Comprehensive guide of scorpion keeping for beginners

Bob Lee

Arachnobaron
Joined
Sep 10, 2018
Messages
498
Hello everyone, this thread will be a comprehensive guide about how to pick and raise your first scorpion.
It will likely contain information that goes against established misinformation/bias, so sit tight and read the entire thing.
It might also contain misinformation of my own, this is unavoidable when doing a deep dive into arthropod knowledge.
To skip my massive rants/bad jokes/extreme irony skip the first bit of every section

Parts/Steps:
Picking a species and doing research (I will walk you through this part with some of the beginner species)
Buying supplies/scorpion
Setting up the scorpion/Husbandry tips
Breeding and communals



1. Picking a species

One of the most common advice is for beginners to get a Heterometrus silenus (What used to be petersi)
I personally disagree strongly with this notion that Heterometrus are perfect beginners, while Heterometrus are affordable and easy to keep alive, they grow slowly, require maintenance of moisture, and has gained a reputation for having bad appetite due to miscare.

(Sock puppet shows up with a squeaky voice)
"OMG Bob are you saying that people who say Heterometrus have a bad appetite are just not keeping them correctly? What makes you say something so brave yet controversial?"

Yes, that is correct, Heterometrus are ferocious hunters when kept correctly.
To get them acquainted with the environment, one shall place them in a pitch black space with minimal disturbance for at least a week with no feeding.
Do not worry, this will not harm the scorpion, afterwards your Heterometrus should be eager to hunt for food.

"Bob aren't you just starving the poor thing like this?"

No, the scorpion will be fine, and you should not/need not to do this before every feeding, this is simply for your scorpion to get into the "mood" per say.

"Well placing them in a dark place doesn't sound so hard, what's the problem"

The problem is no beginner will be able to fight off the temptation to see their new scorpion, much less the paranoia that the condition is wrong.
Heterometrus offers an overall either boring or stressful experience for beginners.

"What should we do then Bob"

My personal recommendation for a first scorpion: Parabuthus transvaalicus
Or some other desert scorpion fit for a beginner

"Omg Bob aren't they suuuuuuuuper dangerous?"

Unlike Tarantulas or centipedes, scorpions are not very capable of bolting and much less capable of climbing and jumping.
Scorpions are generally much less threatening with the basic precaution/respect that all hobbyists should have, by using forceps/spoons/ around the scorpion almost all risk can be easily averted.
More over, most scorpions are not eager to attack something much larger than itself, their movements are simple and predictable enough that they should not pose any real risk.

"Bob, what if somebody who is allergic/want to handle/have children/have dogs and cats/have a sentient robot designed specifically to knock over their scorpion enclosure right into the person as if they can somehow sue you for damage is going to try this?"

I expect anyone reading this to have proper cognitive function and plan accordingly for their new pet, proper safety tips will come later in husbandry.

"Sounds great Bob, will you kindly elaborate on your reasoning to have such an unconventional pick."

Gladly little Bob, the benefits of PT(Short for Parabuthus transvaalicus) are abundant.
1. PT are insanely easy to care for, they can thrive in a wide range of temperature, require no misting, and have fantastic feeding response.
2. PT are indestructible (Info from my breeder friend, his PT stocks are able to survive temperature of -5C for the entire winter with no casualty), they will never mismolt or seemingly randomly die on you.
3. PT are cheap
4. PT grow fast
5. PT are easy to breed
Just to list a few
PT are able to satisfy the desire of new hobbyists to witness their new pet on the daily, with the added benefit of being close to indestructible, they are far from boring even for more experienced keepers.
It allows new hobbyist to truly engage with the hobby and take interest in it instead of the endless stress/boredom Heterometrus might drag you down into.
(Just kidding, I love Heterometrus, they just aren't as engaging and simple to care for as some people would like to believe, proper care guide might be included later as well.)

"Can you tell us about some other species Bob?"

