a long time ago and didn't care for them. I usually use alfalfa as its readily available for me to get and seems to smell better to me. I remember reading that it doesn't matter one way or the other if scorpions eat the gut loaded crickets or not so thats a plus but they will be anyways b/c of my other creatures. Appreciate the suggestion anyhow