# Best substrate for Hairy Desert



## Sevenrats (Feb 13, 2008)

I'm going to get my first scorp and I'm going to get a Hairy Desert scorp. I plan on putting it in 5 gal reptile aquarium with a screen top. What's the best substrate to use? Is there a good pet sand product or do I just get some regular old fashion sand?


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## Vietnamese510 (Feb 13, 2008)

*you*

you can get sand from the pet store or reptile store 

mine is called DEsert sand by Exo Terra 

i have a desert hairy scorp myself haha

and some other desert scorps too


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## Sevenrats (Feb 13, 2008)

Thanks, that looks just the kind of thing I need. Do you think that the scorp would look better on black or red sand?  I'm thinking black would look really cool. 

Does it matter what sex a scorpion is, like it does with tarantulas?


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## lychas (Feb 13, 2008)

Go with sand, i think a lighter color sand would look best, yellow or white. I would set it up in a false bottom setup aswell.


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## magikscorps (Feb 13, 2008)

Mine likes to dig....you can get that clay excavator sand and wet some of it in your tank you can make starter holes with towel rolls, bottles and what not, let it dry ALL the way moisture very bad for this scorpion,,,,,after you can put the rest in or add the black sand I like this color my self ..........If you make that first base deep .........he will dig tunnels everywhere.......good luck Cheers


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## lychas (Feb 13, 2008)

magikscorps said:


> Mine likes to dig....you can get that clay excavator sand and wet some of it in your tank you can make starter holes with towel rolls, bottles and what not, let it dry ALL the way moisture very bad for this scorpion,,,,,after you can put the rest in or add the black sand I like this color my self ..........If you make that first base deep .........he will dig tunnels everywhere.......good luck Cheers


is any moisture at all bad for them? I used to keep parabuthus and i know they needed to be kept bone dry with only a misting ever week or so but being a burrower would these need a bit of humidity in the burrow?


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## Athlon2k2 (Feb 13, 2008)

I don't know how well this really works, but with my local (AZ) species I put dirt on the bottom and compact it then get it moist and let it dry completely. Then I place a piece of flagstone or flat rock in one of the corners then lightly cover the entire substrate with desert sand. All my locals seem to love it. If anyone thinks this isn't a good idea please let me know, but this is what I found where I find these guys.

-Dustin


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## magikscorps (Feb 13, 2008)

I have adult Ive had for 2= years that has never seen H20 neither do my V.spins they get there h20 from there prey...........


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## Sevenrats (Feb 13, 2008)

Does that clay burrowing stuff work for scorps? If he burrows will it ever see him?


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## Cyris69 (Feb 13, 2008)

Buy play sand from menards or some other big store like that 3 bucks for a 50lb bag.
Then buy some bentonite from eBay which is pretty cheap for a 25lb bag, and make your mix and your good to go.


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## signinsimple (Feb 13, 2008)

Sevenrats said:


> Thanks, that looks just the kind of thing I need. Do you think that the scorp would look better on black or red sand?  I'm thinking black would look really cool.
> 
> Does it matter what sex a scorpion is, like it does with tarantulas?


That depends on what style you are going for.  I'm a fan of the colored sand myself.  I actually mixed red & black sand to get a dark red/maroon color.

I keep a desert hairy and dune scorpion in a 15 gallon with plexiglass divider.

Here are some picks of my set up:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=106750

Here are some pics of my scorps under blacklight:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=114234

Alot of people are into the natural set up, but I like the alien world look.  So long as your environment mimics the scorps environment in function, I say feel free to toss in whatever artistic flare you want to.  It is very unlikely that the scorp will care how you decorate 

If its a choice between the 2 colors, I'd go with red.  It would offset the natural yellow of the desert hairy quite nicely.  Black would look really cool too though, Especially if you go with the Hadrurus spadix or arizonensis (they have dark grey to black backs, but yellow legs and claws..I have the pallidus hairy..all yellow).


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## Raan_Jodus (Feb 13, 2008)

My first tank I went for fancy black sand, looked great, cost me too much.  Wont do it again soon.  Normal beach sand is fine, hell i took sand right from the quarry i worked at.  You can get small bags of peat moss at places like Walmart in the plant section or wherever.  For about 5$ you should have all the substrate you need.

