# I was stung twice by this - is it a bark scorpion?



## Kathy (Apr 7, 2009)

I think this board is for people who really know these things - my neighborhood/house is infested.  I was stung on my back on the sofa, and on my finger in the kitchen sink.  I live in fear - I really do.  I think these are bark scorpions and I worry about it killing my cat.  I don't know what to do.


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## calum (Apr 7, 2009)

yes.. looks like a centruroides. (bark scorpion)


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## Rick McJimsey (Apr 7, 2009)

Agree with calum, male Centruroides sculpturatus


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## Kathy (Apr 7, 2009)

I am just overwhelmed reading through all the information on this site - and absolutely amazed that people keep scorpions as pets.  I have literally been crying and wanting to move I am so frightened in my own home.  How in the world do people co-exist with bark scorpions without always getting stung.


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## Kathy (Apr 7, 2009)

And if my cat gets stung (who has only 50% lung capacity) do you think it will  kill him?  Now I'm really upset.


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## Steven Valys (Apr 7, 2009)

How long have you lived in Arizona?


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## calum (Apr 7, 2009)

I doubt the cat would be seriously harmed. the venom of a scorpion doesn't really seem to work to well on cats and dogs and such. (or is that spiders?)


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## signinsimple (Apr 7, 2009)

kathy_in_arizon said:


> And if my cat gets stung (who has only 50% lung capacity) do you think it will  kill him?  Now I'm really upset.


I wouldn't worry about the cat.  They're naturally well adapted to killing scorpions (their fur generally protects them from stings and their reflexes are ridiculous).  Don't take my word for it though see for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPIJ39dXDPY

I've seen others like this one as well.  The scorpion never wins.


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## tabor (Apr 7, 2009)

kathy_in_arizon said:


> And if my cat gets stung (who has only 50% lung capacity) do you think it will  kill him?  Now I'm really upset.


it is possible! they are the most dangerous scorpion in america (although no one has died from one since 1966 i think, most of the deaths are due to allergic reaction/shock)

but yeah, they can you give us a little more detail about the sting and how your cat is acting now? if you are that concerned i would take it to a local vet asap (im sure they get tons of scorpion and snake incidents). better safe than sorry. hope she is ok.


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## ~Abyss~ (Apr 7, 2009)

Kathy if they become to much of a problem start catching some and sending them to me LOL. I'm sorry about your stings though if it's any consilation i KNOW first hand how much C. sculpt stings hurt.


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## Kathy (Apr 7, 2009)

Thank you for all your input.  My cat wasn't stung (yet) I just worry that he will be.  I just went to Home Depot and spent a bunch on caulk, door stripping, door guards, etc....this weekend I am going to plug in everything I can possibly find.  Gosh, you want some??????  Come to my house - they literally run up and down the back wall all night.  Oh, I have lived here 30 years and have never seen one until I bought this house two years ago.


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## Newports (Apr 7, 2009)

Since you don't keep any scorpions as pets, you might want to try out getting those little soundwave emitters or somthing that you plug in to an outlet and drives away pests.  I think they are safe for domestic pets such as dogs and cats though.


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## Aztek (Apr 7, 2009)

tabor said:


> it is possible! they are the most dangerous scorpion in america (although no one has died from one since 1966 i think, most of the deaths are due to allergic reaction/shock)
> 
> but yeah, they can you give us a little more detail about the sting and how your cat is acting now? if you are that concerned i would take it to a local vet asap (im sure they get tons of scorpion and snake incidents). better safe than sorry. hope she is ok.


Everytime someone says America I think of the whole continent as in the Americas and I was about to correct you:wall:


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## tabor (Apr 7, 2009)

Aztek said:


> Everytime someone says America I think of the whole continent as in the Americas and I was about to correct you:wall:


heh, i have the same problem since i have lived in the "other" Americas as well  

if i were you i would be more worried about snake bites (people dont keep cats outside do they?) than i would the scorpions, in regards to the cat. glad she didnt get stung


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## kupo969 (Apr 8, 2009)

Sorry about the sting, sounds like you are OK. The reason we keep these as pets is because they aren't _pests_ to us.


