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Posted by XOskeletonRED on April 09, 2003 at 13:31:19:
In Reply to: Re: Forgot to mention...subspecies availability posted by LCDXX on April 09, 2003 at 12:42:00:
:Thanks, Ed, for your input.
Anytime.
I was already aware of the subspecies differences in the S. Mesaensis, but having considered your thoughts, I will contact GFO prior to placing any orders... I've been meaning to contact them anyway to see if they can attempt to sex a male/female pair, anyway.
They can and are willing 90% of the time to attempt a sexing, though they are not always correct, obviously.
:In regards to the fine sand quality, I hadn't considered gradients before. I'm being extra cautious with my setup and to be honest I haven't so much as purchased my tank yet. I'm going to check with some local petstores and see what sort of sand is offered, but if that isn't available, do you (or anyone else in this forum) happen to recommend a site on the web that could supply me a suitable grade? While I'm at it, would the H. Spadix do very well on a similar grade of sand or does it need a larger grain?
To tell you the truth, the sand I have been most successful with all desert/scrubland species on, is ZooMed's Repti Sand (10lb bag for about $9 at the local petsmart). But, ten pounds is not as much as you wish it was. *lol* It works well with every desert scorp, T, etc., that I have found. I use large grade (play sand) for the Hadrurus because they can deal with the sand not being able to be burrowed by use of a piece of wood and I don't have to spend quite so much on sand. I have also gotten my step-dad to pick up sand from the nationwide areas that I need it from, because he drives a truck.
:I'm not overly concerned about getting attacked by these creatures, however, I always keep tabs on toxicity levels in forums and sting reports that I find on the net. I never handle my scorps (even my Emps) nor do I condone it - even if they are docile and don't seem to mind, I'm of the belief that it is still highly stressful and if they had the choice, they wouldn't want it. Any handling that IS done in my house is via hemos or kitty litter scoops.
That's a good thing with scorps like these!
:As for my wife? Yes, I'm very fortunate to have a wife as weird as mine... I got my first scorpion this past February on our 4th anniversary - I've been wanting to get into the hobby since I was fourteen-years old. Having been raised in a family that was very acceptable of exotic pets (my two older brothers are herp specialists in our region) I could never convince my parents to allow for toxic inverts. After several years, though, I was able to finally convince my wife that they are worthwhile pets to have... but once she got involved in the pet rat trade, she lost all grounds from which to defend herself on the issue. Ironically, she's taken to my Emps nearly as much as I have and she has been actively participating in my scorpion hobby. Now it seems that our collection just grows and grows. But I'll be honest with... the best part about my wife? She's freakin' HOT!
*lol* That's always the biggest plus! I am quite happy to hear your marriage seems to be everything and more than you had probably initially hoped! It's always a plus when you have such an interesting interest in common. I just need to find me a scorpion/tarantula/pede/lizard/snake/art/electronic/automotive/ woodwork/gadget/money makin' hottie girl! and I'll be great for good! heheh....
:LCDXX
adios,
edw.
:: There are two subspecies of this scorpion on the market for the pet trade, one of which is from California and has a yellow tint (avail at Invertepet.com [Bill]), the other being from Arizona and has the clear appearance (the ones you had apparently mentioned. avail at GoldenPhoenixExotica.com). Be careful if you order from one store that you, indeed purchase the subspecies that you are truthfully interested in purchasing. The clear variety is the most attractive in my opinion as well.
::
::adios,
::edw.
::
::
::: Your wife got you a scorp? Totally awesome wife, dude! You'd better keep her! *lol* Indeed, Chris is completely right about the Dune Scorpion. They require a very fine grain of sand, unlike the Hairy because, obviously, by the name, they live in sand dunes. This makes them a little more expensive to keep because filling a ten gallon tank with 5" of extremely fine grain sand can reach near $70.00 alone! Desert Hairies are obligate burrowers as well, but a good piece of dried wood can serve quite well for their hide making them the cheaper to keep. Biggest thing with breeding one of these two species is this. There are extremely few people in the scorpion hobby who have had successful breeding of Hadrurus (Hairies) and even fewer who have successfully kept the young alive past the sixth moult. They are both considered highly aggressive scorpions, but as far as all out speed goes, the S. mesaensis is the only one you truly have to worry about. Then again, no matter how fast your hand moves, it probably wont be as fast as even the Hairy scorps (medium ratings on total speed), but faster than the human eye for most of them I have kept.
::: If your wife tries to kill you, just keep her reminded of who got you into them. *lol*
:::adios,
:::edw.
:::
::::Thanks a lot for your info, Chris. I've been tossing around ideas for my next scorpion setup and frankly I seem to want just about every species I've found LOL.
::::I've contacted Bill about P. Colei and he is indeed out and doesn't know when he'll get more - but I'm on the list. Aside from that, I'm looking to setup another tank with desert spec of scorp and I'm kinda at a toss-up between Flat Rocks, Dunes, and Hairies. I've pretty much striked the Flat Rocks from the list because I want something that's both active in daylight and very fiesty when it comes to attacking prey. Seeing that H. Spadix and S. Mesaensis both hit the mark, I think I'm going to have to try S. Mesaensis simply because I find their translucent quality to be quite an eye-catcher.
::::I've not yet attempted to breed any species of scorpions so far in my scorpion-owning career, so I'm going to make the P. Colei and the S. Mesaensis my first attempts and see what happens. I understand that Emperors are very easy to breed, but they are saturating the local market just about anywhere you look.
::::I'll post another thread regarding P. Colei breeding at a later time, but as for the Dunes, I'll review the current threads and see how H. Spadix breeding processes go and see what I can come up with.
::::My wife's gonna kill me.
::::LCDXX
:::::Their common name is the Dune Scorpion, and they come from California and Arizona. Care is, in fact, similar to H. arizonsis. Humidity should be kept around 50%, though from what I understand they aren't quite as intollerant of humidity as is H. arizonsis. They're fast and aggressive, so don't touch! I can't find an LD50 rating, though they're not medically significant and infact have fairly mild venom (should hurt about as much as a hornet sting if he/she really lays into you). Temp should be between 82-85 during the day and drop to 75-78 at night. They're obligate burrowers, which means you'll need at least 5 inches of a sand substrate that has been pre-wetted and dried to allow for easy burrowing. Also, a flat rock or other hid-condusive object would aid with their burrowing. Feeding is self-explanitory seeing has you have scorps. If you intend on breeding I'm guessing that a hibernation period might be necessary.
:::::If I missed something just let me know.
:::::As for the P. Colei, Bill over at Invertepet.com is all out right now, but he'll probably be getting some in soon. You should send him an email.
:::::Peace,
:::::Chris
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