Stripe-tailed Scorpion

Paravaejovis Hoffmannius spinigerus or the Striped-tailed scorpion (also commonly referred to as the devil scorpion), can be found throughout Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, they are a very common species in the area. They also are a commonly kept species as pets.

Scorplings (baby scorpions) are only a few millimeters long and can be housed in a small 2 oz deli cup. As they molt and get bigger eventually they can be moved to larger deli cups and then at adult size the could be moved in to a 1-5 gallon aquarium. An adult will only get to be around 2 inches long, so they do not require much space.

A mixture of peat moss and sand works very well with this species. The peat moss or sphagnum moss helps hold humidity levels. A walnut shell or a small piece of cork bark makes an excellent hiding spot for them. 

Room temperature is usually fine as these Scoripoins do well around 72-80 degrees. They do not need any special lighting and prefer to be kept in the shade/dark areas.

You can place a very small water bowl into the enclosure however I do not and instead to prefer to mist the enclosure between once and twice a week. The moss and peat in the cage help hold humidity and moisture for the scorpion. This way there is no chance that your scorpion could drown in the water bowl, which unfortunately can easily happen if the bowl is to large.

Feed crickets, mealworms, and dubia roaches. Scorplings may need to be fed fruit flies or pin head crickets, you can also cut a cricket or mealworm in to smaller pieces to feed smaller scorpions. 

The Striped Devil Scorpion can move very fast. They can be held but it is best to avoid it if you are not experienced keeping/handling scorpions, since it would be easy to get stung or for your scorpion to run away. Their sting has been compared to that of a wasp, but their venom is not deadly (as long as there are no allergic reactions to it).

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