Arizona Bark Scorpion (Centruroides sculpturatus) Info Needed

[Tanner Dzula]

Hi,
So for some background info I am From Phoenix Arizona, and recently i went to my Local Reptile shop and picked up a nice little Asian Forest scorpion as my First ever Scorpion ( i have a number of T's at the moment so this is not my first invert)
i was pretty excited as i have always been a fan of the Larger Scorpions, And when i got home i went and grabbed a bucket of substrate i had drying out back on a table in the sun(as it gets so hot here in AZ you can literally dry a full bucket in a few hours) i dont normally dry it like this but it was a hotter then normal day and figured it would be fine to dry while i was picking this beauty up. When i got inside i noticed there was a little 2 inch Brown scorpion Sitting Right on the side of the bucket!!

i was pretty shocked, and being the Invert Lover that i am, i quickly grabbed a deli cup and caught it. the bigger shock was when i researched native species to find out it is an Centruroides sculpturatus!!
Now i Plan to keep it for as long as it will live, not only because i am not a fan of killing bugs but because well, i dont just want it wandering around the back yard, or anybody elses yard for that matter, we have a lot of young kids in the neighborhood who wouldnt hesitate to mess with it and probably end up in the hospital as a result.

So at the moment i have it in a nice little deli cup that i have done up based on some research i did on their habitats/habits and what i know just as a native and what the area we live in looks like.

What i wanted was to maybe get some opinions on a few things like:
1. my current enclosure, how does it look and any changes you would recommend?
2. venom toxicity, research tells me its the most venomous in North America, and should go to the hospital if im stung, but has anybody here actually been stung and can tell of the experience?
3. Food/diet. other then crickets(so far he will only seem to eat small crickets 1/4"-1/2") is there anything else thats good to feed it?

and lastly whats your guys overall opinion on this specific species? do you enjoy them?

Im not to worried about getting stung and so far have enjoyed him. thank you for any feedback!

 

[Stugy]

I don't own these scorpions myself but what I can tell youbis that the enclosure is nice and just keep it dry. For stings, you can check the Sting Reports here on AB. For feeding, any feeder is good as they are predators but be careful with WC feeders due to pesticides. Size of feeder can be about the size of the scorpion or smaller. I have read great things about this species and they are even communal! I'm planning to get some of those scorpions soon. Oh yeah I forgot, the scorpion is awesome looking.

 

[darkness975]

@Tanner Dzula

They require some vertical bark to climb up and hide around. They are semi arboreal and regularly climb what they can in nature.

They are indeed the most potent species in the USA but the overwhelming majority of people will not have any major lasting effects from a sting. The very young, very old, allergic, and pre existing sick would be most at risk of complications beyond the typical pain and swearing associated with the majority of their stings. A properly set up enclosure will keep the risk of a sting to a virtually non existent percentage. However, never allow yourself to get too complacent.

Being from Arizona it is almost a guarantee that there are a lot of them in your neighborhood and around your house. Go black light spotting at midnight and you might be surprised.

Crickets, mealworms, and roaches are my feeders of choice. Staple food items in the hobby and be sure to get them captive bred. No wild caught from now on given the risk of pesticides or parasites that could pose a health hazard.

 

[shining]

I'm just going to add on to what others have said.

Keep them on dry substrate. I use 50/50 coco fiber and sand. I fill the water dish once every other week because they will drink. Vertical bark is necessary, when they have the option they always choose to climb. It's only when they are scared off they run and make a scrape or wedge into crevices. Use a 32oz deli for your specimen and try not to give it a "ladder" to run out of the cup when doing maintenance.

Here is my C. sculpturatus scorpling in it's deli cup as a reference.


I'm adding this picture to show what not to do. Use hemostats/tongs. I was trying to get a size reference but she didn't agree with the light and my pulse and ran at my thumb.


I also live in Phoenix, Az and have never been stung even when pestering them like the above picture.

 

[tetracerus]

Ahhh I want one.

I think I'm like the only person in Phoenix who hasn't run across one yet... And not for lack of trying. I think my apartment complex is just too heavily sprayed with pesticide

 

[Stugy]

Ahhh I want one.

I think I'm like the only person in Phoenix who hasn't run across one yet... And not for lack of trying. I think my apartment complex is just too heavily sprayed with pesticide

Hah ouch that sucks. Though I hadn't done so myself yet, how about a little black-lighting? When I was passing by Phoenix on my way to NM, I got swarmed with all kinds of stuff lol. At the time I wasn't interested in arachnids so I passed them by :c Same in Tuscan/Tuscon (Pfft do I need to remember?)

 

[tetracerus]

Hah ouch that sucks. Though I hadn't done so myself yet, how about a little black-lighting? When I was passing by Phoenix on my way to NM, I got swarmed with all kinds of stuff lol. At the time I wasn't interested in arachnids so I passed them by :c Same in Tuscan/Tuscon (Pfft do I need to remember?)

