# Which scorpions are least dangerous?



## Leon945 (Apr 19, 2006)

Hi All!
Right now I have a few emperor scorpions, which do pretty well... but i'd like to ger more variety..

I really don't want a scorpion if its sting can kill me or make me go to the hospital.. :8o 
I wanted to know which species are the least venomous, and also..
I live in Monterrey, Mexico.. and was thinking about going "scorpion hunting", i really am a beginner here so i dont even know which species might live in the wild here.. if anyone does know, would these be dangerous??

any tips?

thanks!


----------



## Stratusfaction (Apr 19, 2006)

A good beginner would be the emperor scorpion.


----------



## Leon945 (Apr 19, 2006)

yeah.. i already have 7 emperor scorpions.. any other species that would be oK?


----------



## Stylopidae (Apr 19, 2006)

Hadrus, heteromerus, centroides vittatus


----------



## ScorpDude (Apr 19, 2006)

centroides vittatus are a buthid, in the UK we need a license to keep them, there must be some sort of risk involved.

Stick with heterometrus, pandinus or hadrurus


----------



## Normski2020uk (Apr 19, 2006)

All Scorps are potentialy deadly, you can have an alergic reaction from your 1st, 2nd, 5th or 100th sting. So if your looking to by to pet, be awear.


----------



## Brian S (Apr 19, 2006)

ScorpDude said:
			
		

> centroides vittatus are a buthid, in the UK we need a license to keep them, there must be some sort of risk involved.


I have been stung by C vittatus before and yes it hurts ALOT!!! lol but I dont consider them dangerous


----------



## Stylopidae (Apr 19, 2006)

ScorpDude said:
			
		

> centroides vittatus are a buthid, in the UK we need a license to keep them, there must be some sort of risk involved.



That's BS (assuming that buthids are the only scorp which you need a liscense to keep...I'm not up on UK laws) but at least they recognize that scorps as a group aren't deadly.

In the state in which I live, (I think) all venomous invertebrates are illegal but they look the other way for beekeeping.

It may just be scorps, though. I have several lycosids as well as an orbweaver from the araneus genus and Ts are always in steady supply.


----------



## PA7R1CK (Apr 19, 2006)

Give H. arizonensis or H. spadix a try. Their large+beautiful+also have a very mild venom.


----------



## hamfoto (Apr 19, 2006)

The most common scorps in your area are going to Centruroides vitattus and Vaejovis sp.

I was just in your area a little more than a month ago and I caught C. vitattus and Serradigitus sp.

like Brian said...a C. vitattus sting is going to hurt, ALOT!, but not kill you...if you're healthy.  The others in your area are going to hurt and will have less effects than Centruroides.  Try to find a Vaejovis sp., you'll like them!

and talk with Marcelo, here on the boards, he lives in Monterrey as well.  He could probably help you...

good luck!
Chris


----------



## azatrox (Apr 19, 2006)

*Yup, I concur...*

Best bet is Hadrurus....Big, impressive animals that have attitude, yet are definitely all bark and no bite....They are venomous, but are not "medically significant"....You can expect that a sting from your emp and a sting from Hadrurus to be similar in terms of seriousness...(unless you have an allergy to animal venoms!...in which case a sting from ANY scorpion would be VERY bad news!)

Vajovis is another good group to keep if you're looking for "safe" scorps....They don't get very large, are pretty active and can be kept communally (as long as they are well fed)...

Good luck!

AzAtrox


----------



## Leon945 (Apr 19, 2006)

Normski2020uk said:
			
		

> All Scorps are potentialy deadly, you can have an alergic reaction from your 1st, 2nd, 5th or 100th sting. So if your looking to by to pet, be awear.


Yeah.. I know hehe.. I really dont plan on handling scorpions unless necesarry.. and with the necessary precautions.. but JUST in case one were to sting me.. i wanted to know, plus i think they are really cool!

thanks everyone for all the info.. i'll see how i can get my hands on some of these species!:clap:


----------



## GATORGAR56K (Apr 19, 2006)

id look into hadogenes troglodytes or hadogenes paucidens, paucidens is more colorful while troglodytes is bigger, both have a very weak venom though, prolly weaker than an emps venom from what ive heard, and they rarely sting. they also dont require too much special care


----------



## GrungeRock (Apr 19, 2006)

Evil Cheshire said:
			
		

> Hadrus, heteromerus, centroides vittatus


Some people have compared the venom of centruroides vittatus to that of C. exilicauda. Even if it isn't that dangerous, almost all the people I know who have been stung have said it has a VERY painfull sting. Plus its pretty quick and more aggressive than some of the other scorpions commonly kept. I wouldn't recommend it for someone starting out.


