Dune Scorpion Care Help

Hey guys I'm new here and I just recently got a Dune Scorpion like a week or two ago. I picked it up at a local reptile show. The guy I bought it from said that it doesn't need a heat lamp, but from what I have read online it appears that they need to be in temperatures of like 90 degrees. He also said that this dirt stuff is good substrate but from what I have read online it appears they like sand. Furthermore he said they don't need water dishes as they get their moisture from their food (crickets). Is any of this accurate? Can anyone help me out or direct me an accurate care sheet?

I bred this species years ago at a time when S. mesaensis was considered "difficult" and in fact my avatar shows the original mother....They weren't difficult at all
Ok, your questions...Heat lamp, heat pads or ceramics is up to you but if you live somewhere that doesn't have a relatively high ambient temperature, then you are going to need something that'll spot/area warm a section of the enclosure to approx 35C with the temps dropping off to 25-28C at the edges. Leave the heated area uncluttered or maybe just a single flat stone and position hides around the cooler areas. Make sure there is good ventilation to stop temperatures building up if the heat source is placed within the enclosure (small hanging halogen for example)...A temperature drop of 10C or so during nightfall is ok..

Many people believe that Smeringurus mesaensis lives on sand and it does kinda .. but if you use consolidated sand you'll find they will dig short burrows and use those instead of ground based hides....especially females. The common name of dune scorpion should maybe not be taken to literally. It's true they are adapted to moving over loose material with their "hairy feet" that stop them sinking in the sand as well as acting as amplifiers that pick up surface vibrations but if given the choice to burrow or not to burrow, they'll almost always burrow. If they can't burrow they'll simply dig a scrape under a bit of surface furniture........bin the dirt mate!

If your animal is adult female it will get all of it's moisture from the prey it captures. Adult males can receive a supplement in the form of a small piece of damp moss placed in the coolest area of his enclosure for a 2 night period (after which it's removed) every 1 or 2 months......Juveniles can be treated as males.
This specie is another one of those that are quite susceptible to mycosis so don't get tempted to introduce a water bowl. Standing water is not necessary for this specie and could actually be dangerous. I never misted mine either and had no dehydration problems whatsoever despite me receiving a gravid female, raising her young to adult and then mating some of her young before selling the specie off........So, basically they are an easy night active species as long as you respect their heat and humidity requirements.

Oh yeh, i don't know if you've already done it but try searching for Smeringurus mesaensis instead of dune scorpion...I'm sure there must be plenty of info about for this species....although (chuckles) ignore everything that doesn't jive with mine

I don't have time to read what Den wrote but take his advice. I'm live in cali and I'm keeping mine at room temp. Not as active and slows down there metabolism but the can live "ok" in 75+ degrees but ideally you want to raise up the temps to at least mid 80's. For my set up before I turned off the heat I just hat a heat mat on the side of the tank it raised the temp of one side to 87F.

OK thanks guys. I will go about putting him/her in a tank with a heat lamp. How do I tell if its a male or female? I will switch the substrate later tonight.

Also the guy I bought it from handled easily without getting stung. Any tips on handling without getting stung?

Another edit, is it OK to grab them by the tail to move them?

It's quiet easy to sex adult animals if you have a few to compare. S. mesaensis males like so many males of other species exhibits the general dimorphic traits of a slimmer body and bulkier chela. Being new to scorps and only having one though makes that kinda tough.......but you're in luck....there's no overlap in pectine count. Males have 31-39 while females have 21-27.....in fact you can easily see how the pectines of males stick well out from under the body.
Not just that, the last metasomal segment is slightly longer in males than females...a little ala centruroides spp.


I'll give you no tips on handling though because i see it as unnecessary and counter productive to giving my scorps as much of a human related stress free existence as possible....If i need to move my scorpions i'll use a stick to coerce the scorp into a small container. Once in i can move the scorp around wherever i want without risking dropping it, being stung or damaging the scorp in any way.

Den has a point, everyone feels cool holding a scorp but it's not something we advocate. These are "pets" they don't need to be handled and it causes stress to the scorp as well as putting yourself and your specimen in danger.