The numbers
Enclosure
30 × 20 × 20 cm
Diet
Crickets, roaches · 1-2 items weekly
Temperature
26-30°C
Humidity
75-90%
Identity
Order / Family
Scorpiones
IUCN / CITES
Not CITES-listed; IUCN not assessed
Difficulty
Beginner
Commonality
Common in Thai/Indochina trade (often mislabelled petersii)
Adult size
11-14 cm
Lifespan
6-8 years
Growth rate
Medium
Activity & niche
Nocturnal humid-forest burrower
Temperament
Defensive; pincer-first
Venom / defense
LOW venom (mild); strong pincers. Docile but a pincher — not dangerous
Price (THB)
150-400 (Thai market)
Enclosure and conditions
Temperature
26-30°C
Humidity
75-90%
Min. enclosure
30x20x20 cm for one adult
Substrate
10-15 cm moist coco/peat/topsoil
Hides / decor / water
Cork hide, moss, water dish
Diet
Staple food
Crickets, roaches
Feeding frequency
1-2 items weekly
Supplements
Not required
Behaviour and handling
Handling
Discouraged but not dangerous — pinch risk only
Communal
Semi-communal with space/food; monitor
Defense / stress signs
Raised claws, stridulation, retreat
Reproduction
Reproduction
Viviparous; young ride mother's back to first molt
Common health problems
Common health issues
SignsDehydration, mycosis, mismolt
Red flags / quarantine
SignsQT wild-caught; check hydration and mites
Good to know
- Taxonomic reshuffle (Kawai et al. 2023) reassigned many Thai 'petersii' records to this species
Others in this group
Emperor scorpionPandinus imperatorMalayan / Asian forest scorpionHeterometrus spiniferDesert hairy scorpionHadrurus arizonensisLaotian / Vietnamese giant forest scorpionHeterometrus laoticusDeathstalkerLeiurus quinquestriatusYellow fat-tailed scorpion (australis)Androctonus australisArizona bark scorpionCentruroides sculpturatusGiant forest scorpion (longimanus)Heterometrus longimanus