Keeping Scorpions - Part 2

General advice for the keeping of live scorpions

Introduction
Environment
Equipment
Housing
Heating
Humidity
Feeding
Breeding
Suppliers

Introduction

This information continues from Keeping Scorpions Part 1.

Environment

Scorpions are very adaptable creatures and can exist in a variety of natural habitats. They typically occupy three main environments:-

arid - e.g. deserts
tropical - e.g. rainforests
temperate - as in southern Europe and also the UK

In captivity, a mainly dry temperate environment seems to be favoured by the European varieties, with the following recommended characteristics:-

Temperature: 20-25 degrees Celsius for normal activity
Humidity: very slightly moist (not damp or wet)
Substrate: a mixture of sand, light soil & gravel, plus moss
Furnishings: rocks or bark (even cardboard egg cartons)

European varieties can exist in cooler room temperatures below 20 degrees Celsius at which point they may become less active. Normal UK room temperature in the summer is quite acceptable, although during winter some form of supplementary heating may be required.

Take note of their natural habitats. European scorpions are often found living in cracks in walls and underneath rocks. It is likely that these hideaways have a fairly dry interior, being sheltered from the rain; whereas the surface is exposed to the weather and consequently provides access to moisture.

Equipment

The amount of special equipment required to keep captive scorpions is fairly minimal and usually quite cheap.

The basic requirements include: a tank (with a secure lid), suitable substrate (for burrowing), upturned containers (for hiding under), furnishings (rocks, etc.) and a water dish. Other useful equipment includes a thermometer, a humidity gauge and heatmats to maintain the desired temperature.

Housing (Tanks)

Tanks should be strong and made from a rigid material, e.g. glass or pre-moulded plastic/acrylic. They do not have to be particularly large. A small, shallow tank will suffice. Commercially available aquarium tanks make good containers and are usually sold in a range of standard sizes, some complete with lids. Be warned, however, that some of the pre-cast aquarium lids are loose-fitting and may leave a gap through which a determined scorpion (especially a small one) will manage to squeeze and thereby escape. Sometimes it is better to supply and fit your own lid. In any event, all tanks should be adequately ventilated, ideally with ventilation holes evenly spaced along the lid to allow cross-ventilation above the surface of the substrate.

Location: the tank should be sited away from any disturbance, draughts, noise and excessive vibration. Placing the tank on a wedge of polystyrene will help to dampen any vibrations transmitted through the floor and furniture.

Communities: for European varieties, several specimens of mixed sex may be housed together, as long as they do not become over-crowded. If this happens they may become cannibalistic and devour one another. Keeping them all well-fed should help to avoid cannibalism.

Hideaways: scorpions often require a place to hide and rest undisturbed. Upturned containers provide good hideaways. Old broken clay plant pots are useful for this purpose.

Substrate: sand, grit, gravel, soil, moss, vermiculite - even clay granules. The ideal mixture can be achieved with trial and error.

Furnishings: rocks or pieces of bark enhance the appearance of the enclosure and provide obstacles for the scorpion to climb.

Cleaning: occasional cleaning of the tank is a good practice, mainly to remove uneaten prey carcasses.

Heating

Supplementary heating can be provided in a number of ways. Probably the simplest method to heat a tank is to use a small heatmat of around 1/3rd the floor area of the tank, placed beneath one end of the tank. In this way a scorpion will be able to choose its preferred temperature by moving towards or away from the heated area as necessary (i.e. thermo-regulate itself).

Narrow heat-strips can be placed along the back surface of the tank, with the advantage that they can be positioned above the surface of the substrate.
Note: some heat sources may require the use of a thermostat to regulate the temperature, although some of them have thermostats built-in. Be aware that should heatmats/heat-strips malfunction they could overheat and damage the tank, or even 'cook' the tank inhabitants.

Room heating: if you are keeping several tanks then it may be more convenient to heat the surrounding area.

