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Golden Desert Scorpion
Photo: Karim Attouche, CC0
Scorpion
Intermediate
Scorpio maurus
Lifespan
Poorly recorded, a few years
Adult size
Body 6-8 cm
Temperament
Feisty, uses claws before sting
Temperature
20–32°C
Humidity
30–50%
Vivarium
30 x 20 x 30 cm (deep substrate)
Wikipedia →
A stocky burrowing scorpion from the deserts and dry woodland of North Africa and the Middle East, where it digs burrows 20-70 cm deep, often in colonies. Adults are 6-8 cm long, with a brown body and large golden claws. It is small enough for a modest enclosure and is regularly sold in the UK. It is mildly venomous with a painful sting but is considered harmless to healthy people.
Care information is provided for educational purposes only and does not replace professional veterinary advice.
🔥 Heating
Keep the warm end around 27-30°C using a heat mat on one side wall run on a thermostat, with a cooler end and a night drop to about 20-22°C.
💡 Lighting
No UVB needed; it is nocturnal and spends the day in its burrow.
🪨 Substrate
A firm sand and soil or sand and clay mix, 15-20 cm deep and packed down so burrows do not collapse. Keep the surface dry but moisten the lower layers occasionally, as its burrow is more humid than the surface.
🍽 Feeding
Juveniles small crickets or roach nymphs once or twice a week; adults 2-3 appropriately sized insects every 7-10 days.
💧 Water
Provide a shallow water dish, and occasionally pour a little water into one corner so it soaks into the deep layers rather than misting the surface.
🏠 Enrichment
A flat stone or piece of cork bark on the substrate gives it somewhere to start a burrow. Once settled it will rarely be seen.
🩺 Health Considerations
Keepers report bad moults when it is kept too dry, so keep the deeper substrate slightly moist; a constantly wet surface invites mycosis.
🤲 Handling
Not recommended: it defends itself readily with its large claws and will sting. The venom is mild and not medically significant for healthy people, but the sting is painful and allergic reactions are possible.
⚖️ Legal Restrictions
No licence needed in the UK. It is in the Scorpionidae, not the Buthidae, so it is not covered by the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 schedule (which lists scorpions only as 'Family Buthidae: All species' and Hemiscorpius lepturus); it is not CITES-listed and not on the GB invasive species list.
📋 Additional Notes
Also sold as the Israeli gold scorpion or large-clawed scorpion. Scorpio maurus is a species complex: Talal et al. (2015) raised the Israeli form to Scorpio palmatus (formerly S. maurus palmatus) and the dark form to S. fuscus, so hobby animals may be either. Captive breeding is difficult, and in the wild it hibernates in its burrow through winter.