Parabuthus maximus
Black-Tipped Thicktail Scorpion: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: A big African thicktail, about 4-5 in, with medically significant venom it can spray up to about a meter. Advanced keepers only: eye protection, long tools, a dry bare setup and no handling.
Group: ScorpionsDifficulty: Spice 5: ExtremeSetup: Arid terrestrial, snug hide, minimal clutterHandling: No handling, wear eye protection
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 | 80-95°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 35-50%, dry substrate, water dish only |
| Setup Type | Arid terrestrial, snug hide, minimal clutter |
| Substrate | Dry sand/soil mix with a secure hide |
| Feeding | One feeder about weekly, no longer than its body |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 5: Extreme |
| Handling | No handling, wear eye protection |
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, shallow pebble-filled dish
- Juveniles: Burrow Buddy grow-out, dry substrate, snug hide, low cross-ventilation
- Adults (4-5 in): larger terrestrial setup, dry, minimal clutter, eye protection at every opening
Warnings First
- Medically significant venom. No handling, ever.
- It sprays venom up to about a meter (3 ft). Wear eye protection any time the enclosure is open.
- Highly defensive. Locate it and make sure it's settled in its hide before opening, and open only what you need.
- Use long tools, a catch container and secondary containment for every transfer, so a bolting scorpion has nowhere to go.
- Small instars drown in open dishes. Pack the shallow dish with pebbles or coarse grit.
- Remove prey not taken within 24 hours. Loose feeders can injure it, especially around a molt.
Simple Care
- Never handle it, and wear eye protection for all maintenance.
- Use long tools and a catch container for every job.
- Keep it dry and warm at 80-95°F.
- Vent low on two opposite walls. A dry setup with still air is still a mycosis risk.
- Give a snug hide and keep clutter to a minimum.
- Keep water in a shallow dish packed with pebbles.
- Feed one prey item about once a week with long tongs.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- Keep it dry with a snug hide and minimal clutter. Busy decor makes feeding and transfers riskier.
- Vent low on two opposite walls, at the substrate line. Still, damp air against the cuticle grows fungus, and every fix means opening a spitter's enclosure.
- Airflow holds 35-50% on its own, so the occasional water offering is the only input you manage. Never restrict vents.
- Check by hand while the tools are out: substrate dry throughout, and any water offered gone or dried back within a day or two.
- Don't mist. For a damp option, wet a small patch under the hide with a pipette and let it dry back.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Before opening, find the scorpion and make sure it's settled in its hide, away from the lid. Put on eye protection.
- Open just enough to drop in one prey item with long tongs, never fingers. Close up right away and watch from outside the glass.
- Offer one feeder no longer than its body, smaller for instars, about once a week.
- If prey isn't taken within 24 hours, remove it with tongs. Loose feeders can harass or injure it, especially around a molt.
- Always work over a catch container so a bolting scorpion has nowhere to go.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Arid southern Africa, in habitats like those of Namibia and South Africa.
- Habitat translation: Hot, dry, sparse and highly secure, with no clutter blocking your view of the animal.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Parabuthus is a medically significant genus, and several members, this one included, spray venom. Protect your eyes.
- Work in stages: confirm where it is, block retreat lanes, and open only what you need.
- Use secondary containment for every transfer.