good beginner species

round the tererium

Arachnopeon
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Mar 8, 2023
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I have been wanting a scorpion for a while now i wanted to know some good species for beginners.

i really want one with a jungle habitat. I have been looking at terrarium ideas on Pinterest and they seem pretty cool.
 

coolnweird

Arachnobaron
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Oct 20, 2019
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I started with an Asian Forest Scorpion, which prefers to be kept moist. I will say, if this is your first invertebrate pet or even just your first scorpion, I wouldn't recommend attempting a bioactive jungle enclosure. It can be difficult to set one up properly, and you don't want to be in a position where the plants and the animal have competing needs! Start off simple and you can embellish from there.
 

coolnweird

Arachnobaron
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Oct 20, 2019
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Thanks I will check that species out. Do you know of any species that are good for display?
Scorpions are reclusive by nature, but my AFS comes out from his den every morning and evening. Each specimen will have it's own temperament though, so your experience may differ!

I've heard that dessert hairy scorpions are relatively visible, but they aren't a tropical species and I don't have any personal experience with them.
 

Joey Spijkers

Arachnoprince
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To be honest, scorpions in general are not great display animals. Most species hide most of the time. Nevertheless awesome to keep.

But yeah, Heterometrinae (Asion forest scorpions), Pandininae (emperor scorpion and relatives), Centruroides gracilis, Babycurus jacksoni, Lychas mucronatus are some good beginner species from humid habitats.
 

CRX

Arachnoangel
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Thanks I will check that species out. Do you know of any species that are good for display?
If you want something for display, arachnids are really not it. No arachnid wants to be handled or observed.

ESPECIALLY scorpions they prefer to be flattened laying low under cover.
 
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The Snark

Dumpster Fire of the Gods
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i really want one with a jungle habitat.
I will say, if this is your first invertebrate pet or even just your first scorpion, I wouldn't recommend attempting a bioactive jungle enclosure. It can be difficult to set one up properly, and you don't want to be in a position where the plants and the animal have competing needs!
Just to set the record straight a little. AFS occasionally may be found in jungle environments but this is not their preferred habitat. For the most part they live in the forests. Tropical jungle floors are bioactive chaos. continuously damp on out to muddy and wall to wall mold and fungi. Animal wise, a dog eat dog anything goes mix of predators and prey and often hard to tell which is which.
On the other hand, tropical forests are arid desert environs about half the year.

To be honest, scorpions in general are not great display animals.
ESPECIALLY scorpions they prefer to be flattened laying low under cover.
And are nocturnal, commonly somewhat photophobic, and much prefer burrowing through leaf mold and detritus, rarely surfacing except during mating time..
 

Joey Spijkers

Arachnoprince
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Okay probably should have worded it better, I meant the enclosure catches the eye. That was my fault sorry
Got it. I personally like the way you can make bark scorpion enclosures look, because they don't need a super thick substrate layer and you can use cool driftwood and cork bark pieces to use the height. Centruroides gracilis and Lychas mucronatus are good beginner bark scorpion species that like a humid environment.

You can make any enclosure look nice to be honest, but a Heterometrus or Pandinus enclosure is going to be 50% dirt, so you don't have much height to work with, whereas the aforementioned species actually use the height.
 

round the tererium

Arachnopeon
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Mar 8, 2023
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Thanks Joe, I think I had a friend of mine that got stung by that species, lol! I think I'll look into a emperor scorpion cause they seem very requested as a beginner.
 

Supreme

Arachnopeon
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Dec 24, 2022
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I started with the death stalker, I think the desert species is the easiest to raise. Just fill the bunker with sand and throw insects into it twice a week is enough. No species is dangerous unless you touch it directly with your hands 🤣 and as the members above said Scorpions are not good actors. It spends 80% of its time under the bunker. We get excited only when it sees it eating and punches with a stinger for a short time and drags it into a hole.
 

Outpost31Survivor

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Yes, it is added bonus if one has a deep admiration and appreciation for these awesome mini-beasts. Because they are:

Nocturnal (huge percentage)
Negative Phototaxic
Low metabolism and ectothermic = sedentary lifestyle and low activity, proper heat raises the former and surplus food source lowers the former
 

CRX

Arachnoangel
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Yes, it is added bonus if one has a deep admiration and appreciation for these awesome mini-beasts. Because they are:

Nocturnal (huge percentage)
Negative Phototaxic
Low metabolism and ectothermic = sedentary lifestyle and low activity, proper heat raises the former and surplus food source lowers the former
I already admired them, but after my little AFS got flung through the air, into the water of my turtle tank and briefly entirely submerged, I gained a greater respect for these animals. They are literally walking tanks made of armor. He recovered the same day and was eating again not long after. (he pinched me and I recoiled on reflex like an idiot because I wasn't expecting it, then he got flung from my hand up into the air and down into the water).

Amazing animals!
 

SilentBob63

Arachnopeon
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May 13, 2023
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we caught our (2) Southern Devils (Vaejovis Carolinianus) in my work shop. initially it was just out of curiosity and to learn about them. but they've been here 7 months and have full habitats. i kept wondering if i was overfeeding them or if they were gravid, got my answer this morning :) no idea how many (I'm giving her space) but her back is completely covered in babies. hadnt planned for that :) anyway, to my point, i think native species are a great start because they dont need specialized artificial conditions to replicate their origin conditions.
 

cayen

Arachnopeon
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I have been wanting a scorpion for a while now i wanted to know some good species for beginners.

i really want one with a jungle habitat. I have been looking at terrarium ideas on Pinterest and they seem pretty cool.
My first and current scorpions are the H. Hottentots a.k.a the Alligator Back Scorpion and the Parabuthus Transvaalicus a.k.a the Thick Tailed Scorpion. I got them when they were 2i and really, I wouldn't say they're so much as beginner friendly considering my Parabuthus is a spraying venom type of scorp and my Hottentota is parthenogenetic (asexual reproduction), but they are really low in maintenance. They always come out at night, so I don't get so itchy not seeing them. Parabuthus also gets considerably big, therefore requiring you a 5 gallon tank for housing a mature Parabuthus Transvaalicus. However, H. Hottentota grow up to only 3.5 inches including the tail, so they only need 1 gallon tank aquarium for housing.

In short, they are easy to take care for, but keeping one also brings risks, but that's given since they're not meant to be kept as pets anyways lol.
 

cayen

Arachnopeon
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I recommend Hottentota Hottentots though just because of its parthenogenetic trait, giving you non stop supply of scorpions
 

TechnoGeek

Arachnosquire
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The best first scorpion is the P. imperator for sure. Another good option is heterometrus spp. Most sources claim that emps are more docile, but tbh I think that's far from guaranteed. Neither tries to sting usually in my experience, and both might pinch you.

About the enclosure, scorpions aren't the best display animals since most hide most of the day. I've caught my emps out and about several times even during the day with lights on and all, but they do spend a lot of time hidden except at night. You can still make the enclosure aesthetically pleasing, just don't expect to see them wandering around often.
 
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