Mix it about 70/30 Sand and peat moss.  Wet it, and compact it down.  Let dry for a few days so the moisture has had a chance to get out.  adorn with whatever rocks and wood you would like.  He'll dig under them in no time.

Go for at least 5-6 inches.

Here we go, an old pic of my 10gal.  Held 2 H. Spadix for quite a while till one bit it.  I'll get another one someday but they are so hard to find cheap up here.  Sure is the best way to get rid of those annoying male crickets fast though.


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## signinsimple (Feb 14, 2008)

Raan_Jodus said:


> My first tank I went for fancy black sand, looked great, cost me too much.  Wont do it again soon.  Normal beach sand is fine, hell i took sand right from the quarry i worked at.  You can get small bags of peat moss at places like Walmart in the plant section or wherever.  For about 5$ you should have all the substrate you need.


I have to agree with Raan_Jodus here.  Regualr sand is much more economical.  The best deal I found for colored sand was about $4 for 5lbs.  For me, it was worth it, but if you're not looking to spend that kinda money go with the natural look.  Raan's set up looks cool also.

Hey Raan, out of curiousity, what do you do at that quarry for work?  Sounds cool.  Also, is it safe to have peatmoss with the sand?  I thought the moss was only for tropical or forest species.  Wouldn't fungus have a much better chance of showing up with peatmoss in the tank (even with the low humidity)?


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## Sevenrats (Feb 14, 2008)

Cost is not a problem especially for something like sand. How much could it cost. I like the alien look. More decorative. Will that pet sand stuff let them dig by itself or does it have to be mixed with something else? 

I have a Mexican redknee  in a natural set up and a Salmon Birdeater in a natural set up so I'd like to do the Scorpion one a little artsy. Scorpions are so alien looking anyway. I'm thinking to put a blacklight on it and decorate with white rocks and stuff on the black sand so it glows! How cool will that be with all the lights off and the scorpion walking around the glowing white rocks surrounded by pitch blackness?!


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## Vietnamese510 (Feb 14, 2008)

*i*

i use black sand it looks so nice!


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## signinsimple (Feb 14, 2008)

Sevenrats said:


> Cost is not a problem especially for something like sand. How much could it cost. I like the alien look. More decorative. Will that pet sand stuff let them dig by itself or does it have to be mixed with something else?
> 
> I have a Mexican redknee  in a natural set up and a Salmon Birdeater in a natural set up so I'd like to do the Scorpion one a little artsy. Scorpions are so alien looking anyway. I'm thinking to put a blacklight on it and decorate with white rocks and stuff on the black sand so it glows! How cool will that be with all the lights off and the scorpion walking around the glowing white rocks surrounded by pitch blackness?!


I agree.  I was willing to splurge a bit for sand as well.  It can get costly if you cant find a decent deal (as much as $9 for 5 lbs..but if you look around you should be able to do better).  I like the alien look too.  regular white rocks will not glow.  You have to get the kind that does (if you look in my pics on the links in my above post, I use little rocks designed for fish tanks that glow.  They look cool as hell under blacklight. These little rocks are real cheap.  Estes makes them and they are called Pglo or something like that.  Just go to a pet store.  They come in all sorts of colors.  All this pet sand we are talking about is also designed for a fish tank)

You definitely don't want to keep the blacklight on all the time with these desert scorps though.  A few minutes at a time wont harm them, just don't leave it on all night.  

The pet sand should be rinsed and then compacted down while still wet/damp and then let it dry until the damp line of the sand gets close to the bottom of the tank.  Its kind of like making a sand castle and then letting it dry..Infact, if you want you can actually make a little sand castle and put a small thin balloon at the top of the mold with the sand compacted around it so when you turn it over you have a makeshift tunnel into your castle...just pop the ballon after the sand drys and the castle should be stable).

If you want to make the substrate even more stable, try adding one 5lb bag of calci-sand (they make that in black too) for every 15lbs or 20 lbs of regular pet sand (any more than that 1 - 3 or 1 - 4 ratio will make the sand very hard when it drys).  Calcisand also makes glow in the dark sand that should also glow under blacklight (and well).  You can buy a small bag of that and sprinkle it here and there (but I never used it).  Pretty much all this can be bought at a pet store or online.

