# Desert hairy scorpion setup



## KevinsWither (May 5, 2016)

Would a 2.5 gallon setup with local phoenix az soil work? Can they be with black death feigning beetles? How big do they get? Molting conditions?


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## chanda (May 5, 2016)

2.5 gallons sounds a little small - but it depends on the size of the scorpion. If it's still pretty small, that might be adequate - but if it's one of the big ones (or when it gets bigger - they can reach 5-6 inches long) you may need to upgrade to a 5 gallon or bigger. I keep mine in a 12x12x12 cube (which is, I believe, just over 7 gallons). 

Your local Phoenix soil should be ok, as long as it's the sandy native soil and not enriched yard/garden soil that might contain fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or other harmful additives. You might want to stick that soil in the oven first to kill any parasites or other things that might be in it. What I did with mine was "cook" the soil to kill any mites or other pests, allow it to cool, pour it in over (and inside) the hide, then wet it down to get it to pack together. I waited until it all the water had dried before adding the scorpion. 

Your scorpion is going to want deep soil - and is going to want to burrow. For mine, I buried a large ceramic hide under about 6" of local (SoCal) sandy soil. (The buried hide is just because her first few burrows kept collapsing because the soil doesn't pack so well.) Of course, the down side to giving the scorpion the deep soil it wants is that you won't get to see your scorpion very often. I see mine occasionally - usually at night, when it's hungry - but during the daytime, it typically stays down its hole.

I do have death feigning beetles in a few of my tanks to act as a clean up crew, and so far the beetles and scorpions seem to pretty much ignore each other - but I wouldn't rule out the possibility of one of the beetles getting munched if the scorpion gets hungry - or is just in a bad mood. 

As for molting conditions, I really have no idea. I got my H. arizonensis as a wc adult from Ken the Bug Guy, so have never seen her molt.


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## darkness975 (May 5, 2016)

H arizonensis is difficult to molt in captivity. Try to get an adult. A 5.5 gallon size enclosure is more suitable for them. 

I recall reading that they have a symbiotic relationship in the wild with the beatles. They have some kind of chemical recognition I would assume.

Reactions: Clarification Please 2


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## KevinsWither (May 5, 2016)

Are black death feigning beetles okay for desert hairy scorpions? Tillsandias for plants? Will they burrow near the glass if the ground area is covered in construction paper outside the enclosure?


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## KevinsWither (May 5, 2016)

Any other options for enclosures? Would large kritter keepers work? I want to give my scorpion a good home so it can live a long life (how long do they live?).


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## chanda (May 5, 2016)

KevinsWither said:


> Are black death feigning beetles okay for desert hairy scorpions?


Yes, they're fine.


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## darkness975 (May 6, 2016)

KevinsWither said:


> Any other options for enclosures? Would large kritter keepers work? I want to give my scorpion a good home so it can live a long life (how long do they live?).


Around 20 years if I am not mistaken. Some others can confirm that though.
I have had my collection of H arizonensis (desert hairys) for about 5 years now. Most of them are wild-caught adults so I do not really know what their actual age is but they show no signs of slowing down.
I would use a 5.5 gallon tank. It offers the Scorpion more room to be active and burrow around, especially if you were going to house The Beatles with it.

Technically you could have one in a large kritter keeper, some of mine are in those. But that is mostly because I have so many different kinds of invertebrates in the room that there is not enough space for on giant collection of 5.5 gallon tanks. You acquiring a single specimen, and because you're going to house beetles with it, I would recommend the 5.5.


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## RMJ (May 9, 2016)

Would it be okay to have live plants in with the scorpion? something natural like a small aloe or something? ive seen some vivs with cactus but not sure if theyre real?!

I get mine next weekend and am just designing the viv for him, very lucky to have found a WC Male thats meant to be roughly 3 years old


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## chanda (May 9, 2016)

A couple of considerations with live plants. The scorpions are going to want it _very_ dry, so any plant that requires significant water will make the cage uncomfortably moist for the scorpion. Even desert plants that can get by on minimal water may still make it a bit wetter in such a small space than the scorpion is going to like. In addition to the water issue, hairy desert scorpions are busy little burrowers, so - given the limited space - there's a very good chance that they will uproot any cacti or other plants you try to put in there with them. 

