Vinegaroon

(Mastigoproctus giganteus)

Care Sheet

Scientific Name: Mastigoproctus giganteus

Common Name: Vinegaroon, Giant Vinegaroon, Grampus

Type: Burrowing

Endemic Location: Southern and Southwestern United States.

Body Length: 4”  (10cm)

Diagonal Leg Span (DLS): 6” (15cm)

Growth Rate: Medium

Life Expectancy: Females 20 years / Males 5-10 years

Recommended Experience Level: Beginner

The Mastigoproctus giganteus known in the pet trade as the Giant Vinegaroon, Desert Whipscorpion, or Grampus is a species of whip scorpion and a type of arachnid that is a relative of spiders and scorpions.. This species has a peculiar defense where it releases acidic and caprylic acid as a mist from glands at base of telson. This acid mist smell like and is similar to vinegar, but much stronger as vinegar is 5% acetic acid vs 80% from the Vinegaroon. In fact this mist is so strong it can damage the exoskeleton of other inverts. These specimens do not have a stinger like a scorpion, that is actually a tail, or telson, on the end of the vinegaroon that they use to sense vibrations, smells, and chemicals like pheromones. They also can whip it around when they feel threatened to deter predators. Though it appears they only have 6 legs and should be classified as an insect, the antennas in the front are actually just modified legs or antennae form legs that they use to detect movement and sense their environment to aid in hunting prey as they have very poor eyesight.. The pedipalps have evolved in this specimen to resemble pinchers and are used to catch and hold prey while eating. The vinegaroon can be found in the south west areas of the United States and other closely related species are found across the South East and Southern states in the US. They have been split into 3 different species in the US. There is the Arizona, Texas and Florida localities. They have a medium growth rate and can grow up to about 6 inches total length from the tip of the tail to the ends of the front legs with a body size of around 3-3.5”.  Males live about 7-8 years and females live as long as 20 years. Determining the sex of your vinegaroon can be a little difficult, but males have longer pedipalps while females are more stout.

It is a burrowing arachnid that can be kept at room temperature like most tarantulas and other arachnids. It has a medium growth and no real venom to speak of. 

 When this species is very small and young, you can keep them in a basic spiderling or juvenile style enclosure and give them plenty of substrate so they can burrow. Floor space is much more important than height. I provide them with a cork bark hide and some leaves and moss to hide under a small shallow water dish. 

 This species is mostly sold full grown and they can be kept in a 5 or 10 gallon enclosure. I currently keep mine in a 10 gallon aquarium filled about half way up with substrate. You want to give this species a good 5-6 inches of substrate to burrow down into. I use a mixture of coco fiber and a little peat moss and some sphagnum moss and keep the substrate slightly damp. I provide a water dish that isnt too deep but as wide as possible  so the vinegaroon can climb in and out of it easily. I over flow the water dish every few weeks to make a small section of the substrate damp. I give her 2 or 3 different hides in carrying spots in the enclosure and provide some plants, rocks, cork bark, etc to decorate the enclosure and give things to walk around on and hide under. This species spends a lot of time digging and moving substrate around and can hide out in their burrow for weeks on end. The Vinegaroon does not have the ability to climb the glass like tarantulas are able to do, so you don’t have to worry too much about it being able to reach the lid of its enclosure and escape. 

  They are a nocturnal species, so your best chance catching them out and in view will be at night when they are most active. That is also usually when I try to feed them. I feed my baby vinegaroons pinhead crickets or red runners and as they get larger I use larger feeders. I currently feed my adult about 3 or 4 medium to large crickets every 3-4 weeks. They don’t eat a whole lot or very often. They can go weeks or even months without eating and there are many reports of vinegaroon hiding out in their burrow for over 6 months at a time. So if your Vinegaroon has not eaten for months, there is no need to worry. 

  This is a very docile species and there are little no reports of anyone being bitten or pinched by a Vinegaroon. They are fairly slow moving and not that defensive. That being said, it is not recommended to handle this species as they can release the acidic acid if they feel threatened. Though it is harmless to most humans, some people may be allergic to the acetic acid, or just more sensitive and the vinegar can be very irritating and cause rashes that can be itchy or even painful.