Whats the best scorpion??

[mimic58]

Im thinking about getting my first But I must stress I do not want a sissy cowardly one with naive defence Quick,Agressive and Preferably dangerouse! African Fattailed Scorpion (Androctonus australis)
Black Thick-Tailed Spitting Scorpion (Parabuthus transvaalicus)
Israeli Deathstalker (Leurius quinquestriatus)
Are there better choices???

 

[karmeleon]

Those are all bad choices for a beginner. U want a scorpion for all the wrong reasons. Perhaps u should think again about your motives for getting this animal?

 

[danread]

This belongs in the scorpion forum, but i'm sure they will give a similar answer to me. Since you are wanting a "Quick,Agressive and Preferably dangerouse!" scorpion as your first one, you probably shouldn't be getting one at all. Chances are, as a beginner, you'll end up getting stung and do the hobby in the UK no favours at all.

All of this is irrellevant anyway, as you are in the UK, there is no way you are getting your hands on one of these scorpions. They are all covered by the DWA licensing, which required you to have an inspection and pay a fairly hefty fee every year.

 

[mimic58]

having delt with faster and much more dangerouse animals counts as experience....PS anythings available if you know where to look!

 

[obsidion]

hm.. i have a heterometrus spinifer thats very agressive but it isent dangerous, it may be a better choice.
but they are kinda just like us, they come with different tempers from one to another..

 

[Brian S]

I have all 3 that you mention and P tranvaalicus or A australis would be my picks. Just be careful. They are nothing to play around with as you already know.

 

[fusion121]

Unless you've kept scorpions before it really best not to get a dangerous one first, experience with other dangerous animals will be of little help since scorpions are a unique group of animals with unique behaviours and dangers which you can only learn about through experience. Of the species you've mentioned I would only really classify PT as interesting scorpion to watch, in my experience the other two species tend to be reclusive. There are much better scorpions to own, in terms of how interesting they can be, H. arizonensis for example. Danger does not equal interesting in scorpion terms.

 

[mimic58]

im looking for one that doesnt hide inactive 98% of the time and is chalenging to maintain (hence description) unique? it moves fast and wants to inject you with nasty venom ...thats pritty common with my pets!! :?

 

[Fergrim]

I own a Parabuthus Transvaalicus and an A australis.. I just got the australis recently.. so I can't really comment on it yet, but so far it's pretty awesome

 

[guesskatiejules]

If I were you, I'd start out with something less venomous. You don't necessarily have to start out with a p. emperator (mine hides all the time), but don't go straight to LQ or AA with no experience in scorpion keeping. Try something with a venom rating 2/5, or maybe even 3/5.

You said you wanted a p. transvaalicus. They're definitely active, more so than the LQ or the a. australis. It's venom is only a 3/5, dangerous, but not enough to put you in the hospital if you make a mistake. A b. jacksoni, beautiful red color to them, would be a nice choice also.

 

[edesign]

my B. jacksoni's hide a LOT...occasionally i'll see one or two of them sitting in the open, but not the norm.

mimic, what other pets are you keeping/kept? I do still agree with the others, keeping other kinds of hot inverts/animals doesn't necessarily carry over in to scorpions...but they can't climb glass/plastic so as long as you have some long tongs to use for working in their tank you should be ok. Just keep your hands out (goes without saying lol) and you'll be fine. I wouldn't get a hot species just because it's hot though, doesn't make sense other than so somebody can brag to their friends that they have a toxic species. If you like how they look, how they act, or whatever that's a much better reason imho...nothing wrong with hot itself, just don't make it the sole reason to keep one.

I have a Smeringus mesaensis, a Hadrurus arizonensis, and 5 Babycurus jacksoni's...nothing too hot (the jacksoni's are possibly the worst with a 2, possibly 3/5 on the venom scale...possibly systemic effects). I far prefer my H. arizonensis to the others as it is generally more active and won't back down for anything! I hear that a lot of the hotter species are in fact the more reclusive ones...so again, i wouldn't let the venom toxicity be the reason to get one, especially if you want something active.

 

[galeogirl]

I've always found the H. arizonensis to be quite feisty and active. Large, attractive, and fun to watch hunt as well.

 

[MACZ]

I've always found the H. arizonensis to be quite feisty and active. Large, attractive, and fun to watch hunt as well.

Me too! I have a male and female living together and last night I threw 2 crickets in the tank and they were both stinging them within 1 min

 

[Div1nE]

regardless of previous experience with other inverts, i would suggest to start with something like a desert hairy so u at least have some knowledge of what its like to keep a scorpion.

 

[guesskatiejules]

I wouldn't get a hot species just because it's hot though, doesn't make sense other than so somebody can brag to their friends that they have a toxic species.

I have an emp, and though he hides all the time and is the least poisonous, my friends think that he's awesome anyway. That's not why I have him, though. I really think that scorpions are beautiful and glorious creatures, worthy of respect. It took a lot of skillful manuvering (and tons of help from Fergrim ) to get my first scorp, and I'm totally looking forward to scorps I'll own in the future.

If you want a scorpion simply because it's dangerous, you're not giving the animal or the hobby its proper respect. Just because it's very dangerous doesn't mean it's the best.

 

[mimic58]

my reason was based on hot species being less afrade and more active and more chalenging to keep. beingstung? personaly*id never give something this venomous the chance.....

 

[edesign]

i see...i thought that about the more venomous species when I first started researching scorpions as well. As i mentioned, the hotter scorpions are actually more reclusive and not necessarily aggressive as they are nervous (from what i recall reading on this forum...unless my brain is more clouded than i think lol). So they may not necessarily be the best choice for you as per your requirements...and because of that as well as the possible danger, may not be the best choice for your first scorpion.

B. jacksoni's are pretty fast as I rediscovered this recently while redoing their tank, and can be aggressive (especially when hungry). They are a member of the buthid family which are known to usually contain pretty potent venom. Very attractive looking as well and won't hesitate to sting their prey when they catch it, sometimes 5 or 6 times.

I still highly recommend the H. arizonensis (or H. spadix...slightly smaller with an all black head) as they are big (not overly fast), aggressive, and pretty active. Mine after digging a tunnel that went along one wall of the tank to the back and then halfway across the tank...decided that wasn't good enough. It decided to dig to the front of the tank through the middle and backfill, effectively sealing itself in. Has been that way for almost a week now lol. I figure it'll come out when it's ready...might be because it's winter and a lil cooler in my apartment causing it to seek insulation, not too worried as i've read they do this from time to time.

 

[mimic58]

thanks edesign! il do some home work on these species

 

[edesign]

you're welcome...might want to double-check my conclusion about some of the hotter species just to be sure.

btw, you never said what hot creatures you keep or have kept I hear a platypus can inflict a seriously painful wound with it's poisonous claws...I saw on a TV show (insert disclaimer here ) where they said that not even morphine can dull the pain got any of these puppies?

 

[PaulBurk]

I have a rattlesnake . Found him in the crawl space under our house near the waterheater the beginning of this winter. I live in texas and knew the sound the second I opened the door so I got him out with a lasso on a stick(like dog catchers use on dogs) I keep him in our garden shed in a big tank made of plexiglass that I used to keep my snapping turtles in. I pick him up a mouse every once in a while when I goto get crickets for my scorps. I'll let him go when it warms up but I don't know if he could find a warm place before dying in these 30-40 degree temps.