Introduction

Most commonly referred to as the Flinders Ranges Rock. This scorpion is one of the largest in Australia capable of attaining lengths well over 100mm from mouth to tip of sting. A strong sexual dimorphism exists in this species with males having evolved a very long tail, hence the species name elongatus, for elongate. An obligate rock dwelling species found throughout the Flinders Ranges of South Australia this scorpion is mostly concentrated in gully areas where high moisture levels are found. They usually occupy a scrape constructed under a rock; a scrape is a living area where the scorpion can easily move about. At the end of the scrape farthest away from the rock entrance there will be a short burrow. The burrow is utilized during the summer months when this species vanishes underground, sealing the burrow entrance and leaving the scrape behind for the duration of the hot weather.

Habitat

Enclosure

It’s best to use light weight objects within the enclosure where possible so that any excavation will not cause the scorpion to be accidentally crushed or trapped. Bark is a good option, use only native barks, do not use pine of any sort.

Temperature

The best temperature range is between 20-30°C (68-86°F). Temperatures over 40°C (104°F) approach the lethal maximum. Temperatures near zero can be tolerated, but try not to let them fall below 5°C (41°F) for too long.

For the cooler months the scorpion will feed less and generally show lower activity. Also, it’s not advisable to keep them at the same temperature all year round, try to simulate summer/winter conditions to some degree. Many animals, most notably frogs can detect changes in air pressure and use this parameter for seasonal differentiation. There is a very high possibility that scorpions are also capable of detecting changes in air pressure and so will be affected and respond accordingly, so it is not recommended to attempt to fool them into false seasons, it may well lead to complications.

A temperature gradient is important to allow your scorpion to regulate their body temperature as needed. The easiest way to provide the gradient is by using a heating mat designed for use under reptile tanks. This should be placed under no more than about 1/3 of the tank, so your pet can move from warmer to cooler temperatures if desired. Always verify that appropriate temperatures are being provided by using accurate thermometers in a few locations within the enclosure.

Humidity

Humidity should be maintained at between around 60-70%, but needs to approach 90+ % during shedding and birthing. Because this is a temperate species you will need to vary the humidity over the course of the year to recreate natural conditions.

To successfully maintain the desired humidity conditions for your scorpion you are going to need a hygrometer. A hygrometer is a device used to measure relative humidity within the enclosure.

Lighting conditions

Scorpions are negatively phototactic, which means they DO NOT like light, in particular sunlight. However, it is a good idea to have your scorpions experience day and night cycles in order to provide natural conditions. This can be achieved simply by having their housing in a location that receives the normal day/night cycle via natural window light or artificial light. Your housing should have some kind of cover for your scorpions, so that they can escape the light when they feel the need.

Observation lighting should be of a low wattage and preferably red in colour as scorpions do not see the red portion of the spectrum well. Do Not use ultraviolet lighting for continued observation, only use it briefly.

Small containers for housing

These are useful if you keep a lot of scorpions. They should have some holes for ventilation. Coco-fibre/soil mix is a good substrate as the coco-fibre component holds water and is slightly acidic which helps to minimize fungal problems. As already noted a humidity of around 60-70% is good, so ventilation and moisture levels in the soil should reflect that. Make up the fibre/soil mix so it feels cool and light, this will mean only adding a small amount of water and mixing it in well. Pack it down well into the container. Add something for the scorpion to hide inside or under. A piece of hollow log is good or nicely curved bark. No need for water dishes etc with this species, although it does like to drink, so a light spray once in a while at one end only is a good idea. DO NOT allow the substrate to dry out completely as your atmosphere will lose its humidity, effectively drying the scorpion out and ultimately causing it’s demise. You also do not want the scorpion to be in constant contact with damp soil or it will develop mycosis (fungal infections).Only ever spray very fine water at one end of the housing.

Large housing

It is not always necessary to provide scorpions with a great amount of accommodation, as with most species it is not recommended to have them in groups so if kept singularly it then becomes a waste of space. However if you wish to set a terrarium up it is a good idea to establish a false bottom in the tank where a layer of rock is covered in a depth of fibre/soil mix. A tube is set in place to add water to the rock layer from above the ground level. This way water makes its way upwards via natural diffusion and evaporates off in a similar fashion to that in the wild situation. The advantage to this system is that the scorpion can burrow down to find the humidity that best suits it.

Ventilation

Good ventilation via a screen lid will keep fresh air moving to minimise the chances of mycoses affecting the scorpion. When adding the soil mix it up slightly damp and pack the soil in tight. Add objects for the scorpion to burrow under and even start a slight access hole to encourage the scorpion to excavate. This species will be very successful in this situation. Be sure not to add too much water, the top soil should always have 20mm or so of virtually dry looking soil with slightly increasing moisture at greater depth. It is recommended to use at least 150mm of soil on top of a 20mm rock layer. If you wish to breed in this tank you will need a large rock for placement of the spermatophore.

Special

It is recommended to bake any sand that will be added to kill fungal spores that may be present. Use a high temperature for about 30 minutes. Allow the sand to cool before adding it to coco fibre.