Of course, although many scorpions are seemingly identical copies with different coloration, many species are unique with their own immaculate beauty.
Tityus stigmurus - Communal parthenogenic, THE communal go to
Teruelius grandidieri - Shinning gem of desert scorpion, large and beautiful
Heterometrus - Shiny large impressive scorpions
Centruroides - Bark scorpions, some communal
Mesobuthus martensii - All hail martensii
Liocheles waigiensis - Literal living rock and I hate them with my life

Irony free TLDR:
Are Heterometrus good beginners? Yes, but do expect possible hiccups in your experience.
My over exaggerated irony comes from the fact that I was ingesting way too much sugar when first writing this and also people seem to treat picking out a first scorpion like min maxing a video game, they make assumptions that largely won't apply to most people and never speak of them
They will counter my points by finally mentioning these assumptions even though they don't apply to large majority of people, as if they somehow pulled a trump card that I didn't know about and suddenly they have justifcation
Or they will just say that "everyone can have a choice" without seeing the irony in that argument
YOU SHOULD KNOW YOUR OWN CIRCUMSTANCE, I cannot stress that enough, the baseline facts are merely to help you make the decision for your own situation

Parabuthus transvaalicus negate almost all downside of Heterometrus for the trade off of being more venomous
For a pet that will be locked inside a container and never handled intimately, this is a logical trade off for the most part
However, you don't HAVE TO accept that assumption, I am demonstrating that I can put together a much more well nuanced argument through the example of Paratbuhus transvaalicus, that still doesn't mean it's for everyone

I do believe desert scorpions to be a much better choice, for reasons I've already listed, you will have a much more interactive experience and it will be easier

Which ever species you pick to be your first scorpion, be sure to make an informed choice so you don't carry unrealistic expectation.
Your first choice should most likely either be one of the mass bred species like Heterometrus silenus, Parabuthus transvaalicus, Hottentotta hottentotta, Centruroides sculpturatus or species that are local to where you live.
Pick according to your own need, every specie have it's own unique trade off, fear not the trouble that is to come for this guide will prepare you for everything.


2. Buying supplies

Probably the simplest part assuming you have enough budget, a scorpion mainly require heating, feeder, and an enclosure.

Heating:
Heat mat, heat cord, space heater, anything works as long as you can regulate the heat, I recommend getting a regulator like this one
1637272828225.png
If you can't get one just make sure the heating source is coming from the side a safe distance away.

Feeder:
I am a strong advocate for having your own feeder colony. I think it's great practice BEFORE getting your first scorpion.
Some common feeders that you should consider are mealworms, superworms, and common roach feeders.
I discourage anyone from getting crickets, they are a massive pain on the butt

If you are living in Canada like me, Surinam roaches, Australian roaches, and American roaches are all legal roaches

Enclosure:
Dollarama containers will work perfectly fine, anything that has a tight lid will work too.
Caution, your container should be large enough to comfortably fit your scorpion, but not too big because it will stress your scorpion out in some cases.
Try to steer away from pointless decorations, they will not do anything for your scorpion, have a proper hide/climbing surface instead.


3. Setting up the Scorpion/Husbandry

Biology is where there are exceptions to every rule - Sun Tzu probably
As it turns out, the husbandry for scorpions are just mix/match different components together for each and every species, I will go over generalized technique/tips but not go into specific species individually.
You SHOULD be able to search for the care sheet of your designated specie right here on arachnoboard and get the specifics.
Should you have any question and concern please post them (in full detail please) in the reply section.

Enclosure:
Your enclosure should fit your scorpion comfortably, but not too big that it will stress your scorpion out.
Generally speaking the rule of thumb is not going above 2x width and 3x length of your scorpion, I personally would not go beyond this. (Again, exception for every rule)
Often times it's okay to go smaller, some people go with smaller enclosures with no hide so the scorpion gets used to the container itself.
Some species will prefer smaller/larger space, some species will prefer height as opposed to area such as Centruroides and Tityus, adjust accordingly.

