Oh man

Well.... talked with the guy today... he called up his supplier(whom admittedly does not deal in latin names only common ones ) and currently all they've got are Florida Barks (C. gracilis, right ?) , LQs and "some" species of Androctonus.... they have no clue which I should say it's surprising they didn't mess up with the Emp and sent an AFS by mistake

All are priced at 50$ CAD, which seems ridiculous since my Emp was 25$ (Even that is a bit expensive).

I could turn my back on the guy, but it would be very bad business to do so after he actually looked up what he could get. So regardless of species, I'll double tank and go in with tweezers only. So.... of those 3, which has the least chances of actually getting out of the kritter keeper provided I fill up about less than half the tank with substrate ?

And more importantly, of these 3 species, which has the longest lifespan ?

Guess I'll have to wait for H. arizonensis when it pops back onto the list next year.

Guh

Still.... part of me really wants that LQ... not because of its potency but rather for ease of care( by this, I mean not having to worry about the humidity like with the emp.) and seeing how I treat the rosie and emp with utmost respect... I doubt it would be any diffrent with an LQ. Granted I know it's not a species to be taken lightly and am well aware of the consequences of an accidental sting. Common sense should dictate that as long as I don't put my hand in the container, I shouldn't get stung.... unless it manages to escape somehow.

But if I can get something better and cheaper, I'm all ears.

1) There's nothing "better" about L. quinquestriatus, it doesn't really look interesting or do anything interesting; the only thing it has going for it is the LD50/50 rating of its venom and the last 2 metasomal segments - that's all that makes this scorpion the least bit intriguing to someone that's not in it for the science end of keeping the most venomous scorp.

2) Never assume it's easy to take care of a scorp because it's from an arid region; if anything, it's that much more complex. Think: it is a desert species, you get a juvie, how do you get it to molt if it's just sitting on sand because you've learned that it only needs an RH of 15% according to LKR, 2008? Or maybe you read all the sheets that say to keep it between 60-70% RH, how do you prevent a deadly case of mycosis in this process of juggling variable RH from variable "reliable" sources (LKR is the Lq king but still for the sake of this exhortation...we'll make him a variable and if anyone wants a copy of the paper he wrote last year, let me know)?

If anything, I hate P.imps but if given the choice between an Lq and a P.imp as a "pet," I'll go with the latter because it's easier to deal with, husbandry is more plug and play, I don't have to worry about what may happen if I get stung when handling it and, well, the damn things are more interesting. Lqs are about the most boring scorp in observation; I kid you not, the temptation to pick one up and hold it was there solely for the sake of something interesting possibly happening (no way, I never picked up anything past a 3 with bare hands. I'm fast and have a really good immune system but I would rather not chance it).

That is my food for thought...for now.

I want to thank you for these points, they are definitely valid. But I'll be honest here... either of the 3 have one trait I really want in a scorp : they always sting their prey unlike the emperor who simply crushes it a bit and chows down.

I may be in the wrong here, but hear me out.... here is my reasoning...

Bark scorps tend to be semi-arboreal or arboreal from what I've read, which makes me think they'd probably get the best chances of escape since they are adapted to climb, so it's out. The Fat Tail scorps tend to deliver a lot of venom in a sting, so that one is also out. This leaves the LQ, which I've read on various forums that is pretty easy to contain since it's a poor climber and doesn't always deliver a "wet" sting, some often choose to double cage it (I plan to do this) for extra precautions.

Something I noticed on prices not only here but various forums, they get pricier as they get older. So there is a very good chance I might get an adult LQ so I won't have to worry about molting issues. *crossing fingers*

I realize this is a very high step up in "difficulty", but since I definitely don't plan on handling it or transferring it once it's in the container, I honestly believe I can handle this as long as I stay alert at all times while dealing with it.

In all the 8 months I've had my rosea so far, I've never been bitten once. I've learned to read its body language and if I get a semi-threat pose when attempting to clean, I just shut the cover and leave her be to try at a later day. I doubt it would be so diffrent from a scorpion... if I see it open its pincers and trying to sting the tweezers, I'd guess that means it doesn't want to be bothered.

My cents on this... Feel free to disagree, but I'm set on the LQ with all that I've mentionned above.

I'll be sure to be extra careful from Day 1, and I should stay on top since I've not messed up with either of my other critters, so why now ?

I get cb i2 Lqs for $10 us, that's about what $13 canadian? C. vittis of all ages for roughly $3 us. It's not because I'm in the divided states either, it's because I know people here and there - if I went through an importer I'd get screwed on the price too, it's all about working with breeders and collectors and I know there's more than a modicum of those in canada.

Ok guys...

I've contacted Tarantula Canada earlier today to inquire about getting H.az. I don't know if they'll be able to track one down, but I wouldn't mind getting one.

And about the LQ.... why am I catching "flak" when this guy didn't ? I realize it didn't get much attention a few months ago, but still... makes me wonder

It may be possible that he had experience on the tarantula side (OBT and such) but he doesn't refer to it. And in the thread title, he clearly states its his first scorp.

Sorry to be a bit annoying... I am quite the noob still, a G. rosea and a P. imperator can't be a whole lot of experience in this hobby anyway. But I still believe that I can care for an LQ responsibly given I have a pretty good habit of not allowing myself to be distracted when I work in an animal's enclosure. I go in with tweezers usually... I never get my bare hands in the tank/keeper unless the animal is on the opposite end of the tank and doesn't react when I open the top and start doing a bit of cleaning. But I'm not going to take those chances with the LQ.

Given the shipping estimates on TC and going by Mordax's H.az price range, the H.az and LQ will be roughly the same price overall. So if TC can't come through by wednesday next week... I'm going with the LQ. I already have a 5 Gal tank purchased to do the double cage bit. If I get the H. az, I'll just use the extra 5 gal for it. And the Med critter keeper could be used for something else. I'm thinking a Giant Vinegaroon (Mastigoproctus giganteus) as my next invert after the H. az/LQ.

oh nice, didn't realize your a brunswicker, half of my family lives in/near minto and fredricton and atm I wouldn't advise getting something shipped that would take longer than a day in our fall, know almost all of the contacts I know in Canada have stopped shipping anything already for the winter, probably for the best. Unfortunately almost had about 5 different species ready to go from france, bad timing though.

After more consideration, I've decided not to get an LQ or H. az for the time being. I tend to be easily addicted into any hobby I get into and I often lose control of myself and buy too much stuff that I can actually look after. And wanting an LQ so quickly after I got my emp was asking for trouble anyways. So I've decided to simply enjoy the rosie and the emp for now.

The extra 5 gal and medium kritter keeper ? They'll be put away for later use. So instead, I've decided to purchase a couple of books about inverts that I will certainly obtain in the future. They are both written by Orin McMonigle, whom I've enjoyed his book on vinegaroons and amlypygids, one is for giant centipedes and the other for scorpions, solifugids and pseudoscorpions.

Edit: I apologise if this had lead to nothing, but I think it's for the best that I stick with these two for now. I really need to buy a good camera so I can show you my super simple displays. Neither seems to care about the simplicity, that's the great thing about inverts, they don't complain at all :p