Care guide
Giant Hairy Alligator Back Scorpion
Hottentotta sousai
A larger, more heavily-setose relative of the Cape Verde Alligator Back Scorpion: same medically significant Hottentotta genus, same no-contact rules, in a bigger, hairier package.
Hottentotta sousai
Giant Hairy Alligator Back Scorpion: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: A larger, more heavily-setose relative of the Cape Verde Alligator Back Scorpion: same medically significant Hottentotta genus, same no-contact rules, in a bigger, hairier package.
Group: ScorpionsDifficulty: Spice 5: Extreme (Medical Significance)Setup: Dry/rocky buthid setupHandling: NEVER
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 | 78-88°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | Low-Moderate ambient (55-65%) with steady airflow; dry surface, one small moisture point |
| Setup Type | Dry/rocky buthid setup |
| Substrate | Dry soil/sand mix with bark or rock hide |
| Feeding | Small-to-medium prey weekly |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 5: Extreme (Medical Significance) |
| Handling | NEVER |
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
- Burrow Buddy: secure burrow setup for juveniles and adults
Warnings First
- Medically significant venom
- Buthid: fast and defensive
- No handling, ever
- Secure lid required
- A rock or bark retreat has almost no air exchange of its own. Vents low on two opposite walls keep that hide from turning into a damp, still pocket against the cuticle.
Simple Care
- Keep dry and secure above all else.
- Steady cross ventilation from vents low on two opposite walls; the retreat needs air moving past it.
- Give a rock or bark retreat rather than deep loose substrate.
- Shallow water dish with pebbles in it so small instars cannot drown.
- Feed appropriately sized prey and remove leftovers.
- Use tools and a catch cup for every enclosure interaction.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- Dry surface conditions with one small controlled moisture point work better than a humid setup: this genus does not want a wet enclosure.
- That single moisture point only stays localised if air is moving. Put vents low on two opposite walls, at or just above the substrate line, so air crosses the substrate rather than only passing over the lid. Because this species shelters under rock or bark rather than in a dug burrow, the space it occupies is a thin gap with no air volume of its own, and it takes whatever the surrounding enclosure gives it. Still, damp air in that gap is how cuticle fungus starts.
- On a dry-kept buthid the ventilation and humidity trade works for you. Good airflow holds ambient at 55 to 65% without effort, so the one moisture point and the water dish are the only inputs you manage. If ambient drifts high, add airflow rather than removing the moisture point.
- Check by hand rather than by gauge. The open substrate and the exposed rock or bark faces should read dry, while the moisture point stays lightly damp and dries back over a few days. If nothing in the enclosure ever dries, that is a ventilation problem.
- Keep the water dish shallow and pack it with pebbles or coarse grit so the waterline sits below the rim. Instars are small enough to drown in a dish an adult uses safely, and the stones let you leave water permanently available on an animal you would rather not open up for often.
- Recharge the moisture point under the rock or bark retreat rather than misting the enclosure. One reliable damp microclimate beside a properly dry surface is the setup this genus wants, and a general spray collapses the difference between them.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Feeding: appropriately sized crickets or roach nymphs weekly; remove uneaten prey promptly. Use long tongs over a catch container, never bare hands.
- Growth: like other Hottentotta, expect a multi-molt path to maturity with normal fasting periods around molts. Never feed a soft, freshly-molted scorpion.
- Maintenance: hot-scorpion handling discipline applies at all times. Secondary containment, tools only, no contact, ever.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Africa; arid to semi-arid scrub and rocky habitat typical of the Hottentotta genus.
- Habitat translation: Dry, ventilated enclosure with a rock or bark retreat and one controlled moisture point.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Less established in the trade than our other alligator-back species: until more keeper data exists, treat sizing and prey portions conservatively.
- Hottentotta is a serious buthid genus across every species Big Z carries. Keep it no-contact with secure containment regardless of size or reputation.
Hottentotta sousai
Giant Hairy Alligator Back Scorpion
Big Z's Quick Verdict: A larger, more heavily-setose relative of the Cape Verde Alligator Back Scorpion: same medically significant Hottentotta genus, same no-contact rules, in a bigger, hairier package.
Group: ScorpionsDifficulty: Spice 5: Extreme (Medical Significance)Setup: Dry/rocky buthid setupHandling: NEVER
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 Care Snapshot
| Temp | 78-88°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | Low-Moderate ambient (55-65%) with steady airflow; dry surface, one small moisture point |
| Setup | Dry/rocky buthid setup |
| Substrate | Dry soil/sand mix with bark or rock hide |
| Feeding | Small-to-medium prey weekly |
| Handling | NEVER |
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%+
Recommended Big Z's Setup
- Burrow Buddy: for juveniles and adults
Critical Notes
- Medically significant venom
- Buthid: fast and defensive
- No handling, ever
- Secure lid required
- A rock or bark retreat has almost no air exchange of its own. Vents low on two opposite walls keep that hide from turning into a damp, still pocket against the cuticle.