Feeding

Offer a single cricket through a hole drilled into the lid to minimise disturbance. If the food is either not eaten or killed and left it is best to remove it inside 48 hours. Try feeding again a week later. Scorpions cannot be overfed and will always take food aggressively when hungry, especially this species. A scorpion that is not particularly hungry will often shy away or appear frightened by the food item.

Molting

One of the greatest difficulties for any scorpion keeper is successfully getting the scorpion through ecdysis or shedding of the skin. This species requires to block itself off underground to shed its skin. Either allow the scorpion to seal itself off under its rock or bark for a few months or place it inside a small clear vial with no air holes. Add a little moistened soil to the vial first. Place the vial in a dark, cool and quiet place. Recognising pending ecdysis takes practice, but the scorpion will look very bloated with stretched body plates and it may start to look quite opaque rather than solid in colour. Make sure the scorpion is either moved to a vial or allowed to seal itself off.

DO NOT disturb a scorpion undergoing ecdysis (shedding). Do NOT lift the object it is under until you feel sure the process is completed. It takes a week or so for the new cuticle to completely harden during which time the scorpion is vulnerable to any potential predators such as rogue crickets or damage from handling.

Breeding

Place an adult male in with a female, rather than the other way around, so that the male is entering the well established home of the female. This isn’t absolutely necessary but makes the most sense as males go in search of females, not the other way around. This is the easiest species to mate in my experience, it’s just a matter of putting the two together and if they are both ready they will be engaged in the promenade or mating dance in a very short time.

Before they can be successful, the male will sting the female in the hand which will calm her if she is aggressive and seems to be necessary even if she isn’t. The long tail of the male has evolved to make sure he gets the sting in before the female as she is often very aggressive and will attempt to kill the male. A large even rock surface is necessary for deposition of the spermatophore or sperm package. The male will seek this out while dragging the female about looking for it. Once found he will deposit his spermatophore onto the rock surface below and then drag the female over the top for insemination. Once the female has received the sperm they will break. At this stage it is best to separate them, never leave them together unless you don’t want the male.

Parturition: About 18 months after insemination, the adult female will be preparing for birth. She will most likely stop eating a couple of weeks or more prior to giving birth. Keep her in a sealed container with moist substrate or make sure the open container she is in has a false bottom so water can be added to the base. She needs humidity and so do the young when born. She will form the birth basket with her 2 front pairs of legs into which the young will fall as they emerge from her gonophores (genital opening). It is critical not to disturb her leading up to, during and after birth as scorpions are notorious for eating their young if they become stressed. The young will all clamber onto mums back, where they should stay, if they start leaving before time something is wrong with the conditions and the mother will most likely eat them. About a month after birth the young will shed their skin and become 2nd instars after which it’s only a week or so and they will completely leave their mother, it is at this stage they should be removed to their own small containers.

As with all [[Urodacus]] this species has a long generation time. Gestation takes about 18 months from spring to the end of summer /early autumn 1.5 years later. This coupled to 4 years of pre adult growth adds to an arthropod that takes its time. Don’t hold your breath if you wish to breed this species, patience is the name of the game. When post summer temperatures start to drop and humidity under the rock increases, the adult female will be ready to give birth to live young. Any number from 20-50 live young will drop into the birth basket and climb up onto mums back where they derive the necessary water and solutes for survival.

About one month later the 1st instar young will shed their membrane-like exoskeletons and become 2nd instars, it’s at this stage they first look like scorpions rather than white blobs with legs. Give them another week and they will have lost their ghostly white colouration and be a light brown colour. It’s also at this stage they will say goodbye to their mother and venture into the world on their own. This species, as with most scorpions live solitary lives and so fail to tolerate other scorpions entering their territory. A suitable sized rock is located that is vacant and not 2/3 under ground, but mostly above ground. The scorpion does not wish to dig down too far to get under the rock. One rock, one scorpion is the situation with this species.

Summer time is the time to leave the hot and dry conditions that exist above ground and retreat to the cool of the subterranean depths. It’s at this time that juvenile scorpions will shed their skins and become the next growth phase or instar. This species becomes adult when reaching the 6th instar after which no further molts take place.

Raising Young: It is suggested to keep each young scorpion on its own as this enables each scorpion to be carefully monitored. It will also allow you to experiment with different keeping conditions if you are unsure what will work best. Basically, don’t have all your eggs in the one basket. A dampened coco fibre/sand or soil mix will make a good substrate. A little piece of bark or similar will be a good cover. You can drill a hole in the lid and cover it with sticky tape. Lift the tape when it is time to add a small food item. It only needs to have a small amount of water added; it should never appear wet, but should also never dry out.

Ailments

Scorpions are generally quite hardy and adaptable if they are provided with the correct environment. A few signs that may indicate that your pet is not acting or feeling normal are a loss of appetite, acting listless or sluggish, having an overly swollen stomach, and missing or deformed limbs. Another problem can be an infestation of mites.

Other problems

Though many scorpions can go for long periods of time without eating, overfeeding can cause an overly swollen stomach as well as the loss of appetite, and even death. The stomach can be slightly swollen from regular eating, and this is not a problem. Another problem can be an infestation of mites. Uneaten food can attract mites, which are very dangerous and stressful to scorpions. Be sure to remove old food.