minimum temperature for shipping scorpions

[blooms]

Where I live the temperature this week will hit lows of 10 degrees C/ 50 degrees F or less.

I'm wondering if it's safe to ship the following species? If so, what is the minimum safe temperature? Thanks.

Centruroides Limpatus
Centruroides Excaulida
Lychas infuscatus
Isometrus Maculata
Hottentotta Hottentotta

 

[cannabeast]

hey i think they will be fine. as long as they dont go below 0c/32f, and as long as they dont go too much over 40c/104f. dont worry too much mate, they are created to be powerful.

 

[Nomadinexile]

I think Cannabeast is pretty much right on. In case this is referenced in the future, I would like to add my own personal feelings, that are not based on anything but my own views.

For any of the species that are from areas with minimal seasonal change, ie: rainforest etc,.

I would say 40*-95* F

Reason is that many of these species may never see freezing in natural habitat, and be less equipped to handle it. Same goes for the high end. Remember, some Rainforest rarely get out of the 70's, and assuming the back of the mail truck might be even hotter in the sun all day...I'd rather play it safer.

For species outside of areas with stable year long temperatures,.

I would say 32*-95* F

Most scorpions will see sub-freezing temperatures at some point in Nature. They do however have some protection in their burrows, so with insulation, I think 32* is a fine low for these species. The high stays the same for me, excluding the Androctonus species. The reason again goes back to having a burrow the protects the scorpion during the day from the hottest temperatures. For example, H. arizonensis sees some really high temperatures in parts of its range. Say it's 105* in Phoenix: It's still only 90*ish in it's burrow. So to say that H. arizonensis can handle 105* is a stretch to me.

 

[cannabeast]

i didn't even think about heat inside the mailtrucks. i bet they go through some strange travels before it gets to your door. I know for sure sometimes in the airplanes at high altitude get very very cold. put lots of tissue in there. iver never used a heat pack so... i always wait until spring summer fall. T0oT0o0To0 cold here! This year I keep hearing is supposed to be record cold here. i heard maximum -40C! better get your scorpions in the mail quick before you gotta start buying heat packs

yeah the tropical species i would be much more careful with. Tropical kind are much more time consuming for me to maintain too. i always gotta spray the tanks. Soon a friend of mine that has been making humidifiers will come over and look and see what we can do so that they stay automatically. Desert species like a few sprays or even drops a month. I didn't even think about that they might not ever see a frozen winter in their lives. I imagine the majority of scorpions in the hobby are used to traveling anyway haha! Can you imagine? Right now there are scorpions in airplanes flying, and on trains moving at speeds faster than jaguars, and on boats hundreds of thousands of miles from where any Horseshoe crabs swim!

 

[Galapoheros]

With cold sensitive tropical stuff, I think it has to do mostly with how long they are exposed to cold temps that would eventually kill them. My guess is that most cold sensitive stuff is probably not in the mail long enough that the cold would kill them, as long as it's not freezing like was said. As long as it's not going to freeze, I don't worry about it at all with native stuff.

 

[blooms]

Keeping my fingers crossed.

Thanks for the input. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you guys are right. I ordered the following scorplings:

Centruroides Limpatus
Chaerilus celebensis
Lychas infuscatus
Hottentotta tamulus

Then i found that the low temperature next week will be 4 degrees Celsius/39.6 degrees Fahrenheit (lower than I had originally thought). I hope that they are ok.

 

[blooms]

My c. excaulida arrived doa.

My c. excaulida arrived doa.

 

[cannabeast]

thats sucks man but shiz happens. all the others are doing okay? you put them in their new home?

 

[blooms]

the others are fine. It just sucks. It was a big pretty one too.

 

[Nomadinexile]

That stinks. I don't think those temps should have done it though. Was it an older specimen, maybe just aging out? Was the packaging good? Did you cut it open and look for parasites?

That's a frustrating situation, but maybe we can glean some more knowledge out of it.. Sorry for the loss.

 

[cannabeast]

thats what i have been thinking. i doubt the temperature killed him. he died for some other reason. we dont exactly know what he was doing or where he was kept before he got to your house. maybe he didnt like being shook up so much in the mail and died of stress. i doubt it though. you got pictures of everything? post some pictures of your new scorps in their new homes?

 

[blooms]

To be honest, I do think it was temperature and here is why. I had it sent to my work, not my home. I had the flu and didn't go into work for two days and the package arrived early. When I felt better I went into work expecting that the package would arrive that day. It wasn't there, so I called the seller who said that it had already been signed for. He told me the name of the signer. It was one of my coworkers who's also a close friend. She had picked it up to deliver to me since I was sick at home. She didn't know what was inside and didn't tell me she had picked it up. She didn't think that it would be alive, so she had left it in her car for two nights before the mistake was noticed. I'm angry at her, but on the other hand she is a close friend and was trying to do me a favor. She offered to buy me a new one to make up for it. I still feel bad though.

Interestingly my new Tityus stigmurus, ordered at about the same time as the C. exlicauda arrived just fine and dandy. I've already put it in its new home and it's doing great. But because of the death of my C. exlicauda I canceled my other order and will now have to wait until spring to order anything else. The good news is that the seller, who is located in much warmer climes than I am, has already ordered more C. exlicaudas for me and has promised to hold them for me until spring.