New to the hobby. Looking for info.

Xomb13

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 18, 2021
Messages
38
Hello. I recently accompanied my parents to a reptile show and while there I seen death stalker and egyptian fat-tailed scorpions for sale. I thought the names sounded cool, so I bought them.

The guy who sold them to me told me precious little about the care and handling of these guys, and it wasn't until I was in Wal-Mart shopping for a couple of enclosures that I found out how deadly they both are. Of course I was instantly hooked for some reason. But it was an interesting ride home for everyone else after that.

So I figured I would get tanks and locks and have everything these guys needed to be happy and healthy. But along the way I kept on picking up friends for them... that was a while back...
20210418_131029.jpg
So this is a picture of my setup! I keep the room 80 degrees. I have the death stalker and egyptian fat tail in the larger tanks on the left with decent locks.

The low profile has a large Asian Forest that just refuses to eat for me thus far. I have only had him about a month though. We will see.

The little totes on the top contain two Arizona Bark scorpions (on the left) two devils strip tailed scorpions in the small plastic containers, and a new juvenile black emperor in the container on the right. There isn't anything alive under the shelves but crickets in the tote on the left sitting on the mini-fridge.

So all of this being said!! I am hoping someone can help me with a little info. First, I live in KY and the department of Fish and Wildlife will not allow you to keep wild animals. We have stripless devil scorpions wild here as well as some interesting arachnids. Does this "no wild animals" law apply to arachnids? I know it doesn't apply to the Chinese Mantis as it is technically an invasive species.

Second, I keep all of my scorpions separately. But I have been seeing a few guys on here keeping most things in couples? And I have heard of people keeping emperors in colonies. Which species does well in community enclosures, couples or larger?

Any tips on care and handling of "hot" species, or scorpion care in general are greatly appreciated! Thank you very much for taking the time to read this post.
 

xXTristinaXx

Arachnobaron
Joined
May 21, 2019
Messages
376
So all of this being said!! I am hoping someone can help me with a little info. First, I live in KY and the department of Fish and Wildlife will not allow you to keep wild animals. We have stripless devil scorpions wild here as well as some interesting arachnids. Does this "no wild animals" law apply to arachnids? I know it doesn't apply to the Chinese Mantis as it is technically an invasive species.
I'm pretty sure because they are wild animals, I don't see why it wouldn't apply to arachnids
 

Scorpiobsession

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 1, 2021
Messages
301
Does this "no wild animals" law apply to arachnids? I know it doesn't apply to the Chinese Mantis as it is technically an invasive species.
You could email or call them and ask. Chinese Mantis are naturalized, which means that the ecosystem is balanced around them and by adding more you aren't causing major destruction. Most invasive species have even tighter regulations than wildlife.
Which species does well in community enclosures, couples or larger?
Try to avoid communal enclosures. If you're set on them emperors are the only ones I've heard of being ok
Any tips on care and handling of "hot" species, or scorpion care in general are greatly appreciated!
Don't handle them. Handling them is reckless for the scorpion, you, and the arachnid keeping hobby itself.
 

Xomb13

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 18, 2021
Messages
38
Perhaps I was a little too liberal with the term "handling". You see, the scorpions have to be moved to clean their enclosures and such or to graduate containers. So far, I have used a small paint brush to coax them into a deli cup. What I was asking for are tips or anything that might have not occured to me, a novice, on how to properly move and care for potentially deadly species. The devil's scorpions are not deadly, but getting them into and out of a container can be tricky because they are so fast and agile. They even like to hang out upside down inside of their hides. Letting even the "docile" scorpion species crawl all over me seems to be out of the question because the ones who are supposed to be "docile" just aren't for me for some reason. The black emperor and asian forest specimens I have are very aggressive, and have used their stingers before on things I had to move out of of into their enclosures. I am so sorry for the confusion, rest assured I give my scorpions the proper respect they deserve when interacting with them at all.
 