Moisture:
Believe it or not, water is where most beginners screw up.
Do NOT water your scorpion like it's a tree!
For moisture loving species, a water bowl with misting will mostly be enough, rarely do scorpions need it moist enough that the substrate are capable of reflecting light.

"What if the scorpion drowns itself Bob?"

Make sure your scorpion is capable of getting out of the water bowl, if you are not sure sand down the surface or place rocks inside of it.
Sometimes Heterometrus/Pandinus will bath in water, this is completely normal, they are (probably) not suicidal.

Another misconception about moisture, desert scorpions are not rocks, they need water as well.
Most "desert" scorpions don't come from environment as "deserty" as people would think.
A water bowl will suffice for desert scorpions, or my personal method, using a bunched up ball of wet toilet paper.
You can moist their environment but go really light with it, I would only maybe do it during molting.

Rule of thumb, keep it on the lower side with access to still water, you can always add more.

Science time! (Extra info, you can skip this)
Humidity is basically the saturation of water vapor in the air, it is RELATIVE to temperature
80% humidity will mean different amount of water in different temperature
When your container is heated, there could be more water in there than you think
When heat drops, the extra water will condense out of the air into water droplets, hence why sometimes you see them forming without adding more water

Substrate:
Substrate can be really simple or advanced, for beginners I recommend potting soil and coco coir, the standard choices.
Make sure you pick something that has no pesticide in it, as for desert scorpions use river/beach sand as they contain little to no dust. (Desert sand contains dust, lots of it, not good for our purposes)
There isn't really much to say about substrate otherwise, so I will include some other information about substrate.
I personally think springtails should be used in every enclosure possible, my springtails in the roach colony has completely stopped the growth of mold all together.
(Obviously doesn't work for desert scorpions, just pick out the food scarps manually for them, unless you have access to arid springtails)
You might encounter this material called perlite, it is safe to use and it mostly just absorbs water, making it harder to over water your enclosure and improving drainage.

Advanced tip about Heterometrus/Pandinus substrate: If you want your scorpion to have better proportions, use a deep layer of red clay as substrate.
They will make deep burrows and the substrate will let them work out their claws.
Some people believe this will make them bigger... This is more speculation based on experience, take it as you will
(Picture/Scorpion from Chinese hobbyist 神火)
1637273109699.png
14cm female Heterometrus silenus eating a 10cm male, not very appealing but it's the only picture I've got of her.

Hide:
Some people go without them, it depends on your situation and the specie that you've picked as your first scorpion.
For anything like Tityus, Centruroides, you need a vertical/slanted bark/cardboard, they like to be on a vertical surface.
Both Heterometrus and common desert species don't require a hide, but it's better to provide one regardless if you can.

Feeding:
Feeding is the most common interaction between you and your pet scorpion, this can either be super simple or a pain depending on the specie you have chosen.
It's also one the top killers of pet scorpions, an unhealthy diet/feeding habit WILL hurt your scorpion whether you think so or not.
9/10 times a pet scorpion dies for "no reason", it is due to stress or digestion problems, as heating and moisture levels are much easier to directly visualize.

Most desert species (excluding Androctonus slings) are somewhat ferocious eaters

Heterometrus on the other hand are PRONE TO DIGESTION PROBLEMS

"What does that mean Bob? Can you explain the implications of that?"

Scorpions require heat to help them digest food, while most desert species can get by with little to no heating in room temperature, Heterometrus cannot reliably do so.
The food Heterometrus is eating is also a major factor, too much food and food hard to digest (such as red meat) combined with lack of heat will cause problems.
Do NOT feed your Heterometrus full if they are going to spend an extended period of time in colder conditions or under a lot of stress, both of them can cause it to have digestive problems.