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## vvx (Apr 8, 2009)

I find the neighbor's cats to be pests. My car can go from a nice clean shiney finish to dusty cat print covered in less than a week. Yet, I don't find myself going to cat keeper websites and complaining there. I'd probably get labeled a troll if I did.

So anyone have any kittens? My snake is hungry.

(I don't even have a snake, don't worry.)


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## Moltar (Apr 8, 2009)

Plugging up all the cracks and holes you can is a good start. Those sticky glue traps are also quite effective *if* you can figure how to keep your cat out of them. There's also poison if you want to resort to that. Those sonic deterrents you plug into the wall may or not be that effective and may (or may not) bother your cat. I think they generally work better against mice and rats because arachinds and insects don't have a sense of "hearing" as we understand it.

Even though we keep arachnids as pets it is good to remember that these creatures are pests to most people and (in this case) dangerous ones at that. I love inverts but I must admit I wouldn't be all that comfortable with dozens of bark scorpions running free in my house.


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## pandinus (Apr 8, 2009)

I have family that lives down in paradise valley in phoenix and we caught about 65 scorpions in their neighborhood in about an hour and a half, but they live with them quite peacefully. the right time of the year, i can go into my basement and find 10-15 brown recluses in about 5 minutes or so. bugs thrive around human dwellings, there is plentiful food and water as well as shelter, so it is only natural that predators would be common in and around human dwellings as well. Precautions most certainly should be taken if your home happens to also be the home of something like spiders or scorpions as accidents do happen on occasion, but they are only accidents. the scorpions dont want to see you either, they are most likely oblivious to the fact that you live there, they arent out to get you, they just sometimes have an unfortunate habbit of turning up in inconvienient places. so while its smart to beslightly aprehensive and maybe not walk around barefoot at night remember there is no reason to be afraid. people always ask me where to find spiders scorpions, etc. they are always in the same place everytime: a lot closer than you think. the reason we are unaware of our close proximity is because they honestly dont care about us and would rather hide away somewhere dark and quiet and occasionaly eat a cricket or roach. also, even the deadliest scorpion in the world only causes any symptoms outside of localised burning and slight swelling about 10% of the time in healthy adults, and only 10% of those times require any serious medical attention, and that scorpion is much more deadly than your local bark scorpions. its natural to be aprehensive, but there is no need to be afraid, they are an animal like any other, and as long as you take proper precautions, there is little to fear from them. i hope this helped put you at ease a little better. good luck



John


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## Michiel (Apr 8, 2009)

kathy_in_arizon said:


> I am just overwhelmed reading through all the information on this site - and absolutely amazed that people keep scorpions as pets.  I have literally been crying and wanting to move I am so frightened in my own home.  How in the world do people co-exist with bark scorpions without always getting stung.



I am amazed that people keep animals like cats in their house


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## vvx (Apr 8, 2009)

If you're really scared of bugs and don't keep any for pets it probably makes sense to obtain the services of an exterminator. My parents have a 1-year contract with one of the local exterminator's after their rat problem and it covers rodents & insects and the guy just comes by once a month. Initially they had him patch up some holes in the crawl space as well.

(If you did have a pet T or something this would be an aweful idea.)


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## T.ass-mephisto (Apr 8, 2009)

a good start kathy to being safe in your home is to start checking everything before you put your hands or feet inside. shoes, drawers, cupboards and the like. the main reason they will sting is if they feel threatened, and to be honest a giant hand reaching for it is probably a big red flag to them. don't bother killing them it won't make to much difference just catch them and throw them outside. (to catch i would suggest using the old fashion glass trick, quickly put the glass over them slide a piece of paper under the glass then flip it over. the scorpions cannot climb that smooth of a surface) good luck kathy


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## praetorian2150 (Apr 8, 2009)

either to the exterminator route or you could catch em and sell em on here  either way ur body is now alot more adapted for the venom of this type of bark scorpion. i know they're above average venomous


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## Tcollector (Apr 8, 2009)

praetorian2150 said:


> either to the exterminator route or you could catch em and sell em on here  either way ur body is now alot more adapted for the venom of this type of bark scorpion. i know they're above average venomous



I will take a couple too. If I was you just make sure every tiny crack is covered. Scorpions are very good at getting through the smallest spaces lol.


