Scorpions

What to Do If Your Pet Scorpion is Gravid

~ BackwaterReptiles

Even if you haven’t taken steps to breed your pet scorpion, it’s possible to receive a new pet scorpion and – lo and behold – it’s a girl and she’s gravid. By the way, when a scorpion female is going to have babies, we don’t call her “pregnant.” The appropriate term is gravid.

If you plan to keep mating pairs of scorpions in the same enclosure or you happened to discover your female scorpion is gravid, then read on to have these frequently asked questions addressed:

-How can I tell which gender my scorpion is?
-How do I know if my pet scorpion is gravid?
-How do I care for my gravid scorpion?
-What happens when my scorpion gives birth?

How can I tell which gender my scorpion is?

First of all, if you have a juvenile or very young scorpion, odds are it will be nearly impossible to distinguish the gender of the animal. Until they are fully mature, scorpions species of both genders tend to look nearly identical.

gravid pet scorpion
Pictured is a gravid Pandinus dictator scorpion.

If you are dealing with a fully mature scorpion, there are several tricks used to determine the animal’s gender. You can assess the animal based on its physical traits. Females are generally larger than males with thicker, heftier bodies. Males tend to appear longer and skinnier with longer, thicker, or fuller pincers (AKA pedipalps).

You can also take a look at the underside of your scorpion at what are called pectines. These are a series of comb-like sensory organs that are visible on the last pair of legs closest to the tail. Males will have very long, defined pectines, whereas the female’s will be shorter. Place the scorpion on a see-through surface to look at the pectines. It’s not wise to try to flip the scorpion on its back as this could stress the animal and incite it to sting.

How do I know if my pet scorpion is gravid?

You can assume your female scorpion is gravid by witnessing actual mating behavior between two animals.

If you happen to see two scorpions whose pincers are locked together doing a sort of dance, you have just witnessed scorpions breeding. When scorpions mate, the male deposits a sperm packet on the ground and then drags the female over it. Hooks on the sperm packet latch onto the female’s genital opening and fertilization occurs internally.

If you haven’t actually seen your scorpions mating, you will probably notice a change in your scorpion’s physique. Like any pregnant animal, gravid scorpions will swell up due to carrying the babies internally.

A gravid female’s abdomen will enlarge, stretch, and even become semi-transparent. It’s not uncommon to be able to see the outlines of baby scorpions through her skin!

gravid pandinus dictator
This side view of a gravid Pandinus dictator scorpion shows how the female’s abdomen is stretched and swollen. The babies are even visible!

How do I care for my gravid scorpion?

Not a lot should change when caring for a gravid scorpion. Obviously, your scorpion will be very hungry, so don’t neglect to feed her regularly.

She might also be shier or more aggressive, so we recommend providing plenty of places for her to hide out if she doesn’t feel social. Keep the handling of her to a minimum as you don’t want to stress her out or risk being stung due to an unpredictable temperament.

Gestation can range from seven months to a year, so watch her closely as care requirements will need to adjust slightly once the scorplings are born.

What happens when my scorpion gives birth?

Most females will bear anywhere from eight to thirty babies. The scorplings are born alive as scorpions do not lay eggs.

The babies will be white or nearly transparent and will stay attached to the mother’s back until their first molt.

If you keep multiple scorpions in the same enclosure, be sure to remove all other scorpions once the babies are born. Don’t move the mother as this will stress her out unnecessarily. She will get aggressive, defensive, and stressed if other scorpions are present. Not to mention you don’t want any cannibalism to occur.

scorplings
Baby scorpions (AKA scorplings) ride on their mother’s back until their first molt.

Never attempt to dislodge the scorplings from the female’s back. There is a high chance she will eat them if you attempt this. Plus scorplings that are raised by the mother fare much better and are healthier overall.

The baby scorpions will eat small insects. Pinhead crickets, small waxworms, and freshly molted small mealworms are all acceptable food for scorplings.

Conclusion – Gravid pet scorpions

Scorpion breeding will occur naturally if you house a mating pair together. Keep an eye out for swollen, stretched abdomens as this is the best way to tell if your scorpion is expecting.

Think you want to start a scorpion family of your own? Backwater Reptiles has quite a selection of scorpions for sale. You may end up with a gravid pet scorpion of your own!

Whip Spider Care (Amblypygi sp.)

~ BackwaterReptiles

Wondering how to care for a Whip spider? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Whip spiders are arachnids also known by the name tailless whip scorpions. They belong to an order of arthropods named Amblypygi and are not to be confused with whip scorpions and vinegaroons, which are similar invertebrates that belong to a different order.

Although these arachnids are commonly known as tailless whip scorpions, they do earn their name, as they are indeed tailless. In fact, the word Amblypygi actually means “blunt rump” and refers to the fact that these animals don’t actually possess stinging scorpion tails or silk saks.

