L. Quinquestriatus

[Crotaphytus]

I held one of my crotalis viridis one night ( needless to say, I had a few)
As I let it crawl from hand to hand I started to get very nervous.
The next day my wife layed down the law. NO MORE RATTLESNAKES!!!!!!!
The good thing is no limits on scorpions or t's. Except LQ or AA's...
I can live with that. I don't know you, However if you have a wife and children you need to rethink your actions. I done things and my wife has shook her head to, but after 16 years of marriage she put it on the line and thankfully so. Also how many cities in U.S. would have antivenom?
Not a good idea, leave it in the tank and enjoy it like a good sci- fi.

 

[quinquestriatus]

To respond about the Major..... He probably just don't care if he's stung. And he could very well be careless when handleing. So... Who cares. That's his perogative. He has my respect no matter what. He knows these beautiful creatures aren't out to get people. I've handled ALL my animals and only been stung once. Yall call me an amature....... I've been "playin' " with venomous animals for all my life. The only difference is I'm an adult now and moved out my parents. So now I can have them. I've always handled arachnids, reptiles, myriapods, etc. And although I wont be posting anymore pics like that on the boards (for "liability" reasons) I'll still have pics online. I still can't believe yall took them off the boards but, if you didn't I made a promise to a couple of people here in CO I would. I told them I'll just put them in a bucket. And that's were they are. And to answer the question about why I don't handle Emps...... I handle ALL my animals. I only own 2 Emps. I prefer to own Buthids over any other scorp. I owned A. Bicolor and L. Quinquestriatus before I got those Emps. I only have a few scorps yall consider handleable and the only reason I have them is so my little brother can have something to pick up. Don't want him gettin stung by my L.Q. or any other scorp I own.

 

[stevenhman]

...I've devoted my whole life to animals...

...To yall it's your precious little "hobby". To me it's a way of life. It's one of the few things in life I live for...

...I do it for reasons that yall will never understand.

...I've been "playin' " with venomous animals for all my life. The only difference is I'm an adult now and moved out my parents. So now I can have them...

...I only have a few scorps yall consider handleable and the only reason I have them is so my little brother can have something to pick up...

"quinquestriatus
Birthday: September 20, 1985"

I am only a year older than you but, I feel decades more mature. Life is long, hopefully you have only lived a quarter of it. If you like handling scorpions, please do so with more "accecptable" species. If you wish to continue handling such scorpions please check out these threads:

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=52842
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=29291
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=26704
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=28759

Best of luck keeping safe and please do not let your little brother get anywhere near your L. quinquestriatus. Please.

 

[Crotalus]

Major scott stockwell has handled deathstalkers many many times and has been stung often by this species doing that. (that is a known fact)he is regarded as a scorpion authority but i never heard anyone say anything about that. I think that considering the times he has been stung, quiqestriatus is handling his scorps more carefully. But probably because he is an amateur in keeping scorps people start pointing fingers more easily i think.

I would never recommand holding such a venemous species though!

Show me pictures online where he handling them. Sounds like a spiced up story if you ask me. My friend got A. bicolor venom on his finger and into a small cut, he felt the neurotoxic signs of tingles around the lips quite fast. What do you think he would have felt if it stunged him? L.q. might have a low venom yield but they are very toxic so a sting isnt something you take lightly.
I dont recommend anyone to handle venomous animals, but I cant do much about it if they doing it in their own home. But if they post bragging pictures online I can always tell them my point of view.
Terrarium animals are not toys and should remain in their enclosures no matter how weak or strong their toxin is.

/Lelle

 

[Melmoth]

Terrarium animals are not toys and should remain in their enclosures no matter how weak or strong their toxin is.

/Lelle

Well said Lelle :clap: These are display animals,they gain nothing from being handled and there really is no need for it.

 

[Varden]

and if any kid sees this and holds his L.q, gets stung, and gets killed then i for one can only hope the kid did it before reproducing, because i don't want him or his spawn on this planet. the easily influenced should all be Pied Piper'ed off a cliff

i probably wouldn't hold an L.q myself, but i will defend with dying breath and bullet this dude's right to do it himself.

