Scorpion in a terrestrial enclosure setup

Arachnids · Care guide

Scorpion Care Guide

Scorpiones

Many species are available — more captive-bred each year. Emperors remain old favourites: fairly docile and communal. Match heat, humidity and décor to the form you keep using the popular species guide below.

At a glance

Quick facts

Key parameters for day-to-day husbandry. Full detail is in the sections below.

  • Heat

    Mat + mat-stat

    Outside back or side

  • Temp span

    68–95 °F

    20–35 °C · by species

  • Humidity

    30–90%

    Desert vs forest · table

  • Diet

    Live insects

    Fewer as adults · Nutrobal

01 · Housing

Enclosure & housing

Choose forest/humid or desert décor for the form you keep, with cork hides, optional plants, and a heat mat on the outside back or side.

Size to the species

Body ~1–8″

Adult lengths in the popular species guide range from about 1–1.5″ (Thai Yellow-Legged) to up to 8″ (Emperor). Set up for your form — requirements differ between species.

Humid / forest

  • Coir, orchid bark, moss or leaf litter
  • Cork bark or logs to hide under
  • Small shallow water dish
  • Moss helps hold humidity
  • Good candidates for a bio setup

Desert / dry

  • Sand substrate or a dry mix
  • Hides still essential
  • Plastic plants optional for aesthetics
  • Light spray around the sides once a week only

Decor (all forms)

  • Cork bark is a favourite hide
  • Branches or upright cork for more arboreal forms
  • Artificial plants for cover and a natural finish
  • Heat mat outside back or side + mat-stat

Communal notes

  • Emperors — fairly docile and communal
  • Asian forest — reported communal if kept well fed
  • Thai Yellow-Legged and Tanzanian Red Claw listed communal

Cleaning

  • Daily: spot clean to keep the environment fresh and limit bacteria
  • Every few months: full clean if kept tidy — discard substrate, disinfect décor and tank, replace substrate, return clean dry décor

Housing diagram

Two setup styles

High-humidity forest forms · desert / dry forms · heat mat on outside back or side

Scorpion enclosure examples for humid forest and desert species Side-by-side front views. Left: high-humidity forest setup with coir, orchid bark, moss or leaf litter, cork hide, small shallow water dish, heat mat on the outside back or side, and daily dechlorinated spray. Right: desert setup with sand or dry mix, optional plastic plants, heat mat on the outside back or side, and light weekly spray around the sides only. Match enclosure size to your species body length from the popular species guide. Some desert forms also use UV at 7 percent Shadedweller. HIGH-HUMIDITY / FOREST TANK MAT Coir · bark · moss Cork hide · shallow dish Daily dechlorinated spray Bio setup candidates DESERT / DRY TANK MAT Sand or dry mix Hides · optional plants Light side spray 1× / week Some forms: UV 7% Shadedweller Size the enclosure to your species · body lengths ~1–8″ in the species guide
  • Humid forms — coir, orchid bark, moss or leaf litter · cork hides · small shallow dish · daily spray
  • Desert forms — sand or dry mix · light spray around the sides once a week
  • Heat mat — outside along the back or side · mat-stat required
  • Hides — cork bark favourite · upright cork or branches for more arboreal forms

Setup diagram

Heat mat & thermostat

Mat on outside back or side · mat-stat · set day/night from your species row

Scorpion heat mat and mat-stat placement Diagram of a scorpion terrarium with a heat mat on the outside back or side connected to a mat-stat. Supplementary heat is required. Set day and night temperatures from the popular species guide — overall span roughly 68 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit depending on form, for example cooler forest species around 75 day and 68 to 70 night, and hotter desert species up to about 95 day and 75 night. TANK HEAT MAT Warm side mat-stat zone Ambient away from mat MAT STAT Species band day / night from table Forest ~75 / 68–70 °F Desert up to ~95 / 75 °F examples only Supplementary heat required · mat outside back or side only Set the mat-stat to the day and night °F for your species in the guide below
  • Mat — outside, along the back or side of the enclosure
  • Control — mat-stat thermostat required
  • Targets — from the popular species table (day / night pair)
  • Span — roughly 68–95 °F (20–35 °C) across common forms

02 · Climate

Temperature, humidity & lighting

Supplementary heat for all common forms, humidity matched to forest or desert type, and UV only where the species guide lists it.

Temperature — use your species’ day / night pair

Scorpions require supplementary heating. Use a heat mat on the outside back or side with a mat-stat. Across popular store forms, daytime targets span roughly 75–95 °F (24–35 °C) with nights about 68–75 °F (20–24 °C) — set the band for your species in the guide below.

