Scorpions and lighting.

[Anonymity82]

I understand that this will vary among species. I am just curious in eventually getting some desert species that will need low humidity. I am curious how the lighting and heating will work.

Do scorpions adapt to low lighting and room temperature environments like tarantulas? Do they have to have a heat lamp or will they thrive in ambient lighting with room temperatures (68 to 75 F)?

 

[Ivymike1973]

Scorpions don't really "need" light that I am aware of. In fact, UV light is harmful to many of them.
Temperature depends on the species. Some species require a certain ldvel of heat to properly maintain their metabolism and grow and molt properly. Others can be kept at room temp (depending on what your particular room temp is).
I use infrared heat lamps for most of mine so I can observe them at night.

 

[Eclectix]

That is my understanding as well; temperature is more important than light, and heat should be overhead heat- NOT a head pad under the enclosure. Fluorescent lights should be avoided since they all contain at least some UV and this is not good for them, but the red or infrared bulbs are fine as are ceramic heat emitters. I use a CHE for mine. I also provide a cooler period at night; I think this is probably a good idea especially for desert species where the temperature can really drop quite a bit at night.

 

[Anonymity82]

Wow, thanks. I thought they needed UV lighting. My room temperature goes from 68 in the winter time to 77 in the summer. Do you know of any species that could withstand these temperatures without an added heat source?

 

[snippy]

You can basically keep any adult scorpion at room temperature. If you are only interested in "tot pflegen" as we like to call it, (tot: dead, pflegen: taking care) scorpions are easy. If you want to raise and breed them, it might be a different matter.

Regards
Finn

 

[Anonymity82]

Really? Cool. I'm definitely interested in keeping just a couple and not at all breeding. Thanks! I just want a couple of small guys and nothing medically dangerous. At least not until I have more experience with scorpions.

 

[Tarantuloid]

That's interesting to know, I've considered getting a scorpion but I always heard they need a heat mat similar to reptiles. My G. Rosea lives happy in our room temperature house, do you think an emperor scorpion would be just as fine?

 

[snippy]

Heatpads are unfit since most scorpions will dig when it is too warm. In nature the sun heats from above, in captivity it should be the same.

Regards
Finn

 

[Tarantuloid]

So they require heating from above much like a bearded dragon? They can't thrive in room temperature like a G. Rosea can correct?

 

[Olsin]

Heatpads are unfit since most scorpions will dig when it is too warm. In nature the sun heats from above, in captivity it should be the same.

Hmm, i find myself disagreeing with you here Finn. True, the sun heats from above but in nature most, if not all scorpions are under cover one way or another .. whether it's under stones, down burrows, under bark or in a scrape under some other piece of furniture. The heat they experience will be an ambient heat that surrounds them and won't come from any particular direction....although if their close to the edge of burrow, stone or whatever then they could conceivably experience heat from a side direction.

I use a few heat pads and find them very effective..You just need a certain ambient temperature in your scorp room (mine is approx 23C / 73F) and the heat pads have a decent size. Those small 4 and 8 watt pads are next to useless. I use 20 watt pads that measure 40cm (15,7 inch) by 30cm (11,8 inch) and use them in conjunction with my adult scorp glass enclosures that measure 30 x 30 x 20cm's (L x W x H). I sandwich the heat pads in between 2 enclosures, gable end to gable end and find that the temps easily come up to 30-32C (86-90F) within a couple of inches from the glass and drop to 23-24C (73/75F) at the other end of the enclosure. On warmer days the temps are a little higher and occasionally i turn the heat pads off because the ambient temps are already in the high 20'sC. I place furniture around their enclosures so that they can choose the thermal area that pleases them. I only use additional overhead light heating for my desert scorps.
Smaller containers containing scorplings are then placed on top of the adult glass enclosures close up to the heat mat that sticks above the height of the adult enclosures.

This system works absolutely fine for me, keeping my overall heating wattage down to less that 150 watts..which is a vast improvement on the 400 watt HPS light i used to use to heat my scorp room...so i wouldn't say heat pads are unfit Finn....it all depends on your setup

 

[snippy]

Yes, of course most scorpions will live shielded from direct sunlight. But that does not change the fact that the heating source is overhead, not underneath, so going deeper down into the substrate will in nature most likely go along with cooler temperatures and going out of hiding or sitting on top of the hide for basking will result in warmer temperatures.
I agree, heating from the side with a pad might be fine, but heating from underneath is not natural at all.

Regards
Finn

 

[Olsin]

I agree, heating from the side with a pad might be fine, but heating from underneath is not natural at all.

Then we were in agreement after all

 

[Anonymity82]

I've decided to get a V. spinigerus when I can afford. Probably not for a month or two. But definitely a species I want to keep. I was going to ask some questions in this thread but thought I'd probably get a better response if I started a new thread.