should i keep my giant desert hairy from burrowing?

I put him on excavation clay and havent seen him since. What if I just put him on plain sand that he couldnt really burrow in and get him a hide... would that cause him distress? I'm sick of having a glass bowl of dirt in my living room lol.

Thanks,

ive never owned one, but i dont see what it would hurt...

i think if you make sure the hide is dark...like a burrow, than it would be alright...
but im not 100% sure being that ive never owned one like i said

you need to allow burrowing... thats what scorpions are... holes...

It will probably stress him/her out not being able to burrow.

You should always allow a scorpion to hide or burrow, it's only natural.

I'm sure he would be OK if you gave him a hide if it was buried in the sand, its just that burrowing is more natural and apparently I read somewhere they will burrow to the right depth when they need to molt.

Well, you'll see him a lot more on plain sand. My friend does this and his scorp is always out. If you do this I suggest breaking some ceramic pots as hides for the scorpion. I don't know how this would affect the health of your scorpion though, but as stated, they are natural burrowers in the wild.

I think you just need to let them do there thing for a few days.. Eventually at night, he/her will come out and wonder around and it wont seem like hes just a pile of dirt... Its how they are.. if you dont like that you cant see them, then maybe a different invert?

To see your desert hairy act naturally, shut all the lights and wait awhile... you can drop in a cricket to entice it out.... they are burrowing wanderers (Pelophilous + Lapidocolous). Its really kewl to watch them scout their perimeter and chase after their quarry.... And man, of course you should let your desert hairy burrow... You might be lucky enough to get a cross-section if they dig right up to the glass... to get good results cover the glass at substrate level with opaque tape of cardboard.... oh man if you knew how cool burrowing scorpions are when they let you see their secret lives....

LXDNG79 wrote:

To see your desert hairy act naturally, shut all the lights and wait awhile... you can drop in a cricket to entice it out.... they are burrowing wanderers (Pelophilous + Lapidocolous). Its really kewl to watch them scout their perimeter and chase after their quarry.... And man, of course you should let your desert hairy burrow... You might be lucky enough to get a cross-section if they dig right up to the glass... to get good results cover the glass at substrate level with opaque tape of cardboard.... oh man if you knew how cool burrowing scorpions are when they let you see their secret lives....

yeah that must be awesome!

Yeah im thinking of retiring from scorpion keeping. I had an emp and now this guy and they are awesome when i see them but im getting fed up of having something that looks like an empty tank in my living room!

the_cannibal wrote:

Yeah im thinking of retiring from scorpion keeping. I had an emp and now this guy and they are awesome when i see them but im getting fed up of having something that looks like an empty tank in my living room!

Well, that's partially why I go the eextra mile on the habitats, down to getting them to burrow up to the glass if I could... at least its a spectacular looking empty tank lol... not that yours isn't ... but its still something to look at for me... if the scorp happens to bunkered in.... My Opistophthalmus is just like that.... I really have to lift the rock to see if he's doing ok.... lol....

not allowing burrowing is like not allowing us humans to put anything in our homes or make new rooms.

basically forces you into a living room. No one wants that let him burrow. they need it to molt anyway

I've never owned one but.... I'd say let him burrow away!

this thread is a prefect example of why H.arizonensis are not a good beginner sp.

just because they are big, cheap, and not dangerous doesn't make them optimal for the novice. their micro-habitat needs special attention, for molting, breeding et cetera. that being said they need to burrow. they are an under ground scorpion. it takes some one with experience to fully appreciate this scorpion.

not trying to be rude, but this is how i see it. if its only a hole in the ground sell it and buy something of the centruoides genera. you can also get some V.spinigerus if you really want a terrestrial, they are obligate burrowers, but they are semi communal so you can keep a few at a time and have a better chance at viewing one outside of a burrow.