"Oh Bob but my friend's uncle's yoga instructor's son has kept one such scorpion and it has lived through this exact scenario without a scratch"

You do you little Bob.
If your scorpion seem to be experiencing this problem, check for symptoms such as throwing up, constipation, and maybe prolapse.
Scorpion first AID is still in it's primitive stages, so everything I'm about to talk about are more based on experience and the source is just "Trust me Bro"

Sometimes scorpions can have a severe case of constipation to the point where they stop moving around or become complete stiff as if it's joints are all locked up.
Fear, but fear not too much, for there is still hope.
Immediately turn the heat up and try to get your scorpion to drink, brush the mouth part of your scorpion with water and/or electrolyte, repeat this multiple times a day and CRANK the heat up high.
I have witnessed couple Heterometrus suffering from this problem brought back to life, one of them was so stiff that you could have convinced anyone it was a toy.

It is much easier to prevent this with proper feeding and care rather than spotting for the problem and trying to fix it.

More First AID:
Since we are already here, might as well elaborate
If you have sharp eyes/mind, you might have caught a peculiar word in the last bit: "electrolyte"
What does feeding electrolytes to a scorpion accomplish?
The answer is that it's complicated... and I'm only 80% confident in what I'm talking about, it's quite a bit of speculation and projection from my ape brain
Electrolyte drinks in the human body are meant to supplement/help the ion channels and what not, which in turn affects cell diffusions(?), muscle contraction(moving, heart beating, lung contracting), blood flow and many other things
I'm not a med student, I guide you to knowledge I cannot obtain: www.Google.com
When humans suffer from wounds, illness, or other forms of trauma, these processes can be disrupted as the body enter a state of "shock" where your blood flow and muscle contraction just stop working properly
The same thing could and has been recorded to happen with arthropods, although probably not completely similar to the human version

So it has been theorized that when a scorpion enter a state of shock/extreme high stress/other disruption to bodily function feeding it electrolytes could help
And it does, I've seen a few cases of it

In the example of constipation, the scorpion is unable to move and feed properly, inducing high stress and also disrupting it's feeding
While it won't starve to death, this could be a downward spiral of imbalance building up in it's digestive track
Therefore rising the heat and feeding electrolyte/water is just trying to help the scorpion to keep the situation under control to avoid further damage and hopefully it will make it's recovery

All of the above apply to other trauma like physical wounds, burning, or whatever else

If your scorpion is ever missing limbs, it might regenerate given enough molts, keep in mind that scorpions only molt until adulthood, after which it stops
If it ever loses a claw it would not grow back, but they are able to regenerate if it's only a part of the claw

Mitesss:
I have never had mites in in any of my containers, so I guess springtail is insanely good at taking care of that problem
Some people brush them off the scorpion with salt water/vinegar along with lowing the humidity
That's pretty much all I know regarding mites, they seem like a massive problem when they do happen, so just take good preemptive measures


MY GOD that was long, alright, now you know how to keep a scorpion, why are you still here
I'm starving and I'm moody because of it



4. Scorpion breeding and communals
Time to learn how to bare witness to the wonder of life for 5 hours just to receive monetary benefit slightly better than minimum wage plus interest six months later
Seriously if you are here for the money might as well just go invest in gas

The process of scorpion breeding can be summarized with a short lived intimate relationship, that may or may not start with domestic abuse but will definitely end in one
Much like my own :hurting: (Ladies and Gentlemen, this is a joke, the sentence not myself)

To prepare for scorpion breeding, you should have a large container with a flat surface, your scorpions that are well fed, and something to use for separating them
(Chopsticks work, one for each tail, just block them from stinging each other)
The process of scorpion breeding goes as follows:
The male will try to "hold hand and dance" with the female
This dance can last quite a while
They will go on top of the flat surface
The male will put one of his reproductive organ on the surface
The female will walk atop it and deposit the sperm in her body
She probably will start beating the male, the process is done

06d834adcbef76099ea1d6da39dda3cc7dd99efd.png
a7185c82b2b7d0a2dd634bd8dcef76094a369afd.png
ab68a8345982b2b70035768126adcbef77099bfd.png
b89bd5a20cf431ad18780c7c5c36acaf2fdd98fd.png
Love his photos, Hadogenes troglodytes breeding

