Arizona Bark Scorpion (Centruroides exilicauda)

Arizona Bark Scorpion Centruroides exilicauda
Name	Arizona Bark Scorpion
Name Lat.	Centruroides exilicauda
Family	Fat-tailed Scorpions
Family lat.	Buthidae
Order	Scorpions
Order lat.	Scorpiones
Origin	North America
Habitat	Desert, semi-desert
Diet	Live insects
Humidity	40-60 %
Behavior	Nocturnal, aggressive
Keeping	Individual, pair, group
Care Level	Difficult
Housing	Dry terrarium
Breeding	Moderately difficult
Life Span	1-2 years
Protection	No
Metric Units
Size	6-8 cm
Temperature Day	28-32 °C
Temperature Night	20-22 °C
Housing Size	30 x 30 x 30 cm
US Units
Size	2.4"-3.1"
Temperature Day	82-90 °F
Temperature Night	68-72 °F
Housing Size	10" x 10" x 10"

Distribution and habitat

Arizona bark scorpions are widely distributed in the southwestern United States, from Nevada, Utah, Arizona, California, and New Mexico to adjacent northwestern Mexico. These non-burrowing scorpions live in deserts and semi-deserts, where they hide under rocks and tree bark during the day. They occur in various color forms, with or without markings.

Maintenance

For 1 animal a terrarium of L 30 x W 30 x H 30 cm can be recommended. For a pair or group keeping the terrarium must be extended accordingly. The terrarium should be placed in a quiet and vibration-free place without sunlight.

You need a terrarium structured with cork tubes, pieces of bark, roots and stones (hiding places and visual protection), an approximately 7 cm deep substrate of sand-earth mixture, a small, shallow drinking vessel and for decoration artificial or potted plants (e.g. Ficus pumila, Scindapsus aureus). A small part of the substrate, especially the lower layers, should always be kept slightly moist. Once or twice a week the inside of the terrarium should be finely sprayed with water, but not the animals (danger of shock)

Temp. day: 28-32 °C

Temp. night: 20-22 °C

Humidity: 40-60

The lighting duration should be 8-12 hrs. depending on the season, but is not absolutely necessary for the nocturnal animals. Attention should be paid to their natural day-night rhythm.

Diet

The diet consists of crickets, cockroaches, house crickets, maggots and grasshoppers as well as other arthropods. Wax moths should only be fed in small quantities to adults, but not to juveniles, because of their large fat content

Using fruit and honey water as food for the foragers can enhance their quality. It is important to add minerals and vitamins regularly (dusting the feed animals). Young animals should be offered food daily, adults 1-2 times a week. Feeding should be done only in the evening. Hungry scorpions keep their pedipalpal claws wide open and actively search for food. Drinking water must always be available

A varied diet promotes health and prevents deficiency symptoms.

Reproduction and breeding

The sex difference is difficult to see. The sexual opening is heart-shaped in the female, oval in the male. Males appear somewhat more slender.

During the "mating dance", which is similar to a wrestling match, a sperm package (spermatophore) is passed. Females can also give birth to offspring several times without further mating (sperm storage). After a gestation period of 4-8 months, the female gives birth to the young. The white, barely mobile young find protection from predators on the back of the mother for at least 2 weeks, until after the 2nd molt. Only then do they begin to feed on their own. Small crickets and house crickets are suitable as rearing food.

Obligation to report

Make sure to inform yourself about any regulations on keeping or bans on keeping this animal in your state or home municipality (e.g. public order office). Your pet store will be happy to provide you with further information.

Important

Pair or group housing is well possible.

Great caution is required when handling them in the terrarium. They are very aggressive and belong to the most poisonous scorpions. Their sting is very painful and can have a life-threatening poisonous effect on children and adolescents!

For transferring the animals are grabbed with approx. 30 cm long feeding tweezers at the rear end and not at the front body (risk of injury)

Good ventilation without drafts and equipment for measuring temperature and humidity are necessary. Lighting should be placed in such a way that the animals cannot injure themselves. The terrarium should be locked in such a way that neither unauthorized persons can open it nor the animals can escape. Special attention should be paid to thorough hygiene and impurities must be removed regularly

Further literature can be found in your pet store.

References

Text: petdata; Image: Franz Lowak

Source: ENGELMANN & LANGE (2011): Zootierhaltung - Tiere in menschlicher Obhut: Wirbellose, Harri Deutsch Verlag; WATZ (2008): Skorpione im Terrarium, Verlag Ulmer