🦂 Black Forest Scorpion Care Guide

Black Forest Scorpions are impressive tropical invertebrates, recognised by their dark colour, powerful pincers and striking appearance.

They are mainly nocturnal, spending much of the daytime hidden away before becoming more active after dark.

Black Forest Scorpions are best considered display animals rather than handling pets.

With correct care, they can live for several years, making them a fascinating addition for an experienced or well-prepared invertebrate keeper.

This guide covers the basics you need to keep your Black Forest Scorpion safely and successfully.

🏠 Housing & Enclosure

Black Forest Scorpions require a secure, well-ventilated terrestrial enclosure.

Floor space is more important than height.

The enclosure should provide enough room for the scorpion to move naturally while also allowing plenty of substrate for burrowing.

The setup should include:

• Deep suitable substrate

• Secure hide

• Shallow water dish

• Suitable heating if required

• Thermostat where heating is used

• Digital thermometer

• Digital hygrometer

• Natural cover and enrichment

• Good ventilation

Most importantly, the enclosure must be completely escape-proof.

Scorpions can squeeze through surprisingly small gaps.

🔒 Security

Always check:

• Doors close securely

• Ventilation holes are appropriately sized

• Cable openings are secure

• Decorations don't allow access to the lid

• The enclosure cannot accidentally be knocked open

If children are present in the home, the enclosure should be positioned somewhere they cannot access or open it unsupervised.

Never leave the enclosure open while you're distracted.

🌡️ Temperature

Black Forest Scorpions require warm tropical conditions.

Aim for a general temperature of approximately:

🌡️ 24–28°C

A small temperature reduction overnight is normal.

Avoid excessive heat.

Use a reliable digital thermometer to monitor the enclosure rather than guessing.

🔥 Heating & Thermostat

Depending on your room temperature, additional heating may be required.

If heating is necessary, it must be appropriately controlled by a thermostat.

For burrowing invertebrates, avoid creating excessive heat underneath the substrate.

Scorpions may naturally burrow down to find cooler conditions, so strong heat from directly underneath can interfere with this behaviour.

Never use:

• Heat rocks

• Uncontrolled heaters

• Equipment that can create dangerously hot surfaces

Always check the actual temperature inside the enclosure.

💦 Humidity

Black Forest Scorpions require a humid tropical environment, but the enclosure should not be permanently waterlogged.

Aim for humidity generally around:

💧 70–80%

Some fluctuation is normal.

Use a digital hygrometer to monitor conditions.

Humidity can be maintained through:

• Suitable moisture-retaining substrate

• Occasional misting

• A water dish

• Appropriate ventilation

The deeper layers of substrate can remain slightly moist while the surface is allowed to dry somewhat.

Avoid creating stagnant, swamp-like conditions.

🌬️ Ventilation

Humidity does not mean sealing the enclosure and keeping everything soaking wet.

Good ventilation helps prevent:

• Mould

• Stagnant air

• Excessive condensation

• Unhealthy bacterial growth

The aim is a humid but well-ventilated environment.

🪵 Substrate

Black Forest Scorpions are natural burrowers and should be provided with a deep layer of suitable substrate.

Suitable options can include:

• Coco fibre

• Suitable tropical soil

• Appropriate soil/coco mixtures

• Specialist invertebrate substrate

Ideally provide around 10cm or more where the enclosure allows, with deeper areas being beneficial.

The substrate should hold some moisture while still allowing the scorpion to construct burrows.

Avoid:

• Gravel

• Sharp substrate

• Strongly scented materials

• Chemically treated soil

• Substrate containing fertiliser or pesticides

🕳️ Burrowing

Burrowing is completely normal.

Your scorpion may:

• Dig underneath hides

• Construct tunnels

• Remain underground for long periods

• Block the entrance to its burrow

Don't continually dig your scorpion out simply because you haven't seen it.

A hidden scorpion isn't necessarily an unhappy scorpion.

Burrowing helps the animal regulate:

• Temperature

• Humidity

• Security

🏚️ Hides

Provide at least one secure hide.

Suitable options can include:

• Cork bark

• Reptile/invertebrate caves

• Half-buried cork

• Other secure naturalistic hides

The hide should be positioned securely so it cannot collapse onto the scorpion if it digs underneath.

🌿 Enrichment

Although scorpions don't require toys, a naturalistic environment allows more natural behaviour.

You can provide:

• Cork bark

• Leaf litter

• Plants

• Moss in suitable areas

• Different substrate depths

• Secure rocks

• Multiple hiding opportunities

Any heavy decoration must be securely positioned.

💧 Water

Fresh, clean water should always be available.

Provide a small, shallow water dish.

The dish should be stable and easy for the scorpion to access.

