Not all scorpions make good pets, and not all humans make good scorpion owners. However, merging a good scorpion species with a good scorpion owner can have enchanting results. Scorps, including the species I am best acquainted with – the Asian Forest Scorpion (Heterometrus spinifer) – are bound to induce ever-increasing enthusiasm in the pet world.

Pros:
Scorps require minimal attention and can thrive in captivity.

Cons:
What attention they do require cannot be ignored. For example, maintaining humidity during molting is essential. Also, all true scorpions have a venomous stinger. Some can even shoot a jet of venom out of this. Keeping a venomous scorp required the same amount of responsibility and equal consideration for safety as keeping a venomous snake. Note that it would quite probably be easier for a scorp to escape than a snake and harder to find once it does. H. spinifer’s sting has been likened to a hornet’s stin

Housing:

A single H. spinifer can be kept in a 20 gallon aquarium. This should have several hiding places are should be kept at a reasonably high temperature (remember that this species comes from the forests of Asia). Humidity should also be kept relatively high. This can often be achieved simply by leaving a shallow dish filled with water in the aquarium. The scorp will also drink from this, and is therefore necessary anyways. Make sure the water is not deep enough for the scorp to be able to drown in it. If need be use cotton wool soaked in water (ideal for babies).

Different substrates can be used. Personally, I prefer simple garden soil with all debris removed. This allows small grasses to grow naturally and, after all, is what the scorp would live on in the wild. Before molting the scorp will dig itself into the soil, which must be at deep enough for it to do this and must be kept moist (while avoiding any molds).

Feeding:
Feeding is relatively easy. Once every few days just provide your adult scorp with a superworm, large cricket, or feeder roach. I’ve even heard of them eating guppies and pinky mice. Scorps can go for very long periods of time without eating. It is actually probably easier to overfeed rather than starve a scorp. I’d say one feeder roach (cockroach nymph) every week or so should be fine for an adult. H. spinifer will probably just grab the roach in it’s powerful pincers, crush it and start eating. It is unlikely to even use it stinger at all.
Feeder insects should be gut loaded… technically speaking… I’ve never come across feeder food made specifically for scorps (or arachnids for that matter). I probably exists, but I just use fresh veggies, slices of apples, calcium powder (i.e. scrapings form cuttlefish bones) and oatmeal. Appears to work fine.

Handling:

First of all, ask yourself, “Why do I want to handle my scorp?” If the answer is, “’Cause it’s cool!” you probably shouldn’t handle your scorp at all. However, should my scorp ever escape I would want to be comfortable holding it, moving it, and able to analyze its behavior. Should I ever have to take it to the vet (presuming I find one who knows something about scorps) I would want to be able to point out my concerns with ease. Of course, here I am talking specifically about H. sinifer and other non-dangerous scorps. For these reasons I handle my scorp briefly (5 mins max) every week. When I started doing this I found it very difficult to trust the scorp – always keeping my tweezers at the ready just in case it does something I don’t like. However, one gradually gets used to the way they move and, possibly more importantly, the way they carry their stinger. Remember that the pincers can draw blood. The basic idea is to make your hand become the substrate. I’ve never seen a scorp attack its substrate.

There are several possible methods for handling non-lethal scorps. The first is using soft-tipped tweezers to grab the scorp by the tail. This is the only way with venomous scorps. Next, more experienced hobbyists may grad the scorp by the tail and lift. I am personally not too keen on either of these methods. I prefer guiding the scorp onto a piece of plastic or cardboard, lifting it, and then sliding the scorp onto my palm. Arguably, once the scorp is on the cardboard you’re already handling it sufficiently to move it around or show a vet, but you have much more control over the scorp if it is actually on your hand.

Breeding (see previous posts for photos of babies):
Most scorps will cannibalize their young. Therefore, even after a breeding pair has been obtained, and even though the mother will protect her first instars (before first shed) babies, actually raising the young can be demanding. While still first instar the scorplings will stay on their mother’s back. At this stage they are essentially still embryos. The will continue to develop here until they undergo their first shed. Then they will gradually start leaving their mother at this point you have two options.
Some suggest that you should wait until all the scorplings have left their parent and then transfer the mother. This has the considerable advantage of not requiring that you move the fragile second instars.
Still, people who use this technique tend to complain about cannibalism. Once the second instars leave their mother I personally prefer to carefully move them (by allowing them to crawl onto a piece of wood and then lifting the wood using my tweezers (to be ultra careful). I keep them in separate plastic containers that have a hiding place, several centimeters of soil (kept moist) and soaked cotton wool form which they can drink.
Feeding babies is actually fairly easy. They will readily accept pinhead crickets and termite drones. If these are unavailable chopped mealworms – including any killed but left uneaten by their parent (unless they start to rot) – will readily be accepted.

Final Notes:
Different scorps have different requirements. H. spinifer is a rainforest species. Many other scorps are desert dwellers and thus require totally different housing. Research on the species being kept is essential.
H. spinifer will look pitch black indoors, but turn a lovely green in sunlight! All scorps will glow under UV light.