Need help on Asian Forest Scorpion.

[DjThugs]

hi to all from this forum..i'm from asia and i recently ordered a pair of asian forest scorps..my friend told me that a normal medium sized tank would be enough to hold the pair..and that he recommended me to use volcano soil for the scorps to burrow in...naturally...my country is a hot and humid place with daily temperatures at 28-32degrees C...do i still need a heater for the scorps?and its also humid most of the time here..is it possible if i just leave a waer dish full always and it will be able to stay humid..and are asian forest easy to handle too?the reason i chose the asian forest instead of emperors was due to the attacking stance that the asian forest had...please advice me

 

[i_like_scorps]

I believe your temp and humidity should be fine for them since it is natural. Humidity should be about 85% so a misting might still be necessary a couple times per week. Soil should be fine too. Many scorp keepers use their natural soils from their surrounding area for their pets. As for handling just be cautious. Emps take to handling rather well (at least mine did) but the Asians are much more tempermental. Their venom is low on the scale (1 out of 5) so it is weak for humans but sufficient for subduing prey if needed but they have very powerful chela (pincers). If one gets a hold of your finger, you will definately know it!!! Venom strength as I mentioned is really low but people with allergies can have a severe reaction to the weakest venoms which can put you into anaphylactic shock and kill you. I have extreme allergies and because of them I treat my Paruroctonus boreus (venom strength is 1) the same as I do my Androctonus australis and Leirus quinquestritatus!

 

[Mr. Mordax]

In my experience with H. spinifer, the tricky part about handling is getting it out of the tank in the first place. Mine immediately assumes a defensive stance when I open the lid or remove its hide, but if I can scoop it up onto my hand, it just crawls around calmly looking for another hide.

 

[shaihulud]

Pardon me, Djthugs may i know where you ordered the scorpion? I would be interested in obtaining one myself, preferably an Emperor scorpion.

 

[Xaranx]

If you wanna buy a scorpion look in the for sale/trade forum, plenty of folks with emporers of all sizes.

 

[Vfox]

That species was one of the first I looked at when purchasing my first scorp. Of course I went for the P. imp. instead because of its disposition, but I've heard many stories of them being very similar in attitude. From what you explain and what I've read your conditions for the H. spinifer should do just fine, you should keep a shallow water bowl as well to held with huminidy and also giving them something to drink. As for tank size, two in a ten gallon tank is okay, some say a 15 though, personally I think 10 is fine for 1-2. Imagine them as sleeker, more aggresive versions of the emp., and you should do just fine.

 

[Australis]

Its up to your taste...
I'd prefer Hets more...as it feels like ur collecting stamps
There are so many species of Hets that you dont grow tired of collecting and they are all so lovely

Since the thread starter is in Indonesia, i dont see any problem that he would be facing. Just remember that you shud get a wide airtight container rather than an open air tank...keep the substrate lightly moist and u wont have any problem...spray water once a week. DOnt get just 2, get more...and u'll be able to see them more often

 

[shaihulud]

Apologies! For some reason, i was under the miscomprehension that Djthugs was from the very same country i am, my eyes must be confused . For dumb reasons sale of scorpions and other venomous animals are prohibited in Singapore, yeah right....

 

[DjThugs]

hey...my lil asian forest arrived today...after i set up the tank for it...i released it and it was walking around happily for around 20-30mins...after that..he just stoppped walking and stayed at 1 corner and moved a lil once in while...is that normal?he didn't go into the broken pot that i put inside but instead stayed outside near a corner..how do i know they are asleep or "dead" ?

 

[Jaffster]

hey...my lil asian forest arrived today...after i set up the tank for it...i released it and it was walking around happily for around 20-30mins...after that..he just stoppped walking and stayed at 1 corner and moved a lil once in while...is that normal?he didn't go into the broken pot that i put inside but instead stayed outside near a corner..how do i know they are asleep or "dead" ?

Just relax. I made the mistake of worrying when I first got mine, I've seen plenty of other people worrying too.

Is it daytime over there? Scorpions aren't the best of creatures to observe during the day, kind of like you would be if you were woken up in the middle of the night!

Just walk away and leave it for a few hours, he/she will find their hide and will probably spend tonight burrowing underneath it!

If it hasn't moved when you go back in a few hours, get some long nosed tweezers or something quite long and gently prod the back of it's tail or run it past the hairs on it's pincers. You'll get a reaction.

 

[Australis]

Dun worry so much...AFS are quite hardy, unlike some barkscorpions that would just turn over and play dead permanently...besides, those AFS are a lazy bunch of scorps. They hide most of the time and dont do much moving unless its feeding time.

 

[DjThugs]

o..ok..thanks...i woke up this morning and found it inside the "cave" i made for it...would be travelling down to a shop nearby to get some american crickets for it to eat..it seems like it wants to kill something...thanks for the advice guys...will update if there's anything..

 

[Australis]

No probs. Mine basically stays there all the time and moves when they feel they need a walk...but they get really fast when its feeding time...real hardy bunch and really fun to keep.

Post some pictures

 

[DjThugs]

alright...will post a pic of it when i have the time...now its hiding all the time...so yea...when he is out..will take a pic of the tank too..thanks man!

 

[Vfox]

My pair of P. Imp don't really move much either, in fact last night was the first time I saw one of them in 3 days, haha.

 

[DjThugs]

just wondering...this evening...i looked into my tank and saw white crystals looking like either salt or sugar crystals on the wooden branches i left in the tank...and the water in the dish seems to be gone in abt 2-3hours...is this normal or is my tank too dry thats why it is gone so fast?

 

[Brandelmouche]

If the branches totch the watter they catch up the watter in branches, It's mabe that.

 

[Mr. Mordax]

If you think your tank is too dry, try flooding the substrate. It's a good way to keep up humidity.

I notice my dishes dry up in a day or two even if it's nice and damp though.

 

[ChainsawMonkey]

My dishes stay nice and wet most of the time. really I think it just depends on the whole uhhh thing. Yeah. There's really no explaination.

 

[DjThugs]

well...was quite happy to see my scorp have its first meal today...and i redid his tank to be a false bottom tank now..