isn't the saying " a happy scorpion, is a hidden scorpion"
i swear people dont realise scorpions are noctournal creatures anyway
personally i think of it as more of a treat when they come out and you havent seen them in a few days. if you think of your scorpion as a pet hole - or a tank of dirt, maybe make the enclosure more aesthetically pleasing to look at - sure some dirt and half a plantpot does the job - but its not as "wow" as some plants rocks logs bark and other natural items, i think thats half the joy of owning scorpions for me, recreating a natural looking environment

somebody said about the opistophthalmus - mine kinda dug a hole under some slate and sealed itself in - i thought its burrow had collapsed so picked the slate up, its just dug its way in shifted enough substrate then carried on digging inside so its created a wide deep hole with a slate lid - kinda placed itself in a self made bucket lol

daniel wrote:

isn't the saying " a happy scorpion, is a hidden scorpion"
i swear people dont realise scorpions are noctournal creatures anyway
personally i think of it as more of a treat when they come out and you havent seen them in a few days. if you think of your scorpion as a pet hole - or a tank of dirt, maybe make the enclosure more aesthetically pleasing to look at - sure some dirt and half a plantpot does the job - but its not as "wow" as some plants rocks logs bark and other natural items, i think thats half the joy of owning scorpions for me, recreating a natural looking environment

somebody said about the opistophthalmus - mine kinda dug a hole under some slate and sealed itself in - i thought its burrow had collapsed so picked the slate up, its just dug its way in shifted enough substrate then carried on digging inside so its created a wide deep hole with a slate lid - kinda placed itself in a self made bucket lol

I think you nailed it Daniel... I can't explain why I like scorpions... My admiration for them was founded on curiosity as a child, staring a t photographs and wondering how this seemingly alien creature moves and behaves... a fascination that grew as the years go by I learned more about their natural history, ecology, evolutionary biology and morphological adaptations. Its almost like paying tribute to a creature whose design has persevered the test of time; a review mirror into primeval life; other than but not excluding the savagery of their predatory nature of which constitutes a small part of their magnificence as a representative form of life on this planet... strange yet beautiful... none of which has much to do with the widely perceived notion that one may seem impressionable amongst other for their affinity with a creature typically shrouded in fear and caution; implicating distinguished skill, ability, or celestial power the particular individual is enigmatically endowed with....

...in fact, I'll gladly admit that I don't own my scorpions... my scorpions own me!...

Can you create a burrow under the sand, against the glass for them? Or do they pick their own spot? I was thinking of making a burrow out of half pipe against glass so i could see him. Would he see the entrance and go in?

With ours we made a starter burrow ( just a small hole in the sand) then she just carried it on digging further, but they will generally just dig wherever they want if they don't like yours, like our Scorpio maurus they started using the burrows I made but have now dug vertical burrows in the corners which I find weird they sit with their claws just at the entrance as if waiting for prey to walk over the hole to grab ( which they have done a few times)

(off topic I know but interesting to me) my S. maurus does the same. It's made a maze of tunnels but sits at the entrance of a vertical burrow against the back wall of the tank. It sits against the glass though so technically it sits at the entrance upside down. maybe a pic is needed

me and my fiance was discussing this the other day and had wondered if anyone else had documented this (as there seems to be relativly little in the way of info on most scorpions)
hmmm maybe we should make a new thread and see if anyone else has noticed this odd (maybe normal) behaivour, ours is kinda as if its sat up on its tail sort of thing will get a pics later if its at the entrance...interesting stuff

LXDNG79 wrote:

Well, that's partially why I go the eextra mile on the habitats, down to getting them to burrow up to the glass if I could... at least its a spectacular looking empty tank lol... not that yours isn't ... but its still something to look at for me... if the scorp happens to bunkered in.... My Opistophthalmus is just like that.... I really have to lift the rock to see if he's doing ok.... lol....

+1 WELL SAID! For me designing and building the enclosures has become just as much a part of the hobby as keeping scorpions in them. During the day when the scorpions are hiding, you still have a stunning natural habitat display.