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morbidsmenagerie · 8 months ago

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Best Beginner Scorpions

I get asked a lot about good starter scorpions and best beginner scorpions. I've also seen quite a few people get into scorpions and start with either a Heterometrus silenus or a Pandinus imperator, and quickly decide scorpions just aren't for them. Also, some of you might already know I'm a huge fan of US native scorpions, and most of my experience and interest is in those. I think there are a ton of US native scorpions that are overlooked, when not only would they make excellent beginner pets, but they would probably be more what people are looking for in a scorpion than getting a Heterometrus or Pandinus.

So I'm finally going to talk about my recommendations for good beginner scorpions, and rate them based on Personality, Care, and Availability. This is not going to be a caresheet, I'll mostly just be talking about their care in broad strokes or talking about specific unique aspects of their care. Please do your research before getting a scorpion! Also not giving these scorpions a venom rating, all of the scorpions listed have mild venom and are not considered medically significant, but please keep in mind that anyone can have an allergic reaction to venom or have a particularly bad reaction to even a mild species.

These are just my personal takes based on my experience and what I've seen about their care, if I don't have personal experience with one of the scorpions listed I'll say that and base my rating of what I know of similar species or have seen from other people. The personality rating especially is based more on personal preference as well as size. This list also isn't all inclusive, there's definitely some out there that are great beginner scorpions but I don't know enough about to really give my opinions on them. This thread also wont have pictures because there's going to be a lot, but if you search through my blog I should have pictures of most of the species I'll talk about. Hopefully this introduces you to some scorpions you may not have considered as beginner pets, and gives some pointers on what to look for when picking a beginner scorpion.

Anuroctonidae

Anuroctonus pococki

Personality - 5/5 Care - 4/5 Availability - 2/5

Anuroctonus pococki is a medium sized (about 2") scorpion native to Southern California. There's two color morphs, a darker morph that is more common and a lighter morph, sometimes recognized as the distinct subspecies Anuroctonus pococki bajae (though to my knowledge the subspecies status is still up for debate). Both morphs are very bold looking, but the main selling point of this genus is their larger than life personalities. Although I've never seen one attempt to actually sting, they readily threat pose and will challenge anything that gets in their space, including prey items, forceps, and cameras. They readily burrow in the wild, so deeper substrate should be provided, which means the enclosure needs to be a bit taller than expected. They also aren't as readily available, if you live in Southern California they're common enough that you should find one fairly easily, but outside of this area only sellers that have US native scorpions are likely to have them.

Anuroctonus phaiodactylus

Personality - 5/5 Care - 4/5 Availability - 2/5

Very similar to Anuroctonus pococki, this species is slightly smaller and more widespread, found in California, Nevada, and Utah. They have the same bold personality, and because of their smaller size wouldn't need as big of an enclosure. They are lighter than A pococki and less granulated, which gives them a very shiny appearance.

Buthidae

Centruroides vittatus

Personality - 4/5 Care - 5/5 Availability - 3/5

I'm hesitant to say any scorpion is truly communal, but bark scorpions seem to be more tolerant of each other than a lot of other scorpions. I wouldn't keep juveniles with adults because a molting scorpion can easily be preyed upon, but so far my communal set up with all adult females is going well. Centruroides vittatus are common in Texas, although they can be found in several neighboring states as well. They're arboreal, and need vertical places to climb and molt. They're also a bit on the smaller side, topping out at 2" though adult males have tails that might exceed this. Their small size detracts them a point, but they're very active and can readily be seen exploring their enclosure and have great prey drives. If you live in Texas these are very easy to find locally, outside of their native range though they're less commonly sold.

Centruroides gracilis

Personality - 4/5 Care - 5/5 Availability - 3/5

As with Centruroides vittatus, the adults seem to do alright communally, and some people have had success keeping juveniles and adults together. They're larger than most other bark scorpions in the US, reaching about 3" in length with adult male's tails possibly reaching beyond this. One of the most interesting things about them is the wide variation of color, with some appearing solid black and some appearing almost uniformly red. There's also individuals that have black bodies and red legs, or other combinations of color. They're found in Florida and seem to be reasonably common there, being from a tropical area more care needs to be taken in keeping the enclosure humid and warm.

