Please explain to the noob...

[Embers To Ashes]

I will start off my saying that I have no knowlage or experiance of scorpians. I find them interesting, though. I don't want to get one (yet) before I know what I'm getting into. That being said I have afew questions.
Im more into Ts, so I don't realy know what Im talking about. I apolagize if some of this comes out stupid.

Are all scorpions brown or black? I have not seen a picture of a species of a diffrent color.

Are any of the species sold in the USA dangorus to humans (sting wise)?

How long will these guys live?

How big will they get and how much room do they need?

Are there any "docile" species?

I understand that every species probably has its own requirments, but for now I just want to know some basic guide lines.

 

[John Bokma]

1) yes, yellow for example.
2) yes.
3) depends on the species 3-10+ years
4) depends on the species, I have adults here that fit on my thumbnail
5) yes, but the temperament of individuals within the same species can differ. Also, in general it's recommended to handle your scorpion rarely, if at all. It's not a cat or a dog, more like a goldfish.

 

[scorpionmom]

I will start off my saying that I have no knowlage or experiance of scorpians. I find them interesting, though. I don't want to get one (yet) before I know what I'm getting into. That being said I have afew questions.
Im more into Ts, so I don't realy know what Im talking about. I apolagize if some of this comes out stupid.

Are all scorpions brown or black? I have not seen a picture of a species of a diffrent color.

Are any of the species sold in the USA dangorus to humans (sting wise)?

How long will these guys live?

How big will they get and how much room do they need?

Are there any "docile" species?

I understand that every species probably has its own requirments, but for now I just want to know some basic guide lines.

No, not all species are brown or black. Research Centruroides, Uroplectes, Tityus, Isometrus, Rhopalurus at The Scorpion Files, in the gallery section.

Well, there is one "medically significant" species that originates from a few western states, Centruroides sculpturatus, which has killed people, mainly children.
Many Parabuthus, Androctonus, Centruroides, and Leiurus spp. are sold in the U.S. frequently to more rarely. Watch out for these, as many or all of the species in the genus are extremely dangerous.
Not all Centruoides are higly venomous, just watch out ones that originate from Mexico. Also, Tityus spp. have just started to be sold in the U.S., and you will want to watch out for these as well.

Life span: about 3-6 years for smaller to midsized scorpions, 4-15+ for larger scorpions.

Scorpions can range from the vary tiniest (9-12 mm) to the largest (8-9 inches). I don't really know about the cage size, once you think about getting a scorpion check on the prefered cage size and whether the scorpion is epigeous (burrowing) or tree-dwelling (climbing).

The recommended beginner species is Pandinus imperator, which is considered the most docile scorpion. Other "docile" species are Hadogenes, Heterometrus, Euscorpius spp. However, just because it is said to be "docile" does not mean it cannot be aggressive, fast, etc.

Hope this helped. Good luck in choosing a scorpion. In my opinion, they are extremely intriguing creatures.