Giant Vinegaroon — Fact Sheet

Mastigoproctus giganteus · Giant Vinegaroon

📋 At a glance

🏠 Enclosure

• One adult: at least 30 x 30 x 30 cm; house alone.
• Secure ventilated lid and cable ports.
• At least 15 cm compactable soil/coir/clay; avoid pure sand, gravel, and fertilizer.

🪨 Enclosure furniture

• Cork bark with a starter burrow beneath it.
• Leaf litter, stable shallow water dish, wetter and drier zones.
• Never open a sealed premolt or brood chamber.

💡 Lighting

• UVB not required.
• Subdued ambient light; 10-12-hour photoperiod.
• Full darkness inside the burrow; no direct sun or focused lamp.

🌡️ Temperature

• Upper warm point: 27-28°C

• Warm zone: 22-27°C

• Cool zone: 20-22°C

• Night: 18-23°C

• Never heat from beneath; use thermostat control and measure upper substrate.

💧 Humidity & water

• 60-80%; surface partly dry, deep layer slightly moist and cohesive.
• Add water to one corner or down a side; do not flood the chamber.
• Shallow dish always available; retain a humid refuge during seasonal drying.

🪳 Diet

Feed routinely:

• Captive-bred roaches, suitable crickets, beetle larvae, or locust nymphs every 7-10 days.

In moderation:

• Harder prey only if smaller than the animal can safely control.

Avoid:

• Wild arthropods, vertebrate food, oversized prey, and any prey in a sealed burrow.

Supplements:

• None routinely; vary and gut-load feeders.

🩺 Health — warning signs

• Collapsed burrow or persistent surface wandering → wrong substrate, moisture, heat, or lack of a secure retreat.
• Failed molt → unstable moisture, prey, flooding, overheating, or excavation.
• Mites, mold, or odor → remains, saturation, and poor airflow.
• Damaged flagellum/leg → rough capture, door injury, aggressive prey, or cohabitation.

Use a catch cup; protect eyes from the defensive spray and seek medical advice after persistent eye pain.