As a very wise woman on this thread once told me: Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, they just aren't entitled to voice them. Boy howdy, does this ever fit into that category. Kids spend the first twelve years of their lives learning by watching what others around them are doing, including the reckless stunts like this. Learning what influences to pay attention to and which ones should be ignored doesn't come until later. What Quin does in his own home, stupid and suicidal as it is, is his business. Right up until he starts showing off pics of it on a public forum where perfectly normal, influence-able kids can see it.

 

[Stylopidae]

Show me pictures online where he handling them. Sounds like a spiced up story if you ask me.

They removed the images, but he still has the one in his avatar.

I've been following the thread from the beginning and I'd like to put my $.02 in.

I have a daughter on the way. I've loved inverts since I was a kid and I want to open up a store one day. That being said, I would never own anything hot until my daughter is in high school (at least) for saftey reasons. This includes: S. Subspines, Widows, Poecilotheria, Buthids, etc. What if you're handling your prized Leirus and you have an accident? It only takes one accident before they find you dead on your bedroom floor, and believe me, your death would have repercussions. For starters, if it makes the local news. We've all seen how politicians just need something to get up on a box about. Think this would be different? Exactly. No.

Yall call me an amature....... I've been "playin' " with venomous animals for all my life. The only difference is I'm an adult now and moved out my parents.

I used brown recluses for fishbait when I was six, and believe me I'd rather be stung by a A. Australias than one of those (reason: it's over within days or a month, max as opposed to a wound that won't heal for years in some cases). Does that mean I'm qualified to own any of the animals I listed earlier? No. All it would take is one accident for me or my daughter to end up in the morgue.

The only reason I have them is so my little brother can have something to pick up. Don't want him gettin stung by my L.Q. or any other scorp I own.

You obviously care about your brother, so then why would you take this chance? Don't you want to see him grow up?

I've helped your so called "hobby" out for all my life. To yall it's your precious little "hobby". To me it's a way of life. It's one of the few things in life I live for.

this "hobby" will never end.

I don't think it's cool. Obviously I'm still picking him up even though yall are against it.

This hobby means just as much as it does to us as it does to you. More even. We love animals and we love to see them in their natural habitats. We love to watch the way they move, behave, live, kill and die. We love to observe their way of life.

The hobby won't end? Want to bet? I'd love to raise hurcules beetles, mantids and phasmids but all of those have been banned by the USDA and they don't kill people. Think of what would happen if you got stung by one of your precious hot scorps and it ended up on the evening news on a slow day. The national media would jump on it like a fat kid on a smartee (thanks, Jon Stewart)

You don't think it's cool? Then why would you even bother to post the pics here? You had to expect some praise.

Yall call me an amature....... I've been "playin' " with venomous animals for all my life.

It's not about how long you've been keeping them, it's about your maturity level.

I do it for reasons that yall will never understand.

I think we know why you really own hot scorps. And I don't think it's for the same reason we do.

He obviously doesn't care. It's illegal to own a scorpion (Or Tarantuala for that matter) in Denver anyhow...

Enough said.

I'm not trying to insult you or give you grief, I just want you to understand where we all are coming from. In our hobby, accidents are a VERY bad thing and are not to be taken lightly because they have lasting implications to us all. In the town I live in, it's illegal to own so much as an emp because they think all scorpions are deadly. I would like to own a leirus someday so please be careful.

 

[Crotalus]

They removed the images, but he still has the one in his avatar.

I was taking about Scott Stockwell.

/Lelle

 

[cacoseraph]

As a very wise woman on this thread once told me: Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, they just aren't entitled to voice them. Boy howdy, does this ever fit into that category. Kids spend the first twelve years of their lives learning by watching what others around them are doing, including the reckless stunts like this. Learning what influences to pay attention to and which ones should be ignored doesn't come until later. What Quin does in his own home, stupid and suicidal as it is, is his business. Right up until he starts showing off pics of it on a public forum where perfectly normal, influence-able kids can see it.

if you can't teach your kid to understand his limits, and to not emulate every jerk he sees on tv or the internet, you have failed as a parent

if you keep lethal scorps in an evironment where they are accessible to a kid too young to be smart enough to not mess with them, you are negligent in the worst way and should be handed over to me to be punished

i personally, if i had a kid, would rather him have seen these pics and have a long discussion about all the risks (and there are a lot) rather than shelter him from it

