Thermal maximum..... close call, and good lesson!

[Anoplogaster]

Hey folks,

Just getting into the scorp world. Finally got home from Repticon in Costa Mesa, CA. Picked up a Bothriurus sp. and a Dune scorpion as my two starters!

Weather was mid-80s, bright and sunny. Taking the long walk back to my car, I glanced down to admire my cute little pygmy. I was horrified to find it striking the air violently, and squirming onto its back

I've read that this genus prefers cooler temps, which means their thermal performance maximum is probably fairly low in comparison to desert dwellers. And we all know how quickly animals can drop off when they reach that threshold! Needless to say, this put me into SPRINT mode! I rushed into my car and blasted the AC and put the container infront of it. After about 5 mins, the scorpion began to wiggle back upright. It's been a few hours now, and it seems to be doing okay so far.

So today's lesson: Deli containers can heat up VERY quickly under direct sunlight! Temps in the mid 80s can easily cause the container to hike up over 100F in minutes! If you're someone who frequents trade shows to pick up critters, please keep this in mind. Many of these expos take place at large event grounds, where a long walk back to your car is likely. From now on, I will ALWAYS bring an insulated lunch bag with me! No more risking my animals.

 

[WeightedAbyss75]

That sounds like what my P. flavidulus slings did before they died. Undortunately, I believe it was from using calcium sand. May have been dehydrated. Awesome scorp pockups btw! Love my dune scorp I got recently, need to rehouse it. Never really seen Bothriurus species, guessing just some small species, Good luck! Hope that your scorp is ok

 

[RTTB]

The Bothriurus hail from Chile I recall and inhabit cooler close to ocean climes. I have a couple of B coriaceus and they are diggers and good eaters. Remind me a lot of US Diplocentrus .

 

[Anoplogaster]

That sounds like what my P. flavidulus slings did before they died. Undortunately, I believe it was from using calcium sand. May have been dehydrated. Awesome scorp pockups btw! Love my dune scorp I got recently, need to rehouse it. Never really seen Bothriurus species, guessing just some small species, Good luck! Hope that your scorp is ok

Yeah, I haven't found a ton of info on Bothriurus sp. Mostly what I get from the search function is a handful of other people who are frustrated by the lack of information on them.... haha. Other than the temperature sensitivity, they seem pretty straightforward from what I've read. And yes, they are small. The one I just got can fit its entire body on a quarter. And still doing well so far!

 

[Anoplogaster]

The Bothriurus hail from Chile I recall and inhabit cooler close to ocean climes. I have a couple of B coriaceus and they are diggers and good eaters. Remind me a lot of US Diplocentrus .

What would be a good substrate for them? Right now, I'm using 100% eco earth (at least for now). But some say to do a mixture of sand and eco earth. And following up with what @WeightedAbyss75 mentioned, is calcium sand a complete no no for scorpions? Not that I'm using that (I think calcium sand is useless, in general).

Also, I have my dune scorpion on reef sand right now (contains aragonite) because it's what I happened to have at the moment. I plan to set him/her up properly when I get a moment to go to the store for supplies. Is there an issue to look out for on aragonite-enriched sand?