Three-striped Hottentotta Scorpion — Fact Sheet
Hottentotta trilineatus · Three-striped Hottentotta Scorpion
📋 At a glance
| Adult size | 3.5–6.5 cm |
| Lifespan | 3–5 years |
| Subspecies | No captive-care subspecies split |
| Origin | Verified records span seasonal savannas and open dry woodland from East to southern Africa in the eight countries above. Rainfall and humidity vary sharply through the year, while soil cracks, stones and shallow scrapes retain local moisture. Old country lists copied from the 2007 concept can silently combine several later-recognized species. |
| Activity | Nocturnal |
| Difficulty | Expert |
| Legal | CITES: not listed; EU: not listed; local venomous-animal rules still apply |
🏠 Enclosure
- Use 10 cm of packed sandy loam with a little clay, a firmly seated flat cork refuge and only a thin scattering of clean leaf fragments. Keep one lower pocket slightly moist and the opposite upper surface dry. Avoid deep loose litter, hollow decor and coarse ventilation: all three make a fast small scorpion or newborn difficult to count.
- Keep one adult in a 25 × 20 × 25 cm enclosure whose vents and door channels are sized for a small juvenile, not merely the adult. Place it inside a second locked room or cabinet and use a service port too small for a whole hand. During 90-day quarantine, keep the layout sparse, use separate tools and write the animal count on the exterior.
🌡️ Temperature
- Warm surface: 29–31 °C
- Day air: 24–28 °C
- Cool zone: 21–24 °C
- Night: 19–23 °C
🪳 Feeding
- Feed one small captive-bred roach or cricket every 7–10 days, choosing prey no larger than the scorpion’s body. A narrow abdomen and active hunting justify the shorter interval; a rounded abdomen calls for delay. Deposit prey in the open service corner, remove it within 24 hours and never leave it with a moulting or newborn-carrying animal.
🩺 Health — warning signs
- Adult-proof vents may release a juvenile or first instar.
- Old ‘trilineatus’ locality labels can refer to a species split off later.
- A wet seasonal setup without a drying interval produces stale substrate and mites.
- If stung, call emergency services or a poison centre promptly; species-specific clinical uncertainty is not evidence of mild venom.