Lubed Tweezer

Arachnolord
Joined
Dec 3, 2019
Messages
634
Welcome to the hobby and the forum !
I don't know anything about your local / state / federal laws, so I can't help you with that.
Practically all scorpions will do fine alone in a enclosure, only pair male and female up if you want to breed scorpions.
Sure, Pandinus imperator is nice to keep communal.
Nearly all Centruroides species, nearly all Orthochirus species and practically all Liocheles species will do fine communally.
Babycurus jacksoni, Tytius stigmurus, Hottentotta franzwerneri or Uroctunus mordax can also be kept in a communal setup.
There are several other cases reported of other scorpions accepting each other in a communal setup, but those won't always work.
Such cases are Leiurus quinquestriatus juveniles(deathstalker), Hadogenes arizonensis (adults in small groups) and some others.
There are multiple posts on this forum about pros and cons of a communal setup, read up on those for more info.
In short/bottom line is that maintaining scorpions communally can be more difficult and is more labor intensive compared to keeping them separate.
 

ChiefinOnSomeSkunk

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 17, 2021
Messages
32
Welcome to the hobby/forum.

Nice pickups, my reptile expo this weekend was a <edit> show. You got some really nice pickups I also have an egyptian fat tail and hebrew deathstalker. Something about the extremely venomous always caught my eye when I was younger. This weekend I picked up 3 more Moroccan fat tail scorpions (A. Liouvillei), A (tityus smithii), A (Hottentotta Hottentotta), and lastly a (tityus stigmurus). I would refrain from handing these species at all, do not do it. However if you mean handling as in "moving" then I recommend using tongs (something to prod the scorpion) and the deli dish they came in. I currently am having to do this since I am moving. Do not keep any Androctonus (Fat tail) or Leiurus (Deathstalker) species communal. Stripe devils will commit cannibalism so i'd advise you to stay away from communal setups for them as well but you probably can since others have had success. I've had bad experiences with trying to keep SD scorpions communal, no matter how many hides, dishes, and food supplied they still commit cannibalism. For the game and wildlife question, honestly just don't say anything or be sketched out by it. These aren't scorpions you can catch in the USA so it should be fine. Plus the guy sold you them at the expo and didn't ask to see a permit I don't see an issue or reason you can't have arachnids that aren't from the USA in your state. Only law we have in my state is that our wildlife such as lizards (wild caught) cannot be sold, traded, or taken across state lines. Whereas it's free game with arachnids you can do whatever you want with them.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

xXTristinaXx

Arachnobaron
Joined
May 21, 2019
Messages
376
Hello. I recently accompanied my parents to a reptile show and while there I seen death stalker and egyptian fat-tailed scorpions for sale. I thought the names sounded cool, so I bought them.

The guy who sold them to me told me precious little about the care and handling of these guys, and it wasn't until I was in Wal-Mart shopping for a couple of enclosures that I found out how deadly they both are. Of course I was instantly hooked for some reason. But it was an interesting ride home for everyone else after that.

So I figured I would get tanks and locks and have everything these guys needed to be happy and healthy. But along the way I kept on picking up friends for them... that was a while back...
View attachment 382162
So this is a picture of my setup! I keep the room 80 degrees. I have the death stalker and egyptian fat tail in the larger tanks on the left with decent locks.

The low profile has a large Asian Forest that just refuses to eat for me thus far. I have only had him about a month though. We will see.

The little totes on the top contain two Arizona Bark scorpions (on the left) two devils strip tailed scorpions in the small plastic containers, and a new juvenile black emperor in the container on the right. There isn't anything alive under the shelves but crickets in the tote on the left sitting on the mini-fridge.

So all of this being said!! I am hoping someone can help me with a little info. First, I live in KY and the department of Fish and Wildlife will not allow you to keep wild animals. We have stripless devil scorpions wild here as well as some interesting arachnids. Does this "no wild animals" law apply to arachnids? I know it doesn't apply to the Chinese Mantis as it is technically an invasive species.

Second, I keep all of my scorpions separately. But I have been seeing a few guys on here keeping most things in couples? And I have heard of people keeping emperors in colonies. Which species does well in community enclosures, couples or larger?

Any tips on care and handling of "hot" species, or scorpion care in general are greatly appreciated! Thank you very much for taking the time to read this post.
bark scorpions are great for communal but besides that emperor scorpion which is still a little sketchy
 

MrGhostMantis

Arachnoprince
Joined
Jun 26, 2019
Messages
1,007
You could email or call them and ask. Chinese Mantis are naturalized, which means that the ecosystem is balanced around them and by adding more you aren't causing major destruction. Most invasive species have even tighter regulations than wildlife.

