Fattail Scorpion (Androctonus australis)

KJXotix

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Messages
1
Hi everyone.
Im new to this forum and i decided i'd post a question about a certain species of scorp i'd like to keep. Ive been looking at keeping a fattail for some time now and i have decided i'd like to ask a few questions first. And yes, i am fully aware of the dangers of this species, and i have quite a bit of scorpion experience for i have kept emperors, flat rocks, striped devils, giant desert hairys, and even a pair of deathstalkers. I guess my biggest question is about what scorpion out of the small list i just named can you compare a fattail to? (temperment wise) And movement wise, how fast is this scorpion? I have heard so many things im not sure whats true. People have said extremely fast and others have said slow like an emperor. Well thanks guys.
 

Michiel

Arachnoking
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Joined
May 22, 2006
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3,478
The people that told you it is slow as an emp, where keeping it wrong :D Btw, emps can also be fast...
All those typical desert species, like Androctonus, become faster the warmer it is...As their metabolism fires up while the temps to, they are the quickest in high temps.

Try to picture the desert in july, august...Sun at it's highest point, searing temps to over 30, 40, 50 Celsius.........Now try to picture it in winter......get the point?
When you put A.australis in the fridge for 2 minutes or so, it moves slow, like a little old man with artritis. Put it in 35 Celsius fur 2 minutes and it acts like a ADHD kid that ate 3 candybars (preferably a Mars or something, stay away from these! :D) or guzzled down a large vanilla coke, or make it two.....
 

gromgrom

Arachnoprince
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Nov 30, 2009
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temperament?

fast as deathstalker, but more skittish and willing to hide and just get away. i've not seen my fattails attack my tweezers or try something stupid.

I'd compare it to B. jacksoni, but faster
 

InfestedGoat

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
Messages
342
It's a pretty lazy scorpion i've found. Its not skittish like a deathstalker. It doesnt get spooked easily, but once it does start moving it can be very quick.

Just treat it like you did your death stalkers. Dont put your hands in the tank, respect the little guy, and you'll be ok :D
 

John Bokma

Arachnobaron
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May 31, 2005
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486
ADHD kid that ate 3 candybars (preferably a Mars or something, stay away from these! :D) or guzzled down a large vanilla coke, or make it two.....
There is no such thing as getting hyper from sugar (sorry kids, you're just annoying :) )
 

Michiel

Arachnoking
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May 22, 2006
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There is no such thing as getting hyper from sugar (sorry kids, you're just annoying :) )

You're actually right, I looked it up...Didn't know that, thanks!

PS. Still no chocolate milk and candy after dinner for my daughter:evil:
 

John Bokma

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
May 31, 2005
Messages
486
You're actually right, I looked it up...Didn't know that, thanks!
You're welcome. I learned about that one also recently. There is a nice list of misconceptions at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions

Michiel said:
PS. Still no chocolate milk and candy after dinner for my daughter:evil:
;-). In Mexico, or at least in Veracruz, children get a lot (and I mean a lot lot) candy. We are now trying to stop people from giving candy to our daughter. And if she gets it, the plan is to put it in a bag, and if the bag is full, she can buy something (non-candy, of course). A lot of the stuff you can eat here (pie, sweet bread, cake) is extremely sweet, yikes.
 

thebugfreak

Arachnoknight
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Dec 17, 2009
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ive kept more than a few androctonus sp. they are pretty fast for a scorpion. they arent slow or sluggish or anything and they are very quick to sting. they like to flick their tail a lot and they are about 100 times faster with their tail than they are with their legs. so i would be cautious.

something funny i noticed is that when its agitated and you have a paintbrush in front of it, it leans its body and points its tail towards where the brush is at. so if you move it from left to right slowly, the tail will follow. some people say "oh they have bad vision. they wont sting you unless you touch it" but ive seen otherwise. they attack the brush even when its not touching.
 

gromgrom

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
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Nov 30, 2009
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ive kept more than a few androctonus sp. they are pretty fast for a scorpion. they arent slow or sluggish or anything and they are very quick to sting. they like to flick their tail a lot and they are about 100 times faster with their tail than they are with their legs. so i would be cautious.

something funny i noticed is that when its agitated and you have a paintbrush in front of it, it leans its body and points its tail towards where the brush is at. so if you move it from left to right slowly, the tail will follow. some people say "oh they have bad vision. they wont sting you unless you touch it" but ive seen otherwise. they attack the brush even when its not touching.
they sense movement with their hairs and through vibrations. they could also probably still see a big black object moving toward them, and go to their favorite weapon. my guess.
 
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