African Black Flat Rock Scorpion help?.?

[bryanfernandez1]

Hello everyone,

I just recently got into the scorpion frenzy, (kind of forced into the frenzy by my son catching and keeping a desert scorpion). Now I find myself owning a African Black Flat Rock Scorpion. I picked him up at the local pet shop, and am really trying to figure out what kind of terrarium setup I should have. The lady who sold me the scorpion said that cocofiber, Fluker's moss, and a nice 75 watt heat lamp should be perfect, (swapping the bulb out at night for a ultraviolet 75 watt light). She also said since he was small, that my small 8x8x8 Exo Terra should be sufficient enough. I have done all the above, (misting the cocofiber like she said), and just wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing. So, with everything said, am I doing the right thing? Is there anything else I should do?


I really could use the advice and corrections from you experienced guys, (to be honest I really don't know what to do).

Thanks for your time and patience,

Bryan Fernandez.

Ps. The scorpion is all black, and is maybe about 1.2 cm's long. He's not too big at all. I've also been feeding him small, (very small), pinhead crickets and he eats them at his own leisure.

 

[Galapoheros]

OK first you're going to have to get a positive ID on that scorpion. You're going to have to post a picture of it. A lot of people get interested and just get one on impulse, that's pretty normal imo for people that get a little fired up about it real fast. You have to get a pos ID for it because that's how you will know what kind of environment to create for the thing. Common names are not dependable at all, a lot of pet stores don't even know what they are selling. If it's a Hadogenes sps(common name, flat rock) then you will need a desert-like set up, a desert scorpion will die fast in a moist environment. It's even possible you could have have an Emperor scorpion(Pandinus imperator). So you have to post a pic somewhere of your new scorpion. Of course then you could do a search on the internet for other info along with getting info and opinions here.

 

[Roblicious]

dont use UV

just use a red heat lamp or red party bulb from lowes/home depot

 

[Michiel]

If you use any 75 watt bulb in a 8x8x8 enclosure you will cook anything inside...what a crap advice....please post a pic of the little guy/girl....for heating, your average 15.watt red bulb is great....

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[darkness975]

UV is bad for scorpions. As others have said do not use a UV light. Also, post a pic as you may or may not have a true "flat rock" scorpion.

 

[bryanfernandez1]

Thanks guys for all the advice and info. I'll have some pictures posted tomorrow of him and the set up. As soon as I got out of class today, I grabbed a red bulb, (thanks Michael), and have been running that for him/her. As far as ID'ing him, I'm believe he/she is a "Hadogenes troglodytes", (I think), but that's coming from the guy who really has little to no background with scorpions. Thank you Galapoheros for pretty much giving more info than the lady at the pet shop. I plan on moving my scorpion to a 5.5-10 gallon and changing up the set-up, (that's considering I have the wrong current set up). I would like to get some input on set-ups. Do any of you guys know a really good set-up for my scorpion? Has anyone owned a "Hadogenes troglodytes" before? Also, if so, what kind of set-up did they have or use? Finally, what was it like and how difficult was it maintaining a the scorpion? Like I said before, I really appreciate all of you guys and your input, and hope to hear more.


Thanks again everyone,

Bryan Fernandez.

Ps. I'll have some pictures up as soon as I can get them to upload.

 

[Galapoheros]

Haha, sorry to laugh a little, it's easy to underestimate a site if you're not familiar with it, yes a lot of people have kept those. Whatever it is, there are people here that have kept the species. You really need to use the search function at the top, right(Advanced Search) and type in Hadogenes Troglodytes in the appropriate places, you will get loads of info in old threads about whatever it is you have, most likely. If you don't, there are some people here that might sound rude because they tend to complain of people not using the search function to at least get a little info first, some basics. I know right now that some are holding back lol.

 

[bryanfernandez1]

I will most definitely do so. I tried google but kept getting weird things about them, (mainly about Fat Tailed Scopions and Deathstalkers). I usually hear about people keeping the common/usual scorpions, (Pandinus imperator, Heterometrus spinifer, Hadrurus arizonensis, and so forth). To be honest, I really wanted a Pandinus Cavimanus, but scorpions are extremely hard to get in my area, (unless of course you go out and catch them but I prefer not to do that plus ID'ing them isn't my strongpoint, LOL!). So I was left with the one I got or a Emperor. I would order online but since it's very cold, (usually hits freezing if not colder where I live, (and I rather not have something come in dead and have to go through the hassle of taking pictures, getting ahold of the sender, and do all that good stuff, plus shipping is kind of expensive), I just stuck with the local pet shop. More than likely, I'd probably never buy another pet from there, (considering that the lady/owner told me the wrong information). But now thinking about online shopping, I have heard that Ken The Bug Guy was pretty good though, (so maybe one of these days I'll order from him).

