"HOTS" and the risk involved (revised)

A lot of us collect them, and a lot of know what we are doing, some of us may not be as expierienced, and might have some questions regarding some of the potential risks of collecting venomous species.

Lets start with antivenin (antivenom) and possible envenomation:
-are you allergic? Is there a possibility that you might be allergic?
If you are, and are envenomated, anaphylactic shock becomes a huge concern as your body can react violently to the foreign proteins(venom) causing organs to fail.
What kind of venom? where is this venom found naturally?
Some of the coolest scorpions ie: A. Australis, A. Bicolor, have some very potent and highly effective neurotoxins, An amazing but deadly cocktail of complex proteins that can effect the way your brain sends synapse responses (imagine theres an electrical wire in front of you and you can see electricity running to and from either end, now you take a sharp piece of plastic, and split the connection. the electricity is no longer able to freely flow from one end to the other, failing the connection. ok now picture millions of the wires in your brain, and the venom is the plastic that cuts the connection. well when these connections fail, so does your body functions, organs fail, and serious symptoms follow, paralysis is a real possibility, stroke, kidney, liver failure. big time booboo.

some scorpions have hemotoxic venom, which breaks down the hemoglobin( the glue that keeps your blood/tissue cells together) and basically breaks down living tissues. this can lead to the loss of an arm or a leg! or worse!

cytotoxicity (toxic quality)in scorpions is really impressive, and can possibly cause some very serious health problems, and yes they do, and have killed people

There are other venom classifications out tthere, I used these for an example as they are the most common.

ENVENOMATION! It happens, and when it does. STAY CALM!
If you are going to collect hots, understand that TIME IS KEY to improved survivability!

Have all of your emergency contact numbers on hand (tape them to a wall close by) The last thing you wanna do is scramble around the house like a chicken with its head cut off.

Know what envenomated you! Stay calm and inform authorities the best you can.
DO NOT WITH HOLD ANY INFORMATION! It could be ILLEGAL to house venomous specimens in your area! check local and state laws! the last thing you want to do is freak out at the thought of going to jail, and forget to mention vital information that could save your live and/or the lives of those around you. I would rather be in jail, then be dead.

STAY CALM! relax, if your freaked, your heart will pump faster, thus the venom is going do its job a lot faster. keep the sting area below your heart if you can, and NEVER cover or wrap the wound, This can lead to whole new set of issues including infection.

I ALWAYS have a VENOM EXTRACTOR in my venomous workbench, get one! Learn to use it effectively. THIS IS NOT A REMEDY! HOWEVER IT CAN REMOVE SOME OF THE VENOM, which in turn will improve your chances at surviving.

ANTIVENOM: Unless you have a private reserve, or the "Hot" is local, the chances of you receiving antivenin is less than slim to none! Air evac may be needed and you could be in a world of hurt for 24-48 hours.

Hospital bills: $10,000.00- $100,000.00 you will be in debt for a very long time!

Ok so now that we understand that keeping hots is dangerous, and down right silly, lets make sure we go over proper housing.

HOUSING HOTS: The golden rule is: "if it can get in, it can get out" . you wouldnt want to wake up and find an empty container in your house. Its happened to me and I know all to well what can happen at that point. Ever evacuated your friends/family from the property so you can 'find" your lost treasure? LOL NOT FUN!

I NEVER USE GLASS. neither should you! COMMON SENSE!

pore-less construction. NO climbing allowed

DUCT-TAPE! This is your best friend! I use it to secure EVERYTHING! (cut it off, do not try and remove it, all your guuna do is jerk the housing around, possibly flinging a hot across the room.

When you need to feed, you remove a piece of tape and squeeze crickets into the air holes which i adjust in size with tape (tape both sides of the lid for a secure seal), for cleaning, I cut the tape with a razor, re-secure the hot in a large storage bin, and then proceed to "refreshing" the container.

TOOLS:

Anything long that they cant attach themselves to. I never grab them with forceps ( they have a tendency to fling themselves at you) instead i scoot them into a large deli cup, close it up ant transfer to a large temp bin.

I currently have 11 hots, and each one is different every time I work with them.

GOODLUCK and BE SAFE!


Some eyecandy:

First, just let me say that I pretty much agree with all the points made above.

However, why don't you use glass enclosures?

Yes, the lids that are sold for them are trash, but you can make your own. We have a [HOW TO] DIY Wire Screen Enclosure Top
You could also make a acrylic/plexiglass top as well. If you have insufficient time or tools to do this, you can also buy tight fitting acrylic tops and lockable hasps online. (E.g http://tarantulahomes.com)

There is also the problem of small scorps being able to climb aquarium silicon. There's a solution to that as well.----Clear packaging tape. Just put some over the silicon, it's too smooth for scorps to climb it.

Overall, (in my opinion) your post is excellent and worthy of being converted into a [HOW-TO] Guide. You may want to post this in that section, or ask a mod or admin if it could be moved there.

Thank you for the kind words, I do appreciate the love.

I never use glass because I live in california, tremors and earthquakes are an all too real possibility for myself and other "hot collectors" in the state.

I strongly advice against it. I will say however that your clear packing tape idea is awesome.

Thank you again for the support.

-Keith

Ah yes, didn't think of earthquakes,.....very good point.

I'm in N.Y. so the odds of getting an earthquake here are slim to none.

Kinda like antivenin You are certainly an intelligent young man! I am very impressed by your words. (If you are indeed 14)

Thanks for the praise.

I am indeed 14.

Btw, thank you for using the term "antivenin." Many people (for whatever reason) refer to it as "antivenom."

Keep it up dude, I sense "rockstar" in your horizon! What is your fav species?

No problem man. I hear the term floating around and I agree, it is unprofessional.

PuzL wrote:

What is your fav species?

You know, I'm not really sure. I haven't owned that many species, but I've been around many species at Cornell's entomology department. (At their "Insectapalooza" events.)
I'd have to say some species of Tityus. (Personally, I'd love to find some Tityus obscurus for sale.)

Is that a So. Pacific rattler? I believe I'm reading C. helleri - is antivenin readily available in your area for it (seeing as it could be considered local)? I am just curious. Good information,

Sean

Yes Sir, that is indeed a C.O. Helleri. They do carry antivenin for the C. Helleri species in local hospitals in my area. Crotalidea Antivenin is manufactured using many subspecies, which is good for us, because rattlesnakes hybridize (cross subspecies breeding).

-Keith


-Scorpion19981000, I have seen a few pictures of tityus here and there online, and I have to say, they are some really cool looking scorpions, I have personally only worked with Androctonus, parabuthus, mesobuthus, leiurus, and Centruroides.