If you want to do a pretty vivarium with lots of plants in it, Asian Forest scorpions do quite well with that sort of thing and love the extra moisture.


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## RMJ (May 9, 2016)

Hi Chanda - thank you for your thoughts, thats exactly what I thought, I believe that the aloe will require minimum moisture and could well be dug up at one point 

The viv dimensions are 40cm wide, 30cm deep and 30cm high. the rest of the viv is all dry/sand/wood/stones etc. I wanted to keep humidity to an absolute minimum, just thought a small plant would be a nice feature (for however long it lasts!)

I have my T, cresties and boa in live/well planted vivs so I am not fussed too much if this one doesnt have any, just had an idea that it would look natural and not cause too much of an issue.


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## chanda (May 9, 2016)

RMJ said:


> Hi Chanda - thank you for your thoughts, thats exactly what I thought, I believe that the aloe will require minimum moisture and could well be dug up at one point
> 
> The viv dimensions are 40cm wide, 30cm deep and 30cm high. the rest of the viv is all dry/sand/wood/stones etc. I wanted to keep humidity to an absolute minimum, just thought a small plant would be a nice feature (for however long it lasts!)
> 
> I have my T, cresties and boa in live/well planted vivs so I am not fussed too much if this one doesnt have any, just had an idea that it would look natural and not cause too much of an issue.


In light of your other post with your concern about mycosis, you may want to keep his enclosure as dry as possible. If it were me, I'd forgo the natural plant and get plastic plants or cacti instead. While aloes can be kept with minimal water, they're still going to require _some_ water and will increase the humidity of the tank - which can, in turn, encourage fungal growth.

Reactions: Like 1


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## RMJ (May 10, 2016)

Hi Chanda - I think i will take your advise and not keep any plants in the tank with him just to be on the safe side. I dont want this mark/mycosis to bring him any problems


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## Desert scorps (May 10, 2016)

chanda said:


> In light of your other post with your concern about mycosis, you may want to keep his enclosure as dry as possible. If it were me, I'd forgo the natural plant and get plastic plants or cacti instead. While aloes can be kept with minimal water, they're still going to require _some_ water and will increase the humidity of the tank - which can, in turn, encourage fungal growth.


Desert hairy scorpion's actually love plants. In the wild they burrow into the root systems of bushes. It keeps the burrow from collapsing and gives them a bit of humidity. I saw a thread where @Smokehound714 said that they prefer to burrow near the creosote bush. He thinks the reason for that is the bush's anti-fungal properties. Thus meaning that they can live in the roots (which is more humid), and mycosis (a fungus) will not spread as easily. This may or may not be true but it makes perfect sense to me.

Reactions: Like 1


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## RMJ (May 11, 2016)

Different opinions! I love the thought of just having a small aloe in there, here are pics of my enclosure that is been put together;



We are going to add excavator clay to the substrate sand to get a good burrowing consistency and the plant that is in there is now potentially going to be removed, whats peoples thoughts? It seems like its going to come down to personal preference....

Reactions: Like 1


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## Smokehound714 (May 11, 2016)

eh that was a while ago, i'm pretty sure now that they simply prefer the stability and humidity provided by roots.

  mycosis itself isnt caused by moisture, but rather by infection, open wounds exposed to spores, or infected water.  It does, however, get worse with stress and improper substrate and unreasonably high humidity.


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## brolloks (May 11, 2016)

Hi,

On the subject of keeping live plants in the enclosure. You could try some of the Tillandsia species, you won't have to plant it in the substrate as it is an "Air" plant, so no getting your substrate wet. You can take your plants out of the enclosure and spray them with water when required. The only thing of course is light. Most plants require light to grow, so you will have to experiment and see what works for your set-up. Quite a few Tillandsia grow well in shaded areas though.


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## RMJ (May 12, 2016)

@brollocks  - Thank you thats a great suggestion! Ill start looking at air plants now, just ordered some excavator clay to mix with the sad also, Id like some deep substrate with decent consistency for the scorp to be comfy and have the option to burrow. Ill make sure I post pics of the set up when im done with it!