The reason for the flat surface (You can use a relatively flat bark, brick, roof tiles, whatever) is because the male need it to anchor his bits
Male scorpions will usually have two of them, and he will regenerate them, so you should try to breed them again later just to make sure (If the female is just attacking the male, the first attempt was probably successful)

Once this is done, just separate them and that's all



I reached the word cap, reach the next message
My god this is long
 
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Bob Lee

Arachnobaron
Joined
Sep 10, 2018
Messages
498
Fast forward however long the gestation period is, you will have a bunch of soft jellybeans on the mother scorpion
Here comes the question: When do you separate them?
For most species you should separate them once they reach 2i, which is after they molt once and get off their mother's back
The exception to this rule are the communal species and species that seem to inhibit some sort of social behavior
Some species are communal when they are bigger, but their slings will terrorize each other, such as Hottentotta
Whereas Heterometrus and Pandinus slings can even live with their mother for a while, with some accounts of them growing better this way
For Tityus, you don't have to separate them but make sure that the mother was able to give birth in peace, the other scorpions might stress her or even eat the new born babies (But it shouldn't happen once they grow a little bit)
Communals are quite unique, and quite annoying as they all seem to have slight differences
Although I really like communals, I haven't kept one yet due to limitations of personal life
Generally speaking, if you want a communal, here is my list
1. Tityus stigmurus
2. Heterometrus/Pandinus/Lychas tricarinatus
3. Hottentotta/Centruroides
999. Liocheles australasiae (My disdain for them cannot be ascribed in mortal text)




The end? Hopefully?
For anyone wondering the character limit is 20,000
I feel carpal tunneling creeping up on me :dead:
 
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zeeman

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
May 12, 2011
Messages
139
I thought Parabuthus transvaalicus were pretty hot?

I'm going to be honest this whole pick a species thing is massively confusing. I literally read your entire post thinking you were trolling about the PT and waiting for "now that you've reached the end, don't buy a Parabuthus as your first."
 

Edan bandoot

Arachnoprince
Joined
Sep 5, 2019
Messages
1,602
I thought Parabuthus transvaalicus were pretty hot?

I'm going to be honest this whole pick a species thing is massively confusing. I literally read your entire post thinking you were trolling about the PT and waiting for "now that you've reached the end, don't buy a Parabuthus as your first."
I thought it was bait lol
 

Joey Spijkers

Arachnoprince
Active Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2019
Messages
1,054
I thought Parabuthus transvaalicus were pretty hot?

I'm going to be honest this whole pick a species thing is massively confusing. I literally read your entire post thinking you were trolling about the PT and waiting for "now that you've reached the end, don't buy a Parabuthus as your first."
Yes, it is a medically significant species. It wouldn't be my pick for a beginner species, but everybody can have their own opinion.
 

zeeman

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
May 12, 2011
Messages
139
Yes, it is a medically significant species. It wouldn't be my pick for a beginner species, but everybody can have their own opinion.
With the utmost respect because I'm a newbie to scorpions, you can have an opinion on car color but there should be more objectivity to a thread made with the intent to direct any beginner that comes to this forum on what their first scorpion should be. The amount of effort Bob appears to be putting into this thread appears to indicate the intent is for it to be a sticky. That means every new person coming here to buy a scorp will see P transvaalicus, and think that's their path per wisdom of this forum. What they'll have on their hands is a more dangerous (regardless of lethality) species that can also potentially spit its venom, however resilient they may be to do so. This is in a world where people do stupid things for likes and views on social media of to become the next "Youtube" star. You're right opinions are just opinions, but facts will always trump opinions regardless of people's feelings. That's the world we need to live in.

There has to be other species that meet criteria 1-5, or get pretty close, without the potency. If P transilvaanicus is indeed the recommendation then perhaps the species selection section should be last and caveats like absolutely no handling and only tools to interact with your scorpions should be repeatedly and clearly stated prior to that point.

Again I appreciate this thread and what Bob is trying to create. It'll be a great sticky, and I'm happy to delete my posts so his content flows post to post without clutter of our discussion, but I really think this bears more consideration.
 