Yep, I tried black lighting at night around my place but nada. Eventually I'll go poke around McDowell Mountain Preserve because I heard they have a lot of good inverts there. Plus I want to find some local tailless whip scorpions

 

[Stugy]

Yep, I tried black lighting at night around my place but nada. Eventually I'll go poke around McDowell Mountain Preserve because I heard they have a lot of good inverts there. Plus I want to find some local tailless whip scorpions

Well there almost nothing interesting to me within a 50 mile radius of me so I got that going for me ;_; A while ago I found a black widow but that's it. Good luck with your hunting!

 

[tetracerus]

Well there almost nothing interesting to me within a 50 mile radius of me so I got that going for me ;_; A while ago I found a black widow but that's it. Good luck with your hunting!

Haha thanks! Good luck with your hunting too

 

[Dovey]

Ahhh I want one.

I think I'm like the only person in Phoenix who hasn't run across one yet... And not for lack of trying. I think my apartment complex is just too heavily sprayed with pesticide

Tetra, I will SO GET YOU ONE if I run across them in my travels out here in the boonies. Right now, the stripe-tails are having it all their own way in my local habitat, but I'm looking for barks to start up a colony with my beetle species. I'll happily share the wealth if and when girl meets scorp.

 

[Dovey]

But also, the place to find barks in an apartment complex is under terracotta flowerpots. The last time I got nailed was while helping my aunt move pots around from the front stoop to the patio at her condominium complex. Ouch! Trust me, if anyone asks what you are doing and you tell them, they won't mind!

 

[Dovey]

"Officer, it only LOOKS like I'm looking for spare keys to burgle apartments. Actually, I'm hunting for..."

 

[tetracerus]

Tetra, I will SO GET YOU ONE if I run across them in my travels out here in the boonies. Right now, the stripe-tails are having it all their own way in my local habitat, but I'm looking for barks to start up a colony with my beetle species. I'll happily share the wealth if and when girl meets scorp.

Yes!! Thank you! That would be awesome I keep reading about all the species we are supposed to have out here and I haven't come across a single one somehow...

 

[Tanner Dzula]

its been a while since i posted this, but thanks for the suggestions @darkness975
since then, I've had a Wonderful set up i started with a total of 8 (and many many more coming this summer ) and they have been thriving!!


I'm including a pic of 5/8 of them currently in their(a big chunk of long lava rock found out here in the corner that they love to climb on) enclosure.


since i started this, i have been stung(3 times) but all of them have been of course, my own fault. not for lack of caution but more so how crafty these guys are and how well hidden they can be! but its been great, to the point where I'm currently setting up a new Desert vivarium in a spare 20 Long i have. Waiting to pickup the excavators clay and I've gathered a good number of natural stones/cacti and even a potted Bonzai Palm(got from a nursery around here, confirmed soil with no pesticides/fertalizers ETC were used. the guy was actually planning to use it in a display set up himself but abandoned the idea)

 

[RTTB]

They are a great communal species and if you have vertical bark set up then they will be very happy. Aggressive eaters and mine go nuts when crickets are dumped in. They literally swarm the crickets in a stinging/feeding frenzy.

 

[Bug Boy Wonder]

I used to live in Tempe near the train tracks. I found 4 of these in my couches outside on the deck, two males, two females one carrying young and the other prego. After about a month the 4 turned into 80 lol. Had them for several years, and the 40gal tank was packed. Ended up giving all away aside from a couple I still have when I moved back to Southern California.

Care is super easy and you can feed them almost anything they can easily feast on. For me personally I had plenty of crickets living in there due to them breading and the scorpions never seemed to over eat so it was a nice life cycle balance.

They love hiding in wood and under rocks during the day, personally I noticed some really love to burrow under things so substrate should be at least 2" deep, A couple rocks, a piece of cork bark, and/or cholla wood work great. I lightly misted the tank 3x a week and only in the morning.

As far as heat goes I had three standard 75w lights that produced heat to 85* in the tank. For fun I also had a black light for viewing at night.

Now I don't claim to be a pro on these guys, but the arrangement I had for them was very successful, and never had any die on me. It was really fun to observe them.

 

[Pipa]

These and just about all the Centroides are fun.. actually very easy to work with !!!

 

[chanda]

Well there almost nothing interesting to me within a 50 mile radius of me so I got that going for me ;_; A while ago I found a black widow but that's it. Good luck with your hunting!

Almost nothing interesting around Chula Vista? I find that hard to believe! Try any of your local hiking trails or other open spaces at night with a good flashlight - and maybe a black light as well. You might be surprised at the variety of tarantulas, scorpions, centipedes, millipedes, beetles, and spiders you'd find wandering around! (And if you're really lucky, you might find a trapdoor spider, too!)

 

[RTTB]

Taking out a black light at night in late Spring/ all through Summer will open up a whole new world of finding scorpions.

 

[Stugy]

Almost nothing interesting around Chula Vista? I find that hard to believe! Try any of your local hiking trails or other open spaces at night with a good flashlight - and maybe a black light as well. You might be surprised at the variety of tarantulas, scorpions, centipedes, millipedes, beetles, and spiders you'd find wandering around! (And if you're really lucky, you might find a trapdoor spider, too!)

Ehhhh I know that you are right but I don't wanna go outside lol. Being a 16 year old also heavily limits my range plus I don't have a black light. And my parents aren't too fond of driving me out to a bunch of empty areas just so I can get bugs. Aahh they'll never understand my love!