Hadrurus arizonensis - Enclosure/ Temperature

Hey all,

So I was wondering if anyone here would recommend using a Kritter Keeper for a single Hadrurus arizonensis and if so what size would be the best? Not looking for a really fancy set up just a hide, substrate, maybe a rock or two, and a decent background image of the desert.

Thanks

I have a Hadrurus azizonensis in a medium Kritter Keeper with sand substrate and a small hollow log hide. I also put in a small piece of plastic ivy and a plastic bottle cap with water which I fill about once per week (I let it go dry). I think this enclosure is plenty large enough for him. Mine was purchased at a pet shop a couple of months ago and seems to be adult size. I have not had much luck getting him to eat much though.

I hear your troubles Robert. I got my H. a and he didn't eat for almost a month. Since then he seems only interested in 1 large cricket every week to week and half. Not the voracious beasty I thought he'd be.

I've since started spacing out my feedings so each day a different member gets offered a cricket so I'm less prone to annoy any one specimen with repeated offerings of food.

I'm not sure if my guy is WC or not. I have read that some of the WC's don't do well. I have tried crickets and mealworms without much luck. I might try some other types of prey.

I would recommend putting in a small water dish for a few days as he may want to drink. but next to that try a cricket over night then removed if he hasn't eaten it every 3 or 4 days. They can be shy eaters.

The important thing to remember about scorpions is that can go longer without eating then we can go without poking them it seems.

One more question guys ..

I heard room temperature would be ok for H. Arizonensis. Is that founded?

Thanks and thanks for replying

Room temperature won't kill him, but you will have a much more active scorpion if you keep it warmer. I keep all of my desert species at roughly 85 - 88 F during the day, and 76 - 77 F at night.

Thanks everyone for the information.

One square foot is the minimum enclosure foot print I would recommend for a full grown adult. H. arizonensis are obligate burrowers so substrate depth is just as important as floor space. 7"-8" is a good start, but 10" would be even better. The substrate must be able to hold its shape and support tunnels and burrows. Play sand mixed with 30% excavator clay, moistened, packed down and allowed to dry, works well. Some people use coco fiber instead of excavator clay but I've never tried it. Expect your enclosure to take a week or two to dry and be very heavy.

I heat my enclosure with an IR heat lamp on a dimmer. In summer, I use Phoenix AZ as a guide for the enclosure temperature, keeping it warmer during the day and cooler at night. During this period, my Haddy is often out at night and eats well. In winter, I turn off the heat lamp and keep the enclosure at room temp. During this period, I don't see my Haddy for months at a time and it rarely eats.

Almost all H. arizonensis available in the trade are wild caught due to the difficulty of raising young to adulthood. In the wild, H. arizonensis dig burrows up to 6 feet deep or deeper to achieve the proper temperature and humidity they require for successful molting. These conditions are very difficult to reproduce in captivity, although some keepers have reported successful molts using a false bottom enclosure.