They do, however, have pinching pedipalps (AKA pinchers) that can grab your fingers if the scorpion feels threatened. But they aren’t venomous, nor are they usually aggressive, so they aren’t considered dangerous pets.

tailless whip spider care
Whip spiders are harmless, even though they might look rather intimidating. Caring for them as pets is very easy.

Tailless whip scorpions are flat, wide invertebrates with eight legs. Only six of these legs are actually used for walking and the scorpion has a somewhat sideways gait similar to that of a crab. The front appendages are modified into long, thin segmented feelers, which the scorpion uses to orient itself and find prey. These feelers, which just happen to resemble whips, are also what gives these arachnids their common name.

When their legs are not stretched out, most whip spiders will average around two to three inches in length. However, it has been reported that these scorpions can stretch out to make their leg span as long as twenty three inches.

Tailless Whip Spider Care

When it comes to feeding, tailless whip scorpions are sit and wait predators. They will patiently wait and feel around with their long “antennae” until they sense that prey is nearby. Once the scorpion detects that prey is close enough, it will pounce and grab the prey using its pinchers and immediately begin chewing.

In the wild, whip spiders are insectivores primarily. In captivity, we give ours meals of crickets, roaches, and occasional wax worms. Sometimes, if your whip spider isn’t too shy, you can even get it to accept an insect from tongs.

amblypygi
A close up of the whip spider shows its pincers that it uses to snatch prey.

Like all arachnids, whip spiders molt as they grow. However, unlike most spiders and scorpions, they require a place to hang from while molting. Most arachnids will molt on the ground, but whip spiders need a vertical space to hang from while they wriggle out of their old exoskeleton. Therefore, it is absolutely imperative that owners provide a surface that the scorpion can cling to in order to perform this behavior.

Directly following a molt, your whip spider will be a white or green color and will be far more vulnerable. This means that prey items such as crickets or roaches that can bite your whip spider need to be removed immediately from the cage if they are not eaten.

Believe it or not, prey can actually injure the whip spider while it is green or white. But not to worry – after a few days, your whip spider’s new exoskeleton will harden and you can resume feeding as normal.

Whip spiders are fairly active arachnids, so we recommend a decent sized enclosure. A ten gallon tank should suffice for a single scorpion, but if you add additional house mates, a larger home will obviously be required.

As previously mentioned when molting was discussed, be sure to have multiple angled surface with various textures that your scorpion can cling to and hang from while molting. And as far as substrate is concerned, anything that holds moisture will do just fine. We recommend coconut fiber, peat moss, or organic potting soil.

Be sure to maintain high humidity levels in your whip spider’s enclosure. These are animals that are naturally found in wet caves with naturally collecting water. They need humidity to thrive and go through proper molting.

A good way to maintain humidity is to mist your whip scorpion’s enclosure. This is also helpful because the scorpions won’t drink from a standing water dish, but they will drink water that has naturally collected on cage décor.

tailless whip scorpion
Notice the long “feelers” on the tailless whip scorpion that help it detect prey.

Caring for Tailless Whip Spiders – Conclusion

We think that whip spiders make excellent pets and are simple to care for, especially for people who want an arachnid but don’t want to be bitten by a spider or stung by a scorpion.

Do Scorpions Glow in the Dark?

~ BackwaterReptiles

Did you know that scorpions can glow in the dark underneath a black light?

It’s true! Nearly all scorpions will glow a purple, blue, green, or white-ish color when exposed to an ultraviolet or black light in the dark. Below we’ll use one of our our scorpions as an example.

Do scorpions glow in the dark?
This Asian Forest Scorpion (Heterometrus longimanus) fluoresces a purplish white color.

Juvenile and freshly-molted scorpions don’t glow in the dark however. This is because their exoskeletons have not yet had time to develop enough to produce the unknown substance that causes the glowing.

Heterometrus longimanus
Here is a photo of the same Asian Forest Scorpion pictured above without the blacklight.

Interestingly enough, scientists are not 100% sure what causes scorpions to glow or what the purpose or advantage the glowing gives to the scorpion. All that is known is that the substance is found in a very thin layer of the scorpion’s cuticle known as the hyaline layer and that as the exoskeleton hardens, the fluorescence is brighter.

It has been hypothesized that scorpions glow under blacklight for multiple reasons. Some believe it’s so that they can find other scorpions – scorpions have pretty poor eyesight plus they already blend in very well with their desert surroundings.

Others have said it’s to protect the scorpion from the sun – i.e. it’s a form of sunscreen. However, this doesn’t hold up as scorpions tend to come out at night. It’s even been suggested that the glowing is just a fluke of nature and actually serves no purpose at all.

