Getting a desert hairy

I've been researching for a while and want to start by getting a desert hairy. I want to have the habitat set up first, and here is what I'm looking at.

- Exo Terra Glass Terrarium 12x12x12
- Exo Terra Desert Sand 10 Pounds
- Exo Terra Heat mat 8 watt

I wanted to know if this is enough for the basics.

Would 10 pounds be enough to give the box at least 4 inches of sand?

Also, I'm unclear on handling the scorpion with tweezers. Are there special kinds or other tools you should use?

Thanks

Go look in the caresheets section of this site i belive they have a care sheet for them.
or GS has a really good caresheet for desert species heres the link https://scorpionforum.darkbb.com/t7653-how-to-raise-desert-scorpions

beene38 wrote:

Go look in the caresheets section of this site i belive they have a care sheet for them.
or GS has a really good caresheet for desert species heres the link https://scorpionforum.darkbb.com/t7653-how-to-raise-desert-scorpions

Thanks for re-direction beene

Desert Hairy wrote:

I've been researching for a while and want to start by getting a desert hairy. I want to have the habitat set up first, and here is what I'm looking at.

- Exo Terra Glass Terrarium 12x12x12
- Exo Terra Desert Sand 10 Pounds
- Exo Terra Heat mat 8 watt

I wanted to know if this is enough for the basics.

Would 10 pounds be enough to give the box at least 4 inches of sand?

Also, I'm unclear on handling the scorpion with tweezers. Are there special kinds or other tools you should use?

Thanks

Research about IR heat lamps, there's been several threads on it and they are usually more recommended as compared to Heat mat/pads.

I'm not sure if 10 pound is sufficient. Btw, does much does it cost you per 10 pound pack?
For cheaper alternative, i will recommend using normal aquarium/play sand. If the keeper decides to make a firm sand substrate (e.g. sand/clay mix), clay can always be added.

For more info on Hadrurus arizonensis, you may wish to check out some of Richard's useful threads:

False-bottom-setup-for-hadrurus-arizonensis

Shebeen-s-hadrurus-arizonensis

For dealing of scorpions with tweezers, this link below might be helpful:

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/content.php?36-How-to-Safely-Transfer-Scorpions

The 12x12x12 Exo Terra terrarium is a nice looking and well built enclosure. I'm pretty happy with mine, but it does have a few minor drawbacks when used as a H. arizonensis enclosure.

1. It's just barely large enough to house single adult.

2. You can't place an IR lamp directly on the wire screen top because it has a plastic rib running down the middle that will melt. Not a problem if you have somewhere else to mount a lamp. I made a new top for my enclosure that I can set my lamp on.

3. The front doors are a nice feature but be sure to keep them latched. My Haddy had no problem pushing the doors open and escaping the one time I forgot to latch them.

4. Landscaping options are somewhat limited.

You're going to need more than 10lbs of sand. 12"x12"x4" of dry packed sand weighs 28lbs. Play sand from Lowes or Home Depot is much cheaper than sand from a LPS. You can get a 50lb bag for around $4. Mix your sand with excavator clay or Bentonite or "clay water" to allow tunneling.

If I were to redo my Exo Terra enclosure, I would place 1 inch of substrate in the front 1/3 of the tank and slope it steeply to a height of 8 inches, basically imitating a steep hillside. I would make the slope almost vertical so the back half of the tank has 8 inches of substrate. A couple pieces of slate or terra cotta embedded into the hillside would provide scrapes.

You want to keep the front 1/3 of the tank shallow because your Haddy is going to burrow like there's no tomorrow and all that excavated sand has to go somewhere. If you don't leave enough room at the front of the enclosure, you'll have sand leaking out the air vents below the doors.

I hope this helps and good luck. Keep us posted on your progress.