Worried about the future of my hobby

Hi Everyone,

Every so often articles like this appear:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/lincolnshire/hi/people_and_places/newsid_9391000/9391589.stm

When I read these things I get very concerned incase our scorpion keeping days are numbered.

Scorpions are my number 1 hobby and they are my favourite animal. If they were banned from being kept in captivity I would be so gutted.

I live in Northern Ireland which is part of the United Kingdom and every now and then articles like the above crop up.

Extremely worried!

Fact: The RSPCA don't know anything about scorpions, or any inverts for that matter.

To them, if it has a stinger, claws, and is slightly anti-social, it's dangerous. Dangerous ones being sent by mistake happens so rarely it's of little concern to hobbyists or importers. Knowing your source is key, and I'd say most of us know our sources.

I wouldn't worry yourself about it.

Yeah they haven't got a clue what they're on about. Scorpions are probably the most suited "pet" to live in a tank at home because they do just that, live within the tank unlike most things that are just kept in them. Also with a hands off approach they're no more dangerous then the bees in you'r garden. They're just using scorpions to fear monger about exotics in general.

Poisonous scorpions, yeah OK

JamieLawrence wrote:

Yeah they haven't got a clue what they're on about. Scorpions are probably the most suited "pet" to live in a tank at home because they do just that, live within the tank unlike most things that are just kept in them. Also with a hands off approach they're no more dangerous then the bees in you'r garden. They're just using scorpions to fear monger about exotics in general.

Poisonous scorpions, yeah OK

Totally agree, I just posted a reply to this in the DWA topic so won't do it again lol

Seriously, other animals cause more damage and more harm than scorpions. I'm talking about human attacks/injuries, property damage, unmanageable population explosions, maintenance costs, etc. of other, more popular animals. They've blown things out of proportion for such a small critter!

H. laoticus wrote:

Seriously, other animals cause more damage and more harm than scorpions. I'm talking about human attacks/injuries, property damage, unmanageable population explosions, maintenance costs, etc. of other, more popular animals. They've blown things out of proportion for such a small critter!

Yep, I bet there have been more dog attacks on humans than any other animal! Yet were atoll allowed to keep them, in fact how many dogs have killed baby's and small children over the last couple of years quite a few that I've heard on the news in the uk...... Hmmm not heard if any scorpion fatalities

To be honest I don't think anyone has ever died from a scorpion in the UK. Unfortunately the damage has already been done here by articles like these and such. It seem 99% of people I talk to about scorpions that don't really know about them think they are lethal and dangerous, people seem to think it's common knowledge that scorpions are deadly. If only they knew their dogs are more of a risk.

I'm more worried about the past of our hobby that brought on the ban of all buthids.

Thanks everyone for reassuring me. Your right, the RSPCA don't have a clue about scorpions. I have also found this to be the case with any exotic pet stores I visit here in Northern Ireland. Shame.

Anyway hopefully the law will not be changed to include all scorpions. Lets hope though that it is changed for the better and remove buthids from the list that are not deadly, and only keep those which are.

+1 to you guys.

Btw I've read this somewhere:

"Think about this:

In one year,

67, people are killed by lightning.

More then 1,000 are killed by horses.

And over 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs.

Only 5 are killed by exotic animals

Why hate them? "

GS wrote:

+1 to you guys.

Btw I've read this somewhere:

"Think about this:

In one year,

67, people are killed by lightning.

More then 1,000 are killed by horses.

And over 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs.

Only 5 are killed by exotic animals

Why hate them? "

Is that in the world?

I'd love to keep lightening as a pet lol
And I HATE horses with a passion 1000 killed by them in one year! Why would u want o go anywhere near one!

Horses scare the crap out of me. Even Superman wasn't invulnerable against them!

Once again someone trying to stop something who hasnt got a clue what they are on about.
''They were little when they got them and they grow to about three inches long and they've got quite a good sting on them then. They don't make good pets." This did make me chuckle a little bit and its annoying when it came from someone who has done alot of good but shows they havent really got much of a clue about this particular group of animals. I totally agree with Jamies comment above, scorpions are definately one of the MOST suitable animals to keep in a tank. They adapt well to captivity, they are not messy or dirty so maintenence is minimal and you rarely if ever have to handle them so the risk of being stung is very, very low.

