Intro from new member looking to be a Desert Hairy owner

Rik Cuddy

Arachnosquire
Joined
Apr 21, 2017
Messages
103
Do a test burrow once the first 2 inches has dried completely. Check if the substrate is too hard to dig eith your finger if not then you're all set lol

Few people have posted their realistic Desert hairy enclosures and they will burrow to the bottom of the tank every time
Yeah thanks. Just bought some extra clay actually and going to re-mix the lot. Think it's slightly sand heavy if that makes sense
 

ArachnoDrew

Arachnoprince
Joined
Feb 1, 2017
Messages
1,585
Yeah thanks. Just bought some extra clay actually and going to re-mix the lot. Think it's slightly sand heavy if that makes sense
Should be mostly sand with a smaller percentage of clay. It's trial an error. I always struggled eith adding too much clay and the. It drying too solid and the scorps couldn't burrow
 

Rik Cuddy

Arachnosquire
Joined
Apr 21, 2017
Messages
103
Should be mostly sand with a smaller percentage of clay. It's trial an error. I always struggled eith adding too much clay and the. It drying too solid and the scorps couldn't burrow
Yeah, think I've got too much sand in the mix. Think I only need to add a small amount of excavator clay and it will be perfect
 

Rik Cuddy

Arachnosquire
Joined
Apr 21, 2017
Messages
103
Morning all (well it is in England anwway), just wondering what everyone uses as a feeder? Not a fan of crickets and never use them with my reptiles. Bearded Dragon gets Locusts, Dubia and Morio worms, leopard gecko gets mealworms and Dubia with some wax worms, crestie occasionally gets mealworms and the odd wax worm. Ideas/suggestions?
 

ArachnoDrew

Arachnoprince
Joined
Feb 1, 2017
Messages
1,585
I use red runner (turkistan roaches) I couldn't stand keeping crickets anymore with the smell and chirping. Red runners are perfect. My scorps respond to them WAY more. They don't climb glass or plastic. They don't chirps and they breed quick if you want to start a colony

UK you guys have the cool big black crickets lol we have the boring tan ones. UK dominates the hobby compared to the US as far as options and collection go
 

Hiking Mike

Arachnopeon
Joined
Dec 5, 2016
Messages
31
So if my hadrurus only dug a 5 inch burrow in a 20 gal with 4 inch substrate, would you say it's too hard (30/70 clay/sand)?
 

Rik Cuddy

Arachnosquire
Joined
Apr 21, 2017
Messages
103
How are people feeding? As in with tongues and giving the feeder, or just putting some in the enclosure? I've always steered away from the latter with my reptiles as I find it a pain when they don't eat them and they end up hiding etc. It's a bit easier to do with lizards though, for instance, by beardie would eat roaches out of a Pyrex dish that they couldn't climb of of. Leopard geckos similar as they would have smaller roaches in a glass dish or mealworms, again, in something that they couldn't escape from. Advice is appreciated
 

ArachnoDrew

Arachnoprince
Joined
Feb 1, 2017
Messages
1,585
some people have success with tong feeding, So far I usually have success dropping the feeder right near the scorp.and nudging the feeder to run into the scorp and the scorp does the rest BUT 2 of my scorps are super shy and refuse to eat in front of me, so I have to leave the food in the enclosure and they usually track it down, larger enclosures are harder to dal with because food will hide, climb, or burrow if able
 

DubiaW

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jan 10, 2017
Messages
471
I have a bunch of H. arizonensis. They are native to my area. I would ship them to you if you were in the states.
 

DubiaW

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jan 10, 2017
Messages
471
How are people feeding? As in with tongues and giving the feeder, or just putting some in the enclosure? I've always steered away from the latter with my reptiles as I find it a pain when they don't eat them and they end up hiding etc. It's a bit easier to do with lizards though, for instance, by beardie would eat roaches out of a Pyrex dish that they couldn't climb of of. Leopard geckos similar as they would have smaller roaches in a glass dish or mealworms, again, in something that they couldn't escape from. Advice is appreciated
Desert hairy's are great at hunting for their food using their sensory hairs. I have never had any trouble getting them to eat B. dubia. They have a tendency to dig in the substrate and they find their prey even when they bury themselves to hide. H. arizonensis have a tendency to remodel their cages when they dig. You are going to be frustrated if you spend a lot of time sculpting the terrain. I keep a wet spot with a cover for specimens to molt in. Although they can stand very arid conditions they are actually most active during the monsoons when the soil is moist and that is when I find the most specimens in pre-molt. They house communally well as long as they are sized up appropriately but they will readily battle each other. Be careful when they are molting. They will eat a scorpion their own size or larger if they are soft from a fresh molt (I lost one like that last summer). I don't keep them with a display light. I don't manage the temperature besides keeping them in a warm room. I don't set up the soil for them because they will burrow under a rock or a piece of wood just fine (and they will tear up the dirt in a small enclosure since they dig extremely long burrows). I keep the humidity relatively high and the substrate slightly moist to simulate monsoon conditions when they are most active although they can stand very dry conditions (keeping them at the dry extreme is probably why people have so much trouble with them molting).