----------



## Ryan C. (Apr 19, 2006)

C. vittatus aren't too bad of a beginner species, yes the sting is extremely painful but not life threatening. I started out with C. vittatus and they would rather run then attack. Mine have never shown aggression. Just use forceps whenever you go into the cage and you will be fine.


----------



## GrungeRock (Apr 19, 2006)

These are some commonly kept ones that aren't considered medically significant (however, as pointed out, you can have a serious allergic reaction to the venom of any scorpion).

Smeringurus mesaensis
Hadrurus Arizonensis
Heterometrus species
Pandinus imperator
Hadogenes species.
Vaejovis species

I haven't kept S. mesaensis, Heterometrus, or Vaejovis, so I can't tell you weather or not they are good beginners but people seem to recomend Heterometrus to beginners. I'd say if you allready have emperor scorpions, try Hadrurus or Hadogenes, they are pretty neat. The hadrurus are more likely to sting though, so just figured I'd let you know that. I've also kept Uroctonus mordax, but those I collected myself and I don't think I have seen for sale, plus they're sting, while not dangerous, is said to be pretty discomforting. I've  also kept Pandinus cavimanus, but I don't think I'd recommend it for a beginner, as they are usually just sold as Red Claw scorpions, so there can be  trouble Identifying them sometimes, and they are more aggressive.

-D.G.


----------



## GrungeRock (Apr 19, 2006)

RyanC said:
			
		

> C. vittatus aren't too bad of a beginner species, yes the sting is extremely painful but not life threatening. I started out with C. vittatus and they would rather run then attack. Mine have never shown aggression. Just use forceps whenever you go into the cage and you will be fine.


I dunno, a beginner could probably do ok keeping them, but I don't think I'd recommend any bark scorpion to a beginner, even though some of them have relatively mild venom. Especially cause the guy asking seems to be looking for a scorpion with very mild venom. (just wanted to say, I'm not trying to be confrontational or trying to start an arguement or anything, just discussing)

-D.G.


----------



## Leon945 (Apr 19, 2006)

Yeah.. I really like scorpions.. I think they are great!
But I'm a bit of a chicken and dont want anything too dangerous around the house.. accidents happen, you never know.



			
				GATORGAR56K said:
			
		

> id look into hadogenes troglodytes or hadogenes paucidens, paucidens is more colorful while troglodytes is bigger, both have a very weak venom though, prolly weaker than an emps venom from what ive heard, and they rarely sting. they also dont require too much special care


I saw some pictures of these (hadogenes), they are really cool!
I dont think i can buy them here in Mexico, but.. would anyone be willing to send them? is it possible?


----------



## Ryan C. (Apr 19, 2006)

GrungeRock said:
			
		

> I dunno, a beginner could probably do ok keeping them, but I don't think I'd recommend any bark scorpion to a beginner, even though some of them have relatively mild venom. Especially cause the guy asking seems to be looking for a scorpion with very mild venom. (just wanted to say, I'm not trying to be confrontational or trying to start an arguement or anything, just discussing)
> 
> -D.G.


C. vittatus and C. hentzi (both bark scorpions) are 2 and 1 on a scale of 1-5 venom wise. Just about as potent as a H. arizonensis and people have been reccomending that. Also H. arizonensis is typically a lot more aggressive, bark scorpions will run then try to attack.


----------



## GrungeRock (Apr 20, 2006)

RyanC said:
			
		

> C. vittatus and C. hentzi (both bark scorpions) are 2 and 1 on a scale of 1-5 venom wise. Just about as potent as a H. arizonensis and people have been reccomending that. Also H. arizonensis is typically a lot more aggressive, bark scorpions will run then try to attack.



Are you going by Manny Rubios book? I read the same one, and thats when I started thinking about acquiring some c. vittatus, I've been keeping scorpions for about 8 years, and I avoided bark scorpions during it until recently when I myself began considering acquiring some  , because the reactions people have vary significantly, which is true with all scorpions, but a large number of people have described it as being at least VERY painfull, including Dr. Stockwell lol. I dunno, I just don't think I'd recommend it in a thread called "Which scorpions are least dangerous? ", as while they are not considered to be dangerous to healthy adults, I'd say they're venom is probably more potent than that of other species commonly kept by beginners.