@Smokehound714 - Thank you too this is news to me about the mycosis so ill do what I can to contain it and keep him stress free


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## BigTexJohn (May 6, 2021)

darkness975 said:


> Around 20 years if I am not mistaken. Some others can confirm that though.
> I have had my collection of H arizonensis (desert hairys) for about 5 years now. Most of them are wild-caught adults so I do not really know what their actual age is but they show no signs of slowing down.
> I would use a 5.5 gallon tank. It offers the Scorpion more room to be active and burrow around, especially if you were going to house The Beatles with it.
> 
> Technically you could have one in a large kritter keeper, some of mine are in those. But that is mostly because I have so many different kinds of invertebrates in the room that there is not enough space for on giant collection of 5.5 gallon tanks. You acquiring a single specimen, and because you're going to house beetles with it, I would recommend the 5.5.


I am getting giant hairy scorpion soon. I have all the stuff but my aquarium is a 29 gallon (the only thing I’ve got right now) would it be best to use a small heat pad (used for a bark scorpion in a 20gallon) or should I use a small heat lamp ( got a 15W I used) will only be on during the day


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## darkness975 (May 6, 2021)

BigTexJohn said:


> I am getting giant hairy scorpion soon. I have all the stuff but my aquarium is a 29 gallon (the only thing I’ve got right now) would it be best to use a small heat pad (used for a bark scorpion in a 20gallon) or should I use a small heat lamp ( got a 15W I used) will only be on during the day


If you use a heat bulb keep the water dish full and make sure it's not too close.  They can dessicate the insides.  For a heat mat, attach it to the side, not the bottom. 

A 29 gallon is pretty big for one scorpion.  Not that there is anything wrong with it but you'll have to make sure the prey doesn't get lost in there.


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## BigTexJohn (May 6, 2021)

darkness975 said:


> If you use a heat bulb keep the water dish full and make sure it's not too close.  They can dessicate the insides.  For a heat mat, attach it to the side, not the bottom.
> 
> A 29 gallon is pretty big for one scorpion.  Not that there is anything wrong with it but you'll have to make sure the prey doesn't get lost in there.


Most of the prey will be a few crickets other than that gonna hand feed meal worms. And I’m just gonna put a small Gatorade cap in the cool side. But the tank is big but gonna use play sand and exc clay combo to make borrowing holes in hot and cool sides.


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## darkness975 (May 6, 2021)

BigTexJohn said:


> Most of the prey will be a few crickets other than that gonna hand feed meal worms. And I’m just gonna put a small Gatorade cap in the cool side. But the tank is big but gonna use play sand and exc clay combo to make borrowing holes in hot and cool sides.


You can give it a slightly larger water dish than that.  Its a large enough enclosure.

But make sure it can get out if it falls in.


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## Dry Desert (May 7, 2021)

BigTexJohn said:


> Most of the prey will be a few crickets other than that gonna hand feed meal worms. And I’m just gonna put a small Gatorade cap in the cool side. But the tank is big but gonna use play sand and exc clay combo to make borrowing holes in hot and cool sides.


As darkness975 says, a larger water dish would be better. All you need to do if the dish is fairly deep, is just add irregular shaped stones at one end of the dish, irregular shaped are better than pebbles as pebbles are too smooth and roll around. Do Not put cotton wool in the dish, it's just a playground for bacteria.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Craig73 (Aug 16, 2021)

Hi all!  I’m not new to the forum, hang out in the T section, but recently got a Hadrurus arizonensis from a member.  It’s maybe 1.5“-2.5” head to tail, I’ve only seen it for a brief minute since it’s been hiding since I got him Saturday afternoon from a long drive. 

I want to design an enclosure, but not sure what size to go with.  I have two (1) zoomed low profile 20.5”L x 10.5” wide x 8” tall (2) 5.5 gallon.  A 10gal enclosure looked massive, but I don’t know how fast they grow.  Or maybe I’m being too ambitious and jumping the gun.

I do want to keep a small shallow water dish in the enclosure, so that’s throwing me off because I want it far enough away that it  won’t be an issue.  Also considering adding maybe two blue death feigning beetles if I can find any.  Not sure if the scorpion is too small for that?

My overall plan is to use a mix of clay, sand, sub for the substrate, let it dry out and create a dry arid environment.  All pet trade grade materials.

Any advice is greatly appreciated, it’s all new to me and just trying to read up and get things right.


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