Emperor Scorpion

meghan · #1 01-23-2011, 02:21 AM

Alright, this is my first attempt at anything with more legs than me. I just bought this scorp today, local pet store had it shipped from god knows where to alaska, so Im hoping the travel wont stress it enough to kill it. I have a UTH, although Ive read thats a bad idea for scorps, and I also have a heat lamp above it, because its Alaska, and it is indeed freezing here sometimes. I used 4 blocks of Eco Earth, I packed the first layer really hard, the top layer is fluffy, theres a branch, water dish, and a plastic skull, because I thought it was kinda funny. I think my scorps a boy, it was climbing the glass and flashed/flapped its...comb like genitalia at me, I dont know if Im allowed to say that on here haha. He? was super active the first few hours and now hes burrowed a tunnel inside the skull, and closed one of the eye holes up with dirt, so good sign hes making a home already I guess? Anywhoo, to make a super long post short, any comments or tips would be helpful, hopefully get some plants in there for coverage. Have pothos clippings in water trying to get roots going. Thanks in advance everyone

Maney · #2 08-02-2011, 09:10 AM

Hey mate,

Nice work on the emperor scorpion, you made a fine choice and looks like you're doing a good god caring for him. Those "genitals" you mentioned are actually called pectines. Their function isn't properly known, however they are thought to be involved in mating and detection of ground vibrations.

Check out this link for a care sheet I wrote on them (kept them for countless years, imported and exported them, etc etc, I like to think I know a thing or two :P ).

Emperor Scorpion Care Sheet

meghan · #3 08-02-2011, 11:56 AM

Well turns out its a girl, 4 months after I got it 12 babies arrived, one was eaten right away probably due to my pestering. They've all molted now and are tiny but black, mom never leaves her burrow and neither do the babies so Ive been tossing worms and crickets in the cave.

Pavel · #4 08-02-2011, 10:05 PM

Not surprised it was a girl. Though the pic you posted of its ventral side was extremely blurry, the pectines still looked very small (hence female). Keep providing food as you are doing. Cannibalism will be minimized if not out right eliminated if they are all well fed. Be glad you had a small brood -- they often have a LOT more. LOL

House temps have been fine for mine (unfortunately she wasn't prego when I got her) so I don't think you need to worry about heaters unless you room gets into the 60's and 50's.

meghan · #5 08-03-2011, 10:53 PM

Our house temp is around 65 in the summer and around the 40s in the winter. She may have had more but the coco husk bedding got to dry and collapsed on her and I couldnt tell if everyone got out alive. Either way Im stuck with a ton of babies and no way to remove them or give them to anyone haha. Ill post pics of her new burrow with the scorplings soon.

meghan · #6 08-04-2011, 09:42 PM

[IMG]

[/IMG] so this is the scorpion when I first viewed her with the scorplings, they have all now molted and are black, still very tiny and still hiding in the burrow with mom.

Pavel · #7 08-06-2011, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meghan

Our house temp is around 65 in the summer and around the 40s in the winter.

Hmm, with those temps, you will need supplemental heat. You might be best off with a heat mat but I would suggest -- just as you would with a reptile -- only have the mat under one half of the tank and hides at both ends so the scorp can decide where it wants to be and if it wants to burrow or use a hide.