Heterometrus spinifer?

[Reptileking314618]

Hi, I just got my first scorpion and had a couple questions. One I was sold a heterometrus spinifer and I think a male so was wondering if someone could confirm? Also, I have the scorpion in my reptile room so it has a day/Night cycle but not direct light. I have the stat set to 75 on warm side and it gets 64-68 during day on cool side and 59ish at night. I got him last Sunday and tried feeding dubias twice but didn't eat so I was thinking its still getting acclimated and just try to feed it twice a week. Thanks for all your help and advice.

 

[Outpost31Survivor]

Hi, I just got my first scorpion and had a couple questions. One I was sold a heterometrus spinifer and I think a male so was wondering if someone could confirm? Also, I have the scorpion in my reptile room so it has a day/Night cycle but not direct light. I have the stat set to 75 on warm side and it gets 64-68 during day on cool side and 59ish at night. I got him last Sunday and tried feeding dubias twice but didn't eat so I was thinking its still getting acclimated and just try to feed it twice a week. Thanks for all your help and advice.

It looks like you have a female Heterometrus silenus. Rarely Heterometrus spinifer sold in the States are genuine H. spinifer (which are now protected in Malaysia). When online reptile retailers sell H. spinifer they are 99.99% of the time turn out to really be H. silenus very commonly imported out of Vietnam and this is the case here. If you want to score a real H. spinifer it is usually through a private breeder.

 

[Joey Spijkers]

Heterometrus silenus.

The temperature is too low in my opinion. During the day, it should be 75-85⁰F (24-30⁰C), and above 65 at night.

 

[Reptileking314618]

It looks like you have a female Heterometrus silenus. Rarely Heterometrus spinifer sold in the States are genuine H. spinifer (which are now protected in Malaysia). When online reptile retailers sell H. spinifer they are 99.99% of the time turn out to really be H. silenus very commonly imported out of Vietnam and this is the case here. If you want to score a real H. spinifer it is usually through a private breeder.

I got her at a reptile show thru a breeder but I heard there's identical species that h. Spinifer can be confused with. Is the care and temperament the same? I don't handle unless I need to because of stress to the scorpion but when I got him the breeder suggested this one because she's pretty docile and would occasionally pinch other than that she just walks on my hand and arm. Thanks for the feedback and identification.

 

[Reptileking314618]

Heterometrus silenus.

The temperature is too low in my opinion. During the day, it should be 75-85⁰F (24-30⁰C), and above 65 at night.

I will up the stat to 80 and see how that works and the warm side will stay consistent and maybe that heat will help warm up the other side. Before I got her I was doing all kinds of research and I was getting people telling me anywhere from 70-90 is ok. Is there other ways to warm up the cool side?

 

[Joey Spijkers]

H. silenus and H. spinifer have very clear distinguishing features, so the seller likely wouldn't be able to distinguish any Heterometrinae species. The importer just slaps some names on them and the sellers roll with it. The care and behavior is pretty much the same though.

I assume you're using a heat mat? Heat mats only heat the glass surface and may radiate the heat a little into the enclosure, but not much usually. Heating a whole enclosure with heat mats only really works when there is very little ventilation so that the heat can't easily escape. See if you can get it right, otherwise a bigger heat mat or a ceramic heat emitter may be necessary to reach the desired temperature.
Also make sure to get the nighttime temp up.

 

[Reptileking314618]

H. silenus and H. spinifer have very clear distinguishing features, so the seller likely wouldn't be able to distinguish any Heterometrinae species. The importer just slaps some names on them and the sellers roll with it. The care and behavior is pretty much the same though.

I assume you're using a heat mat? Heat mats only heat the glass surface and may radiate the heat a little into the enclosure, but not much usually. Heating a whole enclosure with heat mats only really works when there is very little ventilation so that the heat can't easily escape. See if you can get it right, otherwise a bigger heat mat or a ceramic heat emitter may be necessary to reach the desired temperature.
Also make sure to get the nighttime temp up.

Thanks for the feedback. I got her from a breeder and he said she was cbb. But I can see where there could be some misidentification. Yeah I think it's a 6x8 on the side of the glass. There's a metal mesh lid. I can try putting aluminum foil or something else over half of it to try and warm it up along with bringing the stat up. Thanks for the help.

 

[Outpost31Survivor]

I got her at a reptile show thru a breeder but I heard there's identical species that h. Spinifer can be confused with. Is the care and temperament the same? I don't handle unless I need to because of stress to the scorpion but when I got him the breeder suggested this one because she's pretty docile and would occasionally pinch other than that she just walks on my hand and arm. Thanks for the feedback and identification.

It is difficult to confuse H. spinifer with other species outside of maybe female H. longimanus and the cryptic species H. petersii (which is a story in of itself).

Heterometrus silenus can be confused with H. laoticus but distinguished by a lack of granulation and lack of sexual dimorphism of the latter.

I do not handle any of my scorpions, I just leave them be and let they carry-on with as little intrusion on my part as possible.

 

[Reptileking314618]

H. silenus and H. spinifer have very clear distinguishing features, so the seller likely wouldn't be able to distinguish any Heterometrinae species. The importer just slaps some names on them and the sellers roll with it. The care and behavior is pretty much the same though.

I assume you're using a heat mat? Heat mats only heat the glass surface and may radiate the heat a little into the enclosure, but not much usually. Heating a whole enclosure with heat mats only really works when there is very little ventilation so that the heat can't easily escape. See if you can get it right, otherwise a bigger heat mat or a ceramic heat emitter may be necessary to reach the desired temperature.
Also make sure to get the nighttime temp up.

Thanks again, for helping me with the Temps. I increased the stat to 85 and it warmed up her enclosure a bit. I went up there to mist the moss and substrate and looks like she was busy today burrowing and making tunnels. First time she's done that. Thanks again, for your help.