# Do Scorpions/Tarantulas need Light?



## Tarantel (Jul 7, 2011)

I keep my emperor scorpion in my closet where it is always dark. Do scorpions need light or are they fine in complete darkness? Do scorpions need darkness, or can they survive in complete light. What about tarantulas, can tarantulas be kept in an always light/always dark place, or do they need a light/dark cycle?


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## Mathayus (Jul 7, 2011)

I personally prefer giving them natural sunlight, but not directly into their cage. All animals need at least some light cycle to keep their natural clock ticking. If not, they just don't fare as well. Plus, they will have a longer life span with a light cycle.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Xanthopus (Jul 7, 2011)

I keep all my inverts with lights. I feel its good for my scorps as they experience this is nature as well, on the plus side u can add live plants if u wanted to.


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## Tarantel (Jul 7, 2011)

Is it better to keep them in the light all the time or to keep them in the dark all the time?


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## Xanthopus (Jul 7, 2011)

Both, i would never keep them in full of either light or darkness. It just doesnt seem natural to me.


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## Rellok1 (Jul 7, 2011)

Hi

Yes it is necessary. Because they must have day and night.;-)
If you need light, then the animals too. But they do not need sonlight, because they are nocturnal.

Houpe i could help.

Yours sincerely Max


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## Tarantel (Jul 7, 2011)

How do I give a light dark cycle? I just turn on and off the light every 12 hours? I would probably forget half the time. If I can't give a light dark cycle, then is it better to have them in always light or always dark?


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## Xanthopus (Jul 7, 2011)

I use a timer for my lights. But i would choose pure darkness, u could put it near a window.


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## Rellok1 (Jul 7, 2011)

Hi



> If I can't give a light dark cycle, then is it better to have them in always light or always dark?


Better would be always dark. But if you can't give the animals a species-appropriate living, it would be better if you would sell it sry.




> I just turn on and off the light every 12 hours?


I don't understand the problem. It isn't difficult to switch the light on and off every day.

A timer isn't very expensive. You can finde one in every store.



> u could put it near a window.


That is a possibility too.

Max


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## Kathy (Jul 7, 2011)

Tarantel said:


> How do I give a light dark cycle? I just turn on and off the light every 12 hours? I would probably forget half the time. If I can't give a light dark cycle, then is it better to have them in always light or always dark?


Take them out of the closet and put them on your dresser?


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## Collin Clary (Jul 7, 2011)

I keep all my inverts in my room, so when I wake up I open the shades and when I go to bed I close the shades. Don't put your tanks in direct sunlight.


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## Xanthopus (Jul 7, 2011)

Ive never used sunlight, for one reason that is i dun like it. I use artificial lighting to shine all my plants in the enclosure and raise humidity(i think that works) and also to provide night/day cycles.


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## Collin Clary (Jul 7, 2011)

Just going to add that the sun does not shine directly into my room. I would not put inverts in a room that gets alot of light. Inverts do not need much light and they always prefer the dark.


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## lancej (Jul 7, 2011)

You could always just leave the door to your closet open during the day.  They don't need much light, just enough so they know when it's night and day.


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## Michiel (Jul 8, 2011)

Tarantel said:


> I keep my emperor scorpion in my closet where it is always dark. Do scorpions need light or are they fine in complete darkness? Do scorpions need darkness, or can they survive in complete light. What about tarantulas, can tarantulas be kept in an always light/always dark place, or do they need a light/dark cycle?


Both scorpions and tarantula's (and most other animals for that matter), have a circadian rhythm and need these night-day cycles. It is better for their wellbeing to give them a photoperiod (light) of max 14 hours a day. 
If you would keep them in the dark/ in light all day, this circadian clock cannot establish and will stress the animals.


