# Scorpion Handling Pictures :-)



## mimic58 (May 31, 2005)

You would not beleive how hard it is to smile with one of these on your face!


----------



## TheNothing (May 31, 2005)

you're pics aren't showing
so

here are some of mine


























edit:
now yours work....


----------



## pandinus (Jun 1, 2005)

people tell me i have guts for handling my _H lividum_ but i would gladly do so again than handle a centruroides, even if it is just a _gracilis_!


----------



## ilovebugs (Jun 1, 2005)

I wish my emp was that big. and friendly. I've gotten her out a few times, but usually she's pretty pissed off. and hisses and pinches at whatever moves near her.


----------



## Rabid Flea (Jun 1, 2005)

*Nuff said!!!*

one of my pride and joys.... my smallest 5th instar, Keket


----------



## Fenris (Jun 1, 2005)

These were taken back in November when I got him.  He has since molted and is about 2/3 bigger.  He's a fiesty bastard too.  I got tagged by him one night while changing his water dish.  He was hiding under it and didn't like the disturbance.  There was no pain or after effects from the envenomation.  It just felt like a pin prick.  It could have been dry, I'm not completely sure and don't care to get tagged again.  

Sorry for the crappy quality, these were taken before I realized that my camera had a macro function.

Nero_01
Nero_02
Nero_03
Nero_04


----------



## Mandi (Jun 1, 2005)

is that just an upside down cross, or the rosary? I picked up a baphomet "rosary" not too long ago thats pretty  nice


----------



## Fenris (Jun 2, 2005)

Mandi said:
			
		

> is that just an upside down cross, or the rosary? I picked up a baphomet "rosary" not too long ago thats pretty  nice


Inverted cross with a snake coiling down it.  I have a pentagram as well.  It's on a shorter chain, so it might have fallen into my shirt.


----------



## cacoseraph (Jun 7, 2005)

both the scorp and the pose are done to death.... but i couldn't resist 

oh, and p.s. she headed for my curly and tangly mop right after the pic

luckily my girlfriend was a dear and helped me (well, her) out


----------



## siucfi (Jun 7, 2005)

Well I guess I will go ahead and share some of my pics of me handling my Hadrurus arizonensis.  Enjoy.


----------



## Rabid Flea (Jun 8, 2005)

*First up, P. imperator*

just thought i would post some rather bad pics of my scorplings... im still proud!

first pic, 3rd instar
second pic, second instar brother/sister, ready to molt soon!


----------



## Rabid Flea (Jun 8, 2005)

*Next up!  B. jacksoni*

my 2nd instar pride and joys!


----------



## mimic58 (Jun 8, 2005)

These are some *Excellent Pics* :clap:


----------



## Hoosier (Jun 8, 2005)

u guys are crazee


----------



## greenfiremajick (Jun 9, 2005)

that thing looks HUGE...Is it the close-up, or is it really big?  (the scorp, NOT ur head!!!) 





			
				cacoseraph said:
			
		

> both the scorp and the pose are done to death.... but i couldn't resist
> 
> oh, and p.s. she headed for my curly and tangly mop right after the pic
> 
> luckily my girlfriend was a dear and helped me (well, her) out


----------



## Mistwalker (Jun 9, 2005)

Nice pics, all. I've thought about getting a scorpian before. What are lifespans like, and is there a difference between males and females like with tarantulas?

And what species do you recommend, that are generally docile and inexpensive?

Thanks in advance for the help.


----------



## SaturnoAscensao (Jun 9, 2005)

I hear some scorpions can live up to twenty years (I might be thinking of something else), but they definately live quite a while.  There are many different ways of sexing scorps... you can count the "teeth" on their pectines (they look like combs on their stomachs), some you can tell by their tail, some by color, some by shape, etc, etc.

My first scorp was an emperor scorpion, I have 2 now.  They are really awesome.  Most are generally docile and able to be handled but it can stress the scorp out.  Emps (Pandinus imperator) can get very large - up to 8 inches!  Another good starter is the desert hairy (Hadrurus arizonensis).  they are a desert scorpion, rather than a tropical scorp like the emperor.  these guys might be a bit more feisty.  they are also the biggest scorpion in the US.  they are all sorts of scorps that are good starters - generally the ones that don't have a strong sting, like Leiurus quinquestriatus (israeli deathstalker), Androctonus austrailis (yellow fat tail) and others from the Buthus family.

hope this helps.


----------



## Mistwalker (Jun 9, 2005)

Hey, yeah, thanks.

