Selecting A Scorpion

If you are considering a scorpion as a pet then you will most easily be able to get your hands on one of the following scorpion species: Flat Rock Scorpions, Giant Hairy Scorpions, Gold Scorpions, African Burrowing Scorpions, Asian Forest Scorpions, Bark Scorpions, and Emperor Scorpions. These are just a small sample of the more than 1,500 different species that inhabit a wide range of places in the world, everything from rain forests to woodlands.

Hadrurus arizonensis, known as the Giant Hairy Scorpion is a good choice, and is a common one for first time scorpion owners. The Heterometrus swammerdami is at the other end of the scale - a nine inch, extremely rare scorpion, that you are highly unlikely to find available as pet. Far more likely that you will come across the Emperor Scorpion at your local pet store (the species is also known as Pandinus imperator).

There is a checklist that you will want to go through when you buy a scorpion. First make sure that it is not too placid, then check its limbs: pectines, sting, legs, and pincers. This is important for all types of scorpion, especially those that are slightly rarer, such as Heterometrus longimanus (Asian Forest Scorpion) and Heterometrus spinifer (Malaysian Forest Scorpion).

Don't buy a scorpion without first conducting careful research into what makes them tick: when to they molt? what do they eat? how much do they drink? what temperature should the vivarium be? how should I set up the lights in the vivarium? how should I handle my pet scorpion? what substrate should I use? Yes, scorpions make very interesting pets, but you need to do a bit of work before you take the plunge and purchase one.

Of the scorpions that are dangerous to many the most beautiful is the Tityus Cambridgei, or Cambridge's tityus, which is a brownish green, and native to tropical banana plantations. You are not likely to ever have one as a pet, but they are well worth researching. Another scorpion that is dangerous to man is the burrowing thick-tailed scorpion, Parabuthus truculentus. It grows to nearly six inches and is a yellowish, brown color - watch out when walking in the sand of the Ruwenzori river as that is where you will find it burrowing.

Final words: scorpions are an amazing pet, but don't slack on researching their needs!

-->