Red Desert Scorpion Care Sheet
RED DESERT SCORPION CARE (Urodacus yaschenkoi)
Red Desert scorpions are found throughout a large area of central Australia which includes Northen Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory and Western Australia. It likes to constuct deep burrows in sandy soils. They grow to around 70mm and are a solid looking scorpion.
HOUSING
Red Desert scorpions are best housed in a terrarium or fish tank. Our reptile terrariums and Exo Terra range of terrariums are an ideal enclosure as they have fully ventilated lids which allows for good air circulation. They do not need to be very high but should be 45cm to 60cm minimum in length.
They require a dry substrate like red desert sand. As they are a burrowing scorpion you will need a thick substrate ideally around 150mm or more in thickness. Although they like a dry substrate an area of moisture will need to be provided. The best way to do this is to place a piece of 20mm PVC pipe upright in the back of your cage. This should be cut to a length to enable it to go from the bottom of your tank and high enough so your scorpions cannot fall in.
Keeping water in this pipe, diffusion will follow the negative water gradiant upwards into the drier substrate, mimicking that which occurs in the natural environment. As water evaporates away from ground level, more water will be drawn up into the substrate creating the necessary varying moisture levels this species needs to aid them with their tunnel building. Provide plenty of rock or wood so your scorpion can use these as an entrance to their tunnels. There is always a risk when housing red desert scorpions together and there is no guarantee that they will not kill and eat each other as they can do this when living close to each other. In saying that they usually go well together if provided with enough space and area to dig their tunnels.
HEATING
In the southern cooler states Red Desert scorpions will need to be heated. This is best achieved by way of using a heat cord or heat pad to cover a portion of the base of the cage.
Only 1/3 of the enclosure should be covered by your heat source to ensure that your scorpions do not overheat. 20 - 25 Celsius is a good temperature gradiant to aim for.
FEEDING
One to two crickets should be left roaming the base of the enclosure for your scorpions to eat at all times. Do not put too many crickets in at the same time as they can annoy your scorpion, especially when shedding.
Click for available books on Scorpions
