In stock Blue Scorpion for sale All scorpions for sale
Heteroctenus junceus
Blue Scorpion: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: A fast-climbing Cuban buthid that shelters under bark and rock and rasps out a warning sound when threatened. Reported venom is comparatively mild, but Big Z's still keeps strict no-contact rules.
Group: ScorpionsDifficulty: Spice 3: IntermediateSetup: Rock/bark Caribbean buthid, flat cover + corkHandling: No handling, catch cup and tongs only
Use This Guide Safely
- Confirm the exact animal. Match this guide to the species, locality, size, and life stage on your label. If the ID is uncertain, use the more conservative part of the range and ask before changing the setup.
- Change one thing at a time. Treat temperature and humidity as target zones, then watch posture, burrowing, drinking, feeding, and molt behavior before making another adjustment.
- Respect the handling boundary. If the guide says no handling, fast, defensive, or medically significant, plan transfers with catch cups, locked lids, and no bare hands. For serious bites, stings, or symptoms, seek emergency medical care.
Quick Snapshot
| Temperature | 73-82°F, adjust to behavior |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 60-75%: damp below, drier surface, cross-vent |
| Setup Type | Rock/bark Caribbean buthid, flat cover + cork |
| Substrate | Packed damp coco/peat/soil, flat cover, vertical cork |
| Feeding | Adults ~weekly, small juveniles very small prey weekly |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 3: Intermediate |
| Handling | No handling, catch cup and tongs only |
Humidity zones: Very Low under 30% - Low 30-60% - Low-Moderate 40-70% - Moderate 60-80% - Moderate-High 70-85% - High 80%+ - Very High 90%+
Enclosure Format / Size Class
- Small juvenile (0.25-0.5 in): solo escape-proof enclosure, lightly damp substrate, flat cover, no open water dish yet.
- Juvenile: solo enclosure, vertical cork, flat cover, moisture reserve, safely sized open water dish.
- Adult (2.1-4.2 in): solo enclosure, vertical cork, flat cover, open water, firmly latched lid.
Warnings First
- Reported venom severity is comparatively mild, but a severe allergic reaction is possible on any sting: treat every sting as urgent.
- Climbs well; tiny juveniles fit through gaps that look secure, so size every vent and the lid to the animal.
- House singly. Reports on group housing conflict, so solo is the safe default.
- Very small juveniles can drown in an open water dish; use damp substrate instead until a dish can be sized safely.
- Makes an audible rasping sound (stridulation) when disturbed; normal defensive behavior.
Simple Care
- House one animal per enclosure.
- Give it flat cover and vertical cork rather than a deep-burrow-only setup.
- Keep a moisture reserve low or to one side; never leave free water sitting in the substrate.
- Start around 73-82°F as a working range, not a fixed target.
- For small juveniles, water the substrate instead of using an open dish until one can be sized safely.
- Feed adults roughly weekly; adjust small juveniles from appetite and condition.
- Latch the lid and keep every vent opening smaller than the animal.
- Stage a catch cup before opening. No hand contact at any size.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- In the wild it shelters in rock crevices, under stones or logs, and behind bark; copy that with horizontal cover and vertical cork.
- Use effective escape-proof cross-ventilation, with every opening smaller than the smallest animal.
- Physical moisture cues and airflow are the controls to use day to day, not a single humidity number.
- Solo housing is the conservative choice; conflicting reports on group housing aren't worth the cannibalism risk.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Adults do fine fed about once a week.
- For small juveniles, use very small or pre-killed prey about weekly; record appetite and adjust.
- Pull live prey and remove leftovers around a molt; leave a fresh, soft molt completely undisturbed until it hardens.
- Size isn't a reliable age guide; judge every animal by its own behavior and condition.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Cuban endemic, found across the island and nearby islets. Older records naming other Caribbean countries reflect an outdated, broader use of the name.
- Habitat translation: Cuban dry forest on limestone, where it lives under stones, logs, and bark. Translated to a build: warm room temperature, lightly damp substrate that never sits wet, flat cover and vertical cork as the real retreats, and cross-ventilation.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Also sold under the older name Rhopalurus junceus; same animal, same care.
- Makes an audible rasping sound (stridulation) when threatened; normal defensive behavior, not distress.
- Not listed on CITES; that covers international trade only, and doesn't by itself make ownership legal everywhere.