Try to avoid communal enclosures. If you're set on them emperors are the only ones I've heard of being ok

Don't handle them. Handling them is reckless for the scorpion, you, and the arachnid keeping hobby itself.
C. sculpturatus I’ve heard do fantastic in communals.
 

Dry Desert

Arachnoprince
Active Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2016
Messages
1,552
Perhaps I was a little too liberal with the term "handling". You see, the scorpions have to be moved to clean their enclosures and such or to graduate containers. So far, I have used a small paint brush to coax them into a deli cup. What I was asking for are tips or anything that might have not occured to me, a novice, on how to properly move and care for potentially deadly species. The devil's scorpions are not deadly, but getting them into and out of a container can be tricky because they are so fast and agile. They even like to hang out upside down inside of their hides. Letting even the "docile" scorpion species crawl all over me seems to be out of the question because the ones who are supposed to be "docile" just aren't for me for some reason. The black emperor and asian forest specimens I have are very aggressive, and have used their stingers before on things I had to move out of of into their enclosures. I am so sorry for the confusion, rest assured I give my scorpions the proper respect they deserve when interacting with them at all.
So you bought them" because the name sounded cool" .Now you want to handle them and you know they are deadly, and you are not allowed wild animals where you are,and you want advice.

NO COMMENT AT ALL.
 

Scorpiobsession

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 1, 2021
Messages
301
C. sculpturatus I’ve heard do fantastic in communals.
I've heard of them in communals though I wasn't sure how good they were in them so I didn't mention it.
So you bought them" because the name sounded cool" .Now you want to handle them and you know they are deadly, and you are not allowed wild animals where you are,and you want advice.
They likely were attracted to them because of the name and the seller told them that they were legal and easy to keep. I blame the seller for not telling them that they were hazardous, why would the OP have any reason not to believe them. They already mentioned earlier that they really meant how to move them to clean their enclosures. They should have checked the wild animals part first but that's their mistake.
 

Dry Desert

Arachnoprince
Active Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2016
Messages
1,552
I've heard of them in communals though I wasn't sure how good they were in them so I didn't mention it.

They likely were attracted to them because of the name and the seller told them that they were legal and easy to keep. I blame the seller for not telling them that they were hazardous, why would the OP have any reason not to believe them. They already mentioned earlier that they really meant how to move them to clean their enclosures. They should have checked the wild animals part first but that's their mistake.
Here in the UK you need a DWA license to keep anything venomous that would put human life at risk. The licence before being issued needs the premises where the animals/ inverts are being kept inspected by a vet, a member of the RSPCA, and sometimes a doctor. The actual cost of the license, if issued, is quite high. If you are caught keeping venomous without a license there is a very hefty fine with the possibility of imprisonment. Why do you think this is !!!
 

Scorpiobsession

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 1, 2021
Messages
301
Here in the UK you need a DWA license to keep anything venomous that would put human life at risk. The licence before being issued needs the premises where the animals/ inverts are being kept inspected by a vet, a member of the RSPCA, and sometimes a doctor. The actual cost of the license, if issued, is quite high. If you are caught keeping venomous without a license there is a very hefty fine with the possibility of imprisonment. Why do you think this is !!!
That's interesting since I live in the US there isn't a federal law like that. In places, it's either banned or it's legal, very few places have permits to get them.
 

ChiefinOnSomeSkunk

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 17, 2021
Messages
32
That's interesting since I live in the US there isn't a federal law like that. In places, it's either banned or it's legal, very few places have permits to get them.
Yea most places don't need license or permits, (Shoutout USA!). I think OP took the "wild caught" animal rule too seriously since these species cannot be caught in the USA. If there was a rule on imports for scorpions specifically then I could understand. I think the only scorpion targeted for exports currently is P. Imperator (Emperor). Either way can't change the fact that OP owns the scorpions now and will have to learn more about them and take good care of them.

So you bought them" because the name sounded cool" .Now you want to handle them and you know they are deadly, and you are not allowed wild animals where you are,and you want advice.

