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 [HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions

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DolbyR
toidy
shadowfoot
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shadowfoot
Parabuthus
shadowfoot


Number of posts : 1296
Age : 32
Location : South Africa
Registration date : 2012-01-18

[HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  Empty
PostSubject: [HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions    [HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  Empty9/30/2012, 2:41 pm

This [HOW TO] guide will show you how to make natural looking enclosures for desert scorpions.

STEP 1:
Gather your materials.


You will need:
1. An enclosure

[HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  DSCF5837

2. Sand and Peat/Excavator clay
3. Rocks/stones
4. Bark
5. Dried out grass shoots
6. Dried twigs
7. Shale/Porous rock

The materials:

[HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  DSCF5845

Shale:

[HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  DSCF5844

STEP 2:
Mixing the substrate


Add sand and peat/excavator clay to the enclosure. The amount added will depend on the size of the enclosure and if the scorpion is a obligate burrower or if he utilises scrapes. The enclosure I am making in this tutorial is for 10 Mesobuthus eupeus haarlovi and in my opinion more of a scraper than burrower so substrate depth is not that important.
I use about 30% peat and 70% sand:
[HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  DSCF5839

Now add water to the substrate and mix WELL.

All mixed up:

[HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  DSCF5841

REMEMBER to make sure that the substrate is packed down enough to facilitate burrowing.

STEP 3:
Planning the layout of the enclosure


It is very important that there is enough shelter for the scorpion so choose the rocks and bark that fit well into the enclosure. You don’t want to start putting the rocks and bark in and then discover they dont fit well so planning is important.

STEP 4:
Adding the materials


STEP 4.1:

I add the rocks first:
[HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  DSCF5847

Dig the rocks into the substrate and dont just throw it on top.
Also remeber to make a partially pre-dug burrow:
[HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  DSCF5849

[HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  DSCF5848

STEP 4.2:
Add the bark:
[HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  DSCF5850

[HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  DSCF5851

I also partially dig one point of the bark into the substrate just to secure it a bit. .

Add as much as you want or can:
[HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  DSCF5852

If you are using this guide for a communal setup and hides are limited, the pieces of bark can also be used as shelter if the scorpion decides to dig underneath them.

STEP 4.3:
Add the twigs:
[HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  DSCF5855

These must be well planted so that they don’t fall down if your scorpion decides to climb them. Also make sure that they are not too long incase the scorpion climbs them and has a fall as this can SERIOUSLY HARM or CAUSE DAMAGE to the scorpion.

STEP 4.4:
Add the grass shoots:
[HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  DSCF5857

Again, make sure that they are secure and not too long.

STEP 4.5:
Now it is time to add the shale. First crush some of it into a fine powder or dust and the rest into smaller pieces. Sprinkle the crushed shale dust and pieces all around inside the enclosure.
This will be the end product after all the materials have been added:
[HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  DSCF5859

STEP 5:
Let the enclosure dry THOROUGHLY until all the water has evaporated and no more condensation can be seen through the sides.


PS:
If so preferred, you can use any materials that you choose as long as they look natural.






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toidy
Centruroides
toidy


Number of posts : 149
Age : 38
Location : Philippines
Registration date : 2012-07-28

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PostSubject: Re: [HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions    [HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  Empty10/1/2012, 1:39 am

very well detailed!

thanks for sharing! cheers
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DolbyR
Leiurus
DolbyR


Number of posts : 2097
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Registration date : 2011-01-03

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PostSubject: Re: [HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions    [HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  Empty10/1/2012, 3:17 am

Very detailed and useful. Thanks for taking the time to write this!
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**GS**
Leiurus
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Number of posts : 2629
Age : 42
Location : facebook.com/ScorpionArchives
Registration date : 2010-09-06

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PostSubject: Re: [HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions    [HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  Empty10/5/2012, 3:49 am

DolbyR wrote:
Very detailed and useful. Thanks for taking the time to write this!

+1
A beautiful piece of art [HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  129887
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shadowfoot
Parabuthus
shadowfoot


Number of posts : 1296
Age : 32
Location : South Africa
Registration date : 2012-01-18

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PostSubject: Re: [HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions    [HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  Empty10/5/2012, 5:06 am

Thanks for all the nice comments guys! Much appreciated Smile
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kfc223
Hadogenes
kfc223


Number of posts : 68
Age : 28
Location : South Africa
Registration date : 2012-04-01

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PostSubject: Re: [HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions    [HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  Empty10/6/2012, 4:09 pm

Awesome How to!

I'm going to use it for all my future desert setups!
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daniel..
Hadogenes
daniel..


Number of posts : 70
Age : 32
Location : Southampton, UK
Registration date : 2012-09-06

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PostSubject: Re: [HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions    [HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  Empty10/6/2012, 4:34 pm

This is great as a Desert Scorp is next on my list Smile

Thanks for the amazing how to
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Dave Dunn
Hadogenes
Dave Dunn


Number of posts : 72
Age : 54
Location : Mount Barker South Australia
Registration date : 2016-01-29

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PostSubject: Re: [HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions    [HOW TO] Natural enclosure for desert scorpions  Empty2/3/2016, 5:02 am

Great how-to,it will definitely work for many species,very much the way I set some enclosures up,although I usually have a false bottom,even where I need the top substrate dry,but then I use deeper enclosures,and it's not strictly needed.
I feel I can expand on a couple of points though.
Having one end of the bark buried in the substrate is recommended not just to anchor the bark,but also for species that don't generally dig a proper burrow,it allows them to follow the bark down into the substrate and access a range of temperatures and humidity levels.
For much the same reason,a lateral moisture/humidity gradient can be achieved by having airholes only at one end,and adding water to the other end,or maybe just having a water dish at that end might raise humidity enough. It will depend upon the species,but in most cases having a moisture/humidity gradient is desirable as it means you don't have to be as exacting in maintaining the moisture content of the soil and the humidity level in the enclosure,and it givers you a buffer against swings in the outside conditions,if a temperature drop raise humidity,or hot conditions dry the enclosure out faster than usual etc etc,the scorpion can move to where moisture and humidity are more suitable for it. It also gives you a bit more leeway if you are busy and cant get the time to spend checking on your scorps.
I realise in this case by Desert Scorpions you are probably meaning one particular species,although no mention is made of a species name,worldwide there are many species with the common name Desert Scorpion,the info I've added will make this set-up more suitable for many of the desert dwelling scorpion species.
The only other thing I would add is that I feel safer placing the rocks as shown,but supported at the front corners by smaller stones resting on the bottom of the enclosure so there's no possibility of the scorpion collapsing them on themselves if they get carried away digging.
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