Scorpion under blacklight
Here’s one of our scorpions under a blacklight.

The most recent research that has been done on the subject comes from California State University archeologist Carl Kloock. He believes that because scorpions dislike the light, they use the UV levels as a way to know whether or not they want to come out to hunt. Apparently, when there are more UV rays present, scorpions tend to stay in hiding and be less active than if it’s darker.

Backwater Reptiles has all kinds of scorpions for sale if you are interested in checking out this neat trait for yourself! We also sell blacklights specially designed for getting your pet scorpion to glow in the dark! Just use the drop-down menu on any of our scorpion pages to purchase one.

Don’t miss our other scorpion-related articles, including:

What’s the Longest Scorpion in the World?

~ BackwaterReptiles

Have you ever wondered what the longest scorpion in the world is? If so, you’ve come to the right place because we’re not only going to unveil which species is the largest scorpion in the world, but we’ll also touch on some interesting facts about it, including how to care for it in captivity.

What's the longest scorpion in the world?
Meet the Flat Rock Scorpion (Hadogenes troglodytes), the longest scorpion in the world.

The Flat Rock Scorpion (Hadogenes troglodytes) is in fact the longest scorpion in the world. It might not qualify as the biggest in terms of overall body and limb size, but from pincer to tail tip, it is the longest. While it’s very common for the Flat Rock scorpion to be five to six inches long, it can actually can reach a length of up to eight inches!

Found only in Africa, this species of scorpion got its name from its body shape, which is long, flat, and segmented. This makes it ideal for squeezing into tiny crevices between rocks where it likes to make its home.

Large Flat-rock scorpion
Here is a top view of the flat rock scorpion showing how flat and long its body shape really is.

Like all scorpions, the flat rock eats insects. In captivity, they should be fed crickets, roaches, and other appropriately-sized invertebrates. A small water dish should also be provided.

Because flat rock scorpions are ground-dwellers, their cage should have more horizontal space over vertical space. A substrate that mimics that of their natural environment, such as sand, is ideal, coupled with some rocks and hiding crevices.

These scorpions make good pets for both novices and experienced hobbyists due to the fact that they are overall fairly docile with a sting that is very low in toxicity. Although they can sting, they are slow (at least for a scorpion) and would generally rather hide than sting their handler.

Flat Rock Scorpion Pincers
Even the pincer claws on the flat rock scorpion are flatter than the average scorpion’s claws.

Backwater Reptiles has flat rock scorpions for sale. If you’re lucky, maybe yours will grow to hold the next record for longest scorpion in the world!

How to Pick Up a Scorpion

~ BackwaterReptiles

Ever wondered how to pick up a scorpion? Any pet that lives in a contained environment, whether it’s a traditional glass tank, a specialty vivarium, or even a wire or mesh cage, will need its enclosure cleaned from time to time. Because this is also true of venomous pet scorpions, this blog entry will demonstrate how to pick up and handle your scorpion when the time comes to remove it from its enclosure.

First of all, most people who keep scorpions as pets are aware that these invertebrates are not domesticated animals and are generally best left to their own devices. Scorpions are not pets that should be handled, petted, or otherwise coddled like traditional pets. They do best when observed and not disturbed. In other words, Backwater Reptiles does not recommend taking your scorpion out of its enclosure unless it’s necessary for the animal’s health.

When you pick up your scorpion, grab it at the tip of the tail just beneath the stinger using your index finger and thumb. This will prevent the animal from whipping its tail and injecting you with venom.

how to pick up a scorpion
Use two fingers to firmly yet gently grip the tip of the scorpion’s tail when attempting to move the animal. We squeeze on either side, just below the stinger.

Once you have a firm but not too tight grasp on the tip of the scorpion’s tail, gently but efficiently lift the animal up and transfer it to your desired destination. Be aware that the animal will more than likely wriggle, so it’s wise to move quickly for your own safety and to eliminate stressing the scorpion.

Bulky and hefty scorpions such as the Asian Forest Scorpion (Heterometrus longimanus) or the Emperor Scorpion (Pandinus imperator) are easiest to move using the two finger grab method because in general they are slower and less feisty than other species.

If you’re dealing with a species such as the Desert Hairy Scorpion (Hadrurus arizonensis) that tend to be rather aggressive, we advise using tongs or tweezers. This is because when the scorpion species is more agile, it can reach around with its front pedipalps or pincer claws and pinch your fingers, which is not a pleasant experience.

Handling a scorpion
Use tongs or tweezers when picking up feisty scorpion species such as this Desert Hairy Scorpion. Their claws can reach back above them.

If you’re interested in a pet scorpion of your own, Backwater Reptiles offers a variety of scorpion species for sale.

Have you developed any tricks for picking up your pet scorpion that we didn’t mention? Let us know your experiences in the comments!