Scorpion Care: Desert Hairy Hadrurus arizonensis
Southwestern USA and Mexico
These are one of the best beginner scorpions to keep. They are very hardy and reach a decent size of 4-5 inches. These are native of the deserts in the Southwestern USA and Mexico. In the wild they construct deep burrows. Some older adults have been found as deep as 12 ft in rodent burrows. They have long lives...up to 20 years or more. They are one of the harder species to breed in captivity. There has been speculation that the precise humidity that is in their burrows is hard to reproduce in captivity making babies die.
Housing
They can be kept in kritter keepers, sterilite boxes or aquariums.
Substrate
Substrate can be sand, dry peat or potting soil that is free of fertilizers. If you plan to let the scorpion burrow it is recommended that 6-8 inches is used. You will also want to dampen the substrate then let it dry out completely before adding the scorp. Also, Bentonite can be added as this helps keep burrows from collapsing.
Many keepers (myself included) use around 3-4 inches of substrate and provide a hiding place. Thus not letting them burrow.
FEEDING
Crickets, roaches and other insects. Like many scorps they have a tendancy to gourge then go on long fasts. I feed mine either 2 small or 1 large cricket a week in order to keep it active.
TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY
Being a desert species, a dry enclosure is the best. Provide a water dish and that will be all they need. Keep the temperatures between 70-85F.
VENOM TOXICITY
On a scale from 1-5 they would be around 2. They have a fairly mild sting.