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## Selket (Apr 8, 2009)

etown_411 said:


> Even though we keep arachnids as pets it is good to remember that these creatures are pests to most people and (in this case) dangerous ones at that. I love inverts but I must admit I wouldn't be all that comfortable with dozens of bark scorpions running free in my house.


I agree, we have them as pets, in a specific container where they are not to escape from, that way they are not pests to us. But think if you had  your communal A. Mauritanicuses escape from their enclosure. I might consider that to be a "pest". Just because we are in a hobby, that other people think is weird, doesn't mean we should judge people who don't share this hobby with us.

I am glad to see someone here that is asking questions about it, they will not get a more straight forward answer than from people on here who know these creatures very well.

Also maybe after reading some posts on here, other people will pick up on this hobby as well.


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## dtknow (Apr 8, 2009)

I think sticky traps would be a good solution. Most come with something over them that would keep the cat off.


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## Kathy (Apr 8, 2009)

My deepest apologies to anyone I may have offended by being shocked that people keep scorpions as pets.  That was certainly not my intent.  It is just something that I never even thought of - so I was so surprised to find this site while I was perusing the Internet looking for information on scorpions.   I entered into a world I did not know existed.  I am not a judgmental person by any means and if you love this as a hobby - power to you!  Gosh, you didn't have to diss my cat though....he's my baby I do worry about him getting stung because I love him and don't want to lose him.  BTW, he is an indoor cat so he does not bother anyone...   

I want to thank those of you who understood my fears and apprehensions and did not mind my asking questions.  I am learning much about scorpions by reading through all the information on this site.  I respect all life, and personally have nothing against scorpions - I just don't want them in my home where they could harm me/kill my cat - that's all.  But again, I apologize for anyone I may have offended.  I will go away now.....thank you for your input.  Kathy


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## ~Abyss~ (Apr 8, 2009)

All kathy people are just teasing. We're used to the weird looks and comments you normies make. We still love you


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## alexi (Apr 8, 2009)

don't go!  catch one of them and put it in a tank and feed it some crickets and I guarantee you it will grow on you.  ha ha and by the way I love cats as well.  

and like pandinus said, most of us are certainly used to normies, and not offended that you might be creeped out by the primal awesomeness of our pets.  :evil:


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## ~Abyss~ (Apr 8, 2009)

when did pandinus say that? :|


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## Miss Bianca (Apr 8, 2009)

The vast majority, myself included, keep them in well secured enclosures, and mostly study and observe them, as we care for them, occasionally taking a chance at also breeding the ones we keep. 
Bites seldom occur if the _pet_ is respected as the wild animal it is... 

sorry to hear about the bites though. 

I live in NY so there's no chance of any of that random bites here.. 
but I do sympathize with your situation and your views of these as 
pests or intruders...  







kathy_in_arizon said:


> I am just overwhelmed reading through all the information on this site - and absolutely amazed that people keep scorpions as pets.  I have literally been crying and wanting to move I am so frightened in my own home.  How in the world do people co-exist with bark scorpions without always getting stung.