Chactidae

Uroctonus mordax

Personality - 1/5 Care - 5/5 Availability - 3/5

Although common throughout the West Coast, Uroctonus mordax can be harder to find locally because of their small size, impressive camouflage, and timid personality. A very interesting scorpion from an unusual family, adults top out at about 1.5". Care doesn't get much easier, they're very forgiving and tolerant of colder conditions (to an extent!) and are happy with slightly damp soil and a hide. I wish I liked them more being the only scorpion found around where I live, but their mild personality definitely puts them in the "pet rock" category.

Diplocentridae

Diplocentrus spitzeri

Personality - 3/5 Care - 5/5 Availability - 2/5

I have 2i babies from this species, and I help take care of what is presumably an adult at the PDXinsectarium, but I don't know for sure if the one at the insectarium is full grown. If it is, these scorpions are on the smaller size, as the one we have there is no longer than 1.25", but from different sources online they appear to get up to 2" as adults. I can't personally verify this though. I will say Diplocentrus are one of my favorite genus, due to their unique subaculear telson and their extremely shiny cuticle. That being said, Diplocentrus spitzeri are not my favorite species from this genus, the downsized of their small size bring them down just a bit. These guys are more common than other Diplocentrus though, and are still an excellent choice if you want to keep this unique genus.

Diplocentrus peloncillensis

Personality - 3/5 Care - 5/5 Availability - 1/5

Absolutely gorgeous species, their highly shiny caramel coloration makes this one of the prettiest scorpions around. Adults are about 2", but unfortunately not very common either in their native habitat or in the hobby. I would definitely keep a look out for if these species ever does become available though.

Diplocentrus whitei

Personality - 3/5 Care - 5/5 Availability - 1/5

I have only ever kept juveniles for this species, I have never seen an adult in person, but that doesn't stop this from being one of my favorite US native species ever. Relatively large, with sources saying they can reach up to 3", looking at these photos will surely enamor them to you. Shiny black, with bulky chela and a lean build makes them look like the scorpion equivalent of a sports car to me. Again unfortunately not very common in the hobby anymore, but definitely one I will be keeping an eye out for.

Hadruridae

Hadrurus arizonensis

Personality - 2/5 Care - 3/5 Availability - 5/5

Although highly recommended as a beginner species by most people, Hadrurus are the only genus of scorpions I refuse to keep myself. They are large, impressive looking scorpions, and their care definitely can be easy, but I think this genus suffers from multiple drawbacks that keep me from recommending this as a first choice. For one, Hadrurus are large, reaching up to 5" long. They're also obligate burrowers, and can dig burrows up to 3 feet deep in the wild. This means they need a lot more space than a lot of other scorpions would need, I honestly think a 10 gal is too small and ideally I would go with something even taller than that. They do best on clay-based substrate to maintain their burrows, which clay can be an issue if it ever gets wet. Wet clay will stick to a scorpions tarsi and claws, and can dry into a hard cement like block around their feet, which is a sure way for a scorpion to get mycosis. This isn't necessarily an issue if you never introduce water into the enclosure, but for beginner scorpion keepers it can be stressful if your scorpion goes on fast for several months and you also can't provide them water at all. They are hardy, and can survive several months without food or water, but it can be hard to not stress out about your scorpion when you haven't seen it or noticed it eating for that time. Also being obligate burrowers, this is a very likely possibility, they can spend 95-97% of their lives in their burrows. The other issue I have with them personally is that they don't seem to be readily bred in captivity. Wild caught scorpions are common, in fact most scorpions you will buy are likely to be wild caught, but most other scorpions at least can be bred in captivity so ideally more people will be invested in breeding them and establish a hobby population that will reduce the need to collect wild caught. Hadrurus species have difficulty breeding in captivity, both getting them to mate in captivity seems difficult to induce and even when females to give birth in captivity younger instars are unlikely to survive. Feasibly this is a problem that could be solved with dedicated time and effort, but for now I wouldn't recommend this species.

Edit: I'm actively working on improving the care for this species, I've been compiling reports from people who have gotten them to successfully molt in captivity as well as reports on their behavior and habitat in the wild. Some of this information is out of date because it was based on the old way of keeping, but I don't feel I have substantial enough evidence currently to confidently propose an alternative yet.

