Choice

Which scorpion would you say is better for a beginner like me, an emperor, or a dune? Lmk thanks!

Depends really on what you want. Many people tend to get started with Emperors, but I'm sure that is in part due to how readily available they are. Plus they have that impressive size and "look" to them...what the average person often thinks of when they hear the word "scorpion". Their venom isn't very potent and many are relatively docile. You do have the task of maintaining the humidity in their enclosure however, which isn't necessary with a S. mesaensis. That said, the S. mesaensis...though much smaller than an adult P. imperator...is much more defensive and very fast.

One isn't really any better than the other. It all comes down to personal choice really.

Okay thanks. I was leaning more towards the dune scorpion. I really like the looks of the dune! But thanks a lot

Personally i would definitely lean towards an arid species of scorpion. As already stated, maintaining a constant high humidity can be demanding, especially if you're new to the hobby. Not just that. A constant high humidity (coupled with higher than general room temperatures) requires regular maintenance in the form of removing leftover prey items. If this isn't done you'll quickly discover small flies and other unwanted insects move in big time. Not just that, high humidity burrowing scorpions ala pandinus and heterometrus spp have a tendency for redecorating their enclosures. All your well thought out interior decorating can very soon look like a battle field with plants or other furniture dug up and moved around plus holes all over the place. On top of that they are amongst the most inactive of scorpions (some people experience the opposite but i never did), rarely showing themselves at a time most people find convenient.......and on top of all that, they rarely if ever use their aculeus for dispatching prey items which in my opinion kinda goes against what most people think of when they imagine scorpions

Desert species on the other hand are usually active later in the evening or early in the morning when light and disturbances have reached a low, they generally leave their enclosures the way you designed them and they almost always use their aculeus to dispatch prey, they are fast and their behavior is the epitome of what we all think of as a true scorpion behavior.
True, they are not as large but in my mind this is irrelevant. The pro's far outweigh the cons.....S.meseansis is a super scorpion both for beginner and veteran alike. In fact i've never seen a mesaensis i've not been impressed with and know of no other person that basically doesn't feel the same.

You can always get a pandinus or heterometrus later on after you've grown used to your dune scorp but it wouldn't surprise me if even after owning both types of scorp for a while you find your affection for your dune scorp still glowing while the pandinus/heterometrus glow had faded to a lackluster dimness....

Welcome back Den, (off subject I know) back to business, I agree with Den. You can always come back to emps or heterometrus species. They're not going anywhere as far as the hobby is concerned.

I %100 agree with den. The desert species are far more active compared to forest scorpions and they usually sting then feed as opposed to pinching and feeding. Not having to worry about humidity, creating false bottoms, having mold/parasites growing just makes me scream desert at new scorpion owners.

Thanks for all the advice

Why not both?

I will eventually get both, but atm only have enough for 1

Enough space or money? If it's financial issues stay tuned for information on how you could win a free scorpion. .

~Abyss~ wrote:

Enough space or money? If it's financial issues stay tuned for information on how you could win a free scorpion. .

I love this forum, this made me smile...


Kudo's to Den... totally agree..

It's not that a forest scorp is difficult, but you must dedicate time and effort into keeping the proper humidity.
I would definitively recommend taking H. Arizonensis in to account, such a lovely and beautiful species!!