CRX

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
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Dec 28, 2008
Messages
848
Yeah, I think the OP is insane honestly.
 

zeeman

Arachnosquire
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Messages
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I want to repeat, I don't want to dissuade Bob from doing this. I think it'll be a great tool. My hope is that as we are a community, and an even smaller sub-set of this Arachnoboard forum, that we can have a good discussion and maybe hash out better beginner options or identify important considerations if the elected species stays.
 

Lordosteous

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 25, 2020
Messages
37
I'm no scorpion expert by any means, but aren't P. transvaalicus able to spray their venom as well as inject it? Rather invalidates the whole "by using forceps/spoons/ around the scorpion almost all risk can be easily averted." argument.
P. transvaalicus is obviously an awesome scorpion for people who actually know what they're doing, but recommending them to a beginners as a good first scorpion is irresponsible.
 

Spoodfood

Feeder of Spoods
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473
“What should we do then, bob?”
Maybe get a Hadrurus species instead of Heterometrus. I started with a P. Imperator, then ended up with a gravid Heterometrus from a pet store. No issues with her or the babies. Also got a Hadrurus in between at some point. I’ve had no issues with my scorpions, and these were the first species I kept of any invertebrates. Still have them all years later. I don’t see the point in recommending a hot scorpion as a first. Makes no sense.

I also didn’t put my Heterometrus in a dark place to get it to eat. I think this is slightly over complicating. Just keep them moist, with places to hide. Feed them when they take it. None of the species mentioned above were hard to keep or raise in any aspect.

All that being said, take your pick of any of the above mentioned species and actually do your research. You’ll have no issues with them. I know I didn’t and I wasn’t experienced at all. I was so inexperienced in fact, that I was SHAKING when housing them for the first time, not knowing what to expect thinking they might sting me or run. I legit knew nothing except how to keep them alive from research. Absolute negative 100 hands on experience with inverts.
 

Bob Lee

Arachnobaron
Joined
Sep 10, 2018
Messages
498
“What should we do then, bob?”
Maybe get a Hadrurus species instead of Heterometrus. I started with a P. Imperator, then ended up with a gravid Heterometrus from a pet store. No issues with her or the babies. Also got a Hadrurus in between at some point. I’ve had no issues with my scorpions, and these were the first species I kept of any invertebrates. Still have them all years later. I don’t see the point in recommending a hot scorpion as a first. Makes no sense.

I also didn’t put my Heterometrus in a dark place to get it to eat. I think this is slightly over complicating. Just keep them moist, with places to hide. Feed them when they take it. None of the species mentioned above were hard to keep or raise in any aspect.

All that being said, take your pick of any of the above mentioned species and actually do your research. You’ll have no issues with them. I know I didn’t and I wasn’t experienced at all. I was so inexperienced in fact, that I was SHAKING when housing them for the first time, not knowing what to expect thinking they might sting me or run. I legit knew nothing except how to keep them alive from research. Absolute negative 100 hands on experience with inverts.
Affordability and accessibility are great factors in getting a first scorpion, Hadrurus are not accessible/afford in most places, most certainly not outside of North America, imperator on the other hand are just straight up expensive.
The point was not to get everyone to start with a PT, Heterometrus are perfectly fine beginner scorpions that too many people get into without the proper expectation, you lucked into one that didn't give you a hard time during your beginner journey, you think you would've had the same level of appreciation if you run into any of the problems I mentioned?

The process I mentioned is not over complicating, it's how to solve those problems, SHOULD people choose to face the problems that come with Heterometurs.
I have no problem with people picking Heterometrus, I love Heterometrus, I have problem with people lucking into an okay experience and not having any idea how to actually solve the problem when one arise and the beginner is just left there dumbfounded thinking he somehow made a wrong choice when he's been coerced into an uninformed decision by other people.

If the same deal is happening the other way around with people painting PT in a fantastic light while completely ignoring the safety aspect I will be here writing one about how Heterometrus is an alternative as well, and probably getting called a massive crybaby while doing it.
 

