Scorpions

[GotTort]

I've just moved to a new house in Arizona. Have spotted some small scorpions. Do I need to worry about them getting into my Russian's indoor enclosure (it is on a table off the ground). I've heard they can climb up furniture legs.

 

[Tom]

I wouldn't worry about them in a raised indoor table.

 

[wellington]

@Neal who lives in AZ can probably help you with this for indoor and outdoor scorpion problems. In AZ your tort needs to be able to live outside unless it's a hatchling. Of course with the temps some of you are having now in AZ, the indoor enclosure is probably best until the heat wave is back to normal.

 

[SaraP]

@wellington I'm curious what you mean when you say "In AZ your tort needs to be able to live outside unless it's a hatchling." I'm moving there in the near future and this is the first time I've heard that.

ETA: On topic, they might be bark scorpions which are nasty. I don't know if they can climb, per se, but they do end up in interesting places. I've seen them end up in beds, on drapery, etc.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

@wellington I'm curious what you mean when you say "In AZ your tort needs to be able to live outside unless it's a hatchling." I'm moving there in the near future and this is the first time I've heard that.

ETA: On topic, they might be bark scorpions which are nasty. I don't know if they can climb, per se, but they do end up in interesting places. I've seen them end up in beds, on drapery, etc.

Relax Sara P I've been in AZ for a lot of years . I've seen 3 scorpions ! I've seen a lot more snakes . And scorpions hate hair spray !

 

[wellington]

@wellington I'm curious what you mean when you say "In AZ your tort needs to be able to live outside unless it's a hatchling." I'm moving there in the near future and this is the first time I've heard that.

ETA: On topic, they might be bark scorpions which are nasty. I don't know if they can climb, per se, but they do end up in interesting places. I've seen them end up in beds, on drapery, etc.

What I mean, is you have most of the time AZ has great temps for a tortoise to live outside 24/7 with a heated night box for those few days/nights it's cool. People like me, who lives with only half the year warm and the other half cold and snowy, we have to provide a winter enclosure, either inside or with a heated shed. No matter where anyone lives, the tort should always be able to live outside when temps are warm.

 

[TammyJ]

I think you all are forgetting that old story about the scorpion who asked the turtle to carry him across the river.
OK here goes.
The scorpion asked the turtle to please carry him across.
The turtle said: "But you will sting me and I will die!"
The scorpion replied "I promise not to sting you."
The turtle agreed and the scorpion got up on his back and they proceeded across.
Half way across, the scorpion stung the turtle.
As the turtle started to die and they both started to drown, the turtle cried "But you Promised! Why did you sting me?"
The scorpion replied: "It's my nature."

We have quite large scorpions and centipedes here in Jamaica and I have been stung/bitten by both. Not fun.

 

[SaraP]

@Grandpa Turtle 144 Hairspray, eh? I'll have to file that one away for future use. I once stayed with a friend in Phoenix. She trapped two bark scorpions in her house before I got there and one right after I left. Relatives in Tucson have never had nor seen them. Must be something about the locale.

 

[Arnold_rules]

I've just moved to a new house in Arizona. Have spotted some small scorpions. Do I need to worry about them getting into my Russian's indoor enclosure (it is on a table off the ground). I've heard they can climb up furniture legs.

My desert tortoise doesn't mind sharing his home with the native scorpions, we live in Gilbert/Chandler area. We have A LOT of scorpions and in 10 years they have never bothered my tortoise. I wouldn't worry about a scorpion being able to get through the hide of your tortoise. That being said, some advice on the cruds:

When we moved into our house 10 years ago, our neighbors told us you will get used to them. Hard to believe, but you actually do. They are expert climbers and can climb most surfaces with the exception of glass. So, they are famous for climbing walls to the ceiling and falling down on to things. They probably won't even bother with your tortoise table because of the heat and lack of food source, but they might wander in occasionally.

The sting can be painful, but is generally not dangerous. It is slightly more painful than a bee sting and you just need to ice the area. The exception to this are small dogs, yes I have had a vet visit for my little dog being stung, small children and people of poor health. I have found that a black light at night with a mallet to smack them works well with keeping the population down. Smashing them or spraying them directly is the only way to really kill them, although the pest control companies say they can get rid of them.

The main thing is just to not panic and smack the little buggers

 

[Neal]

Hi Dave,

Bark scorpions can climb pretty much anything, except glass as mentioned above. We were living in a house that had a lot of scorpions when our oldest daughter was a baby, and were always concerned about them getting into her crib. We heard from a friend that placing a glass jar on the legs of the crib would prevent scorpions from climbing in there. Fortunately, we never found one in her crib. Could have been the glass jars or could have just been luck, but maybe that would be a good place for you to start if you can find a jar big enough to fit around the foot of the table leg. If you don't have any other pets, those sticky traps could work too if you place them underneath the legs of your table so they stick out about an inch or so all around. I usually don't like to use those cause they will catch good critters too, but indoors you won't have that concern. Either option isn't exactly pretty aesthetically.

Over the years I have only heard of a small handful of scorpion creating problems for turtles/tortoises, so I wouldn't let it keep you up at night. Still, I think some small preventive measures might go a long way if you have a bad scorpion problem.

 

[GotTort]

Thanks @Neal. Never had any scorpions at our old Phoenix house. Have only seen one so far but that got me thinking. I saw on the internet using glass jars on cribs. Haven't done anything yet and haven't seen more than the scorpion after about a month in this new house. But thanks for the useful suggested options.

 

[Ruskietort]

Thanks @Neal. Never had any scorpions at our old Phoenix house. Have only seen one so far but that got me thinking. I saw on the internet using glass jars on cribs. Haven't done anything yet and haven't seen more than the scorpion after about a month in this new house. But thanks for the useful suggested options.

Diatomaceous earth (food grade)sprinkled outside or inside of your house will help get rid of the scorpion problem as well as a host of other creepy crawlies and it's not toxic to pets or humans in small quantity. In fact, most grains are stored with DE to keep bugs from eating it before it gets processed, so you've probably already eaten it without even knowing.