The numbers
Enclosure
30 × 20 × 20 cm
Diet
Crickets, roaches · 1-2 items weekly
Temperature
26-30°C
Humidity
60-75% (drier than emperor, with damp burrow)
Identity
Order / Family
Scorpiones
IUCN / CITES
Not CITES-listed (moved out of Pandinus); IUCN not assessed
Difficulty
Beginner–Intermediate
Commonality
Common budget alternative to emperor
Adult size
9-12 cm; black body, reddish claws
Lifespan
5-8 years
Growth rate
Medium
Activity & niche
Nocturnal burrower; slightly drier woodland
Temperament
More nervous/defensive than emperor; readier to sting
Venom / defense
LOW-MODERATE venom (painful but not dangerous); pincers. Handling discouraged
Price (THB)
400-1,000 (indicative)
Enclosure and conditions
Temperature
26-30°C
Humidity
60-75% (drier than emperor, with damp burrow)
Min. enclosure
30x20x20 cm for one adult
Substrate
8-12 cm coco/soil, part-moist
Hides / decor / water
Cork hide, water dish
Diet
Staple food
Crickets, roaches
Feeding frequency
1-2 items weekly
Supplements
Not required
Behaviour and handling
Handling
Discouraged — quicker to sting than emperor; not dangerous but painful
Communal
Less communal than emperor; keep solo or with caution
Defense / stress signs
Raised pincers, tail strikes readily, stridulation
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 (most are WC); hydration & mite check
Good to know
- Sold as 'Tanzanian red-claw'; reclassified from Pandinus to Pandinurus, so no longer CITES-listed
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