If you are wondering about the background in my pics, google "hubble telescope pictures" and look at the galaxy and nebula pics.  You should be able to find a cool looking background for your little scorp world :razz: 

Hope this helps.  Definitely post pics when you are done.  If you could PM me when you post them just to make sure I don't miss it, I would be much obliged.

Damn this message was longer than I intended.  Sorry for the book


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## Assamita (Feb 15, 2008)

magikscorps said:


> Mine likes to dig....you can get that clay excavator sand and wet some of it in your tank you can make starter holes with towel rolls, bottles and what not, let it dry ALL the way moisture very bad for this scorpion,,,,,after you can put the rest in or add the black sand I like this color my self ..........If you make that first base deep .........he will dig tunnels everywhere.......good luck Cheers


Hi, I'm using excavator with my arizonensis and did at first what you said, I just left him a starter hole. But this substrate turns into rock when dry, he wasn't able to dig anything. So I decided to make the cave myself and hope he likes it. And luckyly he does.

This is what I did to allow me observing it while "burrowed"
Yes, I know, very lightly decorated. I don't think it's gonna bother him.


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## signinsimple (Feb 15, 2008)

Assamita said:


> Hi, I'm using excavator with my arizonensis and did at first what you said, I just left him a starter hole. But this substrate turns into rock when dry, he wasn't able to dig anything. So I decided to make the cave myself and hope he likes it. And luckyly he does.
> 
> This is what I did to allow me observing it while "burrowed"
> Yes, I know, very lightly decorated. I don't think it's gonna bother him.


Nothing wrong with very lightly decorated.  Nothing wrong with making a little spooky scorp world either.  Different strokes for different folks   I kinda like your set up.  That tank is awesome, and the cave is cool.  Is it Plexi or glass?  Do you know where would I be able to get one like it?


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## Sevenrats (Feb 15, 2008)

> I agree. I was willing to splurge a bit for sand as well. It can get costly if you cant find a decent deal (as much as $9 for 5 lbs..but if you look around you should be able to do better). I like the alien look too. regular white rocks will not glow. You have to get the kind that does (if you look in my pics on the links in my above post, I use little rocks designed for fish tanks that glow. They look cool as hell under blacklight. These little rocks are real cheap. Estes makes them and they are called Pglo or something like that. Just go to a pet store. They come in all sorts of colors. All this pet sand we are talking about is also designed for a fish tank)
> 
> You definitely don't want to keep the blacklight on all the time with these desert scorps though. A few minutes at a time wont harm them, just don't leave it on all night.
> 
> ...


Great info! Thanks alot!


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## Assamita (Feb 15, 2008)

signinsimple said:


> Nothing wrong with very lightly decorated.  Nothing wrong with making a little spooky scorp world either.  Different strokes for different folks   I kinda like your set up.  That tank is awesome, and the cave is cool.  Is it Plexi or glass?  Do you know where would I be able to get one like it?


Hi. Thank you for your comment.
The tank is a methacrylate urn. It wasn't supposed to be terrarium, but I made it to be. I drilled a few holes at the top for ventilation. I guess it was some kind of exposure urn and I reciclated it.
The only thing is that it's a bit small, it is 25x25x40cm and I'm thinking about to move it into a bigger enclosure. I have a 60x30x30cm aquarium that would be perfect for him, and I could use this one for the incomming Hottentotta trilineatus I've recently bought and is coming in March 16th.
I've already aquired some other Hottentotta and Parabuthus species I think I'm going to keep the same way.

Sincerely,
Miguel


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## Assamita (Feb 15, 2008)

By the way, this method has a very important disadventage: it is pretty hard to clean the inside, and the scorpion likes to eat inside the burrow, so for the next burrows I'm going to try to design them in some way I can unmount them, asi if it has a mobile ceiling or something. I'll post some photos when I'm with it, I have some good ideas that could be useful.