NO COMMENT AT ALL.
It's better to teach an individual, than be negative towards an individual that doesn't have the best knowledge on a certain subject. Re-read the message OP posted about his definition of "handling" before being negative....
 

Dry Desert

Arachnoprince
Active Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2016
Messages
1,552
Yea most places don't need license or permits, (Shoutout USA!). I think OP took the "wild caught" animal rule too seriously since these species cannot be caught in the USA. If there was a rule on imports for scorpions specifically then I could understand. I think the only scorpion targeted for exports currently is P. Imperator (Emperor). Either way can't change the fact that OP owns the scorpions now and will have to learn more about them and take good care of them.



It's better to teach an individual, than be negative towards an individual that doesn't have the best knowledge on a certain subject. Re-read the message OP posted about his definition of "handling" before being negative....
NO - it's not better to teach an individual AFTER the event. It is far better to have a system that prevents this. Mind you it must be wonderful to keep an Alligator in the bath tub, or a couple of Mountain Lions in the spare room. " Shout Out USA.'
 

ChiefinOnSomeSkunk

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 17, 2021
Messages
32
NO - it's not better to teach an individual AFTER the event. It is far better to have a system that prevents this. Mind you it must be wonderful to keep an Alligator in the bath tub, or a couple of Mountain Lions in the spare room. " Shout Out USA.'
Lol this is arachnoboards nothing relating to mammals or gators, relax bub. You've brought enough negativity to users. Either teach them correctly and be proper about it or throw a fit somewhere else. OP was asking for more info, not you trying to trash talk him. Nobody can take the scorpions away from them or restrict them from owning the scorpions so there's not much to do but provide helpful information so the scorpions are properly cared for.
 

xXTristinaXx

Arachnobaron
Joined
May 21, 2019
Messages
376
NO - it's not better to teach an individual AFTER the event. It is far better to have a system that prevents this. Mind you it must be wonderful to keep an Alligator in the bath tub, or a couple of Mountain Lions in the spare room. " Shout Out USA.'
We are talking about bugs here, not god damn alligators, and btw, animals like T's can actually live in an enclosure that is literally only like a few times bigger than the T itself

The moral of the story children is that Dry Desert is a little dry (really dry) but still, I do agree with the fact that you shouldn't buy an animal because it "sounds cool". Also, I do acknowledge that the seller said nothing about it being dangerous and such
 

jnmnj3

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 23, 2021
Messages
15
For the asian forest scorpion i would recommend adding more substrate because they like to burrow. Ideally, 6+ inches but since the enclosures low profile, I don't think that will work. Just as much as will fit would be best. Going periods of time without eating is fairly normal for them, but being in a more comfortable environment would help. I don't have experience with hot species so i'm not gonna comment on that. The emperor also likes to burrow and has similar care requirements as the afs. I would avoid communal enclosures unless there is a lot of people online doing it successfully, sometimes they work but the risk for cannibalism is always there
 

Asmo13

Arachnopeon
Joined
Dec 10, 2020
Messages
11
Here are some useful caresheets that worked for me, it might help.

FOREST SCORPS


BARK SCORPS


DESERT/HOT SCORPS

 

Xomb13

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 18, 2021
Messages
38
Wow, thank you all so much for the amazing info! The communal species is of particular interest, but it seems like something I will wait to try until I have a bit more experience.

As for the Fish And Game, I found the info I was looking for. Arachnids are not considered inherently dangerous, nor are any in my area on a protected list. I double checked with a local who handles vipers (and I MEAN it this time!) As long as it isnt on the list, apparently it is ok. If it is on the list, you need a license.

Asmo13, those sheets are amazing. That is a lot of condensed info. Thank you so much for sharing.

I am happy to answer negative comments in kind, I understand your life must be very difficult sometimes, Dry Desert. If you will please refer to the original post, and actually read its contents if you wish to engage in conversation regarding the subjects of my post, you will see the species to which I was referring happens to be the Stripeless Scorpion. This species can, in fact, be caught wild in my area. So can a host of other very very interesting arachnids. Sorry you don't have that sort of thing in the UK...

And, no, I didn't only buy my first species because the name sounded cool. I also bought them because they looked cool 😎 and at the end of the day, why would you keep anything that doesn't excite you?? Seems droll, and more like farming.
 
Top