Hardrurus arizonensis care advice

[spideyspinneret78]

I ordered a H. arizonensis from an online breeder and I'm planning on getting everything set up in advance. I have a few questions about care and was hoping for some advice.

-what substrate is recommended and how much depth should there be? I understand that some people keep them on sand but it doesn't seem like this would work very well for burrow structure since they're fossorial.
- supplemental heat? do they need a heat mat/ heat lamp and which do you prefer?
- what size enclosure is recommended for a single scorpion?

This is the second scorpion species I've kept. I have over 30 tarantulas but not nearly as much experience with scorpions. What other advice would you give a pretty new scorpion keeper?If any of you could share photos of your setups, I'd appreciate it!

 

[Hakuna]

I’ll let more experienced scorpion keepers take this...but just want to give a friendly heads up to maybe see how the breeder you got them from is keeping them if you can get in contact with them. Good luck!

Side note: I’ve heard good things about mixing sand with excavator clay. Worth a search.

 

[Thane1616]

If you want to let them burrow then you will need something that holds structure which will require clay, if not then they live just fine on sands. They are known to dig burrows 8ft deep or more, this makes it hard to truly replicate the habitats they live in. The issues with the species are A.) Getting them to molt because again they can dig 8 foot burrows which makes it easy to find the right level of moisture and temperature. B.) Getting them to mate because they need a brumation period to trigger mating I believe. and C.) Keeping them from getting mycosis, keep them under 60% humidity and the top layer of substrate must be completely dry.

As far as temperature they should be kept 70+ unless in brumation, many people keep them normal room temp with no issue but you can keep them 90+ with no major issues as long as they have a water dish and get fed weekly. I keep mine with a heat mat at night and a heat lamp during the day with my temps around 80 at night and 90 during the day. I only heat half the tank so they can decide between the cooler side in the 70s or 80s and the hot side close to 95.

You can keep a single desert hairy in anything from a 2.5 gallon tank up to a 20 gallon. Personally have mine in a 2.5 and it feels a bit tight so I think 5 or 10 would be ideal.

 

[spideyspinneret78]

If you want to let them burrow then you will need something that holds structure which will require clay, if not then they live just fine on sands. They are known to dig burrows 8ft deep or more, this makes it hard to truly replicate the habitats they live in. The issues with the species are A.) Getting them to molt because again they can dig 8 foot burrows which makes it easy to find the right level of moisture and temperature. B.) Getting them to mate because they need a brumation period to trigger mating I believe. and C.) Keeping them from getting mycosis, keep them under 60% humidity and the top layer of substrate must be completely dry.

As far as temperature they should be kept 70+ unless in brumation, many people keep them normal room temp with no issue but you can keep them 90+ with no major issues as long as they have a water dish and get fed weekly. I keep mine with a heat mat at night and a heat lamp during the day with my temps around 80 at night and 90 during the day. I only heat half the tank so they can decide between the cooler side in the 70s or 80s and the hot side close to 95.

You can keep a single desert hairy in anything from a 2.5 gallon tank up to a 20 gallon. Personally have mine in a 2.5 and it feels a bit tight so I think 5 or 10 would be ideal.

Thanks for the advice. I'm thinking that I might do a 5 gallon tank. Might get a heat mat to put on one side of the enclosure since it gets very cold here in the winter, even with the furnace running full blast. I'm going to experiment with the Excavator substrate to see what it's like and how well it works. For the lid, is mesh or expanded metal OK to use? For tarantulas it's a no-no, but I'm not sure about scorpions. I don't think humidity will be an issue. It's bone dry here most of the year.

 

[Harmonicon]

Substrate
Use a mixture of 2/3 play sand and 1/3 excavator clay, and aim for at least 5 inches of substrate. Moisten the substrate and pack it down hard into the terrarium and let at least an inch of the top substrate to harden/dry before introducing the scorpion.

Heat
Use an infrared heat lamp (the red bulbs) and aim for a hotspot of 90-95 degrees. Make sure to put it all the way to one side to create a temperature gradient.

Enclosure
I recommend a 5-10 gallon aquarium.

My Hadrurus arizonensis thrives and molted into adulthood in these conditions.

Hope this helps!

 

[spideyspinneret78]

Substrate
Use a mixture of 2/3 play sand and 1/3 excavator clay, and aim for at least 5 inches of substrate. Moisten the substrate and pack it down hard into the terrarium and let at least an inch of the top substrate to harden/dry before introducing the scorpion.

Heat
Use an infrared heat lamp (the red bulbs) and aim for a hotspot of 90-95 degrees. Make sure to put it all the way to one side to create a temperature gradient.

Enclosure
I recommend a 5-10 gallon aquarium.

My Hadrurus arizonensis thrives and molted into adulthood in these conditions.

Hope this helps!

Thanks! I appreciate the advice!

 

[Harmonicon]

For the lid, is mesh or expanded metal OK to use? For tarantulas it's a no-no, but I'm not sure about scorpions.

Mesh is fine to use with scorpions.

 

[Joey Spijkers]

Mesh is fine to use with scorpions.

Only metal mesh though, they will chew though fiberglass mesh.
I’m speaking from experience
But if the mesh is on the top and there’s no way for the scorp to reach it, it doesn’t matter anyway.