Jayakar’s Hottentotta Scorpion — Fact Sheet
Hottentotta jayakari · Jayakar’s Hottentotta Scorpion
📋 At a glance
| Adult size | 6.5–9 cm |
| Lifespan | 3–6 years |
| Subspecies | No captive-care subspecies split |
| Origin | The conservatively supported native countries are Iran—Persian Gulf islands only—Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. It occupies arid rocky ground, mountain foothills and island outcrops rather than a uniform open-sand habitat. India and mainland Iran are excluded from this map because modern revisions do not verify those older claims. |
| Activity | Nocturnal |
| Difficulty | Expert |
| Legal | CITES: not listed; EU: not listed; local venomous-animal rules still apply |
🏠 Enclosure
- Build on 8–10 cm of compact gravelly sandy loam. Anchor two thin slate-like refuges directly on the base and fill around them, leaving crevices just wider than the scorpion. Do not create a loose rock pile or a deep dune: H. jayakari uses firm cracks and shallow scrapes, and textured routes to the lid must be broken.
- Use a 30 × 25 × 30 cm primary enclosure for one scorpion, placed behind a separately locked outer barrier. Fit narrow door channels and fine secured metal vents, because the animal can gain leverage on rock and sealant. A 90-day simple quarantine should preserve the original label, use its own forceps and track weight, feeding and moults before permanent crevice work is installed.
🌡️ Temperature
- Warm surface: 31–33 °C
- Day air: 26–30 °C
- Cool zone: 22–25 °C
- Night: 20–24 °C
🪳 Feeding
- Offer a modest roach, cricket or locust every 7–14 days, adjusting to abdomen condition and seasonal activity. Place prey beside, not inside, the principal crack so leftovers can be recovered without dismantling stone. Withhold all prey when a moult is imminent and remove uneaten insects by the following morning.
🩺 Health — warning signs
- Loose rock shifts onto the scorpion or opens a hidden path to the lid.
- A trade animal sold without locality may be H. salei or another similar Hottentotta.
- Whole-enclosure misting leaves the crevice stale and can compromise moulting rather than help it.
- For a sting, call emergency services or a poison centre immediately, report the scientific name and avoid driving yourself.