looking for info on giant dessert hairy scorpion

Weapon-X

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 19, 2002
Messages
774
hello everyone, just looking for info on keeping these never had one before but am expecting one soon only scorps i ever kept were emps, any advice would be greatly appreciated , thanks--Jeff
 

Kugellager

ArachnoJester of the Ancient Ones
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Jul 24, 2002
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Weapon,

They are very easy to keep. They have a basic desert setup. Mist once or twice a month depending on the humidity...if you have the heat on in winter. I put water in a water dish about twice a month...mostly so the crickets have some. The get most of there water from their food. Temps should be around 90F for most of the year with a 2 month cooler period...10-15F degrees lower. Mine eat none to 5 crickets per week. Substrate is ideally sand with about 10% bentonite clay to allow them to burrow w/o the burrow collapsing...and therefore you digging them out...or you could just set up scrapes/hides for them and leave the substrate all sand. Surface area is better than height for them. you could keep 4 max communally in a 20 long.

John
];')
 

Gillian

Arachnoblessed
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 13, 2002
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1,123
John,
Where would I find Bentonite clay?

Peace,
Gillian
 

Kugellager

ArachnoJester of the Ancient Ones
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Jul 24, 2002
Messages
2,363
I have been told that you should be able to find it at any ceramics supply store....also prob can find it a a well drilling supply but it is more likely to be free of contaminants from a ceramics place...but will cost more$$$. I am currently experimenting with an art product called 'Cellu clay'....which seems to be working well so far...they like to dig in it and it seems to be holding up the burrows well...

John
];')
 

Gillian

Arachnoblessed
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 13, 2002
Messages
1,123
John,
Thanks; I'll keep trying. I keep getting, "Huh?" from anyone I talk to. It looks like when the scorp gets here, it'll have to stay in one aquarium, whilst I get my hands on Bentonite. Sure, I could just put it on plain sand, but my mother raised me differently. In her words, "Don't have a pet unless you can give it the best possible care."

Thanks..

Peace,
Gillian
 

Jason Brantley

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 26, 2011
Messages
170
Weapon,

They are very easy to keep. They have a basic desert setup. Mist once or twice a month depending on the humidity...if you have the heat on in winter. I put water in a water dish about twice a month...mostly so the crickets have some. The get most of there water from their food. Temps should be around 90F for most of the year with a 2 month cooler period...10-15F degrees lower. Mine eat none to 5 crickets per week. Substrate is ideally sand with about 10% bentonite clay to allow them to burrow w/o the burrow collapsing...and therefore you digging them out...or you could just set up scrapes/hides for them and leave the substrate all sand. Surface area is better than height for them. you could keep 4 max communally in a 20 long.

John
];')
What the h e l l is bentonite clay?
 

Kugellager

ArachnoJester of the Ancient Ones
Arachnosupporter
Joined
Jul 24, 2002
Messages
2,363
Yah. Like tons of cobwebs and stuff.

Not long after commenting on bentonite I found stuff called "paver underlay" at Home Depot. It's used to put under paver stones and bricks for walkways. Real cheap and has some clay as well as rocks and sand and hold up to burrowing. Probably doing a search on "paver underlay" would help.

Never mind. Here it is: http://arachnoboards.com/threads/scorpion-enclosure-setups.28448/page-2#post-267593 Setting way back machine to 2003.

John
];')
 
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