I meant is there any difference is lifespan of males and females, sorry. I wasn't clear there. I wouldn't really care which I had if they lived the same amount of time.


----------



## G. Carnell (Jun 9, 2005)

is that a question Mistwalker?

incase it is: generally, males live less long than females
in the wild they live even less, as they are more active, searching for females to mate with, and so they are predated more often


----------



## mimic58 (Jun 9, 2005)

Pictures say more than words , does anyone have more?


----------



## G. Carnell (Jun 9, 2005)

here is a good way to sex your scorp while handling it 











and another big black scorpion on hand


----------



## cacoseraph (Jun 9, 2005)

greenfiremajick said:
			
		

> that thing looks HUGE...Is it the close-up, or is it really big?  (the scorp, NOT ur head!!!)


she's good sized, but my gf made her look bigger because of the angle she took the pic at

a clue: look at the threading in my shirt... big threads, hunh?

i measured Catherine the Great (i couldn't think of any girl emperors so i had to borrow a czar =P ) but i forget... i think ~6-7" butt-face measurement


----------



## OneSickPuppy (Jun 11, 2005)

whats the best way to pick up your scorps? ive picked up a few of my less aggressive implings by putting my hund under the substrate and coaxing them up with the other,but every time i go for "pandinus murderous" he/she gets defensive and I just figure maybe he doesnt wanna be held. what methods does everyone else use. these are the first scorpions ive ever handled so I really wanna know other ideas.


----------



## cacoseraph (Jun 13, 2005)

*how i do*



			
				OneSickPuppy said:
			
		

> whats the best way to pick up your scorps? ive picked up a few of my less aggressive implings by putting my hund under the substrate and coaxing them up with the other,but every time i go for "pandinus murderous" he/she gets defensive and I just figure maybe he doesnt wanna be held. what methods does everyone else use. these are the first scorpions ive ever handled so I really wanna know other ideas.


i tail grab most everything i'm not comfortable scoop grabbing.

i'll scoop grab my Hadogenes paucidens, P.imps, maybe one or two other things. p.s. this is what you are describing with putting your hand on substrate...

i'll tail grab other stuff

but for Centruroides or anything truly fierce (giant centipedes, etc) i'll either herd them onto a stick or whatever and then pick up the stick and let them walk onto me

the only time i've gotten stung and envenomated (by an Anuroctonus sp. (i think)) was from squeezing the scorp's body between my fingers when it was trying to run into the crack in between my fingers and i tried to restrain it.  i've also gotten dry stung ~6 times by various scorps from tail grabbing them.

but bear in mind, i have already been stung 7-8 times and am going to get stung more b/c of my handling practices


----------



## wikkid_devil (Jun 13, 2005)

*Ickle Nero in my G/F's hands*

Subadult H.laoticus


----------



## wikkid_devil (Jun 13, 2005)

*Yet another P.imp*

G/F with P.imp


----------



## oblivion56 (Jun 13, 2005)

heres my spadix!


----------



## G. Carnell (Jun 13, 2005)

Hi 
it might even be an adult male H.laoticus
in my adult brood i have some really small males, and really big ones


----------



## cacoseraph (Aug 7, 2005)

Desert Hairy
Hadrurus arizonensis, male, mature

purchased with mysterious black spot on his left. kept in deplorably moist conditions until purchase.


----------



## mimic58 (Aug 7, 2005)

cacoseraph said:
			
		

> Desert Hairy
> Hadrurus arizonensis, male, mature


Respect, I tried my best to get that same picture but it almost resulted in me getting stung to crap, after a few days of trying i gave up


----------



## cacoseraph (Aug 7, 2005)

Hybrid said:
			
		

> Respect, I tried my best to get that same picture but it almost resulted in me getting stung to crap, after a few days of trying i gave up


tail grab, place on back of hand with fingers curled in... then hope it doesn't dig it's sting into you when it uses it for balance  ;P 

i've never been envenomated from them using their tail leg an extra leg, but the DH, an Emperor, A. phaiodactylus, P. cavimanus all have stuck their stings into pushing off my skin to climb up my arm or whatever.  feels funny, that's all =P


----------



## mimic58 (Aug 7, 2005)

cacoseraph said:
			
		

> tail grab, place on back of hand with fingers curled in... then hope it doesn't dig it's sting into you when it uses it for balance  ;P
> 
> i've never been envenomated from them using their tail leg an extra leg, but the DH, an Emperor, A. phaiodactylus, P. cavimanus all have stuck their stings into pushing off my skin to climb up my arm or whatever.  feels funny, that's all =P


funny you call it a leg i have seen my D.h lifting itself clean of the ground till its tail is out straight in an attempt to scale the glass side of the enclosure


----------



## cacoseraph (Aug 7, 2005)

Hybrid said:
			
		

> funny you call it a leg i have seen my D.h lifting itself clean of the ground till its tail is out straight in an attempt to scale the glass side of the enclosure


yes! when they do that, when they are climbing on *you* their stinger goes into your skin sometimes.  they aren't stinging you... but the stinger goes into you. i've had it happen with a number of different species, and no one has envenomated me whilst doing that.

ah sweet, my floppy drive on my computer works... i'll finally be able to post pics i've had for a while.


