The numbers
Enclosure
20 × 20 × 25 cm
Diet
Crickets, small roaches, flightless flies · 1-2 items weekly
Temperature
26-32°C
Humidity
60-75% with dry surface & water dish
Identity
Order / Family
Scorpiones
IUCN / CITES
Not CITES-listed; IUCN not assessed
Difficulty
Intermediate
Commonality
Very common Thai native (frequent house/garden find)
Adult size
5-7 cm; slender, yellow-brown mottled
Lifespan
2-4 years
Growth rate
Fast
Activity & niche
Nocturnal bark/wall climber; avoids open ground
Temperament
Defensive, fast; stings readily
Venom / defense
Moderate venom — painful sting (locally medically notable Buthid); not for handling
Price (THB)
100-300 (Thai; often free wild-caught)
Enclosure and conditions
Temperature
26-32°C
Humidity
60-75% with dry surface & water dish
Min. enclosure
20x20x25 cm (vertical bark) for one adult
Substrate
5-8 cm coco/soil with upright bark
Hides / decor / water
Vertical cork bark, leaf litter, water dish
Diet
Staple food
Crickets, small roaches, flightless flies
Feeding frequency
1-2 items weekly
Supplements
Not required
Behaviour and handling
Handling
Never / expert only — fast and stings readily
Communal
Not reliably; keep solo
Defense / stress signs
Tail up, rapid strikes, hiding under bark
Reproduction
Reproduction
Viviparous; young ride mother's back to first molt
Common health problems
Common health issues
SignsDehydration, mismolt
Red flags / quarantine
SignsFast escaper — secure lid; QT wild-caught
Good to know
- One of only two scorpions with long-standing Thai common names ('แมงป่องบ้าน', house scorpion)
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