# New HOT box enclosure



## sfpearl300z (Mar 21, 2010)

Yea, a little sloppy with the construction... really impatient, and its temporary:

P. trans, and A. Australis


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## Jorpion (Mar 22, 2010)

Wicked cool! The scorps could care less about your workmanship   Very natural-looking setup!

Jeff


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## Edd Eskimo (Mar 22, 2010)

Nice box man! Who cares it looks fine by the pics.. Are you scorps. Gravid or how shall i say just real " healthy "


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## Lucas339 (Mar 22, 2010)

great set up!!  where did you get your sand?!?


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## sfpearl300z (Mar 22, 2010)

Thanks!  The P. trans portion is a mix of excavator sand and orange reptisand, and the A. australis is midnight black reptisand.  You can get it at most pet supply stores, franchise or not.  I wet down the substrate slightly so they can burrow....which they promptly did. 

From the looks of it, they are just fat premolt.  These are my first specimens of this sp. and Im pretty sure they still have one molt to go judging by their size.


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## snappleWhiteTea (Mar 22, 2010)

i thought hot box was what you use to build appetite. so the scorpion would grow faster or something to do with maturing.


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## Nomadinexile (Mar 22, 2010)

That was my first thought too snap.  But these species need higher than room temperatures to thrive.   So this too, is a hot box, but with different purpose! 

*Of note, for those of you unfamiliar....
These species are not burrowers.  Maybe a little, but generally they are found under rocks and boards.  So they have little insulation from the hot African summers, compared to some burrowing species which would see similar surface temperatures, because they can't cool off in deep burrows.   r


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## Galapoheros (Mar 23, 2010)

I think he's referring to the scorpions being "hot", so is calling it a "hot box"(?)  Maybe it's gotten twisted from BrianS calling his heated, insulated box he put a lot of baby transvaalicus in to keep them warmer than his house was, a "hot box", or could be coincidence.  Anyway, cool setup, I'd put a cap of water in a corner though if there isn't one.  They will drink and people tend to keep them too dry and wonder why they get locked up in a molt.  I have transvaalicus and wet part of the sub in a corner as soon as it starts to dry up there.  I've never had a problem with them getting mycosis as long as there is an open, or screen top.


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## Mvskokee (Mar 23, 2010)

Super cool set up man. It gives me some ideas


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## SixShot666 (Mar 23, 2010)

That's a great set up you have there!!! :clap::clap::clap:


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## sfpearl300z (Mar 23, 2010)

HOT = both species/temp.  My house is around 70-75 so I regulate the temp via heat lamps.

I keep the cage around 85*, and I have since put a small shallow water dish in both because I anticipate they will molt sometime soon.

Like I said, these are my first scorps of these sp. and I know they usually hide under something, or dig a small scrape but I'm surprised the P. trans has dug himself a pretty spacious tunnel with a chamber that he chills in.  The A. australis has a less elaborate scrape under a piece of cork bark to hide under.

I'll grab some pics when I get home tonight and update it tomorrow with his little burrow.  They seem to be loving it so far.  

Such entertaining scorps!  Every night they do a little more rearranging and redecorating to their liking.


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## Lucas339 (Mar 23, 2010)

i know what you mean about the P. trans.  mine has dug itself a small burrow under a rock and i haven't seen it in a over a week.  i check on it the other day and she is still premolt.


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## Galapoheros (Mar 23, 2010)

I read there is a pretty strong cool down(for P. trans anyway) at night in their natural habitat, esp. in the winter, even getting a frost in places within their range, so I turn off all heat for them at night.  It gets cool in the winter in the room I have them in and was worried about it at first but from what I read, a seasonal cool down is natural for them.  I wonder if they even go dormant for a short time during the winter in their native habitat(?)


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## Cowin8579 (Mar 23, 2010)

Love it!  It makes me feel guilty about having everything in tupperware.  Display is the way to go.


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## SixShot666 (Mar 23, 2010)

Galapoheros said:


> I read there is a pretty strong cool down(for P. trans anyway) at night in their natural habitat, esp. in the winter, even getting a frost in places within their range, so I turn off all heat for them at night.  It gets cool in the winter in the room I have them in and was worried about it at first but from what I read, a seasonal cool down is natural for them.  I wonder if they even go dormant for a short time during the winter in their native habitat(?)


