Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion

The Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion is one of the most frequently kept species of scorpions kept in the hobby. Being larger, fairly hardy, only mildly venomous, and native to the United States all contribute to this species popularity. But no matter how hardy they are, careful set up and excellent consistent care are crucial for the long term health of your scorpion.

## Description

Giant desert hairy scorpions are the largest native species in the United States, with adults ranging from 4”-6”. In captivity this species can live up to 20 years, and reach maturity after 4-5 years. They are mostly a tannish yellow color with darker spots around the head and along the back. Other closely related species vary in how the darker color is distributed, or lack the darker coloration entirely. Their pincers are not terribly large, but this does not mean they are dangerous. Their sting is typically compared to a wasp sting in terms of severity. They are not considered medically significant, but allergic reactions can happen as with other mildly venomous arachnids. One interesting aspect of scorpions in general is their ability to glow under a black light. This species glowing a neon green color, betraying their hiding spots in the dark.

## Habitat

These scorpions come from the sonoran and mojave deserts in the south western US. They typically hide in elaborate burrows to escape the extreme temperatures these regions experience. Highs can be 100F+ and down to around 40F during the winter nights. Deserts are also very dry by definition. However this doesn’t mean you can just toss your scorpion into a box with sand and give it food every now and then.

#### **As a Pet**

These scorpions can survive in extreme conditions, but the stress from those conditions can shorten their life span, or in the case of too high of humidity, can lead to their death. Temps from 75-90F, and relative humidity between 55 and 65% will keep your critter happy. To prevent humidity building up in the tank, keep the ventilation in your tank high. A simple 10 gallon with a screen top will suffice. For heat, a heat pad under one half of the tank, that does not go above 90 will help keep the scorpion comfortable. In the wild, this species is known for building large elaborate burrows, and your scorpion will want to emulate this behavior in their tank. You should choose a substrate that allows for burrowing, coconut fiber, and sand/clay mixes are both great choices, kept a bit damp, they will be able to hold their structure. You should provide enough substrate to allow for deep burrows, 8”-10” of substrate would not be out of line. Many keepers will keep one side of the enclosure damp, and the other half drier to allow the scorpion to self elect where it wants to be.

Since this species likes to burrow, keeping cage decorations can lead to very unfortunate accidents. Burrowing creatures can unintentionally burrow under tank decorations, leading to that very decoration crushing your pet. Any tank decorations should be firmly attached to a wall, or to the bottom of the tank. For example, a piece of slate rock at the surface can be glued to short pvc pipe that stretches through the substrate and is glued to the bottom of the tank. A common but not necessary tank decoration is to stick a short toilet paper tube into the substrate, providing them with an uncollapsible entrance to their burrow. This species should be kept individually, not communally, they will fight with other members of their species.

## Diet

Scorpions get most of their water from their food, so the addition of a water bowl, while not necessarily detrimental if it’s shallow, also is not necessary. Just make sure to provide them with a couple crickets, or similarly sized quantity of other bugs such as dubias, waxworms, superworms, or other common feeder insects every week, and keep the enclosure properly dampened. If your scorpion is a juvenile, the general rule of thumb for scorpions is to not provide crickets larger than the size of their head. So newborns may only be able to eat pinheads or 1/8th inch crickets. But adults will be large enough for 1” full grown adult crickets.

#### **Handling**

Handling invertebrates has no positive impact on your pets. Handling them is something purely done for human benefit. Handling your invertebrates can have potentially detrimental impacts, such as stressing out your animal, risking injury to the animal, or risking bites, stings, and pinches to yourself. With that said, giant desert hairy scorpions are more “handleable” than other species of scorpions. Their venom is not very potent (unless allergic), and their pinch is very weak if you aren’t an insect. Best practice is to lay your hand down flat in front of them, and use your other hand to gently tap or push the scorpion until they climb onto your hand on their own. This species can be aggressive, so exercise caution when attempting to handle, spreading out the claws, lifting the rear, and unfurling the stinger are all signs of a scorpion ready to cause damage to whatever is bothering it. Back off if you see this behavior.