Hottentotta flavidulus
Pakistan Red Scorpion: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: A small, fast buthid from arid Pakistan with medically significant venom, adults about 2.5-3 in. Keep it dry and simple, make every gap smaller than the animal, and never touch it.
Group: ScorpionsDifficulty: Spice 5: ExtremeSetup: Dry buthid setup, one tight hide, tiny ventsHandling: No handling, long tools 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 | 80-90°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 35-50%, dry throughout, well ventilated |
| Setup Type | Dry buthid setup, one tight hide, tiny vents |
| Substrate | Dry sand/soil mix, enough depth for security |
| Feeding | Small prey: young every 4-7 days, adults every 1-2 weeks |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 5: Extreme |
| Handling | No handling, long tools 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
- 2i-3i instars: secure Baby Buddy, escape-proof vents smaller than the body, bottle-cap water dish with grit
- Larger juveniles and adults (adults 2.5-3 in): secure Burrow Buddy, dry substrate, one tight hide, pebble-filled dish
Warnings First
- Medically significant venom. No handling, ever: long tools, secondary containment and no direct contact for every job.
- Fast, tiny escape artist. Vents, lid seams and feeding ports must be smaller than its body. Secure lid required.
- Tiny instars drown easily. Keep water very shallow and packed with pebbles or grit, or use a bottle cap for the smallest.
- When it stops eating and tucks away to molt, remove all feeders. Leave the pale new molt alone until it hardens and darkens.
- Small enclosures go stale fast. Many tiny vents low on two opposite walls keep a dry setup truly dry.
Simple Care
- Never handle it. Use tongs over a catch tub, never fingers.
- Make every vent, lid seam and feeding port smaller than the animal's body.
- Keep it dry and simple: dry sand/soil, one tight hide, minimal clutter.
- Put many tiny vents low on two opposite walls so air crosses the substrate.
- Hold 80-90°F.
- Keep water in a shallow dish packed with pebbles.
- Feed small prey, don't overfeed, and pull uneaten feeders quickly.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- A dry, uncluttered setup makes feeding and checks safer. Add one tight hide and enough substrate for security.
- Put many tiny vents low on two opposite walls, at or just above the substrate line. A small box has little air to buffer dampness and goes stale fast.
- Good cross ventilation holds 35-50% on its own. If humidity drifts up, add airflow instead of pulling the water.
- Check by hand, not by gauge: substrate dry throughout, and any damp corner dry again within a day or two. Still damp after a week means too little airflow.
- Don't mist the enclosure. A brief spritz on the substrate under the hide gives it one damp pocket while the open substrate and air stay dry.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Offer small crickets or roach nymphs at or under body length. Go smaller than you'd expect for instars.
- Young eat every 4-7 days, adults weekly to every other week. Don't overfeed, and pull uneaten feeders quickly.
- Roughly 5-6 molts to adult size. When it stops eating and tucks away, pull all feeders and leave the soft new molt alone.
- Feed with tongs over a catch tub, never fingers. Spot-clean boluses with tongs.
- Hydrate subtly with prey, a tiny damp corner, water crystals or a very small dish, depending on size.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Pakistan and nearby arid South or Central Asian scrub.
- Habitat translation: Arid scrub becomes a dry, secure build: dry sand/soil, one tight hide, many tiny low vents, subtle hydration and minimal clutter.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Juvenile containment is the hard part. Vents, lid seams and feeding ports must all be smaller than the animal.
- Hottentotta venom runs moderate to severe across the genus, with H. tamulus the worst case. Every Hottentotta gets no-contact, secure containment.
- Treat every opening as a hot-scorpion job: secondary containment, long tools, no direct contact.