But this is for the mature species only right??? The seller that I bought my P.Transvaalicus from told me to NOT let the temperture drop at night for the young scorplings. He's said that a couple of others buyers done this and lost theirs.


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## Galapoheros (Mar 24, 2010)

I can't say I know for sure.  Maybe those people that lost some babies assumed it was from a temp drop but maybe it was because of something else, that kind of thing happens a lot and think that bad info gets started like that.  Not that I know temp drop for babies at night isn't bad, I'm just not convinced that it is, doesn't make sense to me atm.  I've raised several dozen from babies and never lost one from temp drop.  But I'm only talking about a drop to the mid to upper 60's.  And in the winter at my house, sometimes that room never gets out of the upper 60's, none died.  I'm not seeing how it would make a diff with babies since they are cold blooded and the babies are in the same area as the adults in their native habitat, but I sure could be missing something.


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## sfpearl300z (Mar 24, 2010)

2nd all that.  I don't see that kind of temp drop making the difference between life and death considering what they experience in their natural habitat.  Especially when they are subadult to adult.


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## Nomadinexile (Mar 24, 2010)

I can't verify this, but found it and thought I'd share.  Oh, and yes, many species of scorpions experience cool to cold nights, and cold seasonal times.
There are a few exceptions, but not many.       

http://www.scorpions.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=74&Itemid=19

All species of Parabuthus are adapted for burrowing. Although most species of Parabuthus construct burrows in the open ground, Other species such as P. muelleri, P. planicauda, P. transvaalicus and P. villosus construct burrows under stones or rocks. Parabuthus use the ridges on the fifth tail segment to loosen substrate, before dragging away the substrate using the first two pairs of leg. Their burrows are very different in that of Opistophthalmus sp. As Parabuthus sp. burrow, they just shovel the substrate behind them. Their burrows look like they have been filed in. Opistophthalmus sp. carry the substrate out of the burrow. Gravid females often excavate deep burrows in which to give birth.


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## sfpearl300z (Mar 24, 2010)

Wow, great info!

This makes perfect sense, because that is exactly how my Opisto burrows, by carrying the substrate out of the tunnel with its legs, where my P. trans shovel's it out with his tail.


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## InfestedGoat (Mar 25, 2010)

I love that! I never thought of splitting a tank in two with plexiglass. 

What sized tank is it? I am now considering buying new species and doing this


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## sfpearl300z (Mar 25, 2010)

Not sure on the size of the tank; it was given to me by a friend.  It's definitely smaller than a 10 gallon though.  I used a pre-cut piece of 10x12 glass from home depot at an angle for a separator, sealed with silicone.

I also have a 30 gallon tank I house my Hadogenes, Heterometrus, and Opistopthalmus in, separated by sheets of lexan...also from home depot.

Hope this helps!


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## sharpfang (Mar 25, 2010)

*Beautifully Creative Divider idea*

:clap: Good show - Jason


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## Nomadinexile (Mar 25, 2010)

sfpearl300z said:


> sealed with silicone.


Thanks for the info!    For those not in the know, using aquarium grade silicone is a good idea.   It will be more expensive, but will have less impurities, and shouldn't have any bad chemicals in it.  People spend a fortune on fish that are very delicate.  If an aquarium sealant is on the market for any length of time, it will be safe for our scorpions.

*most people, including the O.P. I'm sure, already know this.  I add this for those that don't. 

Peace, r


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## Poldi (Mar 29, 2010)

its a nice set up, but pls allow me one comment.

both scorpions are digger's... try to fill in at least 15-20 !cm! sand. the gravel in the australis side is not good. pls use sand too. make it wet and let it dry. then it will be hard enough to make sure that the scorpions can digg a cave. that's more natural for them. i hope you understand me!


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## sfpearl300z (Mar 30, 2010)

Yea, I noticed the substrate in the australis enclosure is a bit loose.  I have wet it down and let it dry enough to support a small scrape, but I'll be mixing some excavator sand to support a small burrow... just to make him more comfortable.


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## Poldi (Mar 31, 2010)

great to hear that my friend!
good luck


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