This quote is from an article By Jeffery K. Barnes from the university of Arkansas
"Death and severe allergic reactions have been attributed to the striped bark scorpions, but such claims have never been substantiated by reputable sources (Baerg 1961; Demain and Goetz 1995; Ewing 1928; Keegan 1980). "

So, even though they shouldn't be considered overly dangerous, due to the inconsistancies and varying reports on the venom, i wouldn't recommend it for a beginner. (yes I know that all scorpion venom is capable of causing allergic reaction)

-D.G.


----------



## Ryan C. (Apr 20, 2006)

No im not going by Manny Rubio's book, Im going by the sting reports of each species. They are not overly dangerous, All scorpions can be fatal. It depends on a lot of things. If your allergic, how much venom injected, the size of the scorpion. I don't see C. vittatus and C. hentzi as dangerous, medically significant scorpions. If you use common sense its almost impossible to get stung such as always using forceps and never sticking your hand in the cage and I'm getting tired of hearing they are "aggressive" but I dont think I lucked out with 6 specimens.


----------



## GrungeRock (Apr 20, 2006)

Lol, I'm not sure we're arguing about the same thing. I'm in agreement with you that C. vittatus are not considered a hot species. I'm considering getting some when I'm not flat broke, and I don't keep anything that I consider to have a potent enough venom to be a serious threat to my health (with the exception of various deviations from common reactions such as allergic reactions). The only thing I was really saying was I probably wouldn't recommend the species to someone looking specifically for a scorpion with very weak venom. By the way, since you keep C. Vittatus, I was wondering, do you know a ballpark estimate of how many will live together in a ten gallon tank? I plan on setting up a larger setup, but I figure knowing how many per ten gallon, will give me a rough figure for the larger tank. 

-D.G.


----------



## Leon945 (Apr 20, 2006)

wow..
I really like this forum! lol!
I'm not getting a C. vittatus.. so don't worry too much either.. hehe..
thanks guys:clap:


----------



## Ryan C. (Apr 20, 2006)

GrungeRock said:
			
		

> Lol, I'm not sure we're arguing about the same thing. I'm in agreement with you that C. vittatus are not considered a hot species. I'm considering getting some when I'm not flat broke, and I don't keep anything that I consider to have a potent enough venom to be a serious threat to my health (with the exception of various deviations from common reactions such as allergic reactions). The only thing I was really saying was I probably wouldn't recommend the species to someone looking specifically for a scorpion with very weak venom. By the way, since you keep C. Vittatus, I was wondering, do you know a ballpark estimate of how many will live together in a ten gallon tank? I plan on setting up a larger setup, but I figure knowing how many per ten gallon, will give me a rough figure for the larger tank.
> 
> -D.G.


Dont know how many you could fit in a ten gallon, a ton to say the least. Im currently keeping 5 in a 5 gallon which could easily around 10-15 more if I put some more bark in.


----------



## GrungeRock (Apr 20, 2006)

RyanC said:
			
		

> Dont know how many you could fit in a ten gallon, a ton to say the least. Im currently keeping 5 in a 5 gallon which could easily around 10-15 more if I put some more bark in.



Thanks for the info . I'm hoping to get a colony going in a 3 foot by 1.5 foot tank thats about 1.5 feet tall, its not really a tall cage, but due to the floor space, I figure I can fit a decent amount of bark in if I angle it, I figure maybe an inch or 2 of bed-a-beast (coconut fiber), and a couple sheets of cork bark leaning against the side of the cage and one laying flat. Do you think that would accomodate a decent number of scorps? I figure I'll try to get four of them to start, like 2 males 2 females, as I probably won't be able to afford more than that (minor's budget lol) and hopefully they will breed. Any advice on keeping em is much appreciated.

-D.G.


----------



## Ryan C. (Apr 20, 2006)

Well for the cage set-up I've posted recent pictures of my enclosure in the enclosure thread. I probably have .5" of bed-a-beast in mine. Keep them dry with a water dish. If you get males and females you should have babies in no time they are prolific breeders. If you like you can click the link in my sig and check out the caresheet I made for them.


----------