 

[errit]

Show me pictures online where he handling them. Sounds like a spiced up story if you ask me. My friend got A. bicolor venom on his finger and into a small cut, he felt the neurotoxic signs of tingles around the lips quite fast.
/Lelle

I can't show you any pictures of him because his website is (for as far as i know) gone. That he has been stung is not a spiced up story. on a documentary (maybe the same as was referred to before) i saw the show host handling A. Australis and the major said himself that he has been stung often by L. Quinquestriatus. and that this species is not dangerous for a healthy adult. Off course you can always get sympoms of the sting without it being life threatening. but it is very dangerous for children and the elderly. I don't think that the mayor would brag about this.

 

[quinquestriatus]

When the Major held that A. Australis and said that he holds and has been stung by L.Q. where's his bad publicity. Yall can't really say much about him..... He's a real knowledgable person on scorps. And there's nothin' wrong with the fact that him or I or anyone else for that matter picks up hots. And when I've been told it's the fact that I "broadcast" the fact that I do it..... He did the same thing. On national T.V. He's no different than me. Well except for the fact that I've only been stung.... ONE TIME. I'm sure he stands as I do. We would hate to see someone immitate us and die and I can't speak for him but, I'm sure he'd agree with me when I say I don't promote other people to pick these scorps up. Bottom line is..... If you don't want your kid to die from an envenomation then sit down and talk to them about why they shouldn't pick these beautiful creatures up. This rest solely on the parent. YOU are supossed to teach your kids right from wrong. Not me. I'm just livin' my life the way I choose.

 

[Crotalus]

Again:

Doesnt matter if you been involved with the hobby for 20 years or 2 months - its just as stupid.

You may be a major or a buzzboy - its just as stupid.

/Lelle

 

[Raan_Jodus]

As said before, I've been watching this thread. I've always been under the impression that scorpions are a no handle pet. Perhaps 2 exceptions, but I doubt I'll even handle any. In fact, the only one I think I'd ever want to handle is perhaps a Hadogenes. Regardless, when I did see your pics, first, I thuoght "wow, look at that". A minute or so after, I thought "oh god...thats not good".

Regardless how you say you know your scorpions, there are many (probably everyone) who has shown a concern for your safety and the safety of the hobby as a result.

There is little else I can say that hasnt been said. I dont rightly know why I posted this as it is. Perhaps out of concern, perhaps just to hop into the thread that everyone else on this board has been in. But many of them are right, one day might be a bad day for your LQ, and then it'll be a bad day for us all. And no one wants that to happen.

 

[cacoseraph]

Oh, boy.
Where do I begin?

It is one thing to hold a tarantula considered "dangerous". No one has ever died from a documented tarantulas bite. Even Andrew Smith (BTS president) in his younger days allowed himself to be bitten by a Poec or two and lived to tell about it (although he did spend several hours with terrible leg cramps).

It is another to hold a "dangerous" Centipede - yes the venom is potent, but in most cases not enough to kill. However, there is a case of a child dying from a S.subspinipes bit in SE Asia (corrections encouraged!) so I consider these as display animals as well. I frown upon the recent rash of "Giant Pede Handling" posts... (sorry all in those threads)


I handle tarantulas. I do not hold tarantulas that are obviously agitated by my presence (my H.lividum comes to mind). I do not handle ANY of my pedes... They are not that kind of pet to me. I handle some of my scorps, but not the ones that can seriously present a problem.

one case of a little girl dying and you are afraid of centipedes... yet i'm sure you own a car, a cell phone, possibly a gun, certainly a computer, i'm sure you use solvent based cleaning products, probably intake aspartame and assorted artificial sweetners

you suggest he get a dog. something like 5,000 or 50,000 ppl a year are bitten by dogs, and a small number are mauled to death. good thinking

all of those things have caused more harm and deaths than centipedes.

here is the deal... if you don't like something, don't look at it

Giant Centipede Handling is now the second most viewed thread on myriapods. there is obviously some interest in the hobby concerning handling giant centipedes.

further, some very educated people (Scott Stockwell, PhD comes to mind) hold ALL the centipedes. other dealers (who i presume you accept as possibly more knowledgeable than you...) hold some also.

