Who is still breeding US species?

[Vfox]

I seem to remember a lot of members a few years ago bred loads of US scorpions and often offered them for trade or sale...or free honestly lol. It just seems like the numbers of available US species for sale have dwindled significantly. So I must ask...Is anyone still breeding Centruroides vittatus, exilicauda, or sculpturatus, Vaejovis spinigerus, or Hadrurus arizonensis pallidus?

I feel like they don't get enough billing anymore, especially the C. vitts, love those guys. I only have one left from my colony of 9 and I really wish I could load up on them again!

Anyway, just curious.

 

[Nomadinexile]

I only know of a few domestic species being bred right now, and that is almost all small scale.

I can only think of four people breeding domestic species, and I think they each are breeding just one.

I have had to get rid of almost all of my collection, and the few T. stigmurus I have left have to go soon. If I had a house, I would still be breeding some of the domestics. Hopefully next fall I can get a place and will rebuild my collection. I love Diplocentrus sp., and some of our Vaejovis sp. our awesome. P. reddelli are really fun and have huge broods. Those are the species I would want first. Then maybe a Paruroctonus sp. But I really want to get a nice method down for breeding Hadrurus species so we can slow down wild collection of those. Cross your fingers I have a place in the fall!

I will be collecting domestic species for others this spring/summer though. I've gotten a couple of requests already, so hopefully there will be a few more in the next year.

 

[Harlock]

I've got a C. vittatus colony, and have been meaning to get a reddelli up and running for breeding. Nomad, I've still got the 2 D. lindo I caught with you, they are doing well, so if you have some we might be able to get a pair or two for breeding.

The problem is, there isn't much demand outside certain stuff:
Centruroides are good sellers, Diplo's are interesting, P. reddelli is semi-communal and people like that, and there are a few AZ scorpions (Giant dune, and Giant desert hairy, but few people have had luck breeding them)

 

[NevularScorpion]

I'm trying to breed dwarf US species like the superstitio donensis

 

[Nomadinexile]

I've got a C. vittatus colony, and have been meaning to get a reddelli up and running for breeding. Nomad, I've still got the 2 D. lindo I caught with you, they are doing well, so if you have some we might be able to get a pair or two for breeding.

The problem is, there isn't much demand outside certain stuff:
Centruroides are good sellers, Diplo's are interesting, P. reddelli is semi-communal and people like that, and there are a few AZ scorpions (Giant dune, and Giant desert hairy, but few people have had luck breeding them)

Well there's number five!

You should get a reddelli going! I will get you some lindo this spring, that is if you can't come with or meet me, then you could get them yourself!

All of my domestics are gone unfortunately. If I can make this summer work though, I will stock up and get a bunch rolling in the fall. Btw, I need to talk to you about the T. stigmurus, I need to work something out with those 3 adults.

I'm still convinced there is a bigger market than you think. The problem is not having a variety and the media to market them. It's not huge yet, but it is there. We just have to have enough species, the patience to hold on to them until the sales come, and the photos/video to show people their awesomeness!

If this summer works out, and I can get a place to run with it, I would want a bunch of species. And if I can get a import/export permit, then the market is huge. We couldn't keep up, and would have to recruit other breeders! Cross your fingers I pull it off!

Here's a list of domestic species I will have if this summer goes as planned.
C. vittatus
C. gracilis
V. waueri
V. coahuilae
V. intermedius
D. lindo
D. whitei
H. arizonensis "arizonensis"
H. arizonensis "pallidus"
H. obscurus
H. spadix
P. reddelli
S. sp. Texas

Also, I want a breeding group of that weird looking one I got down by the border. Did you see that one? With the extremely narrow metasoma? I still haven't seen anything like it anywhere. I have no idea what genus it was. But by this summer, I will have a better grasp of genus identification at least, thanks to my new book!

There are a few others I would want too, but I can't think of them right now, I'm getting sleepy.

Drop me an email when you can Harlock....

 

[Nomadinexile]

I'm trying to breed dwarf US species like the superstitio donensis

The dwarf species are awesome! I loved my V. coahuilae and V. waueri. I hope I can keep them on the market. They are so fun.

I haven't seen the S. donensis in person yet, but they look neat. Hopefully someday... :drool:

 

[gromgrom]

I just had two broods of V. spinigerus that i traded to others, and i have a gravid C. Gracilis, so yeah, we're still breeding

What I want to breed next our C. vittatus and C. Sculps.