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## codykrr (Apr 8, 2009)

praetorian2150 said:


> either to the exterminator route or you could catch em and sell em on here  either way ur body is now alot more adapted for the venom of this type of bark scorpion. i know they're above average venomous


hmmmm....i was always under he impression that scorpion venom doesnt truely help your body build immunities but rather makes you more suseptable to it. from my readings, if a healy adult is stung, they can live and usually do,unless a severe allergic reaction occurs. but i was told that say your stung by the same species of scorp a couple of times you can acually develope a severe allergy to that particular species venom.? correct me if im wrong, but say kathy here gets stung 5 times...wouldnt she or couldnt she eventually develope an allergy to this specific scorp. again please correct me if im wrong. and also kathy. may be a good idea to invest in a cheap portable blacklight for late night kitchen/bathroom walks. and last but not least, i will say that you cat will stand his or her ground just fine, even though their curious by nature there extremly good at killing things...like scorps and mice. good luck kathy


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## alexi (Apr 9, 2009)

~Abyss~ said:


> when did pandinus say that? :|


wooops abyss sorry I meant you said that.  sorry been drinkin a bit......


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## alexi (Apr 9, 2009)

codykrr said:


> hmmmm....i was always under he impression that scorpion venom doesnt truely help your body build immunities but rather makes you more suseptable to it. from my readings, if a healy adult is stung, they can live and usually do,unless a severe allergic reaction occurs. but i was told that say your stung by the same species of scorp a couple of times you can acually develope a severe allergy to that particular species venom.? correct me if im wrong, but say kathy here gets stung 5 times...wouldnt she or couldnt she eventually develope an allergy to this specific scorp. again please correct me if im wrong. and also kathy. may be a good idea to invest in a cheap portable blacklight for late night kitchen/bathroom walks. and last but not least, i will say that you cat will stand his or her ground just fine, even though their curious by nature there extremly good at killing things...like scorps and mice. good luck kathy


that's my understanding as well.


also, kathy, sorry to hear about your cat's lung capacity - I had a cat that had a bad heart and had to be put down because of fluid build up in his lungs.  Like everyone on here has said though, cats tend to be pretty adept at killing scorpions and not the other way around.  I wouldn't worry much about the scorps hurting your cat.  And in general I don't think you have to worry too much about the scorps seriously hurting you either unless you develop an allergic reaction as described above - their reputation for being dangerous comes more from the fact that they come into contact with humans so much more than other scorpions (and thus sting us more) than it does from the potency of their venom.


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## ~Abyss~ (Apr 9, 2009)

codykrr said:


> hmmmm....i was always under he impression that scorpion venom doesnt truely help your body build immunities but rather makes you more suseptable to it. from my readings, if a healy adult is stung, they can live and usually do,unless a severe allergic reaction occurs. but i was told that say your stung by the same species of scorp a couple of times you can acually develope a severe allergy to that particular species venom.? correct me if im wrong, but say kathy here gets stung 5 times...wouldnt she or couldnt she eventually develope an allergy to this specific scorp.


Possibly. It works both ways. I'm not sure if it depends on the venom or the scorpion or just the way your body handles it. Some people become more "sensitive" to the venom rather than getting allergies while other "desensitize"



alexi said:


> wooops abyss sorry I meant you said that.  sorry been drinkin a bit......


Been there


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## T.ass-mephisto (Apr 9, 2009)

tortuga00 said:


> The vast majority, myself included, keep them in well secured enclosures, and mostly study and observe them, as we care for them, occasionally taking a chance at also breeding the ones we keep.
> Bites seldom occur if the _pet_ is respected as the wild animal it is...
> 
> sorry to hear about the bites though.
> ...


hehe "bites" ....sorry just teasing tortuga:}   

but kathy you should get consider getting a little 5-10 gallon tank and keeping one. i can promise you after a while you will wonder why scorpions are more common as pets. and FYI there is more than enough info buried in the site here to find a proper setup for bark scorpions. and as long as you are here why not but a couple pictures of your cat in the "not so spineless wonders" of the site here.


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## dairy (Apr 9, 2009)

T.ass-mephisto said:


> but kathy you should get consider getting a little 5-10 gallon tank and keeping one. i can promise you after a while you will wonder why scorpions are more common as pets. and FYI there is more than enough info buried in the site here to find a proper setup for bark scorpions. and as long as you are here why not but a couple pictures of your cat in the "not so spineless wonders" of the site here.



