Asian forest scorpion care?

[AtticOctopus]

I recently got a baby Asian forest but I’m not sure how to care for them properly: terrarium size, food, humidity, water dish, terrain, basically everything. Is someone willing to make a list of what I need to know to get started and care for it properly? It’s currently in a small terrarium with some cork bark to hide under and moist-ish dirt. I gave it a headless small cricket last night because it’s too small to eat a live and kicking one right now. When it was given to me it was in one of the little round plastic containers. It was given to me and I’m always willing to help out animals. I usually do my research before getting an animal but that wasn’t an option in this case

 

[MES]

I recently got a baby Asian forest but I’m not sure how to care for them properly: terrarium size, food, humidity, water dish, terrain, basically everything. Is someone willing to make a list of what I need to know to get started and care for it properly? It’s currently in a small terrarium with some cork bark to hide under and moist-ish dirt. I gave it a headless small cricket last night because it’s too small to eat a live and kicking one right now. When it was given to me it was in one of the little round plastic containers. It was given to me and I’m always willing to help out animals. I usually do my research before getting an animal but that wasn’t an option in this case

I would keep it in a container that is 2x it's length by 1x it's length. If the container is big enough to fit a hide in it, put one in. The substrate should be a tropical soil (like eco earth coco fiber) and should be kept wet/damp at all times (this varies with the size of the container; to wet the soil, just spray it down with a mister). It possible, the substrate should be about the length of the scorpion deep. In addition to this, (if the container is big enough) provide a small, shallow water dish; I use milk jug lids. A small cricket is great, and it should be fed about 2-3 times a week when it is very small. Asian Forests prefer a bit of heat if possible (around mid-high 70s) but they will also do ok in cooler temps.
Equipment for the scorp:
Enclosure
Cork bark/hide
Water dish
Tropical substrate

Tools you need should be:
Tongs
Spray bottle
Cricket keeper (optional)
Hope this helps!

 

[AtticOctopus]

I would keep it in a container that is 2x it's length by 1x it's length. If the container is big enough to fit a hide in it, put one in. The substrate should be a tropical soil (like eco earth coco fiber) and should be kept wet/damp at all times (this varies with the size of the container; to wet the soil, just spray it down with a mister). It possible, the substrate should be about the length of the scorpion deep. In addition to this, (if the container is big enough) provide a small, shallow water dish; I use milk jug lids. A small cricket is great, and it should be fed about 2-3 times a week when it is very small. Asian Forests prefer a bit of heat if possible (around mid-high 70s) but they will also do ok in cooler temps.
Equipment for the scorp:
Enclosure
Cork bark/hide
Water dish
Tropical substrate

Tools you need should be:
Tongs
Spray bottle
Cricket keeper (optional)
Hope this helps!

That helps a lot thank you! Is there anything I should know about molting or things like that? Behavior?

 

[MES]

That helps a lot thank you! Is there anything I should know about molting or things like that? Behavior?

No problem!
I personally have not had experience with any of my scorpions molting yet, but I have heard that they molt an average of 6 times in their life. Like tarantulas, they may go off food before molting. As well as this, they will start to look very fat, and you may be able to see the pleural membrane through the tergites (lighter membrane underneath the darker, harder "plates"). You want to leave them alone before, during, and for awhile after molting, as it can be extremely stressfull and difficult (even more so than with tarantulas, etc.), and I've heard of several people's scorps dying in molt. After they molt, they will have a soft, white exoskeleton for a bit, and you shouldn't feed them until they harden up entirely (they will have normal color, about a couple weeks). Your scorp will molt more frequently as it is young, but the frequency of molts will lessen with age.

Most Asian Forests will be in their hides most the time, but some may hang out around their water dish a lot. (One of mine likes to swim and poop in there, haha) They are relatively docile, but I wouldn't suggest handling without gloves, as they pinch as sting more readily that some other scorpions, like emperors. Just a heads up, if they do get mad or feel threated by you for some reason, they can hiss (it's pretty quiet, but surprised me a bit when I heard it for the first time, haha) Like most inverts, they are more active at night, and you may see them digging, exploring, and reaching up the sides of the enclosure.

Also, there are 3 species of Asian Forest Scorpions most commonly found as pets: Heterometrus petersii, Heterometrus longimanus, and Heterometrus spinifer. If you didn't find out the species from whoever you got it from, you will have to wait untill it gets bigger to identify the species. All of these species live in the tropical rainforests of South to Southeast Asia, from around India to Malaysia.
Fun Fact: if you didn't know, all scorpions will glow under a black light, but don't do it too much, as it can harm them.

 

[AtticOctopus]

No problem!
I personally have not had experience with any of my scorpions molting yet, but I have heard that they molt an average of 6 times in their life. Like tarantulas, they may go off food before molting. As well as this, they will start to look very fat, and you may be able to see the pleural membrane through the tergites (lighter membrane underneath the darker, harder "plates"). You want to leave them alone before, during, and for awhile after molting, as it can be extremely stressfull and difficult (even more so than with tarantulas, etc.), and I've heard of several people's scorps dying in molt. After they molt, they will have a soft, white exoskeleton for a bit, and you shouldn't feed them until they harden up entirely (they will have normal color, about a couple weeks). Your scorp will molt more frequently as it is young, but the frequency of molts will lessen with age.