----------



## cacoseraph (Aug 7, 2005)

cacoseraph said:
			
		

> ah sweet, my floppy drive on my computer works... i'll finally be able to post pics i've had for a while.


here is a Vaejovis spinigerus, AZ Striptailed scorpion, or "Devil scorpion".
i thought this was a male, until i saw a brood of ~30 on her back later


----------



## cloud711 (Aug 8, 2005)

how do you guys make your scorps calm down for handling?


----------



## mimic58 (Aug 8, 2005)

its depends a little bit on the indavidual some scorpions are pritty laid back and tolerant while other memebers of the same species can be rather defencive 

The the other factor is how you go about it the idea is much the same as with aggresive t's the animals dont attack the floor , so if they can be fooled into walking onto you and then you keep still enough its unlikly youl get stung.

Letting the animal or coaxing the animal to walk onto your flatend hand and then keeping still is the way i usualy go about it, im not a fan of the scoop method and with something like a D.A it would certainly result in a rather swollen hand   

I personaly have not tried the tail grab method so i dont know how they react when grabed or when droped i would asume they would think what they where droped on was the floor but i duno it might just decide it smells the same as the thing that just grabed its tail 

i really cannot say but cacoseraph has clearly obtained pictures of a D.a using this method wich i can asure you is no small feat, im impressed he can grab its tail without being stung but i certainly wouldnt recomend anyone with low experience to attept this.... atleast not with your bare hands, thats something that will require very good reaction times , and an ability to antisipate the scorps movements, one wrong move and your going to get stung. you will also require balls of iron as if you make a sudden movement out of fear you will also get stung


----------



## cacoseraph (Aug 8, 2005)

Hybrid said:
			
		

> I personaly have not tried the tail grab method so i dont know how they react when grabed or when droped i would asume they would think what they where droped on was the floor but i duno it might just decide it smells the same as the thing that just grabed its tail


most scorpions have a tendency to jerk and twitch around for a bit, then most calm down. *that* is when i put them on my hand. if they seem too freaked out i put them back in their enclosure.



			
				Hybrid said:
			
		

> i really cannot say but cacoseraph has clearly obtained pictures of a D.a using this method wich i can asure you is no small feat, im impressed he can grab its tail without being stung but i certainly wouldnt recomend anyone with low experience to attept this.... atleast not with your bare hands, thats something that will require very good reaction times , and an ability to antisipate the scorps movements, one wrong move and your going to get stung. you will also require balls of iron as if you make a sudden movement out of fear you will also get stung


i don't fear getting stung. nothing i hold can hurt me worse than a tattoo or getting punched in the head by my jerk brother or touching a piece of an engine that is still too hot.  i can handle all those things, so i know i can handle being stung

ultimately though, super-agression is a bad survival trait, unless you really are the toughest thing out there. most bugs i have met just want to go about the existance, eating whatever they eat, certainly... but most are not "aggresive", except toward their prey.  

i think when most people get stung or bit is when they caused their bug to mistake them for a threat.  the trick is to figure out all the things your bugs don't like... and don't do them.

a BIG trick for me is to not breathe on nervous animals, since that can send some into a panic.  some tarantulas are especially reactive to breath, or perhaps it is just that they are so sensitive to it.


----------



## mimic58 (Aug 8, 2005)

cacoseraph said:
			
		

> i don't fear getting stung. nothing i hold can hurt me worse than a tattoo or getting punched in the head by my jerk brother or touching a piece of an engine that is still too hot.  i can handle all those things, so i know i can handle being stung


I was under the impression that a sting from a D.h would hurt a hell of alot more than those things, i have read reports of people being given morphine and still being in significant pain for several hours.. 



			
				cacoseraph said:
			
		

> i think when most people get stung or bit is when they caused their bug to mistake them for a threat.  the trick is to figure out all the things your bugs don't like... and don't do them.