Hadrurus spadix

Personality - 2/5 Care - 3/5 Availability - 3/5

Hadrurus spadix has similar points and issues as discussed with Hadrurus arizonensis. They're very similar except Hadrurus spadix has an all black body and is found further up North, as far North as Idaho.

Hormuridae

Hadogenes troglyodytes

Personality - 1/5 Care - 5/5 Availability - 1/5

This scorpion species is pretty special to me, it's the first scorpion species I ever owned, and got me into keeping scorpions as a whole. It's also one of the main two precautionary tales on the importance of captive breeding. Care for them is extremely easy, they aren't big burrowers and instead prefer tight crevices between rocks or in cracks, which makes them extremely fun to set up an enclosure for. Hot gluing rocks into a terrarium in a loose pile and filling in substrate into the gaps makes a fun display tank for them. They're also very forgiving, with only moderate temperature and humidity requirements. They are also appreciably large, though I think calling them the "biggest scorpion in the world" is misleading as most of their length comes in the extremely long tails of the males, their actual body size is around 3-4", and they are considerably less bulky than other large scorpions. The main drawback they had in the hobby was incredibly slow growth rates, with it taking 8-10 years for one to fully mature. Gestation periods were also long, reportedly up to 18 months between mating and birth. This terrible combination meant it was way easier and more profitable to collect from the wild, and though exports aren't illegal as they are with other scorpions on this list, availability has tanked in the last 4-5 years. When I first got into the hobby in 2018 I bought my Hadogenes troglyodytes for 25$, and she was about a 4i juvenile. Now, the only person I've seen sell them only has a small number of 2i captive bred babies, which he's selling for 200$. They're also reportedly rather boring, people complain about them being pet rocks or inactive, though honestly from my personal experience the scorpion I had was rather active and explored around her enclosure a lot, she also exhibited a lot of interesting behaviors like tail wagging which helped get me interested in other scorpions. This might be either due to a difference in care or a difference in individual.

Liocheles australasiae

Personality - 1/5 Care - 5/5 Availability - 3/5

The poor man's Hadogenes troglyodytes. These guys benefit from being parthenogenetic, faster growing, and much more readily available, at the massive downside of being much, much smaller. Adults top out at about an inch. I've also found them much less active than my Hadogenes troglyodytes was, though again from what other people say this is closer to how H trogs normally behave. They do play dead when disturbed, which can be kind of alarming as you'll pick up the bark they're hiding under and they'll fall flat onto their backs and stay frozen there for a couple seconds. Other than that they're fairly inactive, but you will get to see them molt and grow a lot more.

Scorpionidae

Heterometrus silenus

Personality - 3/5 Care - 4/5 Availability - 5/5

Ah Asian Forest Scorpion, the reliable fallback. Most people first getting into scorpions start here. They are easy to care for, decently big, and readily available. And with the amount of misidentified "Heterometrus sp" or "Asian Forest Scorpion sp" in the hobby, even if you didn't want to start here you probably ended up starting here. As far as I know, most of these are imported from Thailand, even with a widely available species that breeds readily in captivity, most are still wild caught. This could mean an unexpected brood if you buy an adult female, and you may not know your scorpion is an adult because these guys are often sold as Heterometrus spinifer which get a lot larger. If your Heterometrus silenus is over 3" (from mouth to tailtip) I would assume it's an adult. These guys are also obligate burrowers and so need deeper substrate (and subsequently larger enclosures) but moist soil maintains a burrow much more readily and it's way easier to ensure they're hydrated as they appreciate having a water source constantly available. I have heard people caution that Heterometrus species are much more aggressive and feisty than Pandinus species, and should not be kept by beginners, but honestly I haven't found this to be the case. Both genus are rather mildly behaved in my opinion, though having dealt with several Heterometrus silenus and Pandinus imperator there are individuals from both species that can just be more high strung. Neither species is quick to sting, though pinches can hurt. The main benefit of Heterometrus silenus as a beginner species is how easy they are to find, a lot of major pet stores will have them for sale, though keep in mind that most subadults/adults for sale anywhere are more than likely wild caught.