  • Preferred: heat mat outside back or side + mat-stat
  • Forest examples: many Heterometrus ~85 / 70 °F · Emperor ~75 / 70 °F
  • Desert examples: Israeli Gold ~90 / 75 °F · Giant Desert Hairy ~95 / 75 °F

Heat

  • Supplementary heat required
  • Mat on outside back or side + mat-stat
  • Day / night from the species table

Humidity

  • Forest bands often 50–90%
  • Desert about 30–50%
  • Daily spray (humid) vs weekly light side spray (desert)
  • Never tap water — dechlorinate or use bottled

Climate diagram

Humidity & water

Daily spray (humid) · weekly light side spray (desert) · treated water only

Scorpion humidity routines for forest and desert species Three-panel diagram. Left: high-humidity forest scorpions need daily spraying with dechlorinated water and humidity bands often 60 to 90 percent. Centre: desert scorpions need only a light spray around the sides once a week with humidity about 30 to 50 percent. Right: small shallow water dish for humid forms, treated water only — never tap water. Moss can help hold humidity for forest setups. 1 · FOREST Daily spray Often 60–90% Match species row 2 · DESERT Light sides 1× / week About 30–50% 3 · WATER Small · shallow Humid forms Never tap water Dechlorinated or bottled water only · moss helps humid setups Bio OK for high-humidity forms
  • High humidity — spray daily with dechlorinated water
  • Desert — light spray around the sides once a week
  • Dish — small shallow water dish for humid forms
  • Water — never tap · treat or use bottled

Lighting diagram

UV only for listed desert forms

Israeli Gold & Giant Desert Hairy · UV 7% Shadedweller · others heat mat only

Scorpion lighting: desert forms with Shadedweller UV versus heat-mat only Two panels. Left: desert setup for Israeli Gold Large Claw and Giant Desert Hairy scorpions with a heat mat and UV at 7 percent Shadedweller. Right: typical forest and humid scorpion setup with heat mat only and no UV product listed. Always match lighting to the species you keep. DESERT FORMS UV 7% · SHADEDWELLER Heat mat + UV Israeli Gold · Desert Hairy UV 7% Shadedweller as listed for those two forms FOREST / HUMID Heat mat only No UV product listed for these common forms Emperors · forest Heterometrus and other humid table forms Confirm UV for your exact form when you buy — do not assume all scorpions need UV
  • Israeli Gold (Large Claw) — UV 7% Shadedweller listed
  • Giant Desert Hairy — UV 7% Shadedweller listed
  • Other common forms — heat mat + mat-stat; no UV product listed in the species guide

Spray & water

  • Higher-humidity species — spray daily with dechlorinated water
  • Desert scorps — light spray around the sides once a week
  • Small shallow water dish for humid forms
  • Never use tap water untreated

02b · Popular species

Species climate & size guide

General guide for popular forms we keep in store — use the day/night temperature pair and humidity band for your species on the mat-stat and spray routine. Adult body size helps plan enclosure space.

  • Forest 9 forms
  • Desert 2 forms

°F primary with °C in parentheses. Temperature columns are day – night. Ranges are general guides — confirm the form you buy with our team if unsure. Desert rows that list UV use 7% Shadedweller.

Forest / humid 9 species

  • Java Dwarf Scorpion

    Chaerilus variegatus

    2″

    Indonesia

    Temp day–night
    75–68 °F
    24–20 °C
    Humidity
    70–80%
    Match spray to type

  • Thai Yellow-Legged Scorpion

    Scorpiops cf thailandus

    Communal

    1–1.5″

    Thailand

    Temp day–night
    82–72 °F
    28–22 °C
    Humidity
    70–80%
    Match spray to type

  • Asian Blue Forest Scorpion

    Javanimetrus cyaneus

    4–6″

    Indonesia

    Temp day–night
    86–75 °F
    30–24 °C
    Humidity
    50–75%
    Match spray to type

  • Thai Forest Scorpion

    Heterometrus laoticus

    4–5″

    Southeast Asia

    Temp day–night
    85–70 °F
    29–21 °C
    Humidity
    60–80%
    Match spray to type

  • Malay Forest Scorpion

    Heterometrus spinifer

    4–5″

    Southeast Asia

    Temp day–night
    85–70 °F
    29–21 °C
    Humidity
    70–80%
    Match spray to type

  • Asian Forest Scorpion

    Heterometrus silenus

    4–5″

    East Asia

    Temp day–night
    85–70 °F
    29–21 °C
    Humidity
    70–80%
    Match spray to type

  • Borneo Forest Scorpion

    Heterometrus longimanus

    4–5″

    Southeast Asia

    Temp day–night
    85–70 °F
    29–21 °C
    Humidity
    70–80%
    Match spray to type

  • Emperor Scorpion

    Pandinus imperator

    Communal

    Up to 8″

    West Africa

    Temp day–night
    75–70 °F
    24–21 °C
    Humidity
    70–80%
    Match spray to type