I agree totaly... and i think this also applys to many animals 



			
				cacoseraph said:
			
		

> a BIG trick for me is to not breathe on nervous animals,


No kiding... its a garanteed bolt starter. but im not sure if they react this way to wind in the wild ?


----------



## cacoseraph (Aug 8, 2005)

Hybrid said:
			
		

> No kiding... its a garanteed bolt starter. but im not sure if they react this way to wind in the wild ?


i don't think it is necesarily the movement of the air particles, alone, that startles them. i think it is the fact carbon dioxide is being streamed onto them. in the wild when CO2 is flowing over you, it generally means you are about to be eaten!  so you could imagine there is a pretty strong reaction to it 

EDIT:

and regarding pain of different species, i reckon by the end of my "career" i'll be able to give a nice comparitive analysis of everything that tags me except that last one =P

so far all i know is that no partof the Anuroctonus phaiodactylus envenomation process is even uncomfortable =P it actually made me smile and laugh more than anything, heh


----------



## cacoseraph (Aug 10, 2005)

Centruroides vitattus, probably from TX

I think this girl is going to drop some more babies in a little while. she is starting to get that inflated look again 







She is called Crooktail, here you can see why.  I believe this is from a bad molt (alas, in my care  ) caused by lack of humidity, but i don't know.  She can't sting, i am 97% certain.  I don't want to aggravate her to make certain, but watching her feed i don't think she has ever successfully envenomated anything.  my gf has held her, so she is sort of my trainer buthid 







Only I hold this guy.  Actually that's not true... in my only exotic escape in memory this fellow and a tiny conspecific went for a walk when i forgot to shut their cage  :wall:  :8o   my brother saw this guy, tailed him, and put him in solitary until i could get home and deal with the situation.
note the black rot, on his left-hand pectine. sometimes i get scorpions with this condition. i try to keep them drier and make sure to feed and water regularily


----------



## Marcelo (Aug 13, 2005)

*HERE IS MY "ELEVATOR METHOD"*

Hello everyone,

I call this method "the elevator"  

This is a pic of cleopatra in my hand, she is usually very docile. the way I handle her is by using a small piece of bark or wood I left inside its cage, once they already know the pice of bark (a pice of bark or wood wont attack, he he he) i try to make them to climb on the bark then I take them outside their cage, suddenly they will move from the bark you are holding to your hand, then you can just drop the bark to have your hand free, and take pics with the other hand. "the elevator method" fools them cause you are not holding them they climb on the bark, then they do not have other alternative but keep moving into your hand. 


http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=49757

Hope my idea helps


Cheers 

Marcelo


----------



## cacoseraph (Aug 13, 2005)

Marcelo said:
			
		

> Hello everyone,
> 
> I call this method "the elevator"
> 
> ...


that is an excellent method of picking up nervous bugs. i use a similar method to hand buthid scorpions, giant centipedes, and more nervous tarantulas.


----------



## cacoseraph (Aug 18, 2005)

mimic58 said:
			
		

> You would not beleive how hard it is to smile with one of these on your face!


well, she didn't put it on her face... but she *is* smiling. this is my girlfriend, Jennifer.  she is very bug friendly, and normally behind the camera in all of my pics 

i think i might have to marry her...





Hadogenes paucidens, female


----------



## John Bokma (Aug 18, 2005)

My gf handling a tiny Vaejovis (?)  It was running on my hand and arm and she wanted to give it a try to.

When my mom visited us  she said very often: you two go well together, she's as crazy as you since she picks up everything too  

Oh, and I finally got hurt in Mexico (besides the countless mosquito bites): probably by a caterpillar. My mom let a branch swing back, against my leg, and ouch! ouch! The only thing I could find on the branch was a huge caterpillar with many hairs pointing everywhere. I was tempted to test if that was really the cause of the pain, but since the pain was real (burning), I decided not to try. (It went away after 10 minutes or so).

edit: she has been stung twice by C. flavopictus. Both times we got one in our house without knowing it, and she was the "lucky" one on both accounts. (Second time it was on her towel...)


----------



## Zman16 (May 18, 2006)

You guys are dare devils! People think I'm crazy when I hold my snake or tarantula! I am planning on getting a scorpion, but I don't think I'd ever put it on my face!!


----------



## JSN (May 19, 2006)

wow, the H. Spadix on the last page is awsome...yeah, I used to put my emperor on my brothers face too...unfortunately my collection had been reduced to practically nothing, so I have nothing to show...its too bad cuz the I could show off my Centruroides handling skills...


----------

