A word of caution.

Hmmm,

ever thought, ''ah scorpions can't climb up glass, it'll never be able to reach that little gap''????

Don't because it will!! Well if it is an adult Nebo hierichonticus it will.

This is the Nebo that snuck into its neighbours half the other week. I put this down to it burrowing under the partition that has a 1cm gap between it and the tank bottom. I was wrong.

I have had a few scorpions in this converted fish tank and none have ever escaped or shown signs of getting anywhere near the the top of the tank. Even when fully outstretched an adult O. glabrifrons was still at least 7'' off reaching the top of the glass. The tank has a lid but because it is an old fish tank there are a couple of little spaces for filter and lighting wires to slot through.

Well, because of my idiotic complacency I now have a N. hierichonticus running around the house. We have ripped apart the whole upstairs of the house to no avail. I have ordered a UV torch, which by the way is awesome, it works upto 20ft away. Nightly searches of the house have revealed nothing. Oh well actually, that's a lie. We found the wrong scorpion under a bit of peeled wallpaper!! I had not seen it for a while and so took its enclosure apart. All I found was one verrrrry fat scorpion so I put the other ones absence down to cannibalism. Thinking back, the scorpion must have been hidden on the bark I removed whilst searching for it and made a break for freedom.

Anyway my point is, I have messed up big time. Don't ever assume your scorpion won't escape. Make sure every tank has a tight fitting, weighted or locked lid. This was my only tank with a crap lid and a scorpion found the way out. Make sure you locate every scorpion in a tank before you start removing stuff. I normally always do but I did this at 1 am when I was tired and not fully alert.
This is the first time I have made a mistake and I hope it is the last. I'm lucky i'm still allowed to live in this house haha. I wouldn't feel so bad if I lived alone and it was just me that had to deal with the problem but if any of my family gets stung I will feel terrible.

This particular species luckily isn't 'deadly' but its sting apparently packs a pretty decent whack and its venom is hemotoxic so could leave a nice little mess wherever it gets you. My main worry is we have a dog and I'm sure a sting really isn't going to do her any good.

Anyway, I'm telling you lot this so you can go ''god Callum's an idiot, I'm never going to use crap lids or mess about with scorpions at 1am like he did'' hahaha

Lol, aye. Little ones can also climb up the silicone used to seal the sides together in a tank... Always have a top, and know where your holes are :-)

Lighter specimens will be able to climb the limestone residues in the glass (if you've been misting with water with high limestone contents).

Well by the looks of things, big ones can also climb up silicone in the corners aswell lol. Thats the only way that it could have possibly got out.

We are lucky and have very soft tap water here. Plus I only use water that has been boiled so I get very little, if any, residue on the glass. Saves having to wipe the glass down when the water evaporates off the glass.

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Plus I only use water that has been boiled so I get very little, if any, residue on the glass. Saves having to wipe the glass down when the water evaporates off the glass.

Alternatively you could try and do what i do...I buy a 15 liter container of de-mineralised water which can be brought from most tank stations or chemists for very little money...Absolutely no chalk residue..guaranteed and because i mostly have desert or temperate species, it lasts for a very long time...

But that costs money haha.

Just a thought, stemming from my fish knowledge. Is de-mineralised water good for scorpions?? I know when ever we used RO water you can't put fish straight into it. You either have to mix it back with some tapwater (to return some of the minerals etc) or add the desired minerals, tannins, salts etc yourself. 'Pure' water or water lacking in any minerals and salts is really not good for fish. They will not be able to osmoregulate their body and will die. Obviously fish live in water, scorpions don't and in the case of desert species, rarely come into contact with it outside of their prey.

I absolutely don't know how de-mineralised water will effect scorpions, if it would at all, but it was just a thought lol.

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But that costs money haha.

yes it does although the cost is absolutely minimal...we're talking peanuts really...plus, here in northern Germany we have very hard water...it doesn't really matter how much i boil it, i'm never going to get rid of all the chalk. Boiling is only reasonably effective if your water is already very soft.

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I absolutely don't know how de-mineralised water will effect scorpions, if it would at all, but it was just a thought lol.

I had been using it for years when i first got into scorpions and i wouldn't consider using anything less now. I got the tip of another who had also been using it for years..It's totally safe whether it's for drinking or spraying..The amounts my scorps will drink is probably much less than 0.001 of a millilitre and for spraying i simply wouldn't use anything else....There's absolutely nothing to worry about and .. you can't compare fish with scorpions..

Yer, I knooow lol. I was just checking and I'm talking crap to avoid doing uni work lol.

I couldn't live in an area that has hard water. It's horrible tasting. I love our peaty, soft water from the Peak District lol.

Callum B wrote:

Hmmm,

ever thought, ''ah scorpions can't climb up glass, it'll never be able to reach that little gap''????

I have......... three times. First was a C. gracilis that somehow climbed the plastic and escaped through one of the slots in the "kritter keeper" lid.
I found it. So yeah kritter keepers and small Centouroides = escaped scorpion.

Then the same scorpion escaped again, but this time through a air hole that I melted into the lid of the container I was using. I found it, again. How did I find it? I followed a trail of dead insects, and one spider that was twitching uncontrollably. Then I found the scorpion, munching on a cricket that somehow also escaped.

The worst time was when my H. madraspatensis escaped after molting into 3rd instar. I thought there was know way it could escape. Well, it did. Again, somehow climbed the platic and escaped through one of the ventalation slots in the "kritter keeper" lid. It was never found.

NEVER use small "kritter keepers" to house young scorpions. If any of you have young scorpions (2nd to 4th instar depending on the sp. and the size of the scorpion) in "krittter keepers" Find a new enclosure ASAP.
"Kritter Keepers" are fine for adults though.