  • Tanzanian Red Claw

    Pandinus cavimanus

    Communal

    4–5″

    Africa

    Temp day–night
    75–70 °F
    24–21 °C
    Humidity
    70–90%
    Match spray to type
Desert / dry 2 species

  • Israeli Gold (Large Claw) Scorpion

    Scorpio maurus

    3–4″

    North Africa and the Middle East

    Temp day–night
    90–75 °F
    32–24 °C
    Humidity
    30–50%
    UV 7% Shadedweller

  • Giant Desert Hairy

    Hadrurus arizonensis

    5–6″

    North America

    Temp day–night
    95–75 °F
    35–24 °C
    Humidity
    30–50%
    UV 7% Shadedweller

03 · Nutrition

Diet & feeding

Live insects sized to the scorpion — feed more often when young, then less as prey size increases.

At a glance

Feeding cheat sheet

Prey
Appropriately sized crickets or hoppers
Young
A few times a week · start with number 2 (small) crickets
Adults
Larger crickets or hoppers · feed less often as food size increases
Method
Tweezer-feed or only 2–3 feeders loose at once
Supplement
Nutrobal once a week, or store mixed vitamin supplement every feed if already used for omnivores

Livefood

Main diet

  • Crickets sized to the scorpion
  • Hoppers as adults grow
  • Too many feeders stress the animal

Appetite notes

Normal variation

  • Sporadic feeding or short fasts can be normal
  • May refuse food when coming up to a moult
  • Seek advice if other illness signs appear

04 · Behaviour

Handling & behaviour

Hygiene first — wash hands, and keep aerosols away from the enclosure.

  1. Hygiene

    Wash hands

    Always wash or disinfect hands before and after dealing with them to prevent bacteria transfer.

  2. Warning

    No aerosols

    No aerosols or plug-in air fresheners near the enclosure — the chemicals can be harmful.

  3. Temperament

    Species differ

    Emperors are old favourites and fairly docile; other forms vary. Choose the correct species for your experience level and always treat them with care.

05 · Welfare

Health & welfare

Correct climate for the form, clean housing, controlled feeding, and safe water keep scorpions thriving.

Best prevention: good husbandry

Match décor and spray to forest or desert type, run a heat mat on a mat-stat at the species day/night band, offer sized live insects without overcrowding feeders, dust weekly with Nutrobal, and spot clean daily.

Questions

FAQ

What size enclosure does a scorpion need?

Size the enclosure to the species you keep — adult body lengths in the popular species guide range from about 1–1.5″ (Thai Yellow-Legged) up to about 8″ (Emperor). Match furnishings to climate type: high-humidity forest forms need humidity-retaining substrate (coir, orchid bark, moss or leaf litter), cork hides, a small shallow water dish and daily dechlorinated spray; desert forms use sand or a dry mix and only a light spray around the sides once a week. Artificial plants are fine for both. Asian forest scorpions can be communal if kept well fed; Emperors and Tanzanian Red Claws are also listed as communal.

How do I heat a scorpion setup?

Scorpions need supplementary heating. Fit a heat mat on the outside of the enclosure along the back or side and connect it to a mat-stat. Set day and night temperatures from the popular species guide for your form — overall about 68–95 °F (20–35 °C) depending on species (for example many forest Heterometrus around 85 °F day / 70 °F night; Giant Desert Hairy up to about 95 °F day / 75 °F night).

What humidity does my scorpion need?

Humidity is species-specific. Forest and humid forms often sit around 50–90% with daily spraying of dechlorinated water (never tap). Desert forms such as Israeli Gold and Giant Desert Hairy are about 30–50% and only need a light spray around the sides once a week. High-humidity scorpions are good candidates for a bioactive setup. Always use treated or bottled water.

Do scorpions need UV lighting?

Only the desert forms in the popular species guide list UV: Israeli Gold (Large Claw) and Giant Desert Hairy both list UV 7% Shadedweller. Other common forms are heat-mat only with no UV product listed. Confirm for the exact form you buy.

What do scorpions eat?

Live insects sized to the scorpion — start with small (number 2) crickets as babies and build up to large crickets or hoppers as adults. Feed young animals a few times a week; reduce frequency as they age and food size increases. Use only two or three feeders at a time or tweezer-feed so the enclosure is not full of prey. Dust with Nutrobal (or a multivitamin/D3) once a week, or use the store mixed supplement every feed if you already use it for omnivores. Sporadic appetite or fasting can be normal, including before a moult, if the animal otherwise looks well.

How often should I clean a scorpion enclosure?

Spot clean daily to keep the environment fresh and limit bacteria. If the tank is kept relatively clean, a full clean is only needed every few months — discard old substrate, disinfect decor and the enclosure, replace with fresh substrate, then return clean dry decor.

Next steps

Ready to set up your Scorpion?

Shop heating, housing and lighting on this site, browse livestock when available, or speak to our team for a tailored kit list.

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