New to scorpions

kingkung

Arachnopeon
Joined
Dec 5, 2016
Messages
4
Hi, my name is Kung, I just got my first scorpion. I got a Desert hairy scorpion which i think is male from watching sexing videos on you tube. My scorpion is about 2-3 inches from claws to tip of tail and currently have it in a 5.5 gallon tank that is rectangular. I am using a clay/calci-sand mix and he seems to be pretty comfortable. I ordered another Desert hairy which is female from an online seller and I wanted to know how big of a tank i should have if I were to cage the male and female together?
 

WeightedAbyss75

Arachnoangel
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Messages
921
You may not want to do that. I am no expert in desert hairy scorps, but I hear that they are very defensive, and aggresive when feeding. Since these really don't like to be communal, not sure how will it would work out. Especially when the 2 you are talking about wouldn't mate and aren't sexually mature. Might just want to house them seperately, just to make sure they don't hurt or kill each other. There are lots of other communal scorps you can do that with (when adults), but this species is probably not a great choice... hate to see any of your scorps eaten :D
 

WeightedAbyss75

Arachnoangel
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Messages
921
Personally, I really don't know XD Many if them live few and far between, so (I think) it would be hard to live communally in general. I know a few semi tropical-tropical sp. like Centroides Gracilis. They can have many different colors and live in bigs groups in the wild. I have a pair and love the to death, hope they bring babies soon ;) Some others are almost all of the Heterometerus genus (few may not be great communal options) Pandinus imperator, B. jacksoni (super pretty scorps btw) and a lot more that I know I am probably forgetting. In essence, from what I have gleaned, a lot of desert sp. are not great in communal since they mostly live solitarily in the wild. May be some, but you're better off going with a semi-tropical to tropical species if you want a communal setup. A lot of common, cheap options :D
 

Red Eunice

Arachnodemon
Joined
Mar 2, 2014
Messages
666
If you're referring to H. arizonensis, common name "desert hairy" scorpion, not one to keep in pairs. Even an adult sexed pair will eventually end up in disaster.
With a borrowed male, in an attempt to breed, lost my MF. Before I had time to react, he tagged her several times. I now know the true meaning of "the fast and furious".
I keep no species communally, even adults, unless a breeding attempt. Cannibalism/deaths isn't worth the risk. IMO.
Should add that some tropical species, in the wild, are more tolerant towards others. During a dispute, have more area to escape, but in an enclosure, there are limited avenues. Even with abundant food and hides, cannibalism/deaths occur in captivity.
 
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WeightedAbyss75

Arachnoangel
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Messages
921
is it a good idea to use a undertank heater for these guys?
Not really. If you are not careful, they can burrow down and get cooked alive by them. They can't really detect if they need to move due to high heat, so they can be susceptible to overheating. As long as your house is more or less at 70 F, then most if not all scorps should be fine. If anything, use a space heater in the room they're in to heat up the air ;)
 
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