Ok, so I left the LPS manager a list of desirable species which should be a bit easier to look after than my emp. This means desert species or species that require less humidity than emps. The following were my choices, in no particular order.

There is just one specific requirement : I want a species that will be comfy in a medium kritter keeper.

So anyways, on with my picks...

Androctonus australis

Babycurus jacksoni

Hadrurus arizonensis

Leiurus quinquestriatus

Parabuthus transvaalicus

Centruroides sculpturatus

Now I know all those buthids are questionnable at most, but I definitely don't plan on handling or doing any transfers once its in the keeper. And I'll be making full use of my long tweezers for maintenance. The following vid gave a great method to use for cleaning a tank/keeper with a hot species.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hHuNAq4IV4

I,m already leaning more towards H. arizonensis, but I could get any of those buthds for cheap, which would do best in the enclosure mentionned above ?

Feel free to mention any concerns or reccomendations.

Of course, I'd only "enjoy" the buthids from a viewing point only. But what can I say... there is something that just draws me to those species and if I remain as cautious as I already am with my rosie and emp (I treat them both like hots even tho they're far from it!), I believe I can handle real hots too !

I'd go with the desert hairy. I saw one for the first time IRL the other week at the pet store and I was amazed by the beauty of it! They look awesome on black sand. They're also pretty big!

Save the buthids for later

i second that dessert hairys although not a dangerous sp. are a nice size and aggreive towards prey.


good luck with the choice

I thought as much that buthids should wait...

Thing is... I don't want a tiny scorpion that is communal. I only keep one animal per enclosure. So the barks are out of the list for now. Currently my emp is housed in a 5 gal tank by itself, the rosehair which was in the now empty medium keeper has a large kritter keeper now. I had mistakenly bought a medium keeper thinking it was the largest since they didn't have anything bigger at the time. I knew something was wrong since the hide and water dish took nearly all the space.

So now, while I could buy another large kritter keeper for H. arizonensis... I thought I could make use of the medium while it's empty.

Hoffimanus/Vaejovis... I'll have to look into those... as long as it doesn't need any extra humidity like the emp... I'd take anything.

Here's another one that has been popping up in my mind.... Smeringurus mesaensis... how about that one instead of H. arizonensis ?

I had considered a Hadogenes briefly... but I'd rather get a "stinger" this time around.

I'll do a bit of more research before contacting my guy... but yeah.... I guess it's best to lay off the buthids for a bit.

Thanks for those suggestions, Rasputin ! Greatly appreaciated =)

I myself like the the Hottentotta sp. and i keep 2 Rhopalurus Junceus in seperate small critter keepers comfortably as well. Those would be the two I would go for, not too big but big enough and cool lookin.

Vaejovis spinigerous was reclassified last year as Hoffimanus spinigerous (not everyone has take to the new classification, myself included - so you can expect to find it almost everywhere as V. spinigerous or "striped devil tail"), it's the most common Vaejovid in the hobby and quite easy to maintain - but it is a little smaller than say, C. vittatus.

I've never worked with S. mesaensis but have always liked the species. I never got any because I tend look at them as a flightier H. arizonensis lite and they haven't captured my interest enough to dedicate myself to much more than a basic knowledge.

Don't be so quick to pass on the C. vittatus, it has both mesic and xeric forms. This is a species that has been found in some of the dryest and hottest climates of southern Texas as well as frozen in transit for 2mo (but alive) after hitching a ride on a fossil in northern Utah. Sure they're communal, Centruroides have that tendency. They aren't too small but aren't too big.

I watched that vid on youtube that you linked and I'll be the first here to say that that guy is a rank amateur.

So, at any rate, back on topic and such. Ahem. Okay, I think I'm good. So, this is where I do a show and tell (I've posted these here before for those of you active a yr and a half ago):

First image is of how I keep individual bark scorps (mind you, there was more of my substrate mix than initially intended and it was a little moist but I took care of that after the pic had already been taken - it was more to show the housing):


The next one kinda shows the way I kept my vitti colony (I don't know where all the rest of the pix of the entire enclosure went):


You want stingy...but safe?:

I've looked at the caresheet for C. vittatus on this site.... woah ! It's exactly the same conditions as my rosehair. Can live at room temp and one will be happy in the medium keeper. Now I'm sold on this species... and I get a buthid afterall =P

Just one thing remains.... how long do these generally live ?

Ok guys, cool it down.

As for the original question, of the options listed, I'd suggest H. arizonensis as well. Large, not too large for a medium KK in my opinion, plenty feisty with prey, and not dangerous to humans.

Ras, do you have a citation for that lifespan of C. vittatus? I've never heard of barks living more than a few years.