Heterometrus spinifer

Personality - 4/5 Care - 4/5 Availability - 1/5

Much harder to find than Heterometrus silenus, much larger, and commonly mislabeled, Heterometrus spinifer are the pinnacle of Asian Forest Scorpions. They're shiny black, but can have a distinctive green hue under certain light, and can get up to 5" long. Because of their larger size, larger enclosures are required to ensure they have enough substrate to burrow, but as with Heterometrus silenus moist soil readily holds its shape. These guys also have a surprising affinity for water, so I would definitely recommend providing them with a deep water bowl they can fully submerge in (as long as some rocks or grip is provided to allow them to climb back out).

Pandinus imperator

Personality - 3/5 Care - 4/5 Availability - 1/5

Once the staple of scorpion enthusiasts and beginners alike, now a precautionary tale about captive breeding. Though they don't take as long to mature and gestate as Hadogenes troglyodytes, they still take a lot of time and patience to breed. It was way cheaper and easier to continue mass exports from Ghana, until their wild populations got so depleted they were put under the protection of CITIES to stop excessive exporting. Now, because so few people captive bred them, they are much less common and are much more expensive. I also think some are definitely still wild caught and illegally exported, which is also why you should take particular care with vetting any sellers before you buy one of these scorpions. If you do get one though, you can see why these scorpions were hailed everywhere as the perfect introduction to this amazing order of arachnids. Easy to care for, easygoing personality (for the most part), long lived, and one of the largest scorpions that was readily available in the hobby, there's a lot to like. Again, as a large obligate burrower more substrate and tank space will be needed, and once they do make their burrows don't expect to see them all that often, but these are still fascinating animals that help demonstrate how important it is to maintain captive populations and reduce the amount of animals that are wild caught.

Scorpio maurus

Personality - 4/5 Care - 3/5 Availability - 2/5

In my personal opinion, extremely similar to Hadrurus species but with some more things working in their favor. First off, the drawbacks that are the same. Scorpio maurus is also an obligate burrowing arid species, so is also going to need deep clay based substrate and they are also sensitive about humidity and susceptible to mycosis. They also appear to have a hard time breeding in captivity, and are almost always wild caught. The upsides are they are much, much smaller than Hadrurus species, with adults maxing out at about 2" long. This means they can build a larger burrow relative to their body length in a much smaller enclosure, so they won't take up as much space. They also have personalities rivaled by only Anuroctonus species, they readily threat pose and are super active about taking prey. They also have a shiny carapace, which makes them look very pretty. I still wouldn't expect to see them very often after they burrow, and they can still cause stress to new keepers who are worried their scorpion hasn't eaten or drank in several months, and they still have the same issues with being wild caught, but their smaller size and large personalities help make up for it.

Superstitioniidae

Superstitionia donensis

Personality - 2/5 Care - 5/5 Availability - 1/5

I absolutely love this species, but I can recognize they aren't for everyone and require a bit more dedicated niche interest to get into. Their main drawback is their size, adults barely reach an inch long. If that isn't a turn off for you though, you'll be rewarded with a frequently overlooked unique gem of a scorpion. Their carapace is shiny and has bold stripes on it, and they are the only species in their family, making them unlike any other scorpion in the US. They're fairly active for their size, and very good about taking prey, and their care requirements are extremely simple. Found throughout the Southwestern United States at higher elevations, a mostly arid substrate with a corner you spray every few days and a hide is enough to keep them perfectly happy, and their small size means they won't take up much space. They aren't super readily available, and they seem a bit more difficult to find in the wild, but I would recommend giving these little guys a try.

Vaejovidae

Paravaejovis puritanus

Personality - 5/5 Care - 5/5 Availability - 1/5

One of the larger Paravaejovis in the US, good for if you want something with easy straightforward care but a bit on the larger side. Adults get just over 2", and have a uniformly caramel brown coloration. Personally a species I really like, but honestly because they're hard to find I would suggest you go with a Paruroctonus silvestrii if you want a scorpion around this size.

Paravaejovis spinigerus

Personality - 5/5 Care - 5/5 Availability - 5/5

Slightly smaller than Paravaejovis puritanus, adults are just under 2" long. What they lack in size though they make up for with bold stripes and bolder personalities. My personal go to recommendation for a beginner scorpion, it doesn't get better than this. They'll happily make scrapes under a hide, tolerate anything in the warmer room temperature ranges (>75F), are reliable and active eaters, readily breed in captivity, and are one of the most commonly encountered scorpions in Arizona so are wildly available in the hobby. They're way more tolerant to moister conditions and appreciate an occasional sprayed corner (though should still be kept mostly dry), and their large bulky spikey tails are very impressive for people who want a medically significant scorpion like an Androctonus but are nervous about potent venom. One of my favorite scorpions of all time.