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## Tarantel (Jul 8, 2011)

The problem with just turning the lights on and off is that to give it twelve hours of light and twelve hours of dark, I would have to wake up at ten to switch the light on and I can't control when I wake up. I usually wake up at around 12 in the summer, and I can't do it at all after summer because I have to be in school by eight. Even if I woke up at ten every day I would probably forget a lot of the time. I asked my mom if it was possible to hook up a timer to the light in my closet and she said no. I would love her to be proven wrong. The light in my closet is not a special reptile light or anything, but a normal bulb that was there before I ever got the scorpion. The light outside my closet (in my room) is usually on even at night because I read until late. I read a lot of caresheets before I got the scorpion, and they all said it didn't need lighting. I can't put it near a window because it is in my closet and there are no windows near my closet. Outside my closet there are no places to put it that are near a window, and even if I could put it near a window that wouldn't help because my room is light most of the time.


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## Midknight xrs (Jul 8, 2011)

What you should do is find a place outside of the closet to keep your scorps.  I keep mine by my bed so that they go through similar lighting that i do.  this establishes the longer and shorter daylight seasons which can allow them to experience what they experience in nature.  Are you keeping the scorps in your closet because you're not supposed to have them?  Do you think that they need direct sunlight?  Most need a form of light and many invertebrates need little to no UV lighting.

Keep them outside of your closet in the day and in there at night if you must. They do not need direct light, indirect light is enough.


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## Tarantel (Jul 8, 2011)

I am allowed to have them, I can't really find a place outside the closet to use as my room is light during much of the night as I often stay up late reading. But this isn't a problem anymore because my dad went and bought a timer and we plugged it into a lamp and now we can give it a cycle of light and dark. Thank you everyone for your advice.


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## Michiel (Jul 9, 2011)

Just wanted to advise using a timer, but you already got one, LOL


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## cheeky (Jul 9, 2011)

I i would think that having lights would be fine as long as the ts an scorps have hides, and the light is on a timer.(12 hr on, 12 hr off)


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## smoment42 (May 29, 2013)

*keepm in the closet*

ok i understand the need to answer this question properly.
i myself work alot of shift work so all my windows in my room are blacked out & it is impossible to keep the lights on with my schedual so a timer is required for ALOT of my reptiles. though i only have 1 digital timer at the moment i run extension chords to where they need to go. but in my set up i have about a 5.5" chilean rose in my closet on the floor she doesnt see much light but as long as the door is left open she get a verry very Dim light, after alot of browsing and getting many educated guesses and studying my Ts and what they do normally. so here i have the answer, even though there are many different species of Ts sum active during the day sum at night, the truth is it doesnt matter they dont actually sleep but they do need there "time" they dont require direct light and they dont require 24/7 darkness thats just not right either.

none of my friends really understood why i had it but i hide my gold in her cage, lol sound familiar
seeing whats in the cage and knowing whats in the cage makes for a road less traveled. 
"i gotta jar of diiiirrtt" ~ Capt'n Jack Sparrow:coffee:

who would have ever thought to hide your valuables in a secret compartment in a glass cage with a Tarantula the size of your hand, also works with giant african centipede, since they are normally a look dont touch species. 
just some ideas for you guys


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## ShredderEmp (May 29, 2013)

@smoment42: Interesting, but you did just resurrect a thread and tell everyone where you hide your valuables haha.

Interesting observation though.


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## JonnyTorch (Aug 6, 2021)

@smoment42

I'll resurrect this as well. I'm going to hide my gold in mine now.


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## The Snark (Aug 6, 2021)

Forest scorps of Asia are all photophobic. Illuminated areas = bird feast. Same same in the Mojave area. Show your face and say hello to a road runner.

Hiding valuables.
Cop training film. Professional burglars taking homeowners on a walkthrough of their houses pointing out likely spots where valuables are hid. About a 90%+ correct hit rate. An interesting aspect is the burglars usually did a whole house sweep in under two minutes.  Fish tanks or terrariums a common location. All self respecting burglars wear gloves. Most common major deterrent, barking dogs. Closed circuit cameras are considered signs there are valuables to be taken. Nondescript clothing, hoods and masks plus their speed renders the cameras useless.


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## darkness975 (Aug 7, 2021)

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