They're so cool! And I promise the one you put in the tank will never sting you unless you go out of your way or do something dumb to provide the opportunity and motivation...like stick your hand in the tank and poke it. And I really don't see that happening...Right? Right. It's settled then. You go get yourself a suitable enclosure and put the next one you see in it. We'll wait here for the pictures of the setup 

And post your kitty, he's a hard luck case and you'll get a plethora of oohs and aaaaws.


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## Kathy (Apr 9, 2009)

Oh, I was just smiling reading through all these posts - I was a little apprehensive to come back for fear I insulted the whole community.    So thank you for accepting me on the board.

Interesting reading about the venom as to whether it gives me more resistance to the next sting or makes it worse.  Well I've been stung three times in the last year and I can only say the first one was on my hand and healed in a week.  These two are on my back and it's been a week and a half and I still have a couple of nice red round welts.  They don't seem to be healing.  If you want I could go outside tonight and get stung a few more times in the name of research? (That was a joke.) :razz: 

I will have to think deeply about keeping them in an aquarium as pets...I actually love snakes and for many years kept green snakes as my pets - but I could wrap them around my arm and walk with them.   But while I ponder your suggestions, I think I will continue with my plan to caulk and seal every little place I can find to try and reduce their entry into my home.  I would rather they live free and happy outside. 

Oh, I will post a picture of Smokie my cat.  He is actually a walking miracle.  He should have died 4.5 years when diagnosed with chylothorax (fluid around the lungs) but somehow he beat the odds.  After his year long battle for life it would be devastating to lose him to a scorpion sting.  But you have all eased my fears quite a bit and I appreciate that.  Anyway, I am rambling.  This weekend I will continue reading and learning about your little creatures.  As they say, knowledge is power.


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## codykrr (Apr 9, 2009)

kathy, dont get stung on purpose, that could end bad....remember your liver takes up to 45 days to filter any given toxin from the blood so doing so could be unhealthy. also to seal your house off completly or even remotely good "can" be costly....id suggest buying some canned foam called "great stuff" from wal mart...its triple expanding foam for sealing cracks. caulk is also good for other areas. like suggested once on here. you may consider having a contract with an exterminator drawn up. and see if he wants or could seal the foundation and your crawlspace(if applicable) either way i still think you may enjoy keeping one scorpion as a pet. its really neat to watch them grow id suggest either a desert hairy or a xeric morph centroids vittatus.


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## ~Abyss~ (Apr 9, 2009)

Also forgot to mention in AZ they have these "exterminators" that come with black lights and collect the scorpions for you. Instead of killing them off. They're often used in for research anyways.
-Eddy


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## T.ass-mephisto (Apr 9, 2009)

kathy_in_arizon said:


> Oh, I was just smiling reading through all these posts - I was a little apprehensive to come back for fear I insulted the whole community.    So thank you for accepting me on the board.
> 
> Interesting reading about the venom as to whether it gives me more resistance to the next sting or makes it worse.  Well I've been stung three times in the last year and I can only say the first one was on my hand and healed in a week.  These two are on my back and it's been a week and a half and I still have a couple of nice red round welts.  They don't seem to be healing.  If you want I could go outside tonight and get stung a few more times in the name of research? (That was a joke.) :razz:
> 
> ...


don't worry about your "insulting" us, we get that all the time, after all we do keep creatures most people consider dangerous animals as pets .
and remember if you do eventually decide to keep one many people here on the boards are very skilled in sexing and identifying all sorts of scorpions. (that way you don't end up with babies if you don't want that hassle )
but i am very glad you came back it is always nice to have a new perspective on things. good luck with scorpion "proofing" your house, but remember that even with the plans to caulk up cracks and holes you will still probably get some every now and then. as to the welts on you back, i would guess those are taking longer to heal because it is a more sensitive area whereas fingers are used to getting a bit abused.


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## Miss Bianca (Apr 10, 2009)

T.ass-mephisto said:


> hehe "bites" ....sorry just teasing tortuga:}


actually yea... that's a hilarious mistake!! :? 