Change the water regularly and immediately if it becomes contaminated.

Don't rely solely on misting as a source of hydration.

🦗 Feeding Your Black Forest Scorpion

Black Forest Scorpions are carnivorous predators.

Suitable live foods can include:

• Crickets

• Locusts

• Dubia roaches

• Other appropriately sized feeder insects

Offer appropriately sized prey.

A varied diet is preferable to feeding exactly the same insect every time.

⏰ How Often Should I Feed?

Feeding frequency depends on the scorpion's:

• Age

• Size

• Body condition

• Temperature

• Recent feeding history

As a general guide, adults can usually be offered suitable prey around once or twice per week.

Younger growing scorpions may require smaller meals somewhat more frequently.

Don't panic if an adult occasionally refuses food.

Scorpions can go surprisingly long periods without eating, particularly around moulting.

Remove uneaten prey if it isn't eaten within a reasonable period.

🥕 Gut Loading

Feeder insects should be properly gut-loaded before being offered.

This means feeding the insects a nutritious diet before they are fed to your scorpion.

Keep feeder insects clean and healthy.

Never feed wild-caught insects from your garden, as they may have been exposed to pesticides or parasites.

♂️♀️ How to Tell the Sex

Sexing a Black Forest Scorpion can be difficult, particularly when they are young. Differences become easier to identify as the scorpion matures.

🦂 Males

Mature males may generally have:

• A slimmer and more elongated body shape
• Different proportions to the pectines underneath the body
• More pronounced or longer pectinal structures
• Subtle differences around the genital operculum

🦂 Females

Mature females may generally have:

• A broader and heavier body
• Different pectine proportions compared with males
• Subtle differences around the genital operculum
• A generally more robust appearance when fully grown

🔍 Pectines

Pectines are comb-like sensory organs found on the underside of a scorpion.

Examining the pectines and genital operculum can help experienced keepers determine the sex of a mature Black Forest Scorpion.

However, sexing should not be attempted by unnecessarily restraining or stressing the animal.

⚠️ Young Scorpions

Young Black Forest Scorpions can be particularly difficult to sex accurately. Body size or shape alone should not be relied upon to determine sex.

As the scorpion matures, the differences can become easier for an experienced keeper to identify.

⚠️ Sexing Disclaimer

Please note that Roxy’s Pet Shop is unable to guarantee the sex of any livestock.

Where we provide a suggested sex, this is based on the animal’s visible characteristics, age and our experience at the time.

Any sex stated should therefore be treated as our best assessment and not a guarantee.

🪶 Moulting

Scorpions must shed their exoskeleton in order to grow.

Before moulting, your scorpion may:

• Refuse food

• Become less active

• Hide more frequently

• Remain inside its burrow

• Appear swollen

This can be completely normal.

⚠️ During a Moult

A freshly moulted scorpion is extremely vulnerable.

Its new exoskeleton will initially be soft.

During this period:

• Do not disturb it

• Do not attempt handling

• Do not dig it out

• Remove live feeder insects

• Maintain appropriate humidity

• Allow the exoskeleton to harden naturally

Live crickets or other feeder insects can potentially injure a vulnerable moulting scorpion.

Wait until the scorpion has fully hardened before resuming normal feeding.

✋ Handling – Not Recommended

We do not recommend handling Black Forest Scorpions.

Even apparently calm individuals can react defensively.

They can:

• Pinch

• Sting

• Move suddenly

• Fall and injure themselves

• Escape

Handling provides little benefit to the scorpion and creates unnecessary risk for both the keeper and animal.

Enjoy your scorpion as a display animal.

⚠️ Venom & Stings

Scorpions possess venom and are capable of stinging.

The effects of a sting can vary depending on:

• Species

• Individual scorpion

• Amount of venom delivered

• Person's sensitivity

• Location of the sting

Never assume that a sting will be harmless.

If a sting occurs, seek appropriate medical advice, particularly if there is severe pain, significant swelling, breathing difficulty, dizziness, vomiting or any signs of an allergic reaction.

Call 999 for a severe or rapidly developing reaction.

Children and vulnerable people should never have unsupervised access to the enclosure.

🧰 Moving Your Scorpion

If the scorpion needs moving during enclosure maintenance, avoid picking it up with your hands.

A safer method is to carefully guide it into a secure container using appropriate tools.

Make sure the room is secure before opening the enclosure.

Close:

• Doors

• Windows

• Gaps where possible

Know exactly where the scorpion is before putting your hands inside the enclosure.

🧹 Cleaning

Scorpion enclosures generally don't require constant complete stripping.

Regularly:

• Refresh water

• Remove uneaten food

• Remove obvious waste

• Check for mould

• Check temperature

• Check humidity

• Check enclosure security

Replace heavily contaminated substrate when necessary.