Humidity

All scorpions require water to survive. Desert varieties manage to obtain most of their water from their prey. Other species require some access to water. In addition to acting as a 'drinking' reservoir, a water dish aids humidity. Many scorpions will dehydrate and die in the absence of adequate levels of moisture/humidity, and nearly all will struggle during molting when they are especially vulnerable to dehydration.

Lightly misting the tank with a water spray on a regular basis will help to maintain humidity, but don't over-do it with European varieties as I have found it can lead to mould growth.

If the sides of the tank are constantly covered with condensation then this indicates that humidity levels may be too high. A scorpion that spends a lot of time by its water dish could indicate that humidity levels are too low.

Water dishes should be shallow. By placing some small pebbles in the dish you will reduce the risk of a scorpion becoming submerged and drowning and provide a means of escape should a scorpion fall in. I have had many baby scorpions drown in their water dish.

Water dishes should be cleaned regularly with frequent changes of fresh water. Failure to do this may result in the build-up of unwanted bacterial or algal growths.

Feeding

Scorpions are capable of surviving for fairly lengthy periods of time without food. When food becomes available again they may gorge themselves almost to bursting point and will store the nutrients within their bodies.

Prey is comprised mostly of insects. Recommended food includes small crickets, mealworms, flies, moths, caterpillars, earwigs and some beetles. Insects that exude strong chemicals, such as woodlice, may deter a scorpion from eating them. However, European scorpions seem unaffected and may sometimes eat them. Miniature hatchling ('pin-head') crickets make a suitable food for juvenile scorpions.

Mealworms can be a probalematical food source - they readily burrow beneath the surface of the substrate where they remain out of reach of scorpions (unless they also burrow). Mealworms will quickly drown if they become trapped in a water dish.

Frequency of feeding is somewhat dependent upon the season, level of activity and behaviour of individual scorpions. A large feast may satisfy a scorpion for several days, weeks or even a few months if it is mostly inactive. Conversely, if the temperature is higher than usual, then it may actively seek out and pursue it prey. Pregnant females may suddenly stop eating immediately prior to giving birth - this is normal.

Cannibalism: another acceptable food source, particularly when food is scarce, is other scorpions! Baby scorpions may become a meal even for their own mothers. Also, following moulting when a scorpion's exoskeleton is still soft and vulnerable, it may fall victim to predation from one if its cage-mates! A female may also suddenly kill and devour a male following mating (boy, am I glad I'm not a scorpion!).

Breeding

It is good practice when collecting any animal to attempt captive breeding as it helps to prevent the depletion of wild stocks and the destruction of their natural habitats. Scorpions have existed for millions of years - it would be a catastrophe if their existence were to become endangered as a result of over-collecting.

To determine if you have an adult pair of male and female European scorpions, see this diagram.

For further information regarding the mating, gestation and the various stages of instar development, please refer to other sources, books, etc. A detailed explanation of the process of procreation would be too long-winded to include here. However, the following brief notes may prove useful.

Seasons play an important role in the timing of pregnancy, as does stability and security of the environment, availability of food and the presence of a suitable mate.

Captivity: when breeding captive specimens it may become necessary to isolate the pregnant female as she (and her offspring) will become vulnerable to attack by other scorpions. Rather than upset the female, it may be better to remove the other adults. This is advisable because if a female with newborns is subjected to stress of any kind, she may eat her offspring and re-absorb the nutrients.

Suppliers

Pet shops should be able to supply the basic items of hardware needed to get started, particularly if they cater for aquarium equipment. Rarer items such as heatmats can usually be ordered by pet shops, or a search of the Internet may identify some suppliers offering a postal delivery service.

Selected pet shops/suppliers that cater for reptiles often stock food-insects such as crickets and mealworms. Once again, an Internet search may yield details of suppliers further afield if you have no local commercial outlets.

The Links page lists some UK suppliers with their own web sites and ordering facilities.

If you have a question not answered by any of the above then please refer to the other pages: Species, Books, Links, etc. You could also try using the Site Search to look for a specific word/subject.