LOL


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## jpet (Apr 10, 2009)

~Abyss~ said:


> Also forgot to mention in AZ they have these "exterminators" that come with black lights and collect the scorpions for you. Instead of killing them off. They're often used in for research anyways.
> -Eddy


I Agree if your in Tucson PM me and I'll come collect as many as I can.


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## Kathy (Apr 11, 2009)

*Phoenix*

jpet - Oh, I live in Phoenix.  If anyone lives in Phoenix I can sure point you in the right direction.


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## Tleilaxu (Apr 11, 2009)

FYI scorps cannot climb plastic or glass unless you give them something to grip on too. I had a Leiurus quinquestriatus and I got hours of amusment watching it trying to climb the side of the cage, it could only go as high as it could support itself which was two inches LOL

Seriously they can be addicting pets. I miss mine, she drowned in her water dish.

If you do decide to try and keep scorpions I recommend the Emerpor Scorpion P imperator, though they are big they are harmless to people unless you are allergic to bees and are also relativly slow IMO unlike barks, also P imperators seldom try to sting when disturbed though there can be the occasional grumpy speciment. My female I had was the sweetest scorp ever and was an AWESOME parent for her babies too.

Here she is http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/Tleilaxu/Picture_046.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/Tleilaxu/Picture_047.jpg

And my deathstalker, not recommended for a first time scorp:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/Tleilaxu/100_1292.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/Tleilaxu/100_1125.jpg


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## Kathy (Apr 11, 2009)

tlielexu - I have to ask - (don't laugh) but do they actually have personalities?  And I am sorry you lost your pet scorpion.  Always hard to lose a creature you care about, now matter what it is.


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## Selket (Apr 11, 2009)

kathy_in_arizon said:


> tlielexu - I have to ask - (don't laugh) but do they actually have personalities?  And I am sorry you lost your pet scorpion.  Always hard to lose a creature you care about, now matter what it is.


Actually I believe they do. One of my B. Jacksoni scorplings (baby scorpion) acts completely different than the others. And some you can tell are more lazy than some others.

Their personalities is what I think is one of the best parts of collecting different species.


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## Drachenjager (Apr 12, 2009)

well you can get some centipedes in the house they love to eat scorps


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## Tleilaxu (Apr 12, 2009)

kathy_in_arizon said:


> tlielexu - I have to ask - (don't laugh) but do they actually have personalities?  And I am sorry you lost your pet scorpion.  Always hard to lose a creature you care about, now matter what it is.


Yes they do actually while they cannot be compared to the higher animals they do display differnces, even amoung members of the same species.

I have seen emperor scorpions that were "dog tame" so to speak, nothing would bother them in the slightest to ones that would give you an impressive display if you looked at them funny. I have also heard accounts of female emperors eating their babies at the slightest disturbances to mine which could careless about what was going on near them. 
When it comes to comparing species you will see HUGE differnces.

Again with my emperor she and her mate were very calm towards me and eachother, while my deathstalker would be tripping over her feet to get in a threat display at the slightest annoyance. Those are the extremes of the various species, but they can be similar or different.

Also some scorpions are actually communal and will even take care of eachother young, share food ect ect. Emperors display extended paternal care amoungst themselves for up to a year after birth something rarely seen in inverebrates.


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## T.ass-mephisto (Apr 12, 2009)

my emp setup is a great example of different personalities among scorpions.
i have izuna who is an immature female, she is the most laid back scorpion i have ever seen, never gets defensive because i'm near the tank or even when pick her she is super calm.
and then there is bridget, my adult male, he is the biggest jerk of a scorpion ever, if i ever get near the tank when he is out he will run to the side of the tank and put up a defensive display till i leave. i went to pick him up so i could clean the tank a bit and he actually tried to sting me!!(thats saying something for an emp IMO) 
then i have yuffie an adult female, she is about middle ground. doesn't mind me watching the tank or moving around but sure makes it know she doesn't like being picked up. 

it may not be like comparing cats or dogs as far as a personality is concerned but they definitely do have them.


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