Bob Lee

Arachnobaron
Joined
Sep 10, 2018
Messages
498
I want to repeat, I don't want to dissuade Bob from doing this. I think it'll be a great tool. My hope is that as we are a community, and an even smaller sub-set of this Arachnoboard forum, that we can have a good discussion and maybe hash out better beginner options or identify important considerations if the elected species stays.
See above reply to Spoodfood
Also I did say multiple times that Heterometrus are fine choices, I will include a guide for them as well later
 

Spoodfood

Feeder of Spoods
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Jun 4, 2020
Messages
473
Affordability and accessibility are great factors in getting a first scorpion, Hadrurus are not accessible/afford in most places, most certainly not outside of North America, imperator on the other hand are just straight up expensive.
The point was not to get everyone to start with a PT, Heterometrus are perfectly fine beginner scorpions that too many people get into without the proper expectation, you lucked into one that didn't give you a hard time during your beginner journey, you think you would've had the same level of appreciation if you run into any of the problems I mentioned?

The process I mentioned is not over complicating, it's how to solve those problems, SHOULD people choose to face the problems that come with Heterometurs.
I have no problem with people picking Heterometrus, I love Heterometrus, I have problem with people lucking into an okay experience and not having any idea how to actually solve the problem when one arise and the beginner is just left there dumbfounded thinking he somehow made a wrong choice when he's been coerced into an uninformed decision by other people.

If the same deal is happening the other way around with people painting PT in a fantastic light while completely ignoring the safety aspect I will be here writing one about how Heterometrus is an alternative as well, and probably getting called a massive crybaby while doing it.
My whole issue is solely with recommending hot species to first time keepers. There are plenty of other species that aren’t hot at all that would make good beginner species, not just the ones I mentioned. I don’t think anyone should get a hot scorpion as their first.

You realize that if they do lack common sense or are just extremely inexperienced, something could go wrong. They could end up tagged with bad symptoms and give up on the hobby, in a good scenario. Worst case scenario, they’re hospitalized and people in the hobby continue to get a worse reputation because we’re telling these people to grab hot scorpions.

If you tell someone, “With common sense and enough research…” come on. I’ve never met one person who lacks decent cognitive function or common sense admit it to themselves. And at least 50% of first time keepers that arrive here end up asking questions indicating they did no prior research.

The “hobby staples” or “beginner species” are called that for a reason. Honestly, if someone can’t handle the simple care of a less hot scorp, they shouldn’t be getting hot species at all. It’s asking for problems.

I don’t disagree with the tips you gave on setting them up, or how to deal with common issues that may arise. I just don’t think a hot scorpion should be considered for a beginner.
 

Bob Lee

Arachnobaron
Joined
Sep 10, 2018
Messages
498
You realize that if they do lack common sense or are just extremely inexperienced, something could go wrong.
I hope you realize there is no way to guarantee the safety of those people, a big Heterometrus will shatter your nails with a good hold on them, growing those back won't be any less painful than a sting.
A guide is meant for people who want to pursue a goal, in this case keeping a scorpion, this isn't a guide for how to not get hurt while attempting something stupid for the hell of it.

I understand that some people will handle and do stupid stuff, but here is this thing
I don't care
I don't care what happens to them, that's their problem, their choice, their responsibility, there is no way for me to carter to that nor do I plan on doing it
"Just don't keep a scorpion" that's all I can really tell them.

I can't be held accountable for people NOT reading my guide
 
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Bob Lee

Arachnobaron
Joined
Sep 10, 2018
Messages
498
I'm no scorpion expert by any means, but aren't P. transvaalicus able to spray their venom as well as inject it? Rather invalidates the whole "by using forceps/spoons/ around the scorpion almost all risk can be easily averted." argument.
They are capable of ejecting venom, it is however rather harmless and rare.
In the extreme case that it gets in your eyes, wash it with clear water.

For reference I know a vendor who has kept couple thousands of PT, he has never witnessed this before, they seem to only do it under heavy stress.
 
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