It is understandable to be very cautious with an exotic species. I am guilty of overthinking my tropical T's. But trust me, you are overthinking this. That reminds me I need to go dump some water in their substrate to give them a rain storm and some roaches. Good luck!
 

Rik Cuddy

Arachnosquire
Joined
Apr 21, 2017
Messages
103
Desert hairy's are great at hunting for their food using their sensory hairs. I have never had any trouble getting them to eat B. dubia. They have a tendency to dig in the substrate and they find their prey even when they bury themselves to hide. H. arizonensis have a tendency to remodel their cages when they dig. You are going to be frustrated if you spend a lot of time sculpting the terrain. I keep a wet spot with a cover for specimens to molt in. Although they can stand very arid conditions they are actually most active during the monsoons when the soil is moist and that is when I find the most specimens in pre-molt. They house communally well as long as they are sized up appropriately but they will readily battle each other. Be careful when they are molting. They will eat a scorpion their own size or larger if they are soft from a fresh molt (I lost one like that last summer). I don't keep them with a display light. I don't manage the temperature besides keeping them in a warm room. I don't set up the soil for them because they will burrow under a rock or a piece of wood just fine (and they will tear up the dirt in a small enclosure since they dig extremely long burrows). I keep the humidity relatively high and the substrate slightly moist to simulate monsoon conditions when they are most active although they can stand very dry conditions (keeping them at the dry extreme is probably why people have so much trouble with them molting).

It is understandable to be very cautious with an exotic species. I am guilty of overthinking my tropical T's. But trust me, you are overthinking this. That reminds me I need to go dump some water in their substrate to give them a rain storm and some roaches. Good luck!
England I'm afraid dude! My scorpion was delivered today. In the enclosure right now. Explored a little but I'm sure it will explore the rest during the night. Do you think I should feed straight away? I thought I'd let him/her settle in today and tonight. Didn't want to give extra stress straight after being taken out of a shipping container!
 

DubiaW

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jan 10, 2017
Messages
471
England I'm afraid dude! My scorpion was delivered today. In the enclosure right now. Explored a little but I'm sure it will explore the rest during the night. Do you think I should feed straight away? I thought I'd let him/her settle in today and tonight. Didn't want to give extra stress straight after being taken out of a shipping container!
I would, if it will eat, it looks pretty fat and happy. I have seen them eat in the collection containers when they are still in my back pack, usually a smaller scorpion :(...... Don't stress. They are super hearty. The habitat you set up is absolutely perfect. I would just add a shallow water dish and overfill it every once and a while to add a little moisture to the substrate (I've never seen one drink that I can remember but I always give them fresh water anyway). B. dubia are good, so are crickets, let it hunt if you want to or feed it with tongs. When it gets ready to molt I would move it to a smaller container where it is easier to control the humidity. I usually only collect full grown specimens so I haven't had to worry about it much.

When I handle them I don't take any precautions, no tools, and I don't grasp the telson. Their sting is less painful than a bee sting and they will eventually get used to being scooped up. One time I got stung in the nipple trying to slip one into my pocket tee, besides a perky nipple there wasn't much of an effect. I let my kids handle them. It is a great way for them to learn to be careful.
 

darkness975

Latrodectus
Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Aug 31, 2012
Messages
5,610
keeping them at the dry extreme is probably why people have so much trouble with them molting
Not saying if you are right or wrong, but I have seen this before and I have an inquiry. If humidity (or lack thereof) is playing a large role in the low molting rate of H. arizonensis in captivity, I am wondering why other arid species such as Smeringurus mesaensis don't seem to share this same high level of difficulty.
 

do0gles

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 28, 2017
Messages
20
Morning all (well it is in England anwway), just wondering what everyone uses as a feeder? Not a fan of crickets and never use them with my reptiles. Bearded Dragon gets Locusts, Dubia and Morio worms, leopard gecko gets mealworms and Dubia with some wax worms, crestie occasionally gets mealworms and the odd wax worm. Ideas/suggestions?
Mine enjoys baby Dubai Roaches and mealworms. I try to change it up a bit from time to time.
 

darkness975

Latrodectus
Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Aug 31, 2012
Messages
5,610
You can mist them once or twice a day too as well as provide a small water dish. I put a few small rocks in my water dishes just so they can easily climb in and out.
Rocks/Stones in a water dish are a magnet for bacteria. I find it easier to just use a smaller dish.
 
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