Care Basics
- Keep dry and secure above all else.
- Steady cross ventilation from vents low on two opposite walls; the retreat needs air moving past it.
- Give a rock or bark retreat rather than deep loose substrate.
- Shallow water dish with pebbles in it so small instars cannot drown.
- Feed appropriately sized prey and remove leftovers.
- Use tools and a catch cup for every enclosure interaction.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Feeding: appropriately sized crickets or roach nymphs weekly; remove uneaten prey promptly. Use long tongs over a catch container, never bare hands.
- Growth: like other Hottentotta, expect a multi-molt path to maturity with normal fasting periods around molts. Never feed a soft, freshly-molted scorpion.
- Maintenance: hot-scorpion handling discipline applies at all times. Secondary containment, tools only, no contact, ever.
Current Big Z's catalog: Yes
Hottentotta sousai
Giant Hairy Alligator Back Scorpion: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: A larger, more heavily-setose relative of the Cape Verde Alligator Back Scorpion: same medically significant Hottentotta genus, same no-contact rules, in a bigger, hairier package.
Group: ScorpionsDifficulty: Spice 5: Extreme (Medical Significance)Setup: Dry/rocky buthid setupHandling: NEVER
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 | 78-88°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | Low-Moderate ambient (55-65%) with steady airflow; dry surface, one small moisture point |
| Setup Type | Dry/rocky buthid setup |
| Substrate | Dry soil/sand mix with bark or rock hide |
| Feeding | Small-to-medium prey weekly |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 5: Extreme (Medical Significance) |
| Handling | NEVER |
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
- Burrow Buddy: secure burrow setup for juveniles and adults
Warnings First
- Medically significant venom
- Buthid: fast and defensive
- No handling, ever
- Secure lid required
- A rock or bark retreat has almost no air exchange of its own. Vents low on two opposite walls keep that hide from turning into a damp, still pocket against the cuticle.
Simple Care
- Keep dry and secure above all else.
- Steady cross ventilation from vents low on two opposite walls; the retreat needs air moving past it.
- Give a rock or bark retreat rather than deep loose substrate.
- Shallow water dish with pebbles in it so small instars cannot drown.
- Feed appropriately sized prey and remove leftovers.
- Use tools and a catch cup for every enclosure interaction.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- Dry surface conditions with one small controlled moisture point work better than a humid setup: this genus does not want a wet enclosure.
- That single moisture point only stays localised if air is moving. Put vents low on two opposite walls, at or just above the substrate line, so air crosses the substrate rather than only passing over the lid. Because this species shelters under rock or bark rather than in a dug burrow, the space it occupies is a thin gap with no air volume of its own, and it takes whatever the surrounding enclosure gives it. Still, damp air in that gap is how cuticle fungus starts.
- On a dry-kept buthid the ventilation and humidity trade works for you. Good airflow holds ambient at 55 to 65% without effort, so the one moisture point and the water dish are the only inputs you manage. If ambient drifts high, add airflow rather than removing the moisture point.
- Check by hand rather than by gauge. The open substrate and the exposed rock or bark faces should read dry, while the moisture point stays lightly damp and dries back over a few days. If nothing in the enclosure ever dries, that is a ventilation problem.
- Keep the water dish shallow and pack it with pebbles or coarse grit so the waterline sits below the rim. Instars are small enough to drown in a dish an adult uses safely, and the stones let you leave water permanently available on an animal you would rather not open up for often.
- Recharge the moisture point under the rock or bark retreat rather than misting the enclosure. One reliable damp microclimate beside a properly dry surface is the setup this genus wants, and a general spray collapses the difference between them.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Feeding: appropriately sized crickets or roach nymphs weekly; remove uneaten prey promptly. Use long tongs over a catch container, never bare hands.
- Growth: like other Hottentotta, expect a multi-molt path to maturity with normal fasting periods around molts. Never feed a soft, freshly-molted scorpion.
- Maintenance: hot-scorpion handling discipline applies at all times. Secondary containment, tools only, no contact, ever.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Africa; arid to semi-arid scrub and rocky habitat typical of the Hottentotta genus.
- Habitat translation: Dry, ventilated enclosure with a rock or bark retreat and one controlled moisture point.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Less established in the trade than our other alligator-back species: until more keeper data exists, treat sizing and prey portions conservatively.
- Hottentotta is a serious buthid genus across every species Big Z carries. Keep it no-contact with secure containment regardless of size or reputation.