new pets

[hibiscusmile]

i GOTTA agree on this one,,,,eeeeeewwwwwwwwwwww or eeeeeekkkkkk! but I gotta be careful, don't wanna end up buying them like the maggots or the superworms or the roaches....or the....

 

[PhilinYuma]

There is a lot of over reaction to the dangers of scorpions. The fellows of Peter's late emperor scorpion can and will both pinch and sting if you let them, but the sting, I am told, is pretty mild. I assume that the docile little scorpions that Peter and I caught under Roxanne's strict supervision were Arizona bark scorpions, Centruroides sculpturatus probably the most abundant scorpion in the area. I have never had a problem with venomous critters and used to hunt for adders when I was a kid in England, but on Wednesday, I ran into an old friend of mine, and Great Person, Tanya, a psych N.P. and someone I can talk shop with. Tanya was stung by a bark scorpion in October last year, went into anaphylactic shock and respiratory arrest and nearly became the third person in AZ to die since 1967. She spent two days in neuro ICU several months in rehab, and since she is an RN whose observation I trust, I am sure that the experience was as bad as she described. The FDA failed to approve the species specific antivenin for this scorpion, and it stopped being produced here a few years ago, despite its apparently excellent results, so if you plan on being stung by one of these critters, try to be in Mexico, where there has been an effective antivenin for years. On a cheerful note, Tanya worked for several mental health groups and was fired from them during her illness (oh yes, they can!) and now has her own, very successful practice.

She was "ambushed" but if you care for venomous critters, treat them with respect!

 

[beckyl92]

There is a lot of over reaction to the dangers of scorpions. The fellows of Peter's late emperor scorpion can and will both pinch and sting if you let them, but the sting, I am told, is pretty mild. I assume that the docile little scorpions that Peter and I caught under Roxanne's strict supervision were Arizona bark scorpions, Centruroides sculpturatus probably the most abundant scorpion in the area. I have never had a problem with venomous critters and used to hunt for adders when I was a kid in England, but on Wednesday, I ran into an old friend of mine, and Great Person, Tanya, a psych N.P. and someone I can talk shop with. Tanya was stung by a bark scorpion in October last year, went into anaphylactic shock and respiratory arrest and nearly became the third person in AZ to die since 1967. She spent two days in neuro ICU several months in rehab, and since she is an RN whose observation I trust, I am sure that the experience was as bad as she described. The FDA failed to approve the species specific antivenin for this scorpion, and it stopped being produced here a few years ago, despite its apparently excellent results, so if you plan on being stung by one of these critters, try to be in Mexico, where there has been an effective antivenin for years. On a cheerful note, Tanya worked for several mental health groups and was fired from them during her illness (oh yes, they can!) and now has her own, very successful practice.She was "ambushed" but if you care for venomous critters, treat them with respect!

i don't handle mine

they're kinda like fish. 'pet decorations'

 

[revmdn]

No thanks. I'm sure they're swell, but I'll just get myself hurt. :lol:

 

[beckyl92]

got some more pets today!

a chilean rose tarantula (1cm leg span) and a Liocheles australiasiae sub adult scorpion.

 

[Katnapper]

got some more pets today!a chilean rose tarantula (1cm leg span) and a Liocheles australiasiae sub adult scorpion.

Are you starting your own zoo, Bec? :lol: You'll have to let us know how you like them.

 

[beckyl92]

Are you starting your own zoo, Bec? :lol: You'll have to let us know how you like them.

:lol: i sold my mexican red knee!

i hated it. it was way to big to say im scared of spiders. the chilean rose i got is only 1cm so i can gradually get use to its size as it moults. i actually got the courage to handle it!

 

[wangi]

i GOTTA agree on this one,,,,eeeeeewwwwwwwwwwww or eeeeeekkkkkk! but I gotta be careful, don't wanna end up buying them like the maggots or the superworms or the roaches....or the....

You would have thought on an invert forum that people didn't have the "gross" factors...after all neither of those things will kill you unless you're allergic to the stings. People love cute fuzzy little bumble bees and they are just as nasty as any spider or scorpion. Whenever anyone comes into the museum with these reactions I take them behind the scenes and give them rigorous scorpion and spider treatment. When they leave they are enchanted by them and they love and respect them the same as any other harmless, beautiful, intriguing animal.

Scorpions and spiders are brilliant! Congratulations on your new pets. I look after 3 spiders and have a pet one myself, and I look after a scorpion as well. They're wonderful eye candy, how prehistoric and sci-fi the scorpion looks. I call our scorpion Igneous because he/she reminds me of shiny new rocks. They are as though they were coughed up by the Earth and not organically born. When I first started working with it I couldn't trust it, I couldn't predict its movements like you can other animals. But now I can. They are incredible.

Spiders I find are very sweet once you get to know them. My own one is rescued after some neds threw him onto someone's shoulder as a nasty trick. He is no trouble at all. The only thing is they don't get used to you like mantids do, so you have to convince them that you are a rock or some other harmless object in order to handle them.

By the way if you get hairs flicked at you I'm told rubbing wet sand onto the affected area helps! Never tried it myself but then I don't have any access to wet sand.

 

[kookamonga]

i had an emperor scorpion that i bought from a reptile convention. I put the crickets inside the cage with along with the food for them because i was lazy :<. The scorpion kept eating the liquid gels that was sposed to be for the crickets and I think that is why it died lol. A shame. Hope yours lives a long and healthy life :>!