Avoid destroying established burrows unnecessarily.

If using cleaning products, make sure they are appropriate for an invertebrate enclosure and fully removed before the animal is returned.

🩺 Health

A healthy Black Forest Scorpion should generally:

• Move normally

• Respond to its surroundings

• Maintain appropriate body condition

• Have an intact exoskeleton

• Feed periodically

• Burrow and hide normally

Remember that spending large amounts of time hidden is normal scorpion behaviour.

⚠️ Signs to Watch For

Potential concerns include:

• Obvious injuries

• Damaged limbs

• Persistent abnormal posture

• Difficulty moving

• Failed or incomplete moult

• Severe dehydration

• Unusual prolonged weakness

• Parasites or mites in concerning numbers

• Significant unexplained changes in condition

Specialist veterinary care for invertebrates can be difficult to find, so correct husbandry and prevention are especially important.

🦂 Can Black Forest Scorpions Live Together?

We recommend keeping Black Forest Scorpions individually unless you have specialist knowledge and a specific reason to house them together.

Cohabitation can result in:

• Stress

• Competition

• Injury

• Cannibalism

Keeping them individually also makes it much easier to monitor feeding and general condition.

👶 Children & Scorpions

A Black Forest Scorpion can be fascinating for children to observe, but it should never be treated as a handling pet.

Adults should control:

• Opening the enclosure

• Feeding

• Cleaning

• Moving the animal

The enclosure should be positioned securely where young children cannot open it.

🐕 Other Pets

Keep cats, dogs and other pets away from the enclosure.

A cat knocking over or opening a scorpion enclosure creates an obvious danger to both animals.

Make sure the enclosure is stable and positioned somewhere secure.

🧴 Household Chemicals

Invertebrates can be particularly sensitive to chemicals.

Keep the enclosure away from:

• Aerosol sprays

• Air fresheners

• Cigarette and vape smoke

• Strong cleaning products

• Paint fumes

• Insecticides

• Fly sprays

• Flea sprays

• Scented candles

• Heavy fragrances

Never use insecticide around your scorpion enclosure.

Remember that products designed to kill insects can also be extremely dangerous to pet invertebrates.

🏡 Bringing Your New Black Forest Scorpion Home

Before collecting your scorpion, its enclosure should already be:

• Fully set up

• Completely secure

• At the correct temperature

• Maintaining suitable humidity

• Properly ventilated

• Furnished with deep substrate

• Equipped with a secure hide

• Supplied with fresh water

When your scorpion arrives:

• Allow it time to settle

• Don't attempt handling

• Avoid repeatedly disturbing it

• Maintain stable conditions

• Allow it to establish a burrow

• Offer appropriately sized food

It may hide almost immediately and remain hidden for extended periods.

This is normal.

👨👩👧 Is a Black Forest Scorpion Right for You?

Black Forest Scorpions are fascinating animals, but they aren't suitable for everyone.

Before buying one, remember that they:

• Are venomous

• Can sting

• Have powerful pincers

• Should not be handled

• Require live insect food

• Need a secure enclosure

• Require controlled temperature and humidity

• Spend considerable time hidden

• Need deep substrate for burrowing

• Must be protected from household chemicals and insecticides

• Require responsible adult supervision around children

They are best suited to someone who enjoys observing natural behaviour rather than physically interacting with their pet.

❤️ The Most Important Things to Remember

A healthy Black Forest Scorpion needs a secure enclosure, deep substrate, suitable warmth, appropriate humidity, good ventilation, a secure hide, fresh water and correctly sized live food.

Remember:

🔒 Keep the enclosure escape-proof.
🌡️ Maintain suitable temperatures.
💦 Maintain humidity without making the enclosure permanently waterlogged.
🕳️ Provide deep substrate for burrowing.
🦗 Feed appropriately sized live insects.
🪶 Never disturb a moulting scorpion.
✋ Handling is not recommended.
⚠️ Remember that scorpions can sting and are venomous.

Have the complete enclosure set up and running correctly before bringing your Black Forest Scorpion home.

🦂 Roxy's Pet Shop

Need help with your Black Forest Scorpion?

Whether you're choosing an enclosure, heating, thermostat, substrate, hides, decorations or live food, please ask us. No question is too small or silly – we'd much rather you ask.

We recommend having your complete setup ready and running at the correct temperature and humidity before collecting your scorpion.

Roxy's Pet Shop
Bloxwich High Street, WS3 3LA
☎️ 01922 492521
🌐 roxyspetshop.co.uk

This care guide provides general husbandry and safety information and does not replace veterinary or medical advice. Requirements can vary depending on the exact species, individual animal and enclosure. Scorpions are venomous animals and handling is not recommended.