 

[NikiP]

I have all of Nomadinexile's V. waueri. Hope to continue breeding them.

Nomadinexile, i'd love to buy a few more adults off of you if you get more, just to up my chances of getting some males since we know the majority of my adults are females

 

[Nomadinexile]

I just had two broods of V. spinigerus that i traded to others, and i have a gravid C. Gracilis, so yeah, we're still breeding

What I want to breed next our C. vittatus and C. Sculps.

I included you and NikiP in my count. I didn't know you had the C. gracilis though. Are they adults?

I have all of Nomadinexile's V. waueri. Hope to continue breeding them.

Nomadinexile, i'd love to buy a few more adults off of you if you get more, just to up my chances of getting some males since we know the majority of my adults are females

There she is! I should be able to get you some more Niki. I'd like to figure out how to sex them so I could make sure to send you a couple of males! Just make sure to stay in touch. You can click on my name and send me an email too. That will help. I need to make a list to take with me...

 

[AzJohn]

A lot of people breed native Centruroides. It's the other species that are being left out.

John

 

[Nomadinexile]

Only 6 Centruroides occur in the U.S., that is a small fraction of our scorpion fauna!


http://www.angelfire.com/tx4/scorpiones/index.html

With a combined total of over 90 described species in 10 genera in the United States, the scorpions of the USA are quite diverse. (Currently, the number of described species combined with known undescribed species will bring the total upwards to near 120!)

 

[gromgrom]

I included you and NikiP in my count. I didn't know you had the C. gracilis though. Are they adults?

yeah! thats why i said the one was gravid i only have two, from four. theyre cannibalistic when molting.

 

[Vfox]

Only 6 Centruroides occur in the U.S., that is a small fraction of our scorpion fauna!


http://www.angelfire.com/tx4/scorpiones/index.html

With a combined total of over 90 described species in 10 genera in the United States, the scorpions of the USA are quite diverse. (Currently, the number of described species combined with known undescribed species will bring the total upwards to near 120!)

That is certainly more than I had imagined we had in the US. I heard they found a Vejovis carolinianus here in PA a while back. It was somewhere out in Washington county near Pittsburgh. I really would love to be able to find some in central PA where I am but it's fairly unlikely because of our winters. Then again Pitt doesn't really have mild winters either...meh. Maybe I'll go venture out with a blacklight this spring.

I'm likely relegated to being a breeder moreso than a hunter though. I want to get my C. vitt colony up and running and wouldn't mind having a communal tank of a Vejovis spp. Maybe I'll scrape some money together and try to find some at a decent price...I wouldn't be content with just one afterall lol.

 

[Nomadinexile]

Vejovis carolinianus: I really would love to be able to find some in central PA where I am but it's fairly unlikely because of our winters. Maybe I'll go venture out with a blacklight this spring.

I'm likely relegated to being a breeder moreso than a hunter though. I wouldn't mind having a communal tank of a Vejovis spp.

Scorpions live in some of the most extreme places on earth. There are species found at 16,500 feet above sea level! They might have one or two months where there is not snow on the ground! I am sure there are species that can handle PA. I would bet that it is worth a couple nights of your time to go black lighting.

We really need more breeders than hunters. This summer I will be in the territory of probably half our species. As long as there are people who want them and can pay for me to keep going, I could take care of most of our domestic species myself. (Not that others shouldn't, but that others really don't have to)

Most Vaejovis are not considered communal. Some species are considered mildly communal by some though. If you are going to try this, consider it experimental, and make sure to provide plenty of space and plenty of hides.

 

[H. laoticus]

Hopefully these very cool native species will get well established in the hobby
On a different note, I feel that the decline in "quality" posts could have been a result of the supply of rarer species of scorps (in or outside of the US) disappearing and with it the momentum that drove the hobby. Very few can get their hands on new, rare, and exciting scorpions. We're stuck with emps so we get emp questions

 

[Nomadinexile]

Hopefully these very cool native species will get well established in the hobby

On a different note, I feel that the decline in "quality" posts could have been a result of the supply of rarer species of scorps (in or outside of the US) disappearing and with it the momentum that drove the hobby.