if some kid sees one of my pics and decides he wants to hold his centipede... good for him. if he gets bit, well i just taught him a very valuable NON-LETHAL lesson. some people are better/smarter/luckier than him, and he can't do everything that everyone else does.

this is a lesson i was taught when i was something like 4-6 years old. i despair that most of the posters in this thread seem to have never been taught that.

further, there is NOT a lot of information on affects of centipede envenomations, just huge amounts of records containing no recorded deaths, and a single solitary data point of one death. when i was in school, i was taught a single data point a trend does not make.

a lot of the hearsay reports are from panicky illeducated people.
i aim to change that over the course of my life, and give a calm and comprehensive comparison of all the species i get tagged by.
i don't know, i thought maybe i'd contribute to the hobby a little, instead of whining about what other people are doing

sorry, but i frown on you

 

[Fergrim]

I think all most people are saying is the following.
Risk:

A good reason to NOT handle your dangerous inverts is to avoid serious (Deadly, in the case of the LQ) damage to your person.

Reward: ?

I'm not quite sure any of you have provided an actual good reason for handling a live specimen besides that you feel like it. Can you offer a good reason for taking such a risk? In the case of claiming a contribution to the hobby or a connection with the invert, I'm not sure that it's necessary to be handling a live one to accomplish either of those things.

The only real use it has is a housing transfer, and even that can be done much more safely than using bare hands to directly handle something so dangerous.

Normally I'd be happy to let a moron go off and play russian roullette, but I'm not sure I can stand by while the same person argues its benefit.

 

[final-sting]

For some peoples the want more action in her live, gives much better ways to push your adrenalin level higher. Buy a parachute learn skydive and when its not enough, go to start basejumping. Much more adventure then hold toxic skorps in your hand.

you tell scorpions its a important part of your live.
When you love your scorps do the best for the littel guys so they can have a good live in captivity.
And when your scorps can speak, they want say you let me in a big tank, give me fine cricks, and a girlfriend, love me, but never take me in your hands i hate this!

 

[ThatGuy]

i understand that some of you guys care about the safty of Mr. Q hear and also keeping the hobby intact as well and thats great thats what its about but there are also others on hear like lots of theys really hot threads thats come on hear and act all high and mighty and basicly have nothing good to say and only say a bunch of non-sence just to post, but the bottom line is its his pet and if he wants to take the risk well we cant stop him but it seems to me he knows what he is doing.............so good luck with thats Mr. Q

 

[Prymal]

Quin, et al...

As I stated in a previous post - I'm not advocating handling or not. All I'm saying is that before you handle your "hots", take into consideration the possible negative consequences that could befall you and all of us. That's all, nothing more.
Stay safe...

Luc

 

[Antares]

i understand that some of you guys care about the safty of Mr. Q hear and also keeping the hobby intact as well and thats great thats what its about but there are also others on hear like lots of theys really hot threads thats come on hear and act all high and mighty and basicly have nothing good to say and only say a bunch of non-sence just to post, but the bottom line is its his pet and if he wants to take the risk well we cant stop him but it seems to me he knows what he is doing.............so good luck with thats Mr. Q

The problem is not that he is handling his scorp, it is that he is posting pics of him doing that on a public forum, even though it is specifically forbidden by the rules established by the owner of the site. For my part, he can french-kiss a taipan if he feels he knows his animal enough to do so, I don't care at all, even tought I'd hate to see all the responsible people around here given a bad name because of this kind of behaviour.

 

[Empi]

I don't want to point the finger at anyone, but I don't think this sort of behaviour should be encouraged by telling the guy he is courageous to do that. If that scorp is indeed an healthy adult L.Q., the right word to describe what he is doing is self-destructive IMHO, and I don't think it is a proof of courage. Even if the scorp is dead or has spent 15 minutes in the fridge, this is still not an attitude to advocate as it gives a very bad name to the vast majority of people who try to keep their scorps responsibly.

Ah, back the truck up a wee bit! I did not encourage his behavior at all. I just stated that I can't say anything because I handle my scorps. And he is very brave. That does not mean what he is doing isn't stupid or down right idiotic! I would say anyone that will hold there life in they're hand is pretty brave wouldn't you? I do not encourage handling of any scorps and would never hold a potentially deadly scorp for the sake of the hobby...