Advice on first scorpion

CarrotsBiteBack

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 17, 2021
Messages
21
Good morning everyone,

I have wanted a scorpion since I was a mini human, I’m now a larger human still and without one. Tragic, I know. My partner of nearly twenty years has FINALLY agreed to let me have one or two. There a few scorpion species that I have looked into over the years, I am very drawn to the Pandinus species in particular, probably impressive size and structure. Anyway these are some that I was thinking of and some - not all - of my reasoning behind them.
P. imperator - appears to be a standard in general scorpion keeping and good for first timers. Let’s face it these guys are beautifully impressive! There is a lot of easy information found should an issue arise. Downfall they are expensive and harder to come by.
P. dictator - these are supposedly less defensive in favour of being timid, similar to imperator in looks. Again a decent bit of information easily found. Downside harder than imperator to come by.
P. cavimanus - beautiful looking species. Somewhat good information. Drawback perhaps not suitable for beginners. Not seen often in UK to buy.
H. spinifer - again seems a good stable scorpion for first timers. Good deal of information, again, should a problem arise. Decent life expectancy- not essential in my decision making but it’s a pro. Very easy to come by.
H. cyaneus - again seems a good first timer. Good information. Partner seems to like this one. Easily found to buy.

I am aware that most/all scorpions are defensive and can pinch or sting dependant on their claw or tail size. I am not a person who has any desire to handle any future scorpion(s) or to go around provoking them whilst carrying out husbandry work.

I am completely open to new species or better suited species for beginners, just please do not suggest any Thelyphonida/vinegaroons, I do not know why but they confuse me and I am not keen on their look.

I have a variety of tarantulas so already have a plentiful food supply ranging from the small; FFF and bean weevils to the big; crickets and locusts, not a Dubia roach fan. So feeding is not an issue.

Also whilst here and gaining information before committing to buy. I use specific substrate for my T’s from The Spider Shop, Terra spider brand - earth tiger/rainforest etc, are scorpions substrate specific too? I’ve read varying and highly opposing opinions on what people keep theirs on but I would like a more personalised answer from the community.

Finally, honest opinions on this scorpling or older? I am leaning more towards scorpling so I have the enjoyment of seeing it grow.

Thanks for sticking around this far,
Carrots.
 

darkness975

Latrodectus
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Aug 31, 2012
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There is a thread on here that outlines some of the basic needs for Pandinus spp. It's stickied at the top of the scorpion forum.
 

Edan bandoot

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Sep 5, 2019
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1,602
All those scorpions have the same care, get what you like best/what's Available

And I'm not sure where spinifer and cyaneous are easy to buy species, those are both pretty uncommon. At least in NA
 

Albireo Wulfbooper

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Aug 1, 2019
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All those scorpions have the same care, get what you like best/what's Available

And I'm not sure where spinifer and cyaneous are easy to buy species, those are both pretty uncommon. At least in NA
OP is not in North America, the lucky bugger.

Pandinus and Heterometrus basically all have the same care. Deep, moist substrate for burrowing, warm temperatures (24º-28º is perfect but they can easily handle a few degrees on either end of that range), and size-appropriate prey. All of these are great choices for beginners - impressive look, reasonably active as long as it's warm and moist, and not particularly dangerous.

As far as reports of defensiveness are concerned, be aware that all animals have their own personalities, and any species will have individuals that are more or less defensive than any reports you may have heard. Take those species personality profiles with a large serving of salt.

Personally, I'd start with a scorpling rather than an adult. For one thing, you can be reasonably assured that it's captive-bred and not wild-caught, which means it's far less likely to have parasites or other health issues. They're also less expensive, and perhaps most importantly, you get to experience watching them grow and develop over many years.
 

Joey Spijkers

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Feb 20, 2019
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1,054
Pandinus and Heterometrus species are often mislabled though. I wouldn’t get my hopes up for true P. dictator, but they are super similar to imperator anyway.
P. cavimanus, H. spinifer and J. cyaneus have all become a lot more rare now. Most scorpions that are sold as spinifer or cyaneus are actually Heterometrus silenus. Probably 90% of big black scorpions in the hobby are H. silenus, even if they’re sold under another name.
The spider shop has true H. longimanus now, really rare in Europe! I would get them if I was able to get them to the EU. One of my favorite Heterometrinae.

The thing is, although Heterometrinae and Pandininae are often mislabled, they all need similar care, and for the most part they look similar as well. So just get what you like/have access to.
 

CarrotsBiteBack

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 17, 2021
Messages
21
Sorry on my late response. Thanks for the helpful information everyone!

Edan, haha, yeah I am not in NA I am from across the pond in sunny ol' England. I have seen some spinifer and cyaneous available from a few suppliers within the UK. However, as Joey has stated they are somewhat mislabelled which does concern me.

Albireo, I was thinking of a scorpling for those exact reasons thank you for mirroring my thoughts you have helped settle it.

Joey, you raise some excellent points! I have noticed that TSS have got quite the turn over now of scorps. There are a couple of invert shows coming up and I am thinking of contacting them to see if they are attending Taunton's SW invert show in February as it is fairly close to them (compared to Kent). That way I can see what I will be buying without taking the risk of "pot lucking" it. Well hopefully!
 
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