They should be if I can find a distributor. I won't be able to hold onto them while traveling. I need one person I can send them to who will be on top of selling them and then sending me my half. If I am broke and hungry, I have to stay in cities and look for food. And when I get some extra money, I would have to go looking for fluorescent rocks that I know I can sell. But if someone is selling them for me, and sending me my half so I can keep eating and hunting, well then I can make sure that half the U.S. species are in breeders hands by the end of the year. Yep, I think I can get half of them in enough numbers to be bred. But that would also require people buying them from my distributor too. I'm curious to see how that will work out... Honestly. I know some species that will sell no problem, but I'm not sure about many of them, at least right at this time.

As for the more "exotic" species:

1. The U.S. domestics are some of the most exotic species in the hobby worldwide right now. While we don't have as many Androctonus, Tityus, Parabuthus, Hottentotta, Uroplectes, etc... As they do, How many people world wide are breeding Paruroctonus sp? NONE that I know of. I know of TWO people breeding Vaejovis sp., I know of NO ONE currently breeding Psuedouroctonus sp. in the U.S., though I recently saw one brood born OVERSEAS. I know one person breeding two of the Diplocentrus sp. I know of NO ONE in the world Anuroctonus sp. I've only seen 14 slings of Hadrurus sold in the U.S. I've seen NO ONE breeding Serradigitus, Uroctonus, Uroctonites, Smeringurus, shall I go on?

There are virtually NO ONE in the world breeding U.S. scorpions, outside of a handful of breeders breeding a handful of species. Our Scorpions are some of the most exotic species in the world, hands down.

As for the more "exotic" species outside the U.S., many are well established in Europe. They would love to see many of our species here. IF we could get a group of people breeding our domestic species, I can promise you, that we could find a way to do a big US/Europe trade, and bring all of the ones we complain about not having, here. But we need to have something to offer. Buying them in a group would be very expensive, but we could literally trade 1 for 1 many of our species, for "rare" exotics like the ones I listed above.

Sorry about the rant. But I frequent some forums outside the U.S., and can see how easy this would be, if WE would just get excited about the EXTREMELY rare species, we have easy access to.

And keep in mind, the cost of scorpions here is very cheap compared to the EU. If we could arrange a trade, we could get slings of what would be very valuable species here, for slings that are worth very, very little here, right now anyway.

 

[Harlock]

I tried selling the Serradigitus sp. I had, but no one was really interested. One did give me a brood, but they didn't make it. Part of the trouble is that I'm just starting to get a good grasp on what I think I should be doing for our native species to rear ok:

2.5 gal with a glass lid to lock in the climate, sand/soil mix, semi moist, deep substrate.

Thats what I'm thinking.

I'd offer to help you distribute and collect, but I don't have much space, which sucks. I've slowly been selling off my other possessions in order to make room for cages as my current collection molts and need bigger ones.

 

[Nomadinexile]

native species to rear ok:

2.5 gal with a glass lid to lock in the climate, sand/soil mix, semi moist, deep substrate. Thats what I'm thinking.

I'd offer to help you distribute and collect, but I don't have much space, which sucks. I've slowly been selling off my other possessions in order to make room for cages as my current collection molts and need bigger ones.

I think that is a good set up for P. reddelli, minus the sand, and they don't need deep sub, as they will only make scrapes or little burrows if there are no rocks.

I do think that is a good plan for the slings of most of our domestic species though, except isn't 2.5 gallon large? For C. vittatus groups that would be fine, but for most of our slings, a one or two ounce deli cup works well, moving up to a regular deli cup after a few molts.

I know you'd help if you could. You were one of the first people to come to mind, but I know you are very busy too. That's okay, I am sure someone here that I know will want first access and a little extra cash.

 

[Harlock]

The reason I like using a 2.5 is to make a bunch of micro-climates. I've been raising a Tityus metuendus (the jewel of my scorpions) from 2i in one, and its been doing awesome. The space lets you put in a bunch of hides, so you can let the scorpions find where they are comfortable.

I'd also keep the young together till about 3i, I've noticed a lot of species tend to be more tolerant than people think (3 Serradigitus together for months, a Serradigitus and V. waurei together in a deli cup (don't ask)) 2.5 gives them each enough personal space I would think. I like adding a bit of soil to sand because it is hard to find good sand that doesn't clump horrible when it dries (been going to Aquatek if you ever went there for supplies)

 

[Nomadinexile]

That all makes sense.

What Serra are you keeping? Is it S. sp. Texas??? I sold mine quickly.

I won't ask about Serra and V.w.

I almost always add coco coir to my sand, and yes, I went to aquatek.