I do partly agree with there being a problem with some people buying exotic animals that they havent got a clue about. A certain large chain of pet stores branching out into reptiles is a good example. Bearded dragons being sold en mass with inappropriate housing and bad advice and then being dumped on animal shelters or put up for sale after a few months. Has anyone had a look in their local admag recently? 2 bearded dragons, 3foot viv for sale is one of the most common ads in the exotic pet section. It really winds me up every time I see it and I can see why this may infuriate the RSPCA and other animal shelters.
My opinion is that scorpions are not a particularly popular or common pet and most people who keep them are enthusiasts who know how to provide safe and appropriate care. I have never once heard in local or national news of a pet scorpion hospitalising a person. Plus its not like any of us here have easy or cheap access to any actually dangerous scorpions due to the DWA act. Why try and stop something that a tiny minority of the UK enjoy so much as a hobby.
I've not had a good rant in ages haha lol

H. laoticus wrote:

Horses scare the crap out of me. Even Superman wasn't invulnerable against them!

LMAO!!! I have thought the same thing for years about Superman!

It is rather unfortunate that the article referred to is being taken the way it has. Honestly, the people that dropped off their scorpions at the animal refuge should be commended because instead of releasing their scorps into the wild, which would cause further problems with complaints of species introduction, has done exactly what the place was intended for - REFUGE ANIMALS!

For real though, even if a dangerous scorpion was turned into one of these places, it's not like a meerkat who gets used to being fed then cannot fend for itself or some jabber crap like that, but in all simplicity a scorpion is still an insect that can be returned to the wild if need be in it's place of origin. Whether it's in a cage or not, it can still sting the piss out of you when you get near it...it doesn't cuddle up with you at night...and I am almost certain someone would pay the shipping charges to the country the scorp came from in order to release it.

It really sounds like over there someone just needs to step up and preach about responsibility...not anyone in an official position, just a normal average joe who can take time to start their own organization. If you can simply go out and buy or order online, so can that guy that lives down the road, who is an idiot, not even responsible for his self, let alone a 'dangerous scorpion', yet he has just as much right as you to buy one and keep it...even if he is going to let it roam around his house and get out and sting a kid playing nearby.

Simply put, I don't own a gun, yet will stand up and riot if someone were to take my rights to own a gun away as would a lot of other people. If you were to educate some folks and have them stand behind you, even in a petition, you would get a lot further than simply sitting at home complaining behind a computer...seriously not trying to be mean here, I'm just stating the obvious. Actions speak louder than words.

As with the roaches in Florida, I can understand the concern of the government...they take into consideration the easiest approach, initially to ban an entire species, then some twit (in the article) discussing banning exotics altogether. However, this shouldn't be taken as an attack on exotic animal owners, but a push towards starting something. Regardless of which country anyone here resides in, the government is supposed to represent the interest of the people it governs, not dictate it. Were it not for idiots, then there would be no need for stupid crap like the DWA thing (no, I haven't read it). Honestly, making people obtain a license to house certain scorpions (if and only if there were incidents that severely deemed this necessary) might not be a bad thing...I just really don't think it should be as much $$$ or as much trouble as another user here has pointed out.

When stuff like this comes up I often think of all the stories I have heard here on news stations about some idiot who left the top of his boa constrictors cage open, then left the room for "only a minute", to come back in and find the boa has killed their 1 year old child. People need to be responsible! To be honest, if by some chance one of my scorps gotten out because I didn't stay on top of things and killed one of my children, I would personally request the death penalty myself because I know I would not be able to live with myself the rest of my life knowing there was something I had done that caused that to happen. While accidents do happen, so does idiocy. Educate the idiots and it might make life better for everybody.

[/rambling]

Ignorance like this realy realy annoys me.I hate the persecution of animals, such as snakes, spiders and scorpions. I can understand the 'primal' fear of scorpions but with a bit of knowledge someone can realy start to like creatures like these and hopefully gain an intrest in them. the quote that realy ticked me off though was "They don't make good pets.". Scorpions are possibly the lowest maintenance exotics i can think of!

i think dogs are more unpredictable and dangerous,who knows when a dog is going to snap,im more scared of a walking pair of teeth than a scorpion that just sits under his log all week and never moves,yes of course iff your stupid enough to annoy a dangerouse scorp then good luck,but its like everything you buy,take for instance a fast car,iff you drive it fast and take more risks your more than likely to get hurt,people use dogs as status symbols these days and even to solve gang fights and the government let people do it,i would love to have a tiger as a pet,i never will but iff i did i would make sure it had the best care and treated proper,i dont even tell people i have scorps mainly becouse its my buisiness and iff people want to judge they can have a good go but how can they judge something they know absolutely nothing about,scorpions have been found on the south coast of britain but i wish there were more wild ones here,i would have a house full iff it wasnt for my fiance who keep the numbers down,she hates spiders and creepy crawlies but will have two scorps in the front room......bizzare dont you think ???????