Paruroctonus silvestrii

Personality - 5/5 Care - 5/5 Availability - 2/5

For people who want larger, more humid tolerant scorpions, Paruroctonus are one of the largest scorpions in the US. Reaching almost 2.5", these guys are widespread in California and are one of the most commonly encountered scorpions in that state (their common name is the California Common Scorpion). Although they still prefer things slightly on the drier side, and wet substrate isn't a good idea, they don't mind a bit more ambient humidity and a wet corner. They also have bold stripes on their tail and extremely interesting chocolatey brown patterning on their prosoma.

Paruroctonus boreus

Personality - 4/5 Care - 5/5 Availability - 2/5

Haven't kept an adult of this species yet, and again the one we have at the PDXinsectarium seems too small to be full grown. From my experience they seem fairly laid back, nothing too particularly notable besides them being the Northernmost species of scorpions in the US, with their range reaching up into Canada.

Pseudouroctonus apacheanus

Personality - 3/5 Care - 5/5 Availability - 1/5

A small species, with adults being just over an inch long, Pseudouroctonus are localized in specific mountain ranges in Arizona. The two most common ones are Pseudouroctonus apacheanus and Pseudourcontonus santarita, which for all intents and purposes can be considered essentially identical. Have an interesting response to potential threats in that they freeze and become perfectly still, only to suddenly bolt when they think it's safe, so they definitely require a bit of vigilance. One of the more unique looking species of vaejovidae.

Serraditigus gertschi

Personality - 3/5 Care - 5/5 Availability - 2/5

Another small species, fairly nondescript with some light patterning on the body and their signature hooked tips on the fingers of their pedipalps. A relatively active species with basic care requirements, but otherwise isn't too special. They're fairly common in California and can easily be found in that area, but are hard to come by elsewhere. This was also an interesting scorpion for me to keep because the person who sold me them said they were juvenile Paravaejovis puritanus, and once I correctly identified them I realized that not only were both of them adults, they were also both gravid females, so I've produced two broods from this species.

Smeringurus mesaensis

Personality - 5/5 Care - 4/5 Availability - 5/5

Another excellent beginner scorpion that's widely available. These get fairly large, with adults reaching right about 3" in length. Highly active species, they are very fast, bolty, and feisty, and one of the only scorpions I've had that actually attempts to sting. I would recommend larger enclosures for them, as they are very active, will readily climb shorter enclosures, and burrow in the wild. Personally, I also think these guys do great with plenty of hides to build scrapes under, and if you're going with an all sand enclosure to mimic the dunes they live on it's unlikely to hold a stable burrow. If you want to encourage burrowing, a clay/sand mixture is best. Although they are also an arid species that's sensitive to humidity and moisture, their avid feeding response makes these a less stressful animal to keep as far as worrying if your scorpion is getting enough water. Although I don't personally believe in stepping stone species (I think you should get animals because you find them interesting and not just to practice for another animal you want more), if you one day want a medically significant scorpion this is a great species to start out with. Going from a Heterometrus silenus to an Androctonus or Leiurus is not going to carry over, because Heterometrus silenus don't behave like either of those two other scorpions. But Smeringurus mesaensis are fast and not afraid to sting, so practicing good habits when caring for a Smeringurus mesaensis will actually give you applicable good habits when caring for a medically significant species.

Vaejovis carolinianus

Personality - 3/5 Care - 5/5 Availability - 1/5

Also very overlooked, unique in that it doesn't live around any other scorpion. Vaejovis carolinianus are found in the Eastern United States, and they're the only scorpions found from Alabama up into Kentucky and North Carolina. This is a good option for someone who wants a Vaejovidae scorpion but doesn't want to make an arid enclosure or worry about humidity. They also have a very pretty dark mahogany brown coloration with some mottling that makes them very interesting to look at, and they have appreciably bold personalities. Care is similar to Uroctonus mordax, moist substrate with slightly warmer temps, and they're also about 1.5" long as adults. In the wild they seem to prefer hiding under logs and loose bark, but don't burrow too much.

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