Haenggi’s Deathstalker — Fact Sheet
Leiurus haenggii · Haenggi’s Deathstalker
📋 At a glance
| Adult size | 6.5–9.7 cm |
| Lifespan | 3–5 years |
| Subspecies | No captive-care subspecies split |
| Origin | The verified native countries are Oman, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Revision localities run along western Saudi mountains, Yemen and Dhofar in Oman from about 22 to 2,828 m, in vegetated wadis, gravel and rocky slopes. That broad elevation does not mean one animal tolerates every climate; retain locality or ecotype information and provide a measured gradient. |
| Activity | Nocturnal |
| Difficulty | Expert |
| Legal | CITES: not listed; EU: not listed; local venomous-animal rules still apply |
🏠 Enclosure
- Pack 10 cm of mineral loam, coarse sand and small rounded gravel. Seat flat rocks on the base before filling around them, creating two low inspectable cracks and one shallow soil scrape. Avoid unstable scree and tall textured backdrops: this species uses rocky structure but can turn the same grip into an escape route.
- House a single adult in a 30 × 25 × 30 cm primary enclosure within a locked secondary room or cabinet. Secure fine metal vents and remove rough routes that reach the lid, while retaining inspectable low rock cracks. Quarantine for 90 days in simpler housing with dedicated long tools, a weight record and the original elevation/locality label.
🌡️ Temperature
- Warm surface: 30–32 °C
- Day air: 24–29 °C
- Cool zone: 20–24 °C
- Night: 18–23 °C
🪳 Feeding
- Offer one captive-bred roach, cricket or locust every 7–14 days at the open edge of a refuge. Let body condition, not a fixed weekly habit, set the interval across cooler and warmer locality types. Remove prey the next morning with long forceps and suspend feeding when the scorpion seals itself into a premoult scrape.
🩺 Health — warning signs
- Unstable rock may collapse when the scorpion makes a shallow scrape.
- A rough backdrop or cable creates a direct route to the lid.
- Treating every locality as humid Dhofar can leave a highland animal in stagnant wet substrate.
- After a sting, contact emergency services or a poison centre immediately, give the accepted double-g spelling and do not drive.