Most Asian Forests will be in their hides most the time, but some may hang out around their water dish a lot. (One of mine likes to swim and poop in there, haha) They are relatively docile, but I wouldn't suggest handling without gloves, as they pinch as sting more readily that some other scorpions, like emperors. Just a heads up, if they do get mad or feel threated by you for some reason, they can hiss (it's pretty quiet, but surprised me a bit when I heard it for the first time, haha) Like most inverts, they are more active at night, and you may see them digging, exploring, and reaching up the sides of the enclosure.

Also, there are 3 species of Asian Forest Scorpions most commonly found as pets: Heterometrus petersii, Heterometrus longimanus, and Heterometrus spinifer. If you didn't find out the species from whoever you got it from, you will have to wait untill it gets bigger to identify the species. All of these species live in the tropical rainforests of South to Southeast Asia, from around India to Malaysia.
Fun Fact: if you didn't know, all scorpions will glow under a black light, but don't do it too much, as it can harm them.

Thank you so much!! Everything you’ve given me is the exact kind of information I was looking for. I’ll make sure to give them the best life I can. Speaking of which I was told it could live in a 2.5 gallon when it’s an adult but I highly doubt that. What size terrarium should it be in as an adult?

 

[MES]

Thank you so much!! Everything you’ve given me is the exact kind of information I was looking for. I’ll make sure to give them the best life I can. Speaking of which I was told it could live in a 2.5 gallon when it’s an adult but I highly doubt that. What size terrarium should it be in as an adult?

It's always good to hear people trying to give great lives to inverts!
As adults, the recommended size of terrarium is 10 gallons, and one of my scorpions is in that size. However, I have a breeding pair that live in 5 quart storage bins, and they seem to be doing great. I think it really depends on how much you can afford, how much space you have, why you have the scoprion, and the scorpion itself. For example, if you have a scopion for "display" that is active, and you have a relatively large area, 10+ gallons would be ideal. However, if you want to save as much space as possible, and you scorpion just likes to hide, as well as maybe being used as a business or for breeding, a smaller container like a storage bin is ok in my opinion.
It's important to remember that they can have too much space, and they may feel overwhelmed, so I think 10 gallons is the ideal size.

Here's a picture of my 10 gallon "display" tank with my large female H. petersii (it's a bit dry at the moment):


And my breeding pair of H. longimanus in 5 quart storage bins:

 

[AtticOctopus]

It's always good to hear people trying to give great lives to inverts!
As adults, the recommended size of terrarium is 10 gallons, and one of my scorpions is in that size. However, I have a breeding pair that live in 5 quart storage bins, and they seem to be doing great. I think it really depends on how much you can afford, how much space you have, why you have the scoprion, and the scorpion itself. For example, if you have a scopion for "display" that is active, and you have a relatively large area, 10+ gallons would be ideal. However, if you want to save as much space as possible, and you scorpion just likes to hide, as well as maybe being used as a business or for breeding, a smaller container like a storage bin is ok in my opinion.
It's important to remember that they can have too much space, and they may feel overwhelmed, so I think 10 gallons is the ideal size.

Here's a picture of my 10 gallon "display" tank with my large female H. petersii (it's a bit dry at the moment):
View attachment 291623
View attachment 291626
And my breeding pair of H. longimanus in 5 quart storage bins:
View attachment 291624
View attachment 291625

Awesome thank you so much!!!!

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

Fun Fact: if you didn't know, all scorpions will glow under a black light, but don't do it too much, as it can harm them.

They also glow beneath a nighttime blue heat bulb. But I don't know if that is as harmful as a regular black light, so I play it safe and very rarely do so. I think it is something a person should do at least once, briefly. The effect is a bit startling. And cool.
Maybe those bulbs technically ARE black lights of a sort. But I don't think they are quite as dark...I think a blacklight is simply a bulb that does not allow as much light in the visible spectrum to be produced while allowing UVA to go through the glass. or something like that.

It actually looked somewhat brighter than this picture, but this was as close as I could get to a good exposure with a hand-held shot. I enhanced it some and got closer to what it appeared like to my eye, but in that case may have gotten it a bit TOO brilliant. But the scorp definitely looked closer to the second shot.

 

[MES]

They also glow beneath a nighttime blue heat bulb. But I don't know if that is as harmful as a regular black light, so I play it safe and very rarely do so. I think it is something a person should do at least once, briefly. The effect is a bit startling. And cool.
Maybe those bulbs technically ARE black lights of a sort. But I don't think they are quite as dark...I think a blacklight is simply a bulb that does not allow as much light in the visible spectrum to be produced while allowing UVA to go through the glass. or something like that.

It actually looked somewhat brighter than this picture, but this was as close as I could get to a good exposure with a hand-held shot. I enhanced it some and got closer to what it appeared like to my eye, but in that case may have gotten it a bit TOO brilliant. But the scorp definitely looked closer to the second shot.

View attachment 291814

View attachment 291815

That's super awesome, I didn't know that! My Giant Desert Hairy is always under a red/night time bulb and he doesn't glow, so maybe it's just Asian Forests that glow, or even just your type of bulb.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

The red bulb will not make him glow. But he should glow under the right lighting.

 

[MES]

The red bulb will not make him glow. But he should glow under the right lighting.

Oh, for some reason I was thinking that your light was a red night time light, haha. Not sure why I thought that

 

[InvertAddiction]

The red bulb will not make him glow. But he should glow under the right lighting.

Oddly enough, I've never used a black light or anything to see my scorps glow lol. Oh hey Tim, anyway you can send me a message please, your inbox is full.