 

[~Abyss~]

I kept H. paucidens (the olive keeled flatrock). Same basic care though. Keep them seperated if you get more than 1 they do cannabalize. Keep them dry, sand or cocofiber would work but make sure it's dry. Give them some flatrocks....duh, hence the name right? They like really tight spaces between slates of rock. Don't worry if this specie doesn't eat for a while, they are slow growers and eat rarely. This specie likes it warm ideal temps would be around 80F. You can offer small dish filled with some gravel and water to avoid drowning.

 

[bryanfernandez1]

The first two pictures are of my "African Black Flat Rock Scorpion", (Hadogenes Troglodytes). The last picture is the scorpion my son caught and to be quite frank with you, I really have no idea what it is. I showed a friend and he said it was a "sun scorpion". I checked online for info on them but came up short, (kept taking me to information about "wind scorpions"). I do apologize for taking so long, and for the way the pictures came out, (little guys more quick and its hard to get a decent picture of them.

 

[bryanfernandez1]

Thanks for the info Abyss! May I ask how long your H. Paucidens lived for or what happened to it?

 

[bryanfernandez1]

More pictures.

 

[Michiel]

That's Centruroides vitattus "mesic morph"

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[bryanfernandez1]

So a "Striped Bark Scorpion"?

 

[~Abyss~]

Yes that is a Centruroides vitattus (stipped bark scorpion FYI common names get confusing try to learn the scientific names). Careful with the sting can be rather painful. There are plenty of caresheets for bark scorpions around so a search will give you all the info you need for them. As for your question on my paucidens...short answer I got rid of all my scorpions a few years ago. But i've kept them for years among other species. Seems like you have a female H. troglodytes but i'd wait for Michiel to give his two cents before you take that with 100% certainty.

 

[vespers]

Seems like you have a female H. troglodytes

Its probably still too young to tell though. Given the slightly waxy coloration and its very tiny size, its extremely young. The OP says its 1.2 cm in length...less than half an inch. My male H. troglodytes is about 6 inches long, but his scorp will take many years to eventually reach that size.

 

[bryanfernandez1]

Thanks a bunch Abyss! I really appreciate it!!!! I'm in the process of changing all the set-ups for them to their specific requirements and hopefully they find these to be much better! I really had no idea about how detailed and how specific scorpions environments have to be. I guess I should have done much more research and should have been better prepared.

 

[~Abyss~]

Its probably still too young to tell though. Given the slightly waxy coloration and its very tiny size, its extremely young. The OP says its 1.2 cm in length...less than half an inch. My male H. troglodytes is about 6 inches long, but his scorp will take many years to eventually reach that size.

You're right

 

[Galapoheros]

eewwwwwww, Lubbock. You look around out there and you say, "everybody has it wrong, the world really IS flat." You're in the perfect area to get the right substrate. imo, it's better not to use anything organic for the substrate, I stay away from dry coco fiber with desert stuff, it seems it practically attracts moisture and because it's organic, a lot of fungi can grow on it which it terrible for desert species. They tend to get fungal infections(mycosis) very easily. If I were you I'd go out of the city limits with a bucket and get some of the rocky, sandy desert stuff out of a dry creek bed, along with some flat rocks so it will have a place to hide. You don't have to mist, just put a cap of water in the corner. I like to use the Arizona Tea gallon jug caps for that, something like it anyway. They are easy if you have it right, like most other things.

 

[bryanfernandez1]

Male or female, I don't honestly care. I'm just happy to even have a scorpion! But anywho, I really appreciate all the help you guys put in to this thread, (I really do). I just purchased another 10 gallon and some nice decorations for my Hadogenes Troglodytes. Yes, I live in Lubbock....... (I know, I don't like it much here myself). But that's a pretty good idea, I'll drive out and get some substrate for my scorpions.