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## Raan_Jodus (Feb 16, 2008)

signinsimple said:


> I have to agree with Raan_Jodus here.  Regualr sand is much more economical.  The best deal I found for colored sand was about $4 for 5lbs.  For me, it was worth it, but if you're not looking to spend that kinda money go with the natural look.  Raan's set up looks cool also.
> 
> Hey Raan, out of curiousity, what do you do at that quarry for work?  Sounds cool.  Also, is it safe to have peatmoss with the sand?  I thought the moss was only for tropical or forest species.  Wouldn't fungus have a much better chance of showing up with peatmoss in the tank (even with the low humidity)?


Peatmoss is perfectly safe...it just holds moisture a bit better and holds the sand together, it acts similar to the clay/betanite(sp?) but cheaper i think.  At least I found it was useful this way (and it filled in that much more space that I didnt have to use sand for).  No mold was ever present in my set ups, i never added any extra water except a bottle cap of water every now and again.  Humidy read 50% or so all the time by keeping a light on it so it was always dry so no mold could grow.  They should be kept bone dry when adults at least, I dont recall ever seeing mine drink, and would generally avoid any water.

The only time i bothered with the tank was after about 3 months when he had dug the substrate to death and it was all loose.

As for my job involving the quarry...I worked landscaping for a few summers.  We had our own lil quarry to use.  Nothing real special there I guess, it was a neat place though.  Granite was our thing mostly


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## Assamita (Feb 16, 2008)

Hi Raan_Jodus, does dry peatmoss hold sand either or it has to be wet? Does de mixture allow them to burrow? in that case, maybe I'll try it.


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## signinsimple (Feb 16, 2008)

Sevenrats said:


> Great info! Thanks alot!


no problem.  one more thing.  do not rinse the calcisand (it's not actual sand and will clump together and possibly dissolve if you rinse it).  Add it dry to the damp sand and mix it in.


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## signinsimple (Feb 16, 2008)

Assamita said:


> By the way, this method has a very important disadventage: it is pretty hard to clean the inside, and the scorpion likes to eat inside the burrow, so for the next burrows I'm going to try to design them in some way I can unmount them, asi if it has a mobile ceiling or something. I'll post some photos when I'm with it, I have some good ideas that could be useful.


Cool.  I'd like to see that.  I've been thinking about the same thing, but since I like to use sand, it might be more difficult to work something like that out (the compact sand would be more apt to crumble with moving parts than dried clay).


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## signinsimple (Feb 16, 2008)

Raan_Jodus said:


> Peatmoss is perfectly safe...it just holds moisture a bit better and holds the sand together, it acts similar to the clay/betanite(sp?) but cheaper i think.  At least I found it was useful this way (and it filled in that much more space that I didnt have to use sand for).  No mold was ever present in my set ups, i never added any extra water except a bottle cap of water every now and again.  Humidy read 50% or so all the time by keeping a light on it so it was always dry so no mold could grow.  They should be kept bone dry when adults at least, I dont recall ever seeing mine drink, and would generally avoid any water.
> 
> The only time i bothered with the tank was after about 3 months when he had dug the substrate to death and it was all loose.
> 
> As for my job involving the quarry...I worked landscaping for a few summers.  We had our own lil quarry to use.  Nothing real special there I guess, it was a neat place though.  Granite was our thing mostly


Cool.  i might try some peat moss.  I hope it comes in different colors.  Yeah, my desert hairy does that too.  I have to relandscape my cage every 3 or 4 months.  I wish he'd pick a home and stick with it.  Landscaping is cool.  must've found some cool rocks for your set ups too.


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## Raan_Jodus (Feb 16, 2008)

ya a few...we mostly use granite, and its kinda rough, but I got my hands on a few nice chips here and there.  I kept the H.A tank pretty spartan, chunk of driftwood was about all i gave him after a while...since he just dug holes all over the place to begin with.


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## signinsimple (Feb 17, 2008)

you know where I might be able to get ahold of a few cool granite rocks?  I kinda want to do a set up with little primitive stone shelters.


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## Xaranx (Feb 17, 2008)

I see lots of granite rock along the road through the valleys.


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## signinsimple (Feb 17, 2008)

Xaranx said:


> I see lots of granite rock along the road through the valleys.


Well, I'm looking to pick up several small pieces of granite, say 6  - 10 pieces roughly 1'' h x 3'' w x 4'' L
Although they wouldn't have to be perfect (want them to look natural).  Was that